Kids Connect at Nike Tennis Camp with Pigeon

Communication and collaboration at Nike Tennis Camp hosted at OSU

By JON MARSON

How many steps do you think an average kid takes at tennis camp? Tennis is a sport composed of many stops, starts, and sprints… do the steps add up? Kids at this year’s Nike Tennis Camp hosted at Oregon State University tracked their steps with Pigeon bands and shared their insights with us.

Pigeon Serves Up Communication

More importantly, kids wanted to share their numbers with other campers. With every attendee using the same technology throughout the day, and with the added incentive of a predetermined camp-wide goal, step counts became an easy conversation starter and a great way to boost camaraderie both on the court and off. We observed kids comparing Pigeon bands, checking in on statistics, and celebrating one another’s progress.

Before the Nike Tennis Camp session, staff created a Pigeon Flightpath that designated campers could earn awards at the 50,000 step level. Kids were motivated to hit their targets throughout camp, and 80% of campers reported that they were more likely to attend an additional session to earn their reward if they were just shy of their goal! Combining sports with tech brought a fun, new element to the tennis camps, and campers were celebrated at a camp-wide ceremony for their achievements when they hit their goal. Pretty cool!

“How many steps do you have?”, was the start of many conversations at tennis camp this week from camper to camper and staff to camper.

Kids weren’t the only ones enjoying the Pigeon experience. Parents found a welcomed peace of mind with automated SMS messages confirming details about drop-off and pick-up, especially when performed by other caregivers. They also enjoyed watching their kids work on their step-goals at home — keeping them active even after the day’s session was over.