-Chicago Summer Camps 2023!-
POW! camps are active, structured, and fun! Many of them are theme-based and age/grade specific. Weather permitting, camps will also include plenty of outdoor time. By offering a variety of programming that reflects POW!'s signature values, we're proud to create lasting memories for our campers and offer children all across the West Loop, Wicker Park, Pilsen, West Town, and beyond a place to stay active during the summer
POW! camps are small in size. Our larger camps only allow 20 kids in a group, to maintain structure. Campers participate in several training classes each day regardless of the theme. Camp days will include a combination of board games, dance parties, art, scavenger hunts, and more. The goal of our camps is to build the athletic skills of each and every child. We will play a wide array of fitness games, teach kids about fitness and healthy living concepts, and more! Please make sure your kids come appropriately dressed! Camp days include art and reading sessions to cultivate minds as well as bodies. Our camp is one flat price. Drop-offs are at 8 am and pickups are at 4 pm. Take a look at this year's schedule. Make sure you scroll down to view early bird pricing.
New This Year! Parisi Peak Performance Academies. These are 3-hour clinics for junior high, high school, and college level athletes. It is $99 per athlete. A minimum of 2 athletes, but no more than 6 athletes.
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Our Topics include:
- Speed Training & Injury Mitigation
- Performance Training & Mobility
- Jump Training & Injury Mitigation
- Strength Training Fundamentals & Weight Room Etiquette
We have camps for elementary-aged children, middle schoolers, junior high, and even teenagers. Many of our camps are great for teens, but we also have teen-specific camps. Camp policies are below please read before purchasing.
POW! Gym Chicago Summer Camps
Pee Wee Fit Kid camp (1st to 3rd grade)
Enroll your kids in a full day of athletic-driven play at POW!, with drop-off beginning at 8:00 am. Kids will participate in an active POW! play date, including activities such as agility course training, dance parties, improv games, group story/writing, walks through the neighborhood, scavenger hunts, relay races, and more!
All children must bring a packed lunch, two snacks (morning & afternoon), and a refillable water bottle. If you send any electronic devices - POW! is not responsible for them, and kids will not be allowed to use them until the camp day ends at 3:30 pm. We suggest packing a book for quiet time. Trading cards are not allowed at POW! Gym. Camp policies are below please read them before purchasing.
Fit Kid Camp (3rd to 8th grade)
Enroll your kid in a full day of athletic-driven play at POW! They will participate in active games such as; agility course training, dance freeze party, team charades, group story writing, relay training, and more!
Kids will experience park time each day, neighborhood walking field trips, board games, team challenges, reading sessions, and art time. POW! excels at creating a day filled with structure and purpose. While camp drop-offs can be at 8:00 am, our structured programming starts at 9:00 am.
All children must bring a packed lunch, two snacks (morning & afternoon), and a refillable water bottle. If you send any electronic devices, POW! is not responsible for them. Electronic devices will not be permitted during our structured activities.
Boxing & Muay Thai Camp (3rd to 9th grade)
Camps at POW! is first and foremost - A BLAST!! We make everything fun and dynamic. POW! Gym's Boxing & Muay Thai camps include a week dedicated to learning boxing and another separate week dedicated to learning Muay Thai and self-defense classes. This year we are offering two different combat sports camps. Boxing and Muay Thai each have their week.
Through this unique training experience, your kids will build confidence and teach valuable skills relating to combat sports. Each class will break down the technique, purpose, and application of each exercise or movement. Physical training, flexibility, and conditioning will be incorporated into the Boxing and Muay Thai classes during their separate weeks. We will also teach the children about martial arts values and the foundation of self-defense. Our goal is that the children leave with a better understanding of how to become disciplined people with excellent mental focus. Each of these week-long camps aims to improve your children's fitness, coordination, and listening skills.
Combat equipment is not included in the price of the camp. Muay Thai camp requires shin guards, gloves, wraps, and a mouthpiece. Boxing camp requires gloves, wraps, and a mouthpiece. Equipment is sold separately at our Pro Shop. Camp policies are below please read them before purchasing.
Nerf Skills & Conditioning (3rd to 8th grade)
POW! Camps are filled with dynamic and active full days. We find a way to keep kids moving. Nerf Week will lead several structured movement classes each day that combines target shooting with nerf guns while running and jumping. Campers will practice various nerf skills in challenges. POW! provides single-shot nerf guns for safety, however, during battle days, kids are allowed to bring their own nerf guns and ammo that will be safely stored until the appropriate training time. Safety equipment is worn and rules of engagement are followed.
