Best Summer Camp -- Indoor 2005 | Bits, Bytes & Bots | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
Navigation
Support Us
Search

Best Summer Camp -- Indoor

Bits, Bytes & Bots

It goes without saying that the Marx Brothers know just what makes kids tick. Oh, not those zany vaudevillian siblings of old: We're talking about Tom and Rick Marx, local look-alike brothers with backgrounds in teaching and software development who together founded what is truly a playground for geeks in training. Bits, Bytes & Bots offers year-round classes, drop-in activities and science-inspired pizza parties during which youngsters can create working Lego robots, make movies, or just get a leg up on new technology. The concept is a modern-day natural for summer camp, an openly educational cure for kids who just want to spend their vacation twiddling an Xbox in the den. Start lining up now.

Best Summer Camp -- Indoor

Bits, Bytes & Bots

It goes without saying that the Marx Brothers know just what makes kids tick. Oh, not those zany vaudevillian siblings of old: We're talking about Tom and Rick Marx, local look-alike brothers with backgrounds in teaching and software development who together founded what is truly a playground for geeks in training. Bits, Bytes & Bots offers year-round classes, drop-in activities and science-inspired pizza parties during which youngsters can create working Lego robots, make movies, or just get a leg up on new technology. The concept is a modern-day natural for summer camp, an openly educational cure for kids who just want to spend their vacation twiddling an Xbox in the den. Start lining up now.

Best Place for Young Hoops Hotshots

Pryor Orser's Basketball Camps

Colorado School of Mines men's basketball coach Pryor Orser doesn't get a lot of press, even though his Orediggers play solid hoops and upset the then-number-one-ranked Metro State Roadrunners this past season. But Orser, who can't rely on getting monster players at what's called the "School of Minds," does make use of all-star gunners such as Stephen Bahl. During the summers, emerging Carmelos can learn the fine art of firing the rock during Orser's summer camps. Don't expect your kids to learn to showboat and ball-hog, though: Orser is a firm believer in teamwork and the fundamentals.

Best Place for Young Hoops Hotshots

Pryor Orser's Basketball Camps

Colorado School of Mines men's basketball coach Pryor Orser doesn't get a lot of press, even though his Orediggers play solid hoops and upset the then-number-one-ranked Metro State Roadrunners this past season. But Orser, who can't rely on getting monster players at what's called the "School of Minds," does make use of all-star gunners such as Stephen Bahl. During the summers, emerging Carmelos can learn the fine art of firing the rock during Orser's summer camps. Don't expect your kids to learn to showboat and ball-hog, though: Orser is a firm believer in teamwork and the fundamentals.

Best Youth Basketball Organization

Gold Crown Foundation

Not long ago, ex-Nugget-turned-sportscaster Bill Hanzlik was even more excited than normal on TV: He announced that there were some 300 Gold Crown coaches at the Pepsi Center for a game with the Portland Trailblazers. The fact that there are 300 basketball coaches anywhere in this once-hoops-starved state is testimony to the boost that Gold Crown -- under CEO Hanzlik -- has given to the sport. In particular, the foundation has offered much needed support to middle-school teams left high and dry by shortsighted school districts. And unlike some lesser organizations, Gold Crown (which also backs other youth sports) always seems to get its enterprises right. This one's a slam dunk.

Best Youth Basketball Organization

Gold Crown Foundation

Not long ago, ex-Nugget-turned-sportscaster Bill Hanzlik was even more excited than normal on TV: He announced that there were some 300 Gold Crown coaches at the Pepsi Center for a game with the Portland Trailblazers. The fact that there are 300 basketball coaches anywhere in this once-hoops-starved state is testimony to the boost that Gold Crown -- under CEO Hanzlik -- has given to the sport. In particular, the foundation has offered much needed support to middle-school teams left high and dry by shortsighted school districts. And unlike some lesser organizations, Gold Crown (which also backs other youth sports) always seems to get its enterprises right. This one's a slam dunk.

Best Game Lock-In

Maximumgamer

Every other Friday, game fanatics seeking an unbridled go at Warcraft or Counter-Strike sign up to be locked in this facility from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. the next morning. Unless the computer combatants are over eighteen years old, they must stay inside the site, working away at one of the thirty PCs linked into a gaming server. Drinks are available, but many parents supply goodie bags, complete with an ocean of bottled water. It may not be everyone's cup of Red Bull, but for some, this is what pulling an all-nighter is all about.

Best Game Lock-In

Maximumgamer

Every other Friday, game fanatics seeking an unbridled go at Warcraft or Counter-Strike sign up to be locked in this facility from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. the next morning. Unless the computer combatants are over eighteen years old, they must stay inside the site, working away at one of the thirty PCs linked into a gaming server. Drinks are available, but many parents supply goodie bags, complete with an ocean of bottled water. It may not be everyone's cup of Red Bull, but for some, this is what pulling an all-nighter is all about.

Best Place to Work on Hitting a Curveball

Mark Johnson's Triple Crown Sports Center

Most pitching machines are pretty easy to figure out: They throw fastballs, fastballs and more fastballs. At the Triple Crown Sports Center, however, the gadgets are considerably more sophisticated, tossing curveballs and sliders as well. The joint as a whole is just as notable, with a throwing tunnel, an AstroTurf field, rental cages, a pro shop and more scattered across a 22,000-square-foot space. Individual instruction is available, too, sometimes delivered by fledgling pro players, who use the facility to stay in shape during the off-season. Smacking a curve tossed by a mechanical contraption may not be the same as taking Randy Johnson over the wall, but compared to most pitching machines, the ones at Triple Crown are nasty.

Best Place to Work on Hitting a Curveball

Mark Johnson's Triple Crown Sports Center

Most pitching machines are pretty easy to figure out: They throw fastballs, fastballs and more fastballs. At the Triple Crown Sports Center, however, the gadgets are considerably more sophisticated, tossing curveballs and sliders as well. The joint as a whole is just as notable, with a throwing tunnel, an AstroTurf field, rental cages, a pro shop and more scattered across a 22,000-square-foot space. Individual instruction is available, too, sometimes delivered by fledgling pro players, who use the facility to stay in shape during the off-season. Smacking a curve tossed by a mechanical contraption may not be the same as taking Randy Johnson over the wall, but compared to most pitching machines, the ones at Triple Crown are nasty.

Best Of Denver®

Best Of

Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms of use, our cookies policy, and our privacy policy Westword may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our affiliate partners. ©2024 Denver Westword, LLC. All rights reserved.
Do Not Sell or Share My Information
Powered By Foundation