2018 San Diego Project Recap

For the 7th straight year, SportQuest partnered with Valley Center Community Church to host a multi-sport camp for kids ages… Read more 2018 San Diego Project Recap

For the 7th straight year, SportQuest partnered with Valley Center Community Church to host a multi-sport camp for kids ages 5-13.  A team of 23 athletes and leaders from 7 different states came together to serve the Valley Center community and invest in youth and families.  Over 275 campers participated in the camp and could choose from soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, or dance as their primary sport, and they also got to spend an hour each day trying one of the other sports too.  The SportQuest team not only helped them grow physically and athletically but also invested in their spiritual growth.

Here are some highlights:

LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Two days prior to the start of the project, SportQuest staff and the family pastor from Valley Center Community Church trained the SportQuest San Diego leadership team.  They learned things like how to manage conflict, how to discover their leadership voice, and keys to servant leadership.  In addition, they prepared for the rest of the team to arrive and were assigned specific roles and responsibilities.

TRAINING CAMP

Every PWP Project starts with a few days of Training Camp to help the team prepare athletically, culturally, and spiritually.  This year the team spent a day at Top of the World Park in Laguna Beach, CA doing some team building activities and experiential learning workshops.  The rest of Training Camp took place back in Valley Center where they learned practical tools to help them share their story and God’s story as well as how to incorporate the Gospel into a sport camp context.  Then they did a mini-camp one afternoon to practice the tools they were learning and get hands-on experience coaching kids in their sport.

SPORT CAMP/HYPE SQUAD

Each day of sport camp got started with lots of excitement as “the Hype Squad” raised the energy level!  SQ team members in crazy costumes that hid their identity led the campers in some fun cheers, dances, and warm-ups.  This was definitely a highlight for many of the campers!  The SQ team also used a tool called GameLife 123 during the camp to tie in spiritual development to fun games and sport drills.  GameLife 123 includes a game each day that illustrates the biblical theme of the day and provides an interactive way for kids to learn the Gospel story as well as small groups to discuss the story of the day.  This tool really enabled the team to integrate spiritual truths into a fun, interactive approach and ensured that every kid clearly heard the Gospel every day!

SQ NIGHT SPECTACULAR

On Thursday night of the sport camp, campers and their families were invited to the local high school gym for the annual SQ Night Spectacular.  This is an opportunity for SportQuest to connect with the parents and for parents to see what their kids learned at the camp.  The SQ team had the opportunity to compete in volleyball and soccer against local teams, kids were invited to demonstrate their sport they had participated in all week (including a dance performance — shown above) , and a highlight video of the camp was shown.  The SQ team also shared some of their personal stories with the crowd and presented the Gospel using hula hoops and the “3 Circles” method.

See the SQ San Diego recap video HERE !