Child 1 Age 6 - 9 (Male)
Program(s) focused in Water Sports (multi)
Child 2 Age 7 - 8 (Male)
Program(s) focused in Water Sports (multi)
Child 3 Age 4 (Male)
Program(s) focused in Adventure (multi)
(5) Overall experience
Winning Techniques is not only skill-building but also a great place for character-building for your kids. We keep sending ours back because not only is it great fun for them, but we see how the counselors create a space for safe physical and emotional risk-taking with graded challenges, which is actually hard to find. Our kids come back with great pride in their improved abilities and independent experiences. We also love that it’s a very well-organized registration, with understanding and supportive administrators. Truly a great spot to send your kids for summer adventures.
(5) Reason for choosing the camp
We chose this camp over others because of word-of-mouth rave reviews and the unique offerings for water-sport activities. We chose this camp also in part because of its convenient location and our local connection with the camp owners. The camp provides excellent value for your dollar. We didn’t encounter any hidden costs. Our kids of course really wanted t-shirts and sweatshirts as souvenirs. So maybe $25 for young kids and $50 for older kids for tuck shop fun, and maybe $50 for swag/merch if you have older kids, but this is not required.
(5) Program quality and activities
Our children have participated in the water sports and adventure camps, and they found both programs to be highly engaging. The children loved to earn the character pins for displaying attributes like integrity, courage, and curiosity—the positive reinforcement of character is something as parents we appreciate. It creates a lot of value for us to “take home” these lessons from camp.
(5) Social dynamics and experience
Our kids go to camp with friends or cousins but always seem to make new friends. They have some emotional and behavioral challenges and we never had any concerns—it seems a very supportive and inclusive environment for every type of kid personality. We found the kids came home with lots of funny stories, giggles, and group “in-jokes” which is a great sign of having a terrific time together.
(5) Skills and growth
Our kids have participated most in water sports. These were totally foreign skill sets that pushed them out of their comfort zone by definition—they were doing something totally new. For a less bold personality, they do need some pre-camp pep talking to make sure they will embrace a growth mindset. Now, our kids can water-ski, and wake-board, and they even upped their water-safety and swim skill interests as a result.
(5) Staff/Instructors/Counsellors
The camp is very well-organized and within a day they know who your kid is! They remember return campers well, and it becomes something to look forward to when they see familiar faces. The communication is just right. For the day camp all the info to prepare was provided in advance, and drop-off and pick-up was really easy. I found email to be the most helpful to me, and I found it easy to get responses to questions with a quick e-mail or phone call.
(5) Advice and tips
I wish I had known about this camp sooner! We started our older boys at age 7 with water sports, and last year sent our 4-year-old for adventure camp—and he had just as much fun. I think that this is a great camp for an authentic summer camp adventure experience. It is a very active camp, and our kids said their advice to campers is to not be shy and “try everything!”. I think as a parent. prepping your kid to accept a challenge is a key to maximizing all the camp has to offer.
My boys have loved this camp. I had to go in for surgery and I needed a place to send my boys during that time. The owners were very accommodating and helped to ensure all three of my boys (includin...
He thoroughly enjoys going to camp and our son was so happy to return to camp the next summer, to experience the kindness of the staff and fellow campers and to enjoy all the new experiences they had....
Winning Techniques is the perfect place to spend your summers! When I arrived I was welcomed by several well-trained staff and peers in the Leaders In Training Program. They took me for a tour, answer...
