The Tennis Camp Experience

Preps are notorious for liking sports, being fit, and ah-doring tennis. Even though I will admit to not being preppy, I have just returned from Nike tennis camp, at Amherst College in Massachusetts. It was grueling and tedious, but I did see many preppy, WASP-esque tennis players who enjoyed the program. This leads me to assume that these guys and gals take up more tennis camps (and are more prepared for them :-/), and enjoy all of them. 

Tips for surviving any sport camp-

- Travel with a friend unless you pride yourself on SUPER-SOCIALBILITY. Dance nights are not entirely uncommon, and unless you have a friend to dance with/introduce you to more people, it's not so much fun.

- Hydrate yourself. It does not do to pass out from heat exposure/exhaustion.

- Bring a sweat towel. It gets reallllllllly hot out on the courts (current days temperature+ ten degrees), and if you are exerting yourself physically, you need to dab yourself every so often. If you let the sweat stay on your face for a long time, it can clog your pores, which is not fun.

- SUNBLOCK. SUNBLOCK, SUNBLOCK, SUNBLOCK. I cannot stress this enough. It is more important than anything else that you might pack in your bag(s). Get a high SPF (I recommend a minimum of 45 if you don't want to tan, a minimum of 15 if you do), and make sure it protects against UVA and UVB rays. Reapply once in the morning, before you head out, a little bit after stretching, every few water breaks, after you shower, in between games. Whenever you can, reapply. Wear a hat as well to protect your scalp (because no one likes a bright red scalp that is very painful and eventually flakes off :-/). 

- And second-most importantly, make sure you are physically fit before entering into any kind of active camp. The days are hot, long, and you need to be fully prepared for whatever heads your way.