Here’s What Every Aspiring Athlete Should Have in That Duffel Bag

by Casey Bloom
March 29, 2023
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Photo by Allan Mas

As Louis Pasteur once said, “Fortune favors the prepared mind”. Being prepared should always be on top of people’s priorities, especially when living in a world where if things can go wrong, they will. Teaching kids how to prepare and be prepared in any situation is an essential trait you can teach by introducing them to the duffel bag.

If you plan to send your kids to a summer sports camp at Ultimate Ninjas to become healthy and learn camaraderie and sportsmanship, include a duffel bag on their must-have list.

So, what should you put in their duffle bag when going to sports camps? What should you prepare when joining a camp, and what should be your expectations when your kids join a proactive Ultimate Ninjas gym?

This article encourages parents and kids to join proactive sports camps that promote sportsmanship and camaraderie. You’ll also have tips on what to include in your kid’s duffle bag when they join sports camps and other athletic activities. Finally, you’ll have insight into the benefits of your kids learning how to work as a team and learn cooperation, etiquette, and proper behavior.

Being part of a group by joining sports activities such as camps, is one of the essential things kids should experience while they’re young. Kids should experience having fun with friends and, through activities, learn how to work with other kids to achieve a goal.

Duffel bags store items your kid needs as they go to camps and enjoy activities. However, the takeaways they’ll learn from these proactive groups will be part of the tools they’ll carry for the rest of their lives.

Groups like Ultimate Ninjas and communities like Motherhood Community provide a safe place for parents and kids. Here they’ll learn the value of being part of a community that promotes care and support for each other.

An important aspect worth noting is the sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship that they get from joining sports clubs. And it all starts by knowing what to put inside their duffel bag!

Duffel Bag Must-haves for Your Little Athlete

So you’ve signed up your budding athlete for summer camp. Now, you need to prepare what they’ll need so that they can take advantage of all activities. Use a duffle bag to store all the items your kids need, including the following:

  • Clothes for a sports camp: Pick and pack enough t-shirts, underwear, shorts, and socks. Expect your kids to join many activities that they’ll sweat for sure. So, much of your duffle bag’s space will go to clothes.
  • Toiletries: Include things your kid will need when going to the bathroom. Add toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant and lotions.
  • Water bottles: Your kid needs access to drinking water in a sports camp. They’ll sweat during activities and must replenish their bodies’ water levels. Add a few water bottles so that they can have something to drink. Most gyms like Ultimate Ninjas have water bottle fill stations so kids can stay hydrated throughout the day.

For older kids and teens, you may include the medication that they need. However, you should talk with the camp’s manager or nurse and inform them of your kid’s condition. They’ll be more than happy to respond to your kid’s needs.

Let your kids help you pack or do the packing themselves (and you check afterward). This way, they’ll learn how to be responsible and organized. This small activity of preparing for a sports camp can help them become proactive, practical, and goal-oriented.

Why Kids Should Get Into Sports

Kids can enjoy many benefits when getting into sports early in life, and becoming physically active early on increases the development of a healthy growing body.

  • Sports improve physical health: The constant activity develops the muscles and makes the body fit and healthy.

Martha, a mother from Connecticut, enrolled her daughter, Emma, in Ultimate Ninjas summer camps and classes for years. Emma joined her school’s track and field team her freshman year. The girls on the team then went on with their running training and started with a few rounds in a pull-up bar. She was surprised that her daughter managed to do 27 pull-ups while the next closest girl only got seven!

  • Sports can help improve educational and career success: Sports, especially team sports, focus on teamwork and emphasizes team success. Kids develop a sense of teamwork when they get into sports early.

Daniel wanted to support his son’s training on the Ultimate Ninjas “Elite” travel team that competes around the country. However, his son also loves basketball, and through his athleticism, the team got high scores in every statistical category. What’s impressive is that Daniel’s son is one of the smallest on the team!

  • Improved mental, emotional, and social health: Sports are a social commitment as you join others to cooperate and compete in sports. Exposing kids to sports allows them to develop their emotional and mental health.

For example, Ultimate Ninjas has helped boys and girls gain strength and confidence that translates to other sports and growing their inner-self.

Aubrey’s son celebrated his birthday at Ultimate Ninjas, but few friends came to the party they’d planned for months. She didn’t know how to comfort her son at that moment, but because he’s a member Ultimate Ninjas “Elite” team, his friends heard about what happened, and came over to train at the gym with a cake and card. It became one of the best birthday parties ever. 

The Bottom Line

Summer camps provide a fun environment for kids to start getting into sports. However, the main goal of any sports camp, including Ultimate Ninja, is developing sportsmanship and camaraderie.

Camaraderie makes Ultimate Ninjas gyms a special place for everyone, especially sports enthusiasts. Everyone builds each other up because it’s you vs. course vs. others.

Many stories of improved camaraderie between teammates reinforce Ultimate Ninjas advocacy to continue its successful sports camp and develop responsible youths and successful people of tomorrow.

Ready for your next sports camp? Get your duffel bag and start packing!

References
  1. Benefits of Youth Sports
    https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2020-09/YSS_Report_OnePager_2020-08-31_web.pdf
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