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Can Sports help Children Achieve in Academics?

Nurturing the Whole Child at Pierce Country Day Camp

Asian parents have been great believers in education for helping their children succeed in life. They often encourage their children to the extra-curricular activities such as spelling bees, geography bees and brain games.  Yet some children have embraced gymnastics, action sports and swimming to make a very successful life for themselves. In this way, they have not only advanced in their academics but some also  found fame and fortune in other fields.  Many of these inspiring stories came from their childhood summer camp experience which opened doors to a whole new world.

A Pierce Summer Camp Success Story

Mohina K. Josen of Old Brooksville certainly knows a thing or two about the value and excitement of summer camps – she was probably the very first Indian-American tween who graduated from Pierce Country Day Camp! “Both my parents were busy physicians and they put us in Pierce Camp,” she recalls. “They didn’t want us sitting idly around and felt it would be positive for us – and they were 100 percent correct! They wanted us to experience different facets of life which we did. I’m a big advocate of camps!”

In fact, Josen had such an enriching experience at Pierce that she went on to become a camp counselor. Josen, who is now a very successful attorney credits camp with being the starting point of her independence and self-confidence. She says: “You learn lessons for life – camp helps you to become an all-rounder. You’re a young age and you’re learning to interact with people from various backgrounds. It’s an environment where you get to do so many different things such as tennis and dance competitions. You were introduced to so many different activities you may never have discovered on your own. Going forward, you could hold on to those interests and begin to meet like-minded people. Some children do nothing besides reading and studying – here you can diversify yourself.”

The Power of Physical Activity

While academics are important, there’s a lot to be said for developing all aspects of your child’s personality. So for Indians Americans, learning sports and other extra-curricular activities are equally important and several young Indian-Americans have won fame in the field of sports, dance, performance art and other activities.  For example, Mohini Bhardwaj is one of the big Indian-American success stories. She won 2 NCAA titles as a gymnast in UCLA,  won a silver medal as part of the Olympic Gymast Team and was recently inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

 

As a child, Raj Bhavsar, as a child would keep jumping off the furniture. To harness his excess energy, his parents enrolled him in a gymnastics class. It paid rich dividends – he went on to become a member of the 2001 US World championships Team in which earned a silver medal and helped the US defend that title at the 2003 World Championships.

Sometimes these grand results start out with the very first physical activities children learn at camp. Pierce Country Day Camp, for example, introduces children to swimming, baseball, tennis, gymnastics and a number of other sports. Pierce’s magnificent 27 acre campground boasts meticulously maintained ball fields, courts and program studios suited to each age level.

Sometimes sports and other activities actually help students to get into the college of their choice. Laxmi  Poruri, who grew up in California, attended Stanford University on a full athletic scholarship and this tennis prodigy was a four-time All American athlete, the 1994 player of the year and the top-ranked women’s collegiate tennis player in the country. She continued to play professional tennis before working on Wall Street.  Again, many of these qualities which enhance academics are first nurtured in summer camps like Pierce which build resilience, self-confidence and time-management skills.

Extra-Curricular Activities Enhance Academics

In Long Island we have a number of families who have encouraged their children to explore their strengths and have found that not only can they excel in studies but also in sports, once they are given the opportunity to try them. Recently Malini Rudra of Syosset got into the college of her dreams – Williams College in Williamstown, MA – a topnotch liberal arts college with a 15 percent acceptance rate.

 

While she has a GPA of 100, she also has her achievements in golf and debating to thank for her success. Competitive schools are increasingly looking for the whole student rather than just academic high achievers.  For a girl who first found golf to be boring, Malini has gone on to making that a highpoint of her life. All through school she has been an ardent golfer, and has been the Captain of the Girls Varsity Golf Team since 2016.  She’s won several golf tournaments including the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour Hartford Classic 2018, the Nassau County Girls Championship 2018 and the WMGA 92st Junior Girls Open Championship 2018. Asian parents will be happy to know that her golfing prowess got her a handsome grant for Williams.

Malini’s parents Rajiv and Sagorica  have always insisted on sports and other activities besides academics for their daughters. Both sisters have a strong summer camp background which introduced them to various exra-curricular activities. “Life lessons like time management, team spirit, perseverance, grit and humbleness are learnt through playing sports,” says Rajiv. “I believe playing a competitive sport makes a more diligent student. “

Social, Physical and Emotional Development – and summer fun – for kids at Pierce Camp

While not all children will become competitive golfers or tennis players, just a chance to experiment with different physical activities gives children confidence to believe in their own capabilities. Sonia Dandona Hirdaramani,  a lifelong Long Islander, is a great believer in the power of camp and the abilities it fosters in young children.

As a child she herself went to Pierce Country Day Camp and has very fond memories of all that she learned and wants her children to benefit too. She herself now lives in Sri Lanka but makes it a point to visit New York every summer and let her two children explore the joys and riches of summer camp. Both her children are enrolled at Pierce Camp for the summer.

A graduate of Columbia University and involved with the UN in nonprofit work, she is proof that Pierce Camp can be the beginning of a wonderful life. “My kids attend Pierce every summer. Since we live in Sri Lanka, Pierce is the quintessential all-American experience for them. In the high-tech and fast-paced world we live in, summer camp is one of the last few respites for children to avoid technology and escapes where they can be kids. It is such an important part of growing up and the exposure to all different sports and activities serves them well year-round,” says Sonia.

The activities at camp certainly help enhance children’s academic successes because they help them to concentrate, play fair and at the same time have confidence in their own abilities. As  Josen testifies, the values of Pierce persist through life. She says, “Camp opens up new worlds. You never know they may have archery or fencing classes, you never know what it all leads to! Camp is like a buffet instead of a three-course meal where you only get three things. In the buffet of camp you have a variety of activities. You can dabble in everything – and you find out what you really like!”

 

Want to take a Personal Look?

Check out Pierce Country Day Camp in action on their open house days in May and June.

Pierce Camp is offering camp tours  where no appointments are necessary. The tours will be held between 12PM and 3PM on:

• May 18th and 19th
• June 1st and 2nd

 

Additionally, you call  them to schedule a tour by appointment during the week between 9:30AM and 4PM.To enroll visit: : https://www.piercecamps.com/about/enroll.php

 

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