AMHERST COLLEGE – Amherst, MA
Overnight Camp with Commuter Option
One of the longest-running camps in the United States, the Amherst Tennis Camp is a summer tradition. Directed by long-time Amherst Men’s Coach Todd Doebler, we will offer overnight, commuter, and full-day camp options in the summer of 2024.
The camp features three tennis sessions a day emphasizing swing production, technique, and fundamentals for beginner and intermediate level players and more strategy based point production work for our advanced and tournament level players.
The Wilson Collegiate Tennis Camps are the premier camps for young players who strive to learn the game, improve their skills and participate in middle school, high school, USTA team tennis, or tournaments.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CAMP INCLUDE
- Comprehensive instructional program with daily teaching progressions
- Small instructional groups to ensure individual attention
- Safety prioritized on and off court
- Camp demo program with all the latest Wilson rackets
- Great Wilson Raffle and prizes for all campers
CAMP DETAILS
CAMP DATES
- Session I: July 14-18, 2024
- Session II: July 21-25, 2024
FEES
Sessions I & II
- Overnight: $1395 per week
- Commuter – $875 per week
- Full Day – $695 per week
TIMES
Overnight Option:
- Day 1 – 1pm – Day 5 4pm
Commuter Option:
- Day 1 – 1pm – 9pm
- Days 2-4 – 9am – 9pm
- Day 5 – 9am – 4pm
Full Day Option:
- Day 1 – 1pm – 8pm
- Day 2-5 9am – 4pm
AGES
- Boys and Girls Ages 8-18 of all skill levels.
Camp Program:
Our tennis camps are designed to focus on the fundamentals and swing techniques of modern tennis strokes. We tailor the instruction to the skill level and experience of each level of player. Some of the areas of focus for each level include:
- Beginners: The beginning-level player will be introduced to the basics of the game. Emphasis will be placed on stroke production and the technical aspects of the swing to teach these young players sound fundamentals from the ground up.
- Intermediate: Intermediate-
level players will also focus on stroke production (to ensure proper technique) and be introduced to gameplay situations to introduce these players to the competitive side of the game. - High School / Tournament: High school (both varsity and JV) and tournament players will focus on the strategic and competitive aspects of the game. Although swing fundamentals are featured, emphasis will also feature point building, court positioning, patterns of play, and live ball drill work.
MORE INFORMATION
Inclement Weather:
- Amherst College does have indoor courts available on campus. Camp will be held rain or shine, however, the camp schedule will be adjusted to maximize time on the court.
Ratio:
- This camp features a 5:1 ratio
Grouping:
- Kids are grouped by skill, age and experience. Often these groups change throught the course of the camp.
FAQ's
Q: Are there Skill Requirements for this camp?
Per NCAA rules, our sports camps are open to all entrants. Enrollment is limited only by age, grade level, gender, and capacity restrictions as specified by each camp.
Q: What type of campers attend this camp?
Our camps are open to all levels of tennis players. We have players from absolute beginner to high school / Tournament level.
We design our camps to teach the technical basics and love of the game to the beginning player, to introduce strategical decision making, and more advanced technique to the intermediate player, while building on their current stroke production, and to put the advanced players into pressured, strategical and competitive situations.
Q. What is the ratio of campers to staff?
Groups will be divided into small instructional groups of approximately 5-6: 1 camper to coach. Some camps/sessions offer higher or lower ratios based on the curriculum.
Q. If the camp is full, do you have a waiting list?
To be added to the waitlist, please register here (there is no fee to join the waitlist).
Q. Should I purchase camp/cancellation insurance?
We recommend all families purchase camp/cancellation insurance if they are concerned about the investment they are making in the camp. Kids do get injured, sick and family plans change from the time of registration leading up to the camp. Camp insurance allows peace of mind and has many benefits in any of these events. Please review our policies page for more information about camp/cancellation insurance. Click Here
Swimming:
- This camp does not offer swimming as an option.
Safety:
- Camp safety is our number one priority. All efforts are made to ensure that the kids are safe througouth the camp. Safety will be priortized over tennis and activities when necessary. The camp, Wilson Sporting Goods, Premier Sports camps and its coaches and universities are not responsible for personal itmes brought to camp.
