What a fantastic Sunday at the Masters.  I don't remember the last time there were that many players with an opportunity to win this prestigious championship and the famed green jacket.  It started with Tiger making a charge on the front nine followed closely by Rory's collapse on 10, 11 and 12.  Tiger cooled on the back nine by failing to capitalize on that eagle opportunity on 15 and that allowed several players to charge to the lead.  It looked like an Australian would finally, finally win the Masters but just when you thought that was going to happen, you have this South African come out of nowhere and promptly birdie the last 4 holes and win by 2.  What an exciting finish.  I didn't even mention how Luke Donald hit the flag stick from an impossible lie where he had his feet straddling a fairway bunker.  Unfortunately, the ball rolled off the green so he turned around and chipped in on the very next shot.

Here was my favorite part of the leaderboard.  It featured players from the following countries who had a legitimate shot to win:  S. Africa, Australia, USA, Argentina, S. Korea, England, and Ireland.  This reminds me so much of camp where we have kids from all over the world who come together to live, learn, share, and ultimately befriend one another.  This allows a wonderful melting pot of different cultures, languages, experiences, learning styles all in one place.

It also provides a local kid the opportunity to play tennis or golf against someone across the world.  Or to be assigned a group project to learn other perspectives.  Perhaps, that might actually remove preconceived notions and prejudices.  Now, wouldn't that be masterful?

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I last wrote a blog.  Where does the time go?  Oh yeah, there was that week our family just spent in the Dominican Republic.  That was awesome.  My 13-year old son scored an eagle 2 on a par 4, 218 yard hole on the 15th at Bavaro Golf Club.  Drove the ball pin high about 2 feet from the hole.   Sorry, got side-tracked as to the point of the blog but I can't help bragging a little bit about my kids :)

So, anyway, I want to talk about technology in sports.  This topic came to me after reading an article in the Star Tribune about how much better baseball is today versus anytime in history due to the amount of information and statistics available.  One writer seemed to suggest that state-of-the-art ballparks with wi-fi throughout the park was the key to enjoying the game.  He seemed to think that being able to stay in touch with friends and family while at the ballpark made all the difference in the world.  Maybe I'm old but I'm not spending a whole lot of time texting, tweeting, emailing and calling people at the game. Sure I send an occasional text to rub it in to one of my brothers or buddies that I'm at a hockey game or baseball game. But I usually just enjoy going to the park eating a dog and drinking a beer, maybe playing the quarter game while talking smack with my buddies whom I actually came to the game with (I know, what a concept).  However, I also have friends (Kyle) that spend more time texting than breathing so I'm sure all that technology is vital to his experience at sporting events.  Then again, it doesn't matter where he is, a smart phone is always going to be vital.

However, there are some really cool things in the world of sports.  Baseball teams have technology managers who can download every single at bat for a particular player who can then study their swing from their hot streaks to hopefully avoid an extended cold streak.  Or, the various pitches the opposing pitcher throws in every conceivable situation.  The Minnesota Twins have a $200,000 video room at their new stadium that video tapes everything from multiple angles. No matter what people think about all this technology, it's definitely here to stay.  College and professional players are looking for that little edge that can put them over the top in their respective sport.  It can even help the amateur athlete gain an edge to improve themselves.  For those who read my previous blog on mastery understand that I'm a firm believer in that concept.

At our summer camp this summer, we'll be implementing video swing analysis for both our tennis players and golfers so they can actually see themselves in action. That way, they can take it to their coach or practice on their own to make adjustments to get better. And, at the end of the day, there's nothing wrong with trying to improve oneself in whatever endeavor. Plus, it's just plain cool.

When you think of the word master, what comes to mind?  I think of the Masters Golf Tournament, the premier major tourney for the PGA held at Augusta National.  Other things that might come to mind include a master apprentice or a Master Chief Petty Office or a Master of Business Administration (MBA).  I remember my grandmother sending me birthday cards addressed to Master Mitchell Popple.  I used to love receiving those cards just to read the envelope as it made me feel good.