Some of these nerf skills events will occur inside and others may be at Mercy Soccer Field. Aside from the daily nerf events, the kids will still participate in art, park time, daily workouts, art projects, and reading. Our program is structured and we make sure the kids get the right balance of physical activity, structured play, downtime, and rest. Kids will be divided into teams throughout the day. We also take field trips to the park. Campers are allowed to bring their own nerf guns, but for challenges and various skills POW! provides nerf guns so everyone is using the same nerf product for challenges. If your child brings their own pellets, we will not promise that the exact type or amount of nerf pellets will be returned.
Sports Conditioning 3rd-8th
The Sports Conditioning camp will challenge young athletes as a whole. Aside from participating in two sports performance training sessions each day, the campers will also play several outdoor games. Campers will be presented with choices like kickball, tag, capture the flag, soccer tag, flag football, or gaga ball. Other days may incorporate enhancing each child’s character, athletic intellect, and leadership skills. The camp week will be filled with athletic training and youth yoga and mobility.
One goal of our coaches is to positively influence every camper’s athletic perspective and habits. POW! and Parisi pride themselves on building more confident, fit, and healthier students. Camp will also mix art projects, park time, board games, social activities, dance parties, and more. Week-long camps will lead kids through the following training class topics: Strength Fundamental, Speed, Jump Training, and Mobility.
Please review the sample schedule below. This is not an exact breakdown of each day. It reflects the type of activity blocks we incorporate into the camp day. Camp policies are below please read them before purchasing.
Teen Camp - Growing up in Chicago
To understand Chicago, a person must experience it. Even native Chicagoans sometimes need to step back to understand their home. At POW!, we pride ourselves on our hands-on, structured, active curricula. POW! takes this approach with immersive learning, exploring the streets of Chicago.
This camp is best for teens who love Chicago and want to know more about it through actually living it. Rain or shine, our teens will trample the city and use the CTA for scavenger hunts in classic Chicago locales, to gaze at world-class art, dialog about pizza comparisons, and even dive into the grid & grit system that makes Chicago the greatest city in the world. Campers will pound the pavement to navigate within various neighborhoods.
Owner, Katalin Rodriguez Ogren, a native Chicagoan, who grew up on Chicago Ave and Wells with her brothers, created this camp for the independent, curious, and active teenager. Campers will experience what it means to be a city kid. This week-long camp will begin at POW! Gym in the West Loop where they will start their day. Kids will then be led through the city exploring various topics like art, architecture, history, sports, culture, and food. Teens will navigate the city while using public transportation, led by Lead Instructor Anya Zamiar, a seasoned instructor and CPS 8th-grade teacher. There is an additional $50 charge for field trips and entrance fees. This will be collected 2 weeks before the camp date starts. The camp agenda is different than in past years, with some key overlapping topics and adventures.
Week of July 24th: The Light & Dark Side of Chicago
No matter where you travel in the world, Chicago has a reputation for its spectacular art and architecture, but also its nefarious past. Oddly, Chicago is infamous for its dark side including its seedy underbelly of corruption that still haunts its legacy today. In the early 1900s, Chicago became the fastest-growing city in the world, growing from 300,000 in population to 1.7 million. Teens will explore not only the amazing light side of our fine city’s growth but its dark side. They will learn about the history of organized crime that brought our Windy City's renowned attention, but also its haunted buildings whose ghosts to this day still make themselves known to many travelers and residents. This week teens will travel through parts of the city exploring the beauty above the payment which is defined by both old and new school architecture. Then travel below the payment to discover Lower Wacker Drive, the many confirmed haunted buildings and where the infamous Al Capone built part of his empire.
Policies, Please Read Carefully:
- Sibling discounts do not apply to early bird discounts.
- For regular-priced camps, siblings receive a 15% discount. The front desk must apply a discount.
- There are NO REFUNDS for early bird pricing for camps after the designated date. Please review the above. If you are looking for unlimited access for the summer, contact us directly since we have special discounts for UNLIMITED SUMMER ACCESS. However, you must book the weeks desired.
- No payment plans for single week-long camps.
- Kids may not share week-long camps.
- No payment plans for single week-long camps.
- Kids may not share week-long camps.
- Missed camp days due to illness or travel can not be used for other summer camp days. Refunds will not be given for single days missed.
- Camp weeks CAN NOT be saved for the following year if you are unable to attend.
- Parents are responsible for packing lunches and snacks.
- No discounts can be applied retroactively once camps are purchased.
- Do not purchase camps for your child if they do not meet the minimum age/grade requirements.
- If your child is unable to follow our rules both inside and outside of the building they may be expelled from the camp program. This includes: being disrespectful to any staff or fellow camper. Examples of this include: hitting, pushing, fighting, running off, and lack of compliance with safety rules/instructions. If the POW! staff feels they are unable to understand our rules, they will no longer be able to attend. In these situations, refunds for that week will not be given. Refunds will be given to future camps that have not begun. they will no longer be able to attend. In these situations, refunds for that week will not be given. Refunds will be given to future camps that have not begun.
