THE PENN TENNIS CAMP – Philadelphia, PA
4.9 Stars – Based on 8 User Reviews
Full Day Camp
The Wilson Collegiate Tennis Camps / Penn Tennis Camp is the nation’s most popular tennis camp. Hosting close to a thousand campers each summer, the camp has built a reputation for top-flight instruction, fun and well organized days. Each summer we host 9 weeks of camp throughout June, July, and August and offer Full Day camp options. There is an appropriate camp option for boys and girls ages 5-18 of all skill levels.
Campers receive personal attention, advanced teaching techniques, intensive drill work, and game/match play, all in a fun and competitive environment. We break the campers into small instructional groups of similar age and ability, so each child is working in a group that is commensurate with their experience level. We tailor each program to the level of the players. Beginners get a heavy dose of swing technique and fundamentals, while more advanced players focus on strategy, point building, percentage tennis, etc.
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
- Safety prioritized on and off the court
- Small instructional groups to ensure individual attention
- Great Wilson Raffle and prizes for all campers
- Camp demo program featuring all the latest Wilson rackets
CAMP DETAILS
CAMP DATES: (director by week)
- Session I: June 12-16, 2023 (directed by McClendon)
- Session II: June 19-23, 2023 (directed by McClendon)
- Session III: June 26-30, 2023 (directed by McClendon)
- Session IV: July 3-7, 2023 (directed by McClendon)
- Session V: July 10-14, 2023 (directed by McClendon)
- Session VI: July 17-21, 2023 (directed by Bonfiglio)
- Session VII: July 24-28, 2023 (directed by Bonfiglio)
- Session VIII: July 31 – August 4, 2023 (directed by Bonfiglio)
- Session IX: August 28 – September 1, 2023 (directed by McClendon)
FEES:
- Full Day: $475 per week
AGES:
- Boys and Girls ages 5-18 of all skill levels.
- Camp is open to any and all.
TIMES:
- Full Day – 9am – 3pm daily
Camp Discounts
Discounts: Discounts are available for campers attending multiple weeks of camp. To be eligible for this discount, a single camper must attend 3 or more weeks of camp. The rates for campers enrolling for 3 weeks or more are as follows:
3 + weeks of camp for any single camper:
- Full Day: $45 discount per week
Coupon Code: No Coupon Code needed. Discount will be applied to all qualified registrations
* Note – Campers that use the code and are not eligible will be responsible for the full amount.
COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS
Our athletics department has received an approved health and safety plan that was reviewed by the University and the City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health. I’m providing some of the key bullet points from the plan below.
- All coaches, staff, and camp participants must wear a mask at all times. This includes during physical activity.
- All coaches, staff, and camp participants must complete a daily symptom check. PennOpen Pass will be available for everyone, otherwise a daily verbal attestation will be required at check-in/drop-off.
- All coaches, staff will be required to enroll and participate in University surveillance testing, testing once per week regardless of vaccination status.
- Campers will be in cohort groups, not to exceed 30 per group. Interaction between cohorts is prohibited.
- The use of indoor space for any meals or snacks is prohibited. (We will have a staggered meal and lunch break between camp groups).
- All symptomatic or positive cases must be reported to Campus Health immediately as well as the Camp Director and the Business Development contact.
- If a positive test is confirmed within a summer camp the Camp Director must disclose a positive case to all camp counselors and participants (without identifying the individual). With universal masking and proper distancing outside of athletic activity any potential exposure is likely to be deemed low risk and the camp can likely continue after disinfecting facilities and equipment used, however Campus Health will provide direction if further action needs to be taken regarding the status of that particular summer camp.
MORE INFORMATION
Camp Types
Full Day Camp (Ages 5-17) – This is the traditional Penn tennis camp. Great drills and clinics in the morning, healthy group lunches, and fun games and more tennis and other sports in the afternoon. Every week will feature a Camp Raffle to compete for a chance to win exciting Wilson prizes such as t-shirts, grips, hats, water bottles, rackets, bags, string, vibration dampeners and more.
