Interview With
Jennifer Ferch
NBC Camps began in 1971 in Cusick, Washington. It started with boys basketball and 108 campers. NBC Camps added International Travel Teams in 1977, volleyball camps in 1979 and has grown to be the largest overnight basketball and volleyball camp program in the world.
Camps are located throughout the United States, in Canada, the UK, Austria, Italy and now this year in Thailand. NBC Camps is located in about 55 cities.
The mission of NBC Camps is simple: create the best sport camp experience in the world. What is the best sports camp experience? We have accomplished our mission when you walk away from camp a better player and better person. NBC Camps Philosophy on Camp Create an environment where you can learn the best. We see the value in saturating you in skill training, removing you from your normal daily life and placing you in an atmosphere of enthusiasm and intensity. When your senses are heightened, you absorb information faster and learn quicker. Hire staff who care and invest in your game. Some people are great athletes but terrible coaches, some coaches are famous but critical and damaging. Philosophically, NBC Camps will always hire a coach who understands how to coach and motivate. We believe you excel when you focus on what is working, not when you become frustrated and intimidated by what is not working. True coaching requires the ability to teach, correct and encourage. Design drills which elevate skill mastery. You get better through repetition, verbalization and intensity. At NBC Camps we believe athletes are made, not born. We feel you have the potential to achieve excellence on and off the court or field. We get excited to help you realize how talent is developed and expanded. We have the tools to help you master even the most difficult skills. We believe you have the capacity to become the best person you can be. Help you become a leader who makes everyone around you better. The leadership philosophy at NBC Camps is servant leadership which aspires to build leaders who know how to call others to a place of excellence. Servant leaders make their team stronger because of their leadership and example. We want to help you become a fearless and confident leader who then in turn leads others to become more fearless and confident. Every team should be better because you are on it. Train your mind and heart. At NBC we believe sports should bring out the best in people, not the worst, yet we see many examples in our culture where that is not reality. Character is as important to develop as shooting mechanics. At NBC Camps we value courage, hard work, respect, self-discipline, gratitude, enthusiasm, mental toughness, solid faith, and the importance of family. NBC Camps is based on Christian values. We believe it is crucial to develop physically, mentally, relationally and spiritually. Training your mind and heart can strengthen you to go through any difficulty and call you to a better way of living. Why did you come to camp? To get better!
Our camp specializes in teaching a sport as well as anyone in the world, providing top level leadership training and creating an amazing environment where an athlete can transform his/her life and game. Our goal is for camp to be not only a highlight of the summer but a pivotal turning point in campers lives for the better.
A variety of basketball camps including overnight camps, day camps, winter and spring academies, clinics and travel teams as well as volleyball camps and soccer camps.
Our typical camp product is 5 days long and our overnight camps run about $450-500 for all things included such as training, room and board, all meals, evaluation, camp work book, and t-shirt. A day camp is typically 5 days long and runs at about $285.
We hire around 600 staff. We are very picky about who works at our program. The site directors work all year recruiting great players and coaches. We basically never hire people we do not know personally. Because we have been around for over 40 years, we basically work to grow our own staff. Campers come every year, they know the program, we can observe their character, get to know their parents, and then when they leave to go play basketball in college, they begin to work with us. One of our directors is in his 40s and he came to camp when he was 9 years old.
Parents, where can you send your son or daughter to greatly improve their sports skills, their self-confidence, self-discipline, and work ethic? We want the privilege of helping your son or daughter excel on and off the court, to be thankful for their parents, grateful for the opportunity to learn, mentally tough, enthusiastic about life and excited for the opportunity to build and develop talent. Getting better is a choice.
We are open for registration all year round because of the numerous year-round activities we offer. Summer Camps typically open for registration at the beginning of November. You can register for a camp up until the day camp starts as long as there is room in the camp for you. This is not advised however, because camps do fill up and you may miss out.
If your son or daughter loves basketball or volleyball, he or she needs to be at an NBC Camps this summer. As Ryan Carr, head scout for the Indiana Pacers, a former camper and coach says, “I’ve never seen another program be more beneficial for younger athletes than NBC Camps, nothing comes close.”
You can register online for camp at anytime day or night. To call in for registration, please call 1-800-406-3926 Pacific Standard Time.
