Eons: Living your dreams: Fantasy camps for adults

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Seth Masia, Eons contributor

Most adults cherish the unrealistic ambitions they harbored in adolescence. Among other fantasies, I'd always wanted to drive a real race car on a tight, twisty road course. So a number of years back, I took a week's vacation and slipped into the narrow cockpit of an open-wheel formula car at the Jim Russell Racing School. For several days I mixed it up with a bunch of other wannabe Michael Schumachers. We learned to double-clutch the non-synchro gearboxes, accelerate through the apex, and drive more or less safely in 120-mph traffic. The school is a gateway into Sports Car Club of America racing.

You'll find racing schools all around the country. And professionally run training camps for basketball, baseball, yoga, writing, photography, cycling, climbing or trekking, sailing or kayaking, golf or tennis, skiing or snowboarding, swimming and soccer, hockey or motorcycling, spiritual studies, rock 'n roll or jazz, foreign language immersion, running, wine-tasting, and haute cuisine. NASA even runs a space camp, where you can try out the astronaut experience. You name it. If you've always wanted to try your hand at something fun or exotic, there's probably an adult camp ready to teach you how.

Share the fun

Camps are often more fun if you go with a friend or two. By definition, a camp is a 24-hour experience, so you wind up eating and drinking with new friends each evening. But sharing the competitive or co-operative experience with people who are already your good friends adds something special to the relationship. In fact, one group, the "Troy Boys" of Troy, Illinois, annually sends an entire 10-man squad of neighborhood players to a baseball camp. Most camps will negotiate a group discount, especially if they feel outnumbered by your group.

Obviously, some camps are better suited to couples than to gangs. You might want to take your honey to one of the music or dance camps, or off to a romantic tropical scuba diving destination, and save basketball camp for hanging with your bro.

There's also a split between camps oriented to teaching a skill or craft, which are normally staffed by professional instructors, and those meant to put you shoulder-to-shoulder with superstars you'd otherwise never have a chance to meet. The latter are true fantasy-fulfillment camps, but you may spend less and learn more at a skills camp.

What will it cost?

Adult camps can be either fabulously expensive or amazingly cheap. In general, the price rises with the status of the celebrity host. For instance, Michael Jordan is happy to coach you for four days in Las Vegas - for $17,500. For $12,000, you can sign up for the Major League Baseball Ultimate Experience and play in five big-league stadiums, coached by veterans like Bret Saberhagen, Jerry Reuss and Jay Johnstone.

Typical deals are Randy Hundley's Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals camps (the original major league fantasy camps, founded by the catcher in 1981): eight days and seven nights for $3500.

The non-profit International Skiing History Association offers a great bargain. For only $1100, you can get six days of skiing in Vail with a handful of former Olympians who show up largely out of camaraderie - and that includes luxury lodging, a couple of banquets, and lift tickets (full disclosure: I sometimes help out at this event).

If the camp has to supply expensive equipment or major liability insurance, prices may be higher. Expect to spend several thousand dollars for a week playing with race cars, aircraft, or Class V whitewater.

You can do it!

Before booking, do a little homework.

If it's a celebrity camp, ask how much time you'll actually get with the marquee host or hostess - and whether there'll be any direct instruction or advice from The Boss.

Find out who else is on the instructional staff. Natural athletes aren't always great instructors, and the most valuable coaching may come from an actual coach. It may be better to learn from the guy who trained The Great One than from The Great One himself.

Chat with some satisfied customers. If the camp won't put you in touch with happy campers, try posting a query about the camp on an interest group. You might make a good connection about baseball camps, for instance, at http://www.alt.sport.baseball.

Seth Masia

Eons contributor

Seth Masia, 57, learned to sail and waterski at summer camp. He has taught rock climbing, canoeing, and skiing in adult-camp formats. Today he teaches skiing at Beaver Creek, Colorado while attending grad school in Boulder.

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Living your dreams: Fantasy camps for adults