2023 Summer Tennis Camp: What you need to know
Thank you for signing up for our 2023 Summer Tennis camp! Below is some information about our program. Thanks and we look forward to seeing your child on the courts!
Staffing: The Summer Camp program will be managed by Erin Rosebar, LTA’s Tennis Director (contact info below and bio here). If your child is going to be late or you have an on-court question, please text Erin at (202) 971-2827. If you have questions about the program overall, please email Kate Emanuel at kate_emanuel@yahoo.com.
Where: The camp will be at the Lafayette-Pointer Park tennis courts (5900 33rd Street, NW, Washington, DC). The best street for pick-up and drop-off is Quesada St. NW where it intersects with 33rd St. NW. For GPS location use 3306 Quesada St., NW, Washington, DC, 20015, which is the house right next to the tennis courts. You can come up the alley next to the tennis courts and drop your camper off at the courtyard next to the two upper tennis courts.
When: The morning camp starts promptly at 8:30 am and ends at noon. The afternoon camp starts promptly at 1 pm and ends at 4:30 PM. If you paid for pre-camp care (8-8:30 am) or post-camp care (4:30-6 pm), our staff will be there to greet and supervise your child. If there are any changes to your child’s arrival or departure time (or how they’re getting home), please let Erin know during drop-off.
Weather: To keep cool during the day, we have tents on the courts, misting spray bottles and hoses at the tennis courts for cooling down in between tennis games and drills. If it is forecast to rain, we will email you the day before. If it starts to rain during camp, we will shelter under our shade tents (campers should bring books, games or art materials for entertainment). Since DPR will be running summer camps, we will not have access to the Lafayette-Pointer Recreation Center. If there are sudden thunderstorms/lightening, we will take our players to the front of Lafayette Elementary for protection. If it looks like the storms will persist, we will contact you for early pickup.
Rules of conduct: Please see below on what you can expect from our coaching team and what we like to see from our campers.
Cell phones: We do not allow electronic games or smartphone games to be used during our tennis camp. Phones can be used during camp only to contact parents/family/caregivers for logistics.
Bathrooms: We rent a porta potty that's right next to the courts and is cleaned weekly.
What to bring (make sure you put their name on everything!):
Hat
Sunglasses
Wicking Shirt (not pure cotton) or blend like Dry-Fit or Under Armour
Water repellent windbreaker for rainy/windy days
Towels: Pack two towels for your camper: one to sit on and one in case your camper gets in front of the water hose!
Sunblock: SPF 50 or higher
Bug Repellent: I like Natrapel, it doesn't have DEET. Courts are usually not too buggy.
Athletic/tennis shoes and socks
Water or sports drinks for electrolytes. They can refill their water bottles from our hose or the bottle filler on the new fountain near the basketball court.
Racquet: We have lots of racquets to temporarily loan if your player doesn’t have one or forgets to bring one. If you don't know what size to get - a good junior racquet will do (they come in different lengths 21”, 23”, 25”, 26”) and you should pick one that is appropriate for your child’s size and strength. You can go to Tennis Zone (4839 Wisconsin Avenue, NW) and they can help you pick one out. If you mention LTA, you will get a 10% discount. (They also have a demo program to try out racquets for kids and adults (www.tenniszoneplus.com).
Snack for 10:30 AM (morning camp) and 2:30 PM (afternoon camp) snack break. Please put it in an insulated bag if it contains any perishable food. Make sure they eat a good breakfast or lunch.
Medications for emergency situations like epipen, asthma inhaler, etc.
Books, craft/art projects, cards or board games, non-electronic entertainment for snack time.
For campers attending the full day (morning and afternoon camp), please pack a lunch for your child. We will take a lunch break from 12-1 and it will be supervised by our coaches. Another option is Broad Branch Market (see next bullet!)
BBM Debit Card: For campers who are attending the full day, they can walk to Broad Branch Market (BBM)—accompanied by staff--to buy food (foods like pizza, chicken nuggets, sandwiches, salads). You can buy a debit card at BBM, which is at the corner of Northampton and 5608 Broad Branch Road. (The card is easier to handle than cash and we recommend you write your child’s name on the card.)
Thank you and we look forward to seeing your camper on the courts! And follow us on social media: Instagram and Facebook--we will be posting photos of our players!)
Erin & Kate
Erin Rosebar, Tennis Director, Lafayette Tennis Association
(202) 971-2827
Kate Emanuel, Co-director, Lafayette Tennis Association
(202) 413-7165
RULES OF CONDUCT:
What you can expect from our coaching team:
Friendly, energetic, respectful, great enthusiasm for kids and tennis
Encourage our students to have fun, learn new skills and applaud a good effort
Emphasis on safety and instilling respect for other players and our coaches
Minimal use of cell phone (only for communication between staff or emergencies) except for Coach Erin who is often checking phone for changes to schedule, parents texts, etc.
What we like to see from our students:
Have fun, play fair and be respectful of others
Refrain from engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct with any fellow coach, parent, player or any other attendee.
Refrain from mistreating any of the court or equipment (or throwing balls over court, hitting fence with racquet, etc--we’ve seen it all!)
During break, enthusiastically pick up balls (it’s part of their tennis workout!)
What we like to see from our parents:
Feedback about our programs and how we can improve!
If you attend your child’s camp, please refrain from entering the court where classes are being held or verbally coach your child or player (we’ve seen it all!)