I've been thinking about this word a lot lately as I am currently in the process of going through the Ultimate Business Mastery Course by Tony Robbins & Chet Holmes.  It came up again in the book Drive that I posted about recently as one of the three core traits for 21st Century motivation.  It's a very intriguing word and concept that we plan to incorporate more fully into our summer camp programs and beyond.  We're offering a series of "pursuit" programs that I think could be described as mastery programs.  It allows the students to become more fully immersed in a particular subject for 1, 2 or even 4 weeks.  It is also a concept that we as parents should be instilling into our children at home.  If you think of some of the most successful people in the world, you will find they are a master at something.  It could be a master tennis player like Rafa or Roger, a master businessperson like Warren Buffet or Oprah, a master entertainer like Lady Gaga or George Clooney, etc.

Though, you may not have the musical talent to become the next Lady Gaga or the tennis ability to become the next Serena Williams, with time, effort and commitment, you can certainly master whatever subject you desire.  Education will open up a whole host of possibilities that just do not exist anymore for those without.  It doesn't matter if you want to become a plumber or a CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  Make the commitment to become a master at whatever endeavor you choose and the odds greatly increase that you will be successful.

I just read the book "Drive" by Daniel Pink and found it quite fascinating.  In it, Pink explains how in the 21st Century business is clearly out of synch w/ science when it comes to motivating its employees.  The "carrot and stick" style of motivating no longer works and, in fact, can have an opposite affect.  He walks through the 3 main intrinsic motivators that science has proven to work - Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose.  Pink's argument is that businesses AND schools should be teaching and implementing these "Type I" traits instead of constantly using if/then scenarios.  For instance, IF you do well on your test, THEN I'll pay you $10.  That usually does not work (believe me, I have tried!).  The same goes with tying chores to allowance.  Those two activities should be mutually exclusive.  The purpose of allowance is to teach children about how to properly manage money.  The purpose of chores is that it takes the whole family to pitch in and help out around the house to ensure a cleaner, safer environment in which to live.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and it provided a lot of things to think about to me as a parent, educator and business owner.  Not only does the book explain what these motivations are but it devotes the end of the book to a "Toolkit" of exercises, websites and other ways to actually implement these actions at home, at school and/or at the place of work.  The great thing about this Type I personality is that is possible to teach these and incorporate them into one's own life.  Meaning, it can actually be a learned experience.

We'll definitely be looking for ways we can incorporate these methods at 4 Star Camps this summer.  Anything we can do to improve the kids that we serve is worth pursuing.  Particularly, with classes in business, political science, environmental studies to name a few, all of which will need drastic improvement and/or image makeovers in the coming years.  These kids are the future, after all.

From talking to many students lately, it seems as though managing time is one of the biggest obstacles they face. From schoolwork, to juggling a job, their social life and family life there are a lot of things to keep track of during one's teenage years. It's hard as a young adult to maintain a balance between all the important things in your life, so how do you do it? Well I personally, listened to Randy Pausch's lectures. A well-known professor from Carnegie Mellon and author of "The Last Lecture," Pausch delivered a clear message that time is one of the most valuable things a person can have. Within his lecture, some of his main points include: keep your email mailbox empty (going through an overflowing inbox should not be on your to-do list), recognize that most things are pass/fail (a reminder for all of those that are perfectionists), cut TV out of your life, and lastly, always make time for family/friends (the people that keep you sane and happy). Yes, some of these tasks may sound difficult at first but I promise you they are not as hard as they seem. I speak from experience, as when I entered college I promised myself that I would not watch as much TV. I will admit it was so tempting to reach for the remote, I was dying to know what was happening with my favorite show for the first few days. However, within a week, watching TV became a thing of the past. Becoming more occupied with other tasks like reading, schoolwork and friends, it was quite easy to forget about all the menial TV shows that had once meant a lot. I know that other teenagers reading this may think that it may not be as easy for them but go ahead and try. Pausch was right, it frees up so much more of your valuable time. Instead of staying inside and watching movies, I caught myself outside playing tennis and going on a jog. Not just including the TV tip, Pausch's other tips are important as well. Family and friends are a crucial part of teenage life and sometimes after a long day of school or studying, dinner at home is the stress-reliever that puts the smile back on your face. All in all, it'll surprise you what little changes in your life can do for you. So turn off the TV, work hard and share a laugh with your friends, life will instantly become just a little bit easier.