Camp Notes:
- None at this time
Pertinent Camp Information for Check-in
Times:
Overnight Option:
- Day 1 – 1pm – Day 5 4pm
Commuter Option:
- Day 1 – 1pm – 9pm
- Days 2-4 – 9am – 9pm
- Day 5 – 9am – 4pm
Full Day Option:
- Day 1 – 1pm – 8pm
- Day 2-5 9am – 4pm
Camp Check-In:
- Overnight 2:00pm; Commuter 2:00pm on the first day, 9am the remainder of the week; Full Day 2:00pm on the first day, 9am the remainder of the week.
- Check in Location & Address: All campers Seelye House – 129 S. Pleasant St. Amherst, MA 01002
Camp Check-Out:
- Overnight: 3:00pm Thursday; Commuter 8:00pm Sunday, 9:00pm Monday-Wednesday, 3:00pm Thursday; Full Day 8:00pm Sunday, 4:00pm Monday-Wednesday, 3:00pm Thursday
- Checkout Location & Address: Seelye House – 129 S. Pleasant St. Amherst, MA 01002
Camp Dorm:
- TBD
Roommate Requests:
- If you are attending the camp as an overnight camper, you can request a roommate at the time of enrollment. Should you need to change this request, please email the office. We can usually meet your request for one roommate; however, please keep in mind that many parents have conflicting requests. (Player A request Player B and Player B request Player C). We will do our very best to sort out these issues ahead of camp, however, if there is a mistake or change that needs to be made at camp check-in, please let us know, and we will do everything in our power to make that change.
- Each dorm has a different setup. Some are doubles, triples, quads, and suites. If you would like to have players in rooms next to each other, we will do our best to accommodate. Should you wish to room with more than just one person, we will do everything in our power to arrange for this, if the room level (double, triple, etc.…) allows.
Meals:
- Overnight campers: All meals from Sunday dinner – Thursday lunch.
- Commuter campers: All lunches and dinners from Sunday dinner to Thursday lunch (no breakfast provided).
Packing List:
- Overnight Campers:
- Tennis Racket(s)
- Tennis Shoes
- Water Bottle
- Tennis Clothes
- Hat/Visors
- Casual Clothes
- Bath Towel
- Shower Towel
- Sun Screen
- Bedding (check pert info email for bed size)
- Toiletries
- Fan(s)
- Pillows
- Snack Food
- Spending Money (no $ is needed, but sometimes kids like to order pizza, t-shirts, vending etc.)
- Day Campers:
- Tennis Racket
- Tennis Shoes
- Sun Screen
- Hat / Visor
- Water bottle
- Signed Medical Form (dowload here – https://www.wilsontenniscamps.com/camp-forms/)
- Signed Liabililty Form if you did not complete online during registraion (dowload here –https://www.wilsontenniscamps.com/camp-forms/)
FORMS & ACCOUNTS
Liability Forms:
- Your Liability Waiver was signed during the registration process and is complete as long as your registered online. If you did not sign up with an account online – this form can be downloaded at https://www.wilsontenniscamps.com/camp-forms/
Medical Forms:
- Each camper must have a completed and signed medical form brought to check-in on the first day of camp. – Download Form here
A physical exam is not required for campers. If the camper needs medical or disability accommodations, including significant food allergies that require special meals, please email the office. This form can be downloaded at https://www.wilsontenniscamps.com/camp-forms/
MEET YOUR COACHES
Camp Director:
Todd Doebler
Head Men’s Tennis Coach
Amherst College
Todd Doebler enters his ninth season as head coach of the Amherst College men’s tennis program in 2022-23 with a record of 102-41. Last season the men’s program posted 11-8 record overall with a 6-4 record in the prestigious NESCAC conference.
Prior to his arrival at Amherst, Doebler served as the associate head coach of the men’s tennis team at Texas Christian University. While at TCU, Doebler was responsible for assisting the head coach with all aspects of the tennis program. The Horned Frogs faced 13 top-35 Division I programs and finished 12-12 overall before falling to the eventual national runner-up Oklahoma in the Big 12 Conference tournament. Before his tenure at TCU, Doebler served two and a half years as the director of men’s and women’s tennis as well as the fitness center coordinator at Colorado College.
