THE PHILOSOPHY: Coach Bob, a high school teacher & coach of 25 years, saw this age range as a pivotal period where young teens needed something to help them "get their footing" before entering the fast lane to adulthood.  The Coach In Training Program was not only born out of that need but also Coach Bob's desire to maximize their opportunity for growth and trajectory as a future leader.  Coach Bob's passion & career experience have always targeted building teens into the leaders of tomorrow.  That passion instigated the design and continued enhancement of this outstanding program which fills every single summer.  CIT's are given a hands-on experience of leadership and employment, under the care and guidance of phenomenal mentors, elder peers, professional coaches & teachers who seek to help them evolve as quality young men and women.

THE OPPORTUNITY: Incoming 9th & 10th graders now have a program suited just for them that is a TON of fun yet builds a deep understanding of what it means to have a job, do it well and productively work with a team of co-workers.  All CIT's go through the Bald Eagle Coach Training System and also become Coach Certified by the Positive Coaching Alliance.  Opportunities are provided to all CIT's to teach and lead young campers, support the paid coaching staff as well as take on job duties throughout the camp day.  Beyond hands-on work experience, the CIT experience is vast.  We have a CIT Curriculum but that is not all.  Each day the curriculum is coupled with all of the site-wide Staff Development Lessons held at the start and end of each camp day.  On an ongoing basis each CIT will receive insights from the company Founder, daily direct feedback from the Site Directors, modeling and mentoring from the paid Head Coaches along with being submerged in a large group of high-functioning, positive, ambitiously motivated peers. This is a powerful experience for a young person to have at such a formative time.  We teach kids how to not only work hard at their job but to do it with passion, quality and positive energy.

They get free lunch and snacks every day as well as free Bald Eagle coaches gear, community service hours, the PCA Coach Certification and various other perks. (see other Benefits under Camp Info tab below). They are also invited to the end of summer Go Bald Coaches Picnic!

THE DISCLAIMER: This is an extremely popular program and we try to fit everyone in that we can, but there are no guarantees. Most CIT applicants who complete our application and interview process gets a first-hand chance to fit into our coaching staff by being scheduled for a minimum of 1 week.  During the interview process, the Training Days & when scheduled at camp, every CIT must be outgoing, helpful, take initiative, be relatively outspoken or willing to speak up as needed (wall-flowers aren't usually a good fit in this role), friendly, smiling, punctual, responsible and have a positive attitude.  If they don't meet the high standards of being a Bald Eagle coach, getting scheduled as a CIT beyond 1 week is not likely.  Certainly, we love all the CIT's who come into our program as they are always good kids who try hard and want to succeed. 

However, we also have a responsibility to our families, campers and paid coaching staff to sustain a high level of coaching quality on every campus.  Some of our CIT applicants simply aren't mature enough to meet that standard yet and need to get other experience elsewhere first.  Whether they get scheduled beyond 1 week or not, we are confident that even being a CIT for a short period at Bald Eagle will benefit and grow their leadership skills significantly. 

We accept CIT's at the following locations each summer:

• Los Altos - Blach Middle School **THE LOS ALTOS LOCATION IS FULL FOR SUMMER OF 2023
  • SEE ALL LOS ALTOS LOCATIONS & PROGRAM
• San Jose - Carlton Elementary School **THERE ARE VERY FEW SPOTS REMAINING FOR THE SJ LOCATION
  
• SEE ALL SAN JOSE LOCATIONS & PROGRAMS

CIT applicants must be available to work a minimum of 2 sessions per summer and expect to be scheduled for those sessions.  If they are available for more than 2 weeks, they can choose their preferred weeks.  We do not schedule for partial weeks so they must be available Mon 7:30am-3:30pm and Tue-Fri from 8:00am-3:30pm. Fridays often release before 3:30. Top applicants can request to be scheduled more/all of sessions that they are available since many of our CIT's love the job and want to work all summer.   No guarantees of scheduling will be made beyond 1 week. 