I wanted to post a quick note about what is happening in the world.  We have Libyans protesting its dictator while he orders the military to kill his own citizens.  Egypt and Tunisia just went through similar protests but fortunately, not nearly as violent, though several did lose their lives.  Meanwhile, there are massive strikes and protests in WI as they try to balance their budget by effectively eliminating all public unions (except the 2 unions who supported the governor - police and firefighters).  I'm not taking sides on this since it is very complicated and a hard question to answer but it's going to take a long time to heal those wounds.  Education does take up large portions of each state's budget so unfortunately, it is affected by budget cuts.  For instance, Rhode Island just laid off 2,000 teachers.

What does this have to do with summer camp and changing the world?  Everything.  Now, more than ever, we need strong leaders.  We need the upcoming generation to have creativity to be able to solve these difficult challenges that lay before us.  This is nothing new.  However, I would argue that we need to look closely at how we educate our kids.  We cannot stick our head in the sand and pretend that there's nothing wrong and whatever worked last year, the last decade, the last century continues to work today.  Our young people, our children, deserve better than that.  They deserve the opportunity to succeed.

I'm more convinced than ever that 4 Star Camps (and other summer camps) plays a strong role in the education of the whole child.  We need to innovate and create programs that prepare our students for the 21st Century.  The world is moving very fast.  We have global communications and global events available to billions of people in seconds on their mobile devices.  That means, we need a smart, creative, innovative and strong workforce if we ever hope to get beyond the challenges we face with high unemployment, foreclosures and budget deficits as far as the eye can see.  Not unlike what we faced coming out of the Great Depression and subsequent WWII.

I am personally more committed than ever to ensure that we do whatever we can to change the lives and perspectives, of the children in our charge.  Will it change the world?  I don't know, maybe.  The next Henry Kissinger, Gandhi, or Bill Gates are in our midst.  Either way, my goal is to help to ignite the passion to move the children in our care down the right path to help achieve that goal.

With the growing surge of new companies and technologies all over the world, the emphasis on learning business skills has only been increasing in the last decade. Recently, I came across a CNN article describing the story and success of Cody Chang and Jonathan Mohan, high schoolers who started their own smoothie-making business. They started out by taking classes on entrepreneurism and eventually came up with a business plan that ended up winning the NFTE regional business plan competition (also winning $1,200 in seed money). The program that put the competition together aims to inspire students all over the country to become motivated and come up with their own business ventures. Researchers have estimated that about 3,000 students drop out of school every year. Knowing this fact, teachers and schools are taking action to get students thinking and inspired.

4Star also plans to motivate kids of all ages and offers a business academic program. For two weeks students enrolled in the Senior Academic Program will learn about some key skills required for the ‘real’ world. During the first week, students will be taught how to develop their own product and come up with a business plan. Then during the second week, they will learn how to advertise and market their product. Furthermore, students will also be taught how to be a leader and work effectively with others. This program is not only beneficial for a student’s future career, but also for their current high school life. Knowing how to be a leader for group projects and having the ability to work efficiently with group members would impress peers, give confidence to the student and possibly earn them a good grade. Having a business mindset, without a doubt, is one of the most valuable things a student can attain. So I encourage all parents and students to look into programs that just may put you or your child on the path to entrepreneurial success.

