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Sports

New Summer Camp Offers 'Fun and Fresh' Programs

Kids can sign up for Harry Potter, golf, Lego-themed camps and more at this Auburn Hills camp.

There’s going to be a lot more than just golfing this summer at the Great Lakes Golf Center.

This summer, the large golf dome on Joslyn Road in Auburn Hills will double as the home of one of Oakland County’s newest summer camps: the Great Lakes Sports and Adventure Camp (GLSAC).

The camp is broken out into 40 summer day camps, offering a little something for every child. Camp director Shelly Watkins said the setting is perfect with enough indoor space to accommodate attendees and well over 100 acres of land for outdoor adventures.

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“I think what’s going to set us apart from other camps is that the counselors aren’t just going to babysit the kids, they will be engaged, having fun and challenging the kids in their various activities,” Watkins said. “The counselors are going to get muddy, they’re going to get wet and I think they’re really going to be nice role models.”

Campers have a variety of options at GLSAC

Owner of the Great Lakes Golf Center, Mike Ashley, said he has prior experience running summer camps and that, after enough prodding from people asking if he was going to start one up in Auburn Hills, he decided it was time to give it a swing.  Ashley and Watkins, along with Assistant Camp Director Cortney Spiegel, looked around at what other local camps were doing and put their heads together to come up with some creative ideas that would spark interest in area children.

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“Our camps were developed by a combination of our strengths and our likes,” Watkins said. “Mike came up with the nerf camp, I like nature hikes and soccer…of course we have our golf camps and we just wanted to do a variety of sports, arts and specialty camps.”

Camps are designed for children ages 4-14 years old and run from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. Kids are invited to stay onsite for before and after camps, which run 7 a.m.-6 p.m. outside of regularly scheduled camp times. For the before and after programs, Watkins said there will be a variety of stations set up to engage the kids.

All camps run one week, so kids have the opportunity to diversify their camp experience by signing up for different programs each week.

Camps kick off June 11 and run through the week of Aug. 27. There are a variety of camp themes offered throughout the summer including Lego Adventure, Nerf Extravaganza, Detroit Rock City, Girls Rule, Nature Trackers and more for the younger kids. For children 8-years-old and up some of those camps are offered in addition to a Harry Potter camp, Extreme Bedroom Makeover and GLSAC Olympics and Golf 101, among others.

There is also a special section of field trip camps offered where kids will be in camp from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and be able to travel to places like Zhenders Splash Village in Frankenmuth, Troy Nature Society and the Henry Ford Museum.

“We want to keep it fun and fresh … and make it so kids can get up and run around,” Watkins said.

Along with the activities specially tailored for each individual camp, every camper will get the chance to play dodge ball, play miniature golf and use the slip n’ slide among other fun activities. Campers will get a traditional camp feeling first thing in the morning when they gather around a bonfire to sing camp songs and raise the camp’s flag.

“I think what’s going to set us apart are kids are going to cry when they leave our camp…that’s the impact that we’re going to have on the kids,” Ashley said.

Cost and contact information

For the junior camps catering to younger children there will be one counselor assigned per six kids in the camp and one counselor assigned to 10 kids for the older kids camps. Camps range in price from $95-$190 and field trip camps cost $345 each. For the before- and after-camp sessions, it’s $6 per hour per child. Discounts are available to families that purchase an annual family membership to the camp.

The Great Lakes Sports and Adventure Camp is for those interested in registering and scoping out the facility. The open house is scheduled for 1-4 p.m. on May 20.

For more information about the Great Lakes Sports and Adventure Camp, visit www.glsac.com or call (248) 858-7501.

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