The strength of the day camp is reducing costs all around. I’m not saying my idea is flawless. My day-camp idea is about skill building, not competition. Give them a strong start and the “tools” they need to progress. it won’t be complete but it gives them a solid start. More advanced day camps can be arranged and organized.
With a “camp”, assuming “out in the woods and laying on the ground with the bugs and snakes” and discovering “do bears indeed defecate in the woods” kinda stuff, you’ve got loads of extra costs: food, water, first-aid, insurance, waste management and sanitation and all the logistics that go with it. Then you have to have the people willing to deal with this kind of environment. Not to sound like a spoiled brat, but I’m just not down for that. I guess I"m spoiled by electricity and the internet. However, I also have work that requires I stay nearby “technology”. Then again, I’m not a kid either.
If you do it at a hotel, then you tack on room charges, availability of restaurants(not usually an issue), conference room charges as well as as suitable conference room.
Either way, you have to factor in travel costs. Airfare, bus, train, and other ground transportation. Even if you offer a free shuttle, that shuttle is gonna actually have costs somewhere into it.
Bringing out all stars, pros and the like will help draw people in for sure. Not to sound greedy, but they aren’t going to do this for free. The won’t demand A-list kinda paydays(say, $120K/day/appearance, yes, they do that or much higher), but budget and prices will need to reflect at the very least covering their expenses and per diem.
Ideally, you’re looking at around $3K per participant being not unrealistic, not all of this being the camp charges. When you add up the “price per camper fee” based on what the camp is providing and what the camp’s costs will be, PLUS the camper’s travel expenses that would probably include food, water, the numbers start to jump up. If we’re in a hotel, well, rates are kinda up there but perhaps good rates could be negotiated. If camping, you have to figure out how the consumables get to the location, and do you truck this in or what?
The ideas either way have merit. Neither is perfect.
My day camp idea is oriented around people nearby, would have lost costs, and not be an all day thing. It can be done in short periods(say 1-2 weeks) and have escalating levels for additional sessions and fees, up until a certain point at which point you “graduate”. Think a swim lesson model. Do you offer a two-tied pricing model for the intro course(one with an included yoyo or yoyos, and a lower price for those who provide their own?). I participated in a day camp for soccer. 8AM to 1PM, M-F for 2 weeks. My only negative was this is where I got my first back injury, but that’s a totally non-related issue. My wife is paying $40 for I think 1 or 2 weeks of swimming lessons, which is 4-5 half hour swimming lessons over a 2 week period I think. I’ll have to re-check on that. I’m talking about doing something similar, except it needs to be 30 minutes daily(M-F) for 2 weeks, in a group setting with a good instructor/participant ratio and plenty of 1 on on1 assistance as needed.
A dedicated “away from home type” camp has a lot of issues that can cause prices to jump significantly, and the organizer have to determine how much over-head is reasonable to factor in. We all try to pretend that we all do things for the “good of what we’re doing”. The bottom line is that things like camps are run as a for-profit venture. The profit doesn’t need to be gigantic. I would bet that whoever chooses to take this on will ensure they are charging enough so after all is said and done, they are at least making some money to off-set the administrative side of things. You’re not going to get noobs at these camps, you’re going to have advanced players looking to dramatically improve their game, otherwise the high price can’t be justified. This isn’t a bad thing. A camp like this isn’t designed for new players. However, you have to have parents willing to sign off on this and fork over the dough, sign loads of paperwork, and then there’s the issue of minors traveling. Considering most participants will be under 18, this is a very real concern.
Loads of details to take into consideration either way.
My idea is easier since if I work with a community services organization, they have the back end and marketing taken care of for me, as well as market research issues addressed to see if this is worth doing. The classes can be scaled up in the form of “more scheduled sessions” to accommodate more participants. A lot of the legal stuff is done cookie-cutter style. I’d be working with an existing model, just adding a new experience into the list of available programs.
A true “camp” just offers a lot more in regards to levels of details one has to take into consideration. You’re not re-inventing the wheel, as other similar things exist, such as cheerleader camps, band camps, math camps, space camps, science camps. You might have to pay a little bit of money and/or spend a bit of time to gather the information you need. You will need to work with an attorney a bit to ensure all your paperwork and documents(waivers, hold harmless agreements, liability stuff) are all done properly.
Both have their needs. Both have their places. Both have non-competing markets. I know for a fact there’s new people who need help. The problem is they won’t ask for help and so most fail. I want to avoid these failures. I know for a fact there’s more than enough players serious enough about their yoyo to want to spend the time and money to take their game to the next level. How do I know this? Walking around CalStates, BAC and Nationals will prove that. There’s enough of these types to make a true camp worth the time, money and efforts for all parties involved.
