Reaghan Fischer, a 7-year-old from Lexington, Ky., sits cross-legged on the University of Cincinnati track that circles Gettler Stadium. Waiting her turn, she watches two older kids learning how to get a jump on their competitors at the start of a race.

  

“The best thing about being at camp is that you get to learn new things,” she says. “I like to run because when you go fast, you feel the wind in your face. I want to learn how to go faster.”

  

Elsewhere on campus, an 8-year-old learns new tactics on the football field, and high-school students are rehearsing, performing and recording at the College-Conservatory of Music.

  

Although many people think campus is devoid of students over the summer, their mistaken impression comes from failing to think young enough. Campus is full of students. All summer. They are simply much smaller than what one expects.

  

UC offers a variety of summer programs for youth, including camps for sports, music, drama, vocal arts, engineering, science, medicine, urban planning, gifted students, academically challenged youth and specialty courses like sign language.      

Athletics

  

“My favorite part was the tackling,” says John Beckman, an 8-year-old from Cincinnati who participated in UC’s June football camp. “I learned you don’t go straight into them. You have to put your shoulder down and lift them up.”

  

UC offers a variety of athletic camps, including football, track and field, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, soccer and volleyball.

  

UC's track camp is one of many Bearcat sports that teach young people to improve their skills over the summer. photo/Andrew Higley

Campers from kindergarten to high school levels learn basic skills, play games and interact with kids from other schools. Even UC Division 1 NCAA coaches, such as basketball’s Bob Huggins and football’s Mark Dantonio, get in on the action.

  

Bill Schnier, men’s track and field coach, says he enjoys coaching during the summer because of the enthusiasm of the campers.

  

“In the summer you get to work with people who really want to be there,” Schnier says. “The campers are still in the formative stages of the sport, so they can learn new things, and it’s easy to help them in just one week. It’s very progressive learning.”

          

Music, drama and vocal arts

  

For children whose interest lies in more dramatic realms, the College-Conservatory of Music offers a wide variety of summer classes and programs to develop one’s voice and musical talent. Four festivals give students the opportunity to study with internationally-known faculty and guest artists:

  

Joel Hoffman, a CCM professor of composition and director of the Music ’05 festival, says the festival immerses young people in an international culture.

  

“The festival puts (attendees) in a fully professional situation,” he says. “They get a window into the international world of new music-making, something that is of crucial importance to young composers and performers. I enjoy seeing new relationships and networks formed among the guests from around the world.”

  

Trevor Forbes, a 15-year-old high school student, was a counselor for two CCM camps this summer -- Musical Theatre Experience and Popcorn Playhouse. He attended the Summer Shenanigans program when he was younger and, with encouragement from program director Dee Anne Bryll, moved up to counselor.

  

“In Popcorn Playhouse, for younger kids, it’s an introduction to everything -- singing, dancing, improvisation and acting,” he says. “They leave with a basic knowledge of how to put on plays and how to be actors. In Musical Theatre Experience, they audition for roles in March, and the entire camp is spent rehearsing for a performance at the end of the two weeks.”

                         More about CCM summer camps

 

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