Lacrosse Tip   | Tagged: Mindset

Presented by Kate Leavell, Director of Enrollment & Partnerships Xcelerate Nike Lacrosse Camps

So… do we need summer lacrosse camps?

When Xcelerate Lacrosse started in 2004, the question families asked was simple: What’s the nearest lacrosse camp to our town this summer?

Then, as camps popped up everywhere, the question became: What’s the best camp in town?

Now there’s a new question - and the answer might surprise you: With spring season, travel season, and tournaments… do we even need a summer lacrosse camp anymore?

As the number of camps exploded across lacrosse hotbeds—and expanded into developing areas—the race was on to offer the biggest “player advantage.” But somewhere along the way, the big names, recruiting promises, and overwhelming number of options started falling short of what they promised. Camps slowly lost their place as a cornerstone for developing players.

Travel schedules took over. Pressure increased. And today’s athletes often have a higher game to-practice ratio than most professional athletes, with expectations to match. The race to be the best has left far too many kids behind. The tortoise and the hare are back at the starting line. We could talk about the need for more practice than competition. About total athlete development. About mobility, recovery, and unstructured play.

But there’s something else happening—quietly, and more concerning. 70% of kids drop out of sports by age 13. That number hasn’t improved, despite more opportunities than ever to play year-round. Layer in the rising mental health challenges in youth sports, and the reality is hard to ignore: More access, more elite, more everything - hasn’t led to better outcomes. But let’s get back to talking about camp, because within the camp structure we have access to a powerful antidote. When intentionally designed to serve this purpose, a sports camp has the ability to not only help them improve as an athlete, but also reset that stress, fatigue, burnout and poor self-esteem that is discouraging kids from playing sports. A sports camp that incorporates the fun, games, play and social opportunities of a traditional camp in addition to sports training, delivers an experience that fuels the athlete with big dreams AND the kid inside.

Whether it’s club or a school team, there’s a pressure to start, to perform, to impress, and to be seen. The rinse and repeat style of competition seasons keep kids locked into that pressure without the relief that the sport, ironically, used to provide. The power of camp is that it interrupts this pattern.

Camp isn’t about starting, playing time, or impressing anyone. It’s not about who’s the best, or who’s the biggest, tallest, best recruit. It’s not about worrying about letting anyone down or making mistakes. In fact, it’s not about anyone else at all, this is part of the magic. Each athlete can focus on getting better, in an environment that encourages growth and success.

And listen, I love competition. I’m not anti-travel ball or disconnected from high-level athletes chasing big dreams. I’ve been in it from all sides, as a player, parent, and a youth, high school and college coach. My youngest just wrapped up an incredible career, finishing as a D1-ranked goalie. We did the travel circuits, recruiting, intense training—all of it. And honestly? I miss it!

But where there once was a lack of options to train, there now lies a lack of joy in the learning process, because youth sports has turned upside down, painting outcomes as the ultimate prize – when really, it was the total, undeniable joy of playing the game all along.

Xcelerate Lacrosse has continued to offer camps for over 20 years as trends have come and gone for one primary reason:

A mission centered around all the things that bring kids back to the love of the game; pride in themselves, connection over comparison, mastering challenging skills without “fear of failure”, and celebrations over punishments in an environment energized by coaches and directors that contagiously and relentlessly love this sport.

So… do we need summer lacrosse camps?

Our kids need an option that resets the “grind” and has them high-fiving and jumping up and down in excitement for what they just accomplished. For what their newfound friends just accomplished. Confidence, fun, learning, and mastery intentionally designed to reset all that pressure.

So, if you find a camp that brings all that, then trust your instincts. Your athlete might just need to get back to loving the game and the player they are becoming this summer. They might need a learning experience that refuels them so they can elevate under the pressures of intense competition, expectations, and thrive.

And if you’re not sure where to find a camp like that, check out Xcelerate Nike Lacrosse Camps. We have over 40 of them, for boys and girls ages 10-18 – and we’re on a mission to share the JOY and OPPORTUNITIES that playing lacrosse has given all of us.

Check out more lacrosse tips and elevate your game for the upcoming season!