CIT's are treated just like every coach on our staff and have duties throughout the day coaching kids and doing tasks to make camp function.  They are an equal member of the Bald Eagle Team and in no way are they given "grunt tasks" because they are not part of our paid staff.

Do not register on this page, use the application link below. 

CIT PROGRAM APPLICATION LINK

*PARENTS...

This is a Leadership Development Program and we as an organization are strongly opposed to helicopter parenting. It cripples the Emotional IQ of young adults in this age range.  They need to struggle and overcome in order to become resilient adults.  In a world of easy technology, 2-minute meals, and overscheduled kids, we as parents need to create small, appropriate struggles to advance our children's development.  After 25 years in education and developing leaders, I am confident in that statement.  Despite that, every year we have some parents crippling their kids in this opportunity for growth by doing the application for them and even (sadly) standing in the room just outside of camera view during the virtual interview and trying to guide their child's answers. 

For those reasons, if you feel you cannot adhere to the rules below we ask that you PLEASE do not apply. 

PARENT RULES:

1. Please do not fill this application out for your child. It's time for them to do it on their own, it is a leadership position after all, and an opportunity for growth. 

2. At the very most, sit with them while they fill it out in their own words.  They will need their summer schedule available ahead of time. 

3. Please have the applicant initiate ALL contacts with us via email, text or phone. 

4. We WILL NOT be responding to parent inquiries unless there are special circumstances (emergencies, etc).  Unless you are going to come to work and do their job for them, have the applicant reach out to us. 

5. Understand we want to treat this as if they were the ones applying for a job and responsible for the position...because they are :).

6. Do not let your young adult have any idea if you are listening in on the interview, whether you are standing there in view or peppering them with questions later of why they answered the way they did bc you were eavesdropping.  They will know you didn't trust them to do it on their own and the damage is done. 

A COUPLE OF GOOD QUOTES...

"It's not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings" 

"Wise parents prepare their child to get along without them" 

HOW DID THE COACH IN TRAINING PROGRAM COME TO BE?

THE NEED: The visionary founder of Bald Eagle saw a desperate need in the community.  Incoming 9th and 10th graders are too young to get good jobs yet too old to attend most camps.  We are firm in the belief that the vast majority are not mature enough to handle this type of leadership coach position and provide a quality level of service.  (some desperate camps will hire coaches this young for pay, but the experience they get in the long run is not worth the money).  If they don't attend an Academic Class or Sport Specific Camp, their options are almost non-existent.  Parents, on the other hand, dread the thought of them sitting at home all summer with too much idle time. 

Or, click the CAMP INFO link below for more details 

Coach Bob is the Founder & CEO of Bald Eagle Sports Camps. He has taught Special Ed and PE since 1995, currently at Los Altos HS. Coach Bob has over 25 years coaching experience from youth to collegiate, is a Certified Positive Coaching Alliance Trainer and holds two Credentials along with a Masters in Special Education.  Coach Bob is a Co-Founder of TRUSALUS, a tech platform specializing in peak performance and injury recovery in youth athletes.  Lastly, he has served for nearly 2 decades as a Board Member of the largest youth recreation league in the region, Foothill Youth Basketball. 

As the previous Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach at Los Altos High School, Coach Bob led the Eagles to 2 SCVAL titles ('13,'14) and the schools first ever Central Coast Section Championship (2015). Bald Eagle Camps has been profiled in PCA's books and Coach Bob was named by PCA as a Development Zone Leadership Fellow.  Coach Bob believes children should have a place to feel encouraged, included, cared for, safe from bullying, free from negativity and expected to have as much fun as possible. At the same time, children need direction on how to be their best person in every given moment.

Do not register on this page, use the application link below. 

CIT PROGRAM APPLICATION LINK

This is one of the premier Leadership Development opportunities in the entire Bay Area.  You will be a part of a fantastic staff of motivated leaders/mentors who will demonstrate and guide you how to have a positive impact in a worker capacity.  The job skills training and PCA Certifications alone are worth being a part of this program, let alone the comradery and relationships you will experience by being a part of this staff.

Also see the BENEFITS outlined on this page.