About Us
We are so proud of our impact – exciting girls about staying fit and active on top of imparting core values and life skills…
Since 2007, we have dedicated ourselves to working specifically with girls grades Pre K – 8th to encourage a lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle that includes sports and fitness. Through our unique summer camps and school-year events and programs, we have effectively empowered girls through sports by building their confidence and teaching each one skills and values crucial to their growth as an athlete AND a person. We have worked hard, observing and listening to feedback every step of the way, to become the experts in the areas of communication and teaching methodology. The result is customized, fun programming that includes our signature incentive programs. We are so proud of our impact – exciting girls about staying fit and active on top of imparting core values and life skills that go beyond the playing field. This is our passion and our mission.
Our Mission
To harness the power of sports to shape the strong girls that become the valued teammates and high achievers of tomorrow.
- To inspire or enhance a lifelong appreciation for a healthy lifestyle, including sports & fitness
- To empower/build confidence through sports
- To promote skill development for all levels through quality instruction and fun
- To teach and promote solid life skills & core values through sports
- To inspire our campers and their families to support our women’s collegiate and professional sports teams through education and experience
What Sets Us Apart
- An all girls experience born out of passion and understanding
- Years devoted to creating developmental sports programming 4 girls
- Expertise in technique when it comes to teaching girls sports fundamentals and beyond
- A warm, caring environment conducive to making an impact
- Our Ponytail Camp Program (grades Pre-K – 1st) that combines sports exposure & development with a creative twist.
- Proven incentive programs recognizing skill progress as well as model character (i.e. effort, leadership, spirit, sportsmanship, courage) – awards are EARNED
- Balance in focus between growth as an integral member of a team vs growth as an individual athlete
- Our signature Healthier4Me program integrates important values and life skills that revolve around themes such as respect for others, believing in yourself, body image, it feels good to give, teamwork, leadership, taking risk, and more
- Flexible week format
- The ability to play multiple sports daily, including exposure to new sports and the opportunity for more specialization for our older campers
- A program that equally caters to the beginner, intermediate and advanced athlete
- Attention to hiring role models who are specially trained and share our passion
- A sports camp that successfully incorporates a traditional camp culture (including carnival day, water wars, tie dye days, talent show, spirit contests…)
- Strong relationships with local women’s professional and collegiate sports teams including family outings to games and in-camp clinics
- Attention to family involvement
- Game On! is NOT about the pressure to win. Rather healthy competition and challenge are balanced by the chance to frolic and play just for the fun of it.
Our History
THE HISTORY OF GAME ON! – The story behind its evolution
Back in the 1970s while competing in tennis, basketball, volleyball and softball at Highland Park High School, Game On! and the notion of passing on the gift of sports to young girls was but a distant dream. Following high school, Barb was off to play tennis at the University of Michigan (1978), followed by law school, eight years with the United States Attorney’s Office in Chicago, and ultimately on to success in the business world.
For years, Barb dreamed about opening a sports camp for girls in conjunction with other community-oriented sports programming. She had always talked about how much her involvement in sports had positively shaped her life. She had been an early beneficiary of Title IX and never stopped appreciating the doors of opportunity that opened as a result. Moreover, Barb credited sports with building self- image, confidence and lasting friendships and memories that have laid the groundwork for a very fulfilling business and personal life.
In 2006, Barb decided it was time and Game On! Sports Camp 4 Girls was born. The first camp opened in 2007 at Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Illinois. Barb, together with Director of Operations Sara Hokin, was proud to open a second camp in downtown Chicago in 2011 and then onto other states across the country.