The original shock of being asked to work the University of Virginia Baseball camps had not worn off yet when I arrived at Davenport Field on July 15 for the Instructors Meeting. I really didn't have any idea what to expect or know how to prepare. I literally felt like a high school freshman preparing to go in to the big school with all the upper class men for the first time. Was I wearing the right clothes? Who will be there? Will I know anybody? Will I be able to handle myself as far as knowledge and experience? I was one of oldest, if not the oldest, coaches in the room. Many of the coaches in the room were from colleges. This really took me back because I didn't really understand the complexity of running a baseball camp of this magnitude. As with anything during this experience I have had to force myself to step back and look at the particular situation from a business stand point and not just be in awe of my surroundings. Specifically, I initially didn't understand the point of having coaches from other schools working a UVA camp. I thought it counter productive to have competing schools helping and viewing potential student athletes. However, I came to realize that in order to run a camp of the size the UVA runs, it is important to have enough quality instructors there to have an acceptable Instructor to Student ratio. Additionally, since the campers stay in dorms there has to be adults there to be in charge of them. In order to do that, personnel has to be willing to come to the area to handle this responsibility. Then I started thinking about the Return on Investment aspect of the camps. Most of the visiting instructors received anywhere from $350 to $500 to work the 3.5 day camp. For the Developmental Camp (11 - 15) we had 160 campers. They each paid $600 for the camp; unless they were commuters and then they only paid $500. We had 24 instructors. So, for UVA the ROI was easy to see. They were able to make approximately $84,000 just in tuition. Clearly there are other costs involved that take away from the Net, but it is still a lucrative venture.
I also examined this from the guest instructors perspective. I have learned through this experience that many of the assistants that are volunteer coaches make their money in the summer. Not every program is large enough and successful enough to host 12 camps throughout the summer. So, these volunteer assistants have to be on the road almost the entire summer to make $350 - $500 per week. Plus, they get room and board included. Their only expensive for the week is traveling to get to the camp. In addition to the income, these coaches are looking to build their network. Many of them are young and are doing what they have to do to stay involved in baseball. They are all chasing the brass ring and want to get exposure. I would go as far as to say that the income is secondary to the possibility of being recognized by a bigger program and advancing their careers. For the instructors, many are hoping to accomplish the same thing that the campers are accomplishing. They are hoping to get better at their craft and get noticed.
That's it for now. I'll type some more a little later, but my experience in coaching at the college level camp was incredible. I was able to learn from some amazing coaches, UVA and others. I had an opportunity to ultimately do what I love the most; teach baseball. I received some positive feedback from the Lead Instructor on my instruction and leadership. He commented on my willingness to be the last guy at the field and to be willing to help out as much as possible in every situation. I hope this leads to being asked to work more camps.
I also examined this from the guest instructors perspective. I have learned through this experience that many of the assistants that are volunteer coaches make their money in the summer. Not every program is large enough and successful enough to host 12 camps throughout the summer. So, these volunteer assistants have to be on the road almost the entire summer to make $350 - $500 per week. Plus, they get room and board included. Their only expensive for the week is traveling to get to the camp. In addition to the income, these coaches are looking to build their network. Many of them are young and are doing what they have to do to stay involved in baseball. They are all chasing the brass ring and want to get exposure. I would go as far as to say that the income is secondary to the possibility of being recognized by a bigger program and advancing their careers. For the instructors, many are hoping to accomplish the same thing that the campers are accomplishing. They are hoping to get better at their craft and get noticed.
That's it for now. I'll type some more a little later, but my experience in coaching at the college level camp was incredible. I was able to learn from some amazing coaches, UVA and others. I had an opportunity to ultimately do what I love the most; teach baseball. I received some positive feedback from the Lead Instructor on my instruction and leadership. He commented on my willingness to be the last guy at the field and to be willing to help out as much as possible in every situation. I hope this leads to being asked to work more camps.
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