First Day of Camp – Check In: Registration is between 2:00pm and 4:00pm on opening day. At 4:30pm the Camp Directors will meet players and parents. Parents may wish to attend this meeting with the directors and training staff to discuss the camp program, agenda, etc. At this time players and parents will separate. Dinner is the first meal and is scheduled for 5:00pm for players only. The first field session is scheduled for 6:00pm.
Last Day of Camp – Check out: Camp will conclude after the morning field session/games on the last day. There will be a closing ceremonies at the cafeteria at 12:00pm. At that time, campers will receive their personal evaluation forms from coaches summarizing their accomplishments. Lunch will not be served. Campers can be met on the field or at their dormitory. Parents wishing to do so may meet with the Directors, Staff Coaches, Trainers etc. after the closing ceremonies.
Roommates: After you register online you will receive a REGISTRATION PACKET. Included in this packet will be a ROOMMATE REQUEST FORM. You will be asked to return it along with your MEDICAL RELEASE and any additional payments 30 days prior to the start of camp. Campers are assigned roommates based on their request on the application. We CANNOT do more than two to a room.
Equipment: A recommended packing list will be included in your registration packet after you register. Please bring to camp plenty of soccer gear to be worn during training and games. In addition we recommend:
- a pillow
- sheets
- towels
- blanket
- shin guards
- soccer flats or sneakers
- a plastic water container (additional water will be provided in the dorms and on the field)
- a small backpack or sport bag for training gear
- a ball (if you are not ordering one)
Commuters: For those campers not wishing to spend the night at our residential camps, we offer the chance to commute for the training sessions. The commuter fee is $245 for Residential. Commuters should be dropped off at the designated meeting area at 8:15 am and can be picked up at the main dorm complex after the camper meeting at 9:00 pm. A staff member will wait there with them at each drop off/pickup. Campers will each lunch and dinner with the rest of the camp. Campers will also be provided with a common room to stay during rest periods.
Trainers / Medical Facilities: Trainers will be available 24 hours a day for the campers. They will have a station at check in to go over each camper's medical information/records. Trainers will reside in the dorms and will be on call at all times, either at the fields or in the dorms. Each field area will have trainers assigned to it. Trainers will have preset times before sessions when they will be available for treatment/taping. These times will be posted for the campers and they should make sure they see the trainers at those times. Otherwise they will have to wait until they see a trainer at the field. They may treat minor injuries and illnesses, but will refer the camper to a doctor/emergency room should they feel it necessary. There is a local hospital in Tappahannock. It is less than 10 minutes from camp.
Camp Bank: The camp will be providing a CAMP BANK. This will allow you to deposit money for use by the camper during the camp week. At registration or anytime thereafter a deposit can be made to the bank. Any amount of money may be deposited. We recommend $50.00 for the week. Your daughter may use the money for the camp store or for snacks at night. There is no charge for this service, as we are providing it as a way to help keep the camper’s money safe. You or your daughter may close out this account at any time. If you are interested in this service, please see the BANK STATION at registration.
Medical/Insurance Form: The Medical/Insurance Form is one sided which contains emergency and insurance information for the camper. Please feel free to attach a page or use the other side for more detail.
Participants will NOT be allowed to have any medication at all in their room. This includes tylenol, ibuprofin, aspirin, etc. At registration we will have a MEDICAL table. All medicine needs are to be turned in at that time. Please place it in a zip lock bag with a label on the outside and instructions inside the bag. Players need to be responsible for seeing the trainer/nurse for medication at the appropriate times. The trainer/nurse will track them down if they miss a dosage.
All campers must have a Medical/Insurance Form on file with the camp to participate. It may be brought to camp and presented to the trainers at registration, or mailed in ahead of time for us to keep on file.
Driving Directions: Will be included in your registration packet
Participants will receive:
6 Days of intense training. If you want to be the best you have to train harder than your competition! Come in fit, healthy, and ready to be pushed on the field and in the classroom.
A Commonwealth Soccer Programs t-shirt
A CSP Student Manual detailing the topics we cover during the week, so they can implement all the training strategies when they return home. It will include lecture notes, strength & conditioning programs, nutrition advice, mental training worksheets, and much more!
A supplemental written evaluation form on their technical, tactical physical and psychological dimensions.
An individual exit meeting with your coach to review the week, get specific feedback and advice, as well as set goals for the upcoming year. In order to maximize the meeting students should come prepared with questions and take notes.
Video analysis from games at camp during the week.
Supervision: We at Commonwealth Soccer Programs understand that supervision is a concern of all parents. We take pride in providing supervision during all aspects of the camp.
All of our staff stays on campus and in the dorms with the campers. We have coaches on each floor of the dorms so if the campers have any problems or concerns they can quickly and easily locate a coach. Male and female staff coaches are assigned according to gender. Our certified trainers also stay on campus and are available 24hrs in case of emergency. Any camper not feeling well will not stay in dorms alone during training sessions, they must come to the soccer field so that they can be supervised and treated by the trainer.
Our small staff-to-camper ratio allows us to have a constant presence in the eyes of the campers. Before leaving for field sessions, meetings, or pool sessions the entire camp will meet and each staff coach takes attendance for their group. The group will not leave until all campers are accounted for. Campers are escorted to all functions with the coaches spread out among the campers.
The staff will ensure campers are in their rooms and go to bed at the specified times as well as making sure they are up in the morning, either for breakfast or sunrise soccer, as well as making sure the campers attend all meals.
All of this creates camaraderie between staff and campers while at the same time functioning to provide adequate supervision at all times. This creates a great environment where the focus is learning and having fun with no distractions.
Group Placement: We at Commonwealth Soccer Programs will make every effort to have each camper’s experience the most competitive environment possible. Our professional staff has vast experience in evaluating playing ability and creating small groups based on age, size, talent and safety concerns. We do our best to try and accommodate group move requests. However, sometimes those things that are acceptable in Club or High School training may not be possible in a camp environment.
While we encourage "playing up" and certainly see it's benefit, we also have to make sure the movement within groups is best for all players involved. That includes the higher group the camper may be moved into. In the end we have to consider safety and overall camper satisfaction.
Another key component of player movement is overall group sizes. We need to consider what the move will do to the sizes of both groups so we are able to maintain our small group size in order to provide the most hands on coaching we can. This not only allows our coaches the ability to really get to know their group on an individual basis but also provides an ideal training situation allowing maximum time with the ball and repetition during exercises. Each camper receives a very detailed evaluation at the end of the camp. If we allow the groups to get too large they will be unable to write a thorough evaluation for each camper in the group simply because time will not permit it. The coaches take great pride in their evaluations and the appropriate size group will allow them to continue to give them the proper attention each camper deserves.
