At ISTC, our ultimate goal is to teach life skills through sports. We choose to focus our All Sports and IXTC programs on all different types of sports, not only because they are incredibly fun, but they also help to build grit and offer transferrable lessons for other aspects of life.
One of the many reasons sports are so successful in teaching life skills stems from the team environment they promote. Specifically, being a part of a team encourages our campers to commit to something beyond their individual benefit. To succeed in any game, campers naturally do what’s best for the group versus what is best for them in that moment. These repeated experiences of doing what’s best for the team and those around them builds selflessness, a valuable trait for helping others and growing more emotionally intelligent.
Sports further instill respect – respect for rules and achievement. From not being able to use your hands in soccer to needing to dribble in basketball, each game has a unique set of standards to follow in order to succeed. This notion of following rules to flourish is perfected by playing different types of sports, and appears in school and work to name a few.
Winning and playing well does not simply come from following the rules though; becoming great in anything, and sports in particular, derives from practice. Those who play sports build dedication and a greater understanding of what it means to work hard. Additionally, athletes appreciate those who succeed at a high level instead of feeling bitterness, as they know the work that has gone in to get that point. Our campers and athletes learn to celebrate the success of others through their involvement in sports.
We pick sports as the basis for ISTC because of their ability to bring out redeeming qualities on top of the excitement they provide. For more information on how we sports centers our camp experience, we invite you to view our All-Sports video.
We hope you will join us for a week of sports, and so much more!