The Pinewood Preparatory School campus has come alive this summer with the sounds of enthusiastic budding athletes.
Pinewood Summer Sports Camp kicked off its inaugural year on June 23.
Sports-minded boys and girls, ages 6-13, spend the day learning the fundamentals, proper techniques and basic strategies for basketball, soccer, volleyball, and tennis.  The goal of the camp is to improve athletic skills over the summer.
“These children love gym class so it’s like having their favorite class all day,” says Coach Nancy Beatty, one of three coaches running the Sports Camp.
“The three of us worked so well as physical education teachers during the school year that we wanted to carry that over into the summer,” adds Coach Gail Osborne referring to herself, Coach Beatty and Marianne Weinstein.
The camp is designed to help children develop skills and gain a better understanding of a variety of sports.  The concentration is on soccer, basketball, volleyball, and tennis and includes drills and games for each sport. Additional activities and group competitions are held daily and campers are grouped according to both their age and ability level.  Water and snacks are provided throughout the day to keep energy and hydration levels up.
Henry Butterworth, 6, says his favorite thing about camp is learning to serve a volleyball, while Hannah Bulick, 7, who wants to be a chef and a tennis player when she grows up, said her favorite thing about sports camp is getting to practice her tennis skills.
“We work on different sports throughout the day which is great because we don’t get burned out on one sport,” says Grant Jewell, 10, who is joined at Sports Camp by his friend who is visiting for the week from Richmond, Virginia. “We get a great workout everyday that gives us an edge.”  
All camp activities take place on the campus of Pinewood Preparatory School with access to the Eidson Gym, Pinewood Soccer Fields, and the Maurer-Lawrence Tennis Center.