Independent schools throughout the region offer summer camps that help young people get to the next level in the sports that are important to them. Many are led by school coaches and develop skills through drills, scrimmages and games.
Here are a few popular ones.
Gilman Summer: Led by the school’s coaches, half-day and full-day camps build skills in sports including baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, running, soccer, tennis and wrestling.
New this year is Mini Movers: Land & Sea, for boys in Prep 1 through fifth grade, which includes guidance and games to develop swimming skills and activities such as throwing, sprinting and jumping.
Summer at Friends: Co-ed sports and games for ages seven through 11 teach fundamentals through games and scrimmages that build confidence, agility and problem-solving skills. Each two-week session features a different mix of sports, which might include baseball, soccer or ultimate Frisbee, and all include lunch, swimming and tennis instruction.
“We believe that campers of all skill levels should have the opportunity to participate in sports,” says Steve Cusick, director of day camps, sports clinics and extended day. “Because our program focuses on several different sports (things like soccer, flag football, basketball and baseball) as well as non-traditional games like kickball, we’re able to challenge campers regardless of their past experience with a sport. We have some who are just getting started and others who play outside of camp. We see a lot of growth in campers, especially those who join us for the whole summer.”
Camps start at 8:45 a.m. and go to 3:30 p.m., with the option to extend to 5 p.m. New for 2026 is an eight-week Sports Camp Super Session, which gives campers a mix of afternoon creative and recreational activities with campers from other groups.
McDonogh Camps: McDonogh offers both co-ed and single-sex sports-specific and multi-sport camps for children ages six to 17, all led by the school’s varsity coaches and assisted by adult coaches and college players. Sports include field hockey, girls’ lacrosse, boys’ lacrosse, soccer, basketball, football, baseball, softball, wrestling, volleyball, tennis and swimming. A cheerleading camp is new for 2026.
McDonogh’s Equestrian Program offers a half-day pony program for four- and five year-olds and a full-day program for ages six through 12.
McDonogh facilities include 16 playing fields, 18 tennis courts, a wrestling room, an Olympic-size swimming pool, indoor batting cages and seven indoor basketball courts. Bus transportation and lunch are included at no additional cost.
Summer at BL Sports Camps (Boys’ Latin): The all-boys K-12 independent school offers half-day summer camps that teach baseball and soccer skills. Led by the school’s varsity coaches, participants work on fundamentals of the sports, with opportunities to play in instructional games and receive personalized assessments. A soccer camp for boys and girls in grades eight through 12 is offered in the evenings and helps teens improve technical skills including dribbling, passing and defending.
Gerstell Academy Summer Camps: Gerstell Academy, an independent, co-educational, non-sectarian college preparatory school for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, offers a range of weeklong summer camps, including ones focused on soccer, volleyball and lacrosse, on its Finksburg campus.
This article is part of the Baltimore Fishbowl 2026 Guide to Summer Camps.
This is a fantastic overview of how sports-focused summer camps help young athletes build not only technical skills but also confidence, teamwork, and discipline. Programs like Gilman School Summer, McDonogh School Camps, and Gerstell Academy Summer Camps provide structured environments where kids can learn from experienced coaches and grow at their own pace. These camps play a vital role in youth development by combining training, mentorship, and fun, helping athletes reach their full potential both on and off the field.