‘From Foursquare to Relay Races’: Ben Young All Sports Camp Captures Summertime Fun

Summer camp is a time of tantalizing fun. A week of warm-hearted and wondrous joy. A never-ending era of eager, enlivened, and empowered children on a quest for the best few days of their lives. Summer camp represents hours of freedom from parents, days of hanging with friends, and a constant stream of excitement. From learning to play soccer to camp-wide capture the flag, each day of camp represents a new opportunity to try new things and meet new people. 

In the hyper-competitive town of New Canaan, it can feel like there is no end to the grueling hours of work needed to succeed on the court or the field. Ben Young All Sports Camp, however, fills this void of a just-for-fun, educational sports summer camp. 

Ben Young Sports Camp. Contributed

“This camp was created to provide our community with an alternative avenue that sees children exposed to a variety of sports and games—and a time to just have fun,” camp founder Ben Young said. “Specifically, we want an environment where youths do not feel the pressures that inevitably come from the ever-abundant societal stressors.”

This is all summed up by the camp’s mission statement: “To create and foster an inclusive, welcoming, and positive environment that allows children of all ages, genders, and athletic abilities to come together and have fun.”

This mission of growth and development has succeeded. It started in 2015 with four counselors and 35 campers, but now sees 78 high school and college counselors and more than 500 campers.

In addition to the constant stream of fun and creative games, the staff, made of nearly completely high school and college students, has become a staple of the camp. Working at the Ben Young All Sports Camp is not only a fun summer job, these young adults say, but also a chance to have some responsibility and leave a mark on the future of New Canaan. 

Ben Young Sports Camp. Contributed

“I decided that I wanted to be a counselor this year so I could learn the accountability and expectations of having a job,” second-year counselor Brendan Bailey said. “Also, I wanted to learn how to become a role model for the youth.” Brendan was inspired by those before him and now wants to have a similar impact on the campers.

Just like the students are grateful for the opportunities the camp has given them,  Young is grateful for his “amazing and remarkable” staff of student mentors. Young wants to emphasize the “connections and relationships within the community,” a role that the local students embrace. 

“I have seen other counselors develop meaningful and lasting relationships with campers and with one another, something that I was able to experience firsthand this year and last,” Bailey said.

The day-to-day camp activities are full of creativity, and are brought to life by the passionate counselors. The campers play the traditional sports of basketball, soccer, and tennis, yet also get to experience original takes on classics such as tic-tac-toe and corn hole. 

“Our camper’s favorites range from foursquare to relay races to Jenga, and Capture the Flag is always on the top of lists,” said Young, a New Canaan Public Schools teacher and NCHS boys tennis coach. The campers are separated into cohorts and try four to five of these activities each day, for a total of 20 different games played in a week.

At the end of the day, the camp means so much more than just games to Young. 

“We strive to unite our campers rather than divide them. We work tirelessly to put every camper in a position to succeed, placing an emphasis on trying hard and building relationships rather than winning,” he said. 

Why should you trust Ben Young? “I am a New Canaan alum, and I absolutely loved the competitive culture that I was fortunate enough to grow up in- it helped advance my athletic passions to becoming a two-time captain of a Division 1 sport,” he said. “With that in mind, I just wanted to make sure all children could have the opportunity to enjoy the sports and games that summertime fun should entail.”