Summer camp at Foam Fighters and Grovenor is done for the year, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this post for about a week now.
This was our first full run of summer camps as Project Rad. It went better than I expected, and I had pretty high expectations going in. There’s a moment that happens with almost every kid where something clicks, usually somewhere around day two, and you can see it on their face before they even land the trick. Kids who were just getting comfortable pushing on day one were popping their first ollies and rolling into drop-ins by day three. Kids who already had drop-ins down were landing pop shove-its and working on their first nose stalls. I still think about a couple of specific kids from Grovenor who barely said a word on day one and were cracking jokes with the group by lunch on day three.
Thank you
If your kid was at camp this summer, thank you. Handing your kid over to us for the day, trusting that we’ll handle it if something goes wrong, that’s a real thing to ask of a parent, and we don’t take it lightly. Every allergy note got read. Every sign-out sheet got checked.
Some of what parents sent us afterward:
“My son had a lot of fun for the three day camp. He liked the way the tricks were taught and feels much more confident skating. Would definitely come back!”
“This camp was great! Our son had a blast and seemed happier each day. Can’t really ask for much more than that.”
“Everyone involved with this camp has been amazing with my kid. They created a safe and friendly environment for my kid to learn and have fun.”
“Supportive, positive vibes. Wish the camp ran longer… Will be signing up again!”
That “wish the camp ran longer” one, and a few other comments like it, are exactly the kind of feedback we’re taking seriously as we plan ahead. We’re always looking for input from parents and kids, since that’s what keeps our programming solid for the long run.
The staff made this work
I can plan a schedule and build a curriculum, but the staff and volunteers are the ones who actually run camp. Long days, hot pavement, twenty kids at different skill levels needing different things at the same time. They handled it, and they made it look easy even when it wasn’t. If your kid had a good week, a lot of that comes down to whoever was coaching them.
What’s coming
This isn’t the end of it. PD Day camps start up at Foam Fighters this school year, running through 2026-27. I’ll put out a separate post on dates once they’re locked in.
And for next summer, we’re looking at running a full 8 weeks of camp instead of the scattered blocks we did this year. Basically taking everything that worked this year and everything parents told us they wanted, and building a bigger version of it. Once the fall session details are set, fall skateboard classes at our indoor skatepark will pick up right where camp left off.
Thanks for trusting us with your kids this summer. If you haven’t heard, Make It Rad is coming up August 22 at Callingwood Skatepark, and we are running a free learn-to-skate that is free to attend. Would love to see you there.
Kind regards,
David