Meals
Lunch is provided on campus for the Full Day Campers and is included in the camp fee. Kids will have the option to take a morning snack break. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase at the Tennis Center.
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
Extended Day Care
Extended day care is available from 3-6pm for $25 per day. Arrangement for extended day care should be made ton the first day of camp at check-in.
Airport Transportation
Airport transportation may be available upon request for those flying into camp.
Pertinent Camp Information for Check-in
Forms / Balance Due
Camp Waiver (required):
Your Liability Waiver was signed during the registration process and is complete as long as your registered online.
Medical Form (required):
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.
Balance Due:
To check if you have a remaining balance, you can access your account here.
Check-In / Check-Out Information
Check-in / Drop off:
- Check-in / Drop off Time: 8:30-9:00am daily
- Check-in / Drop off Location: Hecht Tennis Center
- Check-in / Drop off Address: 240 South 31st Street Philadelphia, PA 19104
Check-out / Pick up:
- Check-out / Pick up Time: 3:00pm daily
- Check-out / Pick up Location: Hecht Tennis Center
- Check-out / Pick up Address : 240 South 31st Street Philadelphia, PA 19104
Meals Included:
- Lunch provided daily
Packing List
- Tennis Racket
- Tennis Shoes
- Sun Screen
- Hat / Visor
- Water bottle
- Snack (if desired)
Session Notes
Please fill out the PENN Supplemental wavier
MEET YOUR COACHES
Camp Director:
Denard McClendon
Camp Director
The Penn Tennis Camp
Denard brings over 20 years of tennis coaching experience and is excited to work with clients at Legacy. Originally from Winston-Salem, NC, he had a successful junior career in the highly-competitive USTA Southern Section. Denard graduated from Delaware State University where he received a scholarship and played number 1 singles.
Professionally, Denard has coached in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. In North Carolina, he was owner/director of Maximum Tennis Academy, a full-service player development academy for players at the National and Sectional levels. He was head coach of three-time North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association State Champions, Forsyth Country Day School varsity tennis teams. In 2019 he was inducted into the Forsyth Country Day School Athletic Hall of Fame.
In Pennsylvania, Denard served as Director of Tennis at the Frog Hollow Racquet Club working with players of all levels, including adults and juniors. Most recently, he held the position of Director of Programming for a New Jersey NJTL. Denard is certified by the USTA as a High-Performance Coach, holds a Professional Certificate (Adults and 10-and-Under) from PTR, and serves on the USTA Middle States Coaches Commission Board.
Denard’s passion for tennis drives him to continue being a student of the game. He wants to help players to reach their goals both on and off-court and looks forward to working with kids and adults.
Camp Director:
Rich Bonfiglio
Head Men’s Tennis Coach
University of Pennsylvania
Rich Bonfiglio was hired as the University of Pennsylvania’s Albert G. Molloy Head Coach of Men’s Tennis in January 2023.
Bonfiglio came to Philadelphia from the University of Southern California (USC). He joined the Trojans in 2021 and helped lead them to their 15th straight NCAA Round of 16 appearance, a third straight Pac-12 Tournament championship, and a national ranking as high as #5 in 2021-22. He coached the Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year in Stefan Dostanic as well as the Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year. Overall, USC posted a 23-6 record that included a 7-1 mark in the Pac-12.
In the summer of 2022, Bonfiglio was the USTA National Collegiate Coach and traveled with the top five U.S. players as a transition to the professional level.
From 2019-21, Bonfiglio was an assistant coach at Columbia University in the Ivy League, where he recruited the nation’s #2 recruiting class before leaving for USC. In his first season, Columbia was ranked as high as seventh nationally before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His second season was also canceled due to the pandemic, but he assisted in recruiting the nation’s fourth-best recruiting class. Off the court, Bonfiglio assisted with fundraising and design for a $50M tennis facility.
