Foreign Administrators Visit 2-4-1 Sports Academy Camp

A group of youth sport administrators from China and Hong Kong recently visited the 2-4-1 Sports Academy summer camp in West Hartford to learn about the camp's philosophy.

The 2-4-1 Sports Academy runs for two weeks on the campus of Kingswood Oxford and is staffed by area high school coaches. It serves about 220 kids ages 8 to 14. 

The administrators, including college professors and camp directors, came to learn about 2-4-1 Sports Academy's unique approach to youth sports - encouraging kids to play multiple sports instead of specializing in just one.

The Chinese visitors were also participants in an exchange program to promote understanding between the United States and China by using youth sports to foster positive social change. Developed by the University of Connecticut’s Global Training and Development Institute and the Husky Sport program, the effort is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and Sports United Division.

“The visiting Chinese youth sport administrators and educators were truly inspired by Camp 2-4-1,” says Roy Pietro, who directs the UConn institute. “They have been participating in workshops at UConn all week to learn about the new concept of Sports-based Youth Development in the U.S., which included discussions about some of the issues surrounding ‘burn out’  from specialization in one sport at a young age."

Camp 2-4-1 demonstrates how youth sport camps can be designed to foster character, sportsmanship, and teamwork, mixing in fun and creativity with skill development, Pietro said.