has anyone ever done this? If so what are your thoughts on it?
My daughter went last year. Another teammate had planned to go and was looking for a buddy. I thought it was a valuable experience for her at 12 because she got a chance to stay in the dorms and eat in the caf at UCLA, train under some UCLA girls that were mentors and experience a little bit of what life is like in college.has anyone ever done this? If so what are your thoughts on it?
My daughter has done the UCLA residence summer camp the last few years. It is a bit pricey, but the accommodations/food/program are quality. She enjoyed the experience each time. I think it was a great overall for her to be on her own in a safe environment and helped her grow as a person with a glimpse of what college life is like. The actual training experience is a mixed bag -- she was placed with random girls each year & the skill levels vary greatly. She has loved the UCLA players as her coaches -- she even got her favorite player as her coach two summers ago. I think if a team goes together (or a larger group) it will be a better training experience. For reference, she did the CSUF camp with her team last summer and while the facilities were not as nice, she enjoyed the training portion much more as she was with a group of girls she knew and of similar skillset. (and the price tag was more reasonable)has anyone ever done this? If so what are your thoughts on it?
Look at this year's freshman class at UCLA: http://uclabruins.com/roster.aspx?path=wsoc
Among them are a number of players receiving playtime on the YNT, and the rest are highly decorated. Exactly zero were identified in one of these camps, which is how they are being marketed. It's an income stream that colleges are increasingly exploiting. If you are interested in getting your player seen, play in the GDA, or Surf Cup, or attend a college ID camp in which lots of college coaches attend.
I think it is only useful for recruiting if your player is already on their radar. Other than that it can be a fun experience but have the right expectations. I would be curious to hear of any on the current roster that we're ID'd only from the camp and they were not already aware of and interested in.