Prior to Columbia, Bonfiglio was an assistant at the University of San Diego where he helped lead the Toreros to three West Coast Conference regular-season and tournament championships from 2017-19. He mentored nine all-conference selections, including the 2019 WCC Player of the Year in Gui Osorio. San Diego reached the NCAA Round of 32 in 2018 and 2019 and was ranked 25th in the final ITA national rankings in 2019. Bonfiglio was named the ITA Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018.
The Bronxville, N.Y. native began his coaching career as an assistant men’s and women’s coach at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., from 2011-14, helping lead both teams to national rankings. He moved on to Ithaca as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s teams for one season, with the women’s team capturing the Empire 8 championship. Bonfiglio then went to Amherst College from 2015-17 to become an assistant men’s tennis coach, helping the team reach as high as seventh in the national rankings and recruiting the top class in Division III.
Bonfiglio was a men’s tennis student-athlete at Middlebury College for two seasons, helping the Panthers reach the NCAA Division III semifinal round his freshman year. He finished his career at Trinity, earning all-conference honors and serving as a team captain his senior year. The Bantams finished in the top 20 in Division III both seasons.
Bonfiglio earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy and law in 2011 and a master’s degree in public policy in 2014 from Trinity.
Asst. Camp Director:
Conor Taylor
Asst. Camp Director
The Penn Tennis Camp
Conor Taylor is a Senior Tennis Professional at the Penn Tennis Center and enters his first season as the Interim Director for the Penn Tennis Camp. Conor joined Penn in 2021 and has had an immediate impact on the junior programming, working with kids of a variety of ages and skill levels. He is a lead instructor for the popular After School program and oversees the youth progression, and weekly instructional plans in the Rally and Play orange, green and yellow ball programs. He, along with the Penn Tennis Camp counselors, believe in the camp motto of “Fun and Fundamentals.”
A native of Ireland, Conor Taylor holds an international Level 1 and Level 2 Irish Coaching Certificate. He has coached several high-performance players and served as the National Head Coach for the Irish National Training Center and European Championship team. Between 2009-2015 he served as a professional traveling coach for a WTA top 100 player and two ATP players ranked in the top 150. A former collegiate player, Conor played Division I tennis for N.C. State University in the number 1 singles position and reached a career high ranking of 36. He has also represented Ireland in both junior and adult competitions, winning the National Over 35 championships. He continues to be recognized as one of the top ranked Irish players over the past decade.
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.
| DAILY SCHEDULE: | |
|---|---|
| 8:30 a.m – 9:00 a.m | Camp Check In |
| 9:00 a.m – 9:15 am | Introduce Camp staff and go over rules, sportsmanship, etiquette and safety |
| 9:15 a.m – 12:00 pm | Morning tennis instruction/ drills based on the camp motto of Fun and Fundamentals. Introduce and demonstrate stroke of the day. |
| 12 p.m – 1:15 p.m | Lunch in the UPenn dining hall (All you can eat) |
| 01:15 p.m – 03:00 p.m | Match Play/ Skills testing and Competition sessions |
| 03:00 p.m – 03:30 p.m | Pick up for full day campers |
| 03:00 p.m – 06:00 p.m | Extended Day starts for all campers who need to stay for late pick up times. |
FACILITY
HECHT & HAMLIN TENNIS CENTERS
The Hecht Tennis Center has eight indoor tennis courts and is open daily. The facilities are made up of eight glare-free Devoe illuminated courts with well paced Plexi Pave surfaces and seasonal air conditioning. There is a spacious observation deck that overlooks the front four courts. Showers and lockers available. Each player must provide their own lock and towel.
The Hamlin Center has 12 all weather courts in a beautiful park setting with views of the Philadelphia skyline. The facility has stadium seating for several hundred and is open daily. There are no restroom/shower facilities available by the outdoor courts, however restrooms/showers are available at the Hecht Tennis Center. Patrons must check-in at the Hecht Tennis Center and receive a ticket prior to playing on the courts.