I recently read a very good article in Washington Parent called "Middle School Expectations" by Suzanne Ritter.  Though, I do not know Ms. Ritter, the article was really well done explaining all the various subjects and what is expected from the middle school child as they enter high school.  There were a couple of areas of note that jumped out at me in particular as I have been hearing/reading similar things recently.  The first area, of course, is math.  Since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has really emphasized increased performance in math and reading, these areas receive the majority of the increase in standards.  The US Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics stated that the percentage of high school students completing advanced math courses (courses higher than Algebra II) "increased from 26% in 1982 to 50% in 2004."  The overwhelming majority of "experts" in the field today highly suggest that all 8th grade students complete Algebra I.

Language Arts is the other area of major focus since NCLB was passed.  Ms. Winters writes, "the expectation for students to enroll in honors or advanced placement English courses in high school is increasing, so middle school language arts courses typically emphasize the development of strong writing and reading comprehension skills."

What this all means to current middle schoolers (and their parents, myself included) is that both math and LA are becoming increasingly more difficult.  It may be wise to seek outside help in the way of tutors and/or summer programs.  Both of these subjects fall prey to summer learning loss to a wide degree, which makes it even more important to have a plan in place to keep your middle school child's mind engaged during the summer months.  Though some school districts have lost funding for summer school, there are still a number of choices.  Look into community ed programs, park & rec, tutoring companies as well as various summer camps - both day and residential.  You can also find a number of online resources, many of which are free, where you can find lesson plans and activities for your child.

It's a race. A race to get the best grades, the best recommendation letters, the best resumes to eventually get into the best colleges. The college admission process has sent students into a frenzy; creating stress and curiosity as to how to get an edge over all other applicants. So what is the magic formula? Unfortunately there is none, but there are measures that put students in a much better position in preparing themselves for college and receiving the acceptance letter to their desired school. First off, studying for the SATs using books and taking classes is highly recommended. Scores have more of an impact on admission for certain schools but they are still very important for just about every school. Many students tend to take these classes over the summer. Students not only gain good test-taking skills and but also keep their studying habits fresh. Many teens often lose their studying stamina during the summer and have a hard time getting back into the swing of things when school starts again in the fall. Also, SAT classes benefit students for the long run. Learning and practicing writing skills and how to read efficiently prepares them for the work they will have in college.

Furthermore, pre-writing essays, getting good letters of recommendation and preparing resumes ahead of time are all suggested as the application process can become quite hectic. Additionally, making connections with the colleges you are applying to is always beneficial. Many times college representatives will come and visit high schools allowing students to talk with them about what their school has to offer and what their application process is like. This is a great networking opportunity; chances are they won’t remember your name but if you can at least get their card or email address for a follow up it can give you an edge over others. With these tips, getting into college can be a whole lot easier than it is made out to be. However, it is important to always work hard and be prepared for the worst as college acceptances can be just downright unpredictable.

I was researching the other day to find out some of the great benefits that people have received from attending camp.  Much of this can be found at www.acacamps.org.  The goal of the American Camping Association (ACA) is to expose 20 million children to camp by the year 2020.  A very worthy goal, if I do say so myself.  So anyway, here's my Top 10 list, which is actually Top 9 since I like to be a little different.

In no particular order.

1.  Increased Self- Esteem

2.  Increased Self-Confidence

3.  Improved verbal communication skills (you know, that thing under your nose that you can actually use to talk, hopefully in complete sentences)

4.  Interact with kids from different towns, states, even countries where you can learn about different cultures, religions, communities, etc. (See Caroline's post from earlier in the week).

5.  Learn (again) what it's like to have FUN!

6.  Achieve more than you ever thought possible.

7.  Meet friends for a lifetime.

8.  Improved health.  You'll walk everywhere :)

9.  Become a better person.

Ok, so there you have it.  Every camp is a little different so there's a ton more benefits that you will experience but I wanted to highlight 9 of them.