Doebler notched four consecutive winning seasons while at Penn State, a top-tier NCAA Division 1 program, and led the Nittany Lions to 21 wins over ranked opponents from 2006 to 2011. In his five seasons in the Happy Valley, he amassed 71 career wins to rank fourth on Penn State’s all-time list. He enjoyed immediate success with the Lions as they reached the NCAA Championship in his first two seasons with the program. In 2007, Penn State finished with a program-best record of 6-4 in the Big 10 Conference and tied that record a year later. That same season, just his second with the Lions, Doebler guided the team to its first-ever NCAA tournament win in the modern era as they finished the season ranked 38th in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll, a program-best. The team also strived in the classroom under Doebler and twice finished with the highest cumulative team GPA for men’s sports at the university.
Doebler joined Penn State after four years as an assistant coach at Notre Dame. He was named associate head coach prior to the 2005-06 season and garnered 2004 and 2006 ITA Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year laurels. While at Notre Dame, Doebler helped the Irish move into the elite ranks of Division I men’s intercollegiate tennis. Upon his arrival, Notre Dame had ranked No. 54 in the ITA poll but jumped up to No. 17 by his final season in South Bend. The Irish advanced to the Big East Conference Championship match all four years during his tenure and won the title twice in 2004 and 2005.
Prior to his stint with the Irish, he served as an assistant men’s tennis coach at Pepperdine University during the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons, where he helped the Waves achieve national prominence both years. During his time at Pepperdine, the Waves compiled a 43-14 (.754) mark. In 2001, the Waves won the West Coast Conference title, advanced to the NCAA round of 16 and finished 18th in the nation. The following year, Pepperdine went 25-6, reached the NCAA quarterfinals and finished No. 5 in the polls. Doebler coached three All-Americans while at Pepperdine including Al Garland, who was ranked No. 1 in the nation during the 2002 season.
Doebler is no stranger to the NESCAC either and served as head coach at Connecticut College for men’s and women’s tennis for two seasons prior to his stint at Pepperdine. He was also the men’s and women’s squash coach during those two years. In the summer of 1997, a year before heading to Connecticut College, Doebler began his coaching career at Trinity College as an assistant for the men’s and women’s tennis programs. Both squads ranked within the top-25 in Division III that year.
In addition to his collegiate experience, Doebler served as an assistant coach to the World Team Tennis’ Hartford Foxforce in the summer of 2000, which featured players such as Monica Seles, James Blake and Murphy Jensen. His responsibilities included on-court coaching, conducting promotional clinics and pro-ams, and overseeing community involvement.
A native of Hatfield, Pa., Doebler graduated from Bloomsburg University with a degree in psychology in 1996 and also excelled on the court during his playing career. He won the conference doubles and team championships in 1994, as well as the conference singles, doubles and team championship titles in 1995. Following his undergraduate studies, Doebler went on to complete his master’s degree in psychology in 1998 from the University of Hartford.
FACILITY
Recently renovated, the Mammoths’ tennis programs call this 14-court facility home. Divided into two seven-court sections by a custom pavilion that offers 1300 square feet of shade for players and fans, the space includes wireless score keeping technology and has hosted several NCAA Regional Tournaments.SAMPLE SCHEDULE
DAILY SCHEDULE
The following schedules are sample schedules of our camps. These are provided to give a rough idea of how each camp is programmed throughout the day.
| TRADITIONAL WEEKS: | |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m | Warmup (dynamic stretching, light warmup run) |
| 9:15 a.m |
Player skill evaluation (first day only) Stroke production, technique work, fundamentals Small group instruction Daily featured stroke (rotate by day)
|
| 10:30 a.m | Live ball drills, Ball fed drills, Footwork instruction, |
| 11:30 a.m |
Competitive Games and drills Olympic team play |
| Noon | Pick up half day campers |
| 12:15 p.m | Lunch at Tennis Center or in campus dining center |
| 1:00 p.m | Additional competitve team and individual drills |
| 2:00 p.m | Point play, match play, Strategy focus |
| 3:00 p.m | Group games |
| 4:00 p.m | Dismissal |