Becca Kuperschmid is a name that Bonacker sports fans probably remember. The former five-year varsity tennis player at East Hampton High School was a number-one singles star, as well as a softball standout, last year before she graduated.
Now a student at Duke University, Ms. Kuperschmid’s summer plans were upended by Covid-19. She was initially going to do a marketing internship, but now, those are few and far between because businesses are struggling. So Ms. Kuperschmid decided to launch her own business, Hamptons Elite Coaching.
Don’t want to take the kids to camp? She’ll bring the a sports camp to children at their own houses, in their own backyards.
“I kind of started the idea because of my experiences last year. I taught tennis to a couple of families at their own courts,” she said. “I realized there’s a really high demand.”
She and several local friends, all standout athletes who also have academic tutoring experience, are offering home instruction in tennis, softball and baseball, volleyball, basketball, and field hockey. Arts and dance activities are also being planned, but social distancing and other safety precautions will be observed, Ms. Kuperschmid said.
“Who knows what camps are going to turn into this summer, or if parents will even want to put their kids in camp?” she said. “This is like a summer camp at home with our coaches.”
Kevin McConville, East Hampton’s varsity tennis coach, recalled Ms. Kuperschmid as a leader among athletes who knew how to motivate others.
“She’s a great competitor, a hard worker, a good kid,” Mr. McConville said last week. “It was great to have her on the team. She was missed when she graduated. She’s reliable — there every day.”
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said yesterday that traditional day camp programs can resume on June 29, but held off on making a decision about overnight camps.
Project Most has already been preparing to reinstate its summer camp program, for which registration began in February. It will serve children of essential workers and those whose parents will return to work during the first phase of the Covid-19 reopening process.
“We are currently assessing our families to find out their needs,” Rebecca Morgan Taylor, executive director of Project Most, said in an email. “This summer we will be just trying to have a safe place for children to be while their families are trying to go back to work. It is not the summer program that we had anticipated, but it is what is needed during this time.”
Long Island locations of the Y.M.C.A. are also planning to reopen when camp is given the green light.
“The question we are asked most frequently: Do we plan on running camp this summer?” the Y.M.C.A. said in an email. “The answer is yes, we plan on running camp this summer. We will make sure what we run this summer is a safe, quality, and affordable program. That has always been, and continues to be, our commitment to you. Camp has been scheduled to start on June 29, but a delayed start is also an option.”