Most people think of school and books when talking about education, however, increasing a student’s knowledge includes much more than just material covered in a classroom. Kids exploring other countries, meeting multi-national people and learning about other cultures is and should be a vital part of their childhood. Teens would be far more interested in the Buddhist religion for example, if they met someone who practiced it rather than reading articles and chapters on it and having to write a five page paper. The impact of meeting someone so different from yourself is life long - by observing what may seem like “weird” or “strange” practices, students’ eyes are opened to what other cultures have to offer and later on these practices will not be considered so strange. By practicing cultural relativism (the principle that people should not judge the behavior of others using the standards of their own culture; that each culture must be analyzed on its own terms) students come to accept others on a much deeper level. Emerging teens in programs like 4Star may not only improve their tennis/golf playing skills but also their ability to understand and appreciate those around them.

I recently gave a speech at a DARE graduation that really got me thinking.  For those of you who do not know what DARE is, it stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.  It is taught by police officers to kids in 1st, 3rd and 5th grade on the dangers of alcohol, drugs and violence.  We recognize the graduates in a formal ceremony complete with a certificate.  I'm a member of the Prior Lake Rotary Club and am Chairman of the DARE committee.  We have sponsored DARE in our community for over 20 years helping to raise over $600,000 in that time.

Anyway, as Chairman of the DARE committee I was invited to speak at the graduation.  Here's one excerpt of my speech that I want to explore further:  "Today is an important day.  Everyone look to your left and right.  You all need to stick together, support one another and encourage each other to commit to staying drug and alcohol free.  Will you have the courage to help your friend or classmate say no?  Will you have the courage to say no yourself?"

Here's why I bring this up.  Leaders, particularly those at school, can use their popularity and leadership in one of two ways.  They can lead people down the wrong path or they can lead people down the right path.  For instance, there was a McDonald's commercial years ago where these high school kids are hanging around the lockers getting ready to head out to McD's for lunch.  They're laughing and joking while this other boy that is apparently new to the school is within ear shot putting his books away.  The group starts walking down the hallway when one of them turns around and yells to the new kid "hey, aren't you coming?".  That was leadership.  There's another commercial I saw more recently where a girl with Down's Syndrome was named as the Homecoming Queen.  The entire class was cheering for her and she has a huge smile on her face.  Somebody in that class was a leader to suggest it.

On the other hand, the most popular kids in school can use that popularity the wrong way as well.  If they are the ones hosting parties and engaging in risky behavior, a bunch of kids are going to follow that lead.  That's where peer pressure comes into play.  But peer pressure can work both ways, I believe.  If one kid has the courage to say "no" to a risky behavior, that will give others the courage to say no as well.

Leadership doesn't need to be a on a grand scale.  It can be as simple as inviting the new kid to lunch or suggesting the girl with Down's Syndrome be included on the Homecoming Court.  It can also include being the one to stand up and say no when offered a drink at a party giving others the same courage.  We probably cannot teach children to be outgoing and positive and have a magnetic personality.  We can, though, teach kids to make the right choice over the easy choice.  And, maybe, we can also reach those "uber-popular" kids to use their popularity to influence others positively instead of negatively.

Those of us in the business of providing safe outlets for kids cannot take this responsibility lightly.  My goal has always been that each camper at 4 Star leaves a better person.

Ethics - defined as (1) the study of the general nature of morals and specific moral choices.  (2) Rules or Standards governing the conduct of the members of a profession.  (3) System of moral principles or values.

Ethics approaches behavior from a philosophical standpoint.

How does this relate to Leadership?  Is there a correlation?

New for 2011:  We have added Leadership and character development courses to all of our Tennis Camps and Golf Camps.

We are now taking applications for our 2011 summer camp.  Be sure to check out our new "Career Pursuits" modeled off the television show The Apprentice.  Just click on the Academic Camp link under Univ. of Virginia.