- Ages: 5-18

- $159-$199 for one-week baseball camps; $199 for Basketball camps

- (630) 752-9225; www.bullssoxacademy.com

It was the last night of his son's "Bad News Bears" season many years ago that inspired Tim Rappe to found what is now known as the Chicago Bulls /Chicago White Sox Training Academy in Lisle. When the coach asked the kids who would return the next season, only half raised their hands. Rappe thought that was a shame.

"At that moment, on that hot and humid night, I said, 'I'm going to do something about this because I love baseball,'" he said. "I adopted a saying: 'Because we love this game and the kids who play it,' and it's as simple as that. ... That's really the motivation."

Rappe started the first summer White Sox baseball camps in 1994; he added Bulls summer camps in 1999. During that time, he was a licensee using the pro teams' names to promote his mission of teaching baseball and Basketball fundamentals in a fun way.

Team ownership was paying attention to Rappe's positive approach and in 2001 took over the business, built a state-of-the-art training facility in Lisle -- which Rappe calls "the mother ship" -- and made him president of the enterprise, which offers a variety of training programs year-round and has added fast-pitch softball to its curriculum.

Since 2001, the academy has opened satellite training centers in La Grange, Tinley Park and northwest Indiana, and plans are under way to open a fifth facility in Glen Ellyn, Rappe said.

Weeklong summer baseball and Basketball camps geared toward kids ages 5-18 are in full swing, Rappe said, but there still are openings. The academy runs between 250 and 300 summer camps each summer over a six-county area through the training centers and city and suburban park districts. The best way to find out what's available is to visit the Web site www.bullssoxacademy.com.

The goal of the camps is not to make kids pros, Rappe said.

"Our mission is to help kids get better. If kids don't get better, their self-esteem takes a hit."

To that end, kids in baseball camps learn the fundamentals of throwing, catching and hitting the ball, all of which is tailored to the age and abilities of the campers. In Basketball camps, kids learn about passing, shooting, ball-handling, defense and more.

Campers get "life" lessons along with skills. Coaches, who are chosen with care, Rappe said, promote good sportsmanship, discipline and practice. They emphasize "teamwork, respecting your teammates and coaches ... some of the things we as parents have trouble communicating to our kids," Rappe said.

Besides summer camps, the training academy also offers private lessons, traveling leagues, specialty camps and special events.

KIDDING AROUND

Chicago Kids Company's Summer Musical Theatre Camp for children ages 10-15 runs July 20-31 at 4104 N. Nashville. The cost is $550 for the program in which kids learn all aspects of producing a musical, ending with performances at Wright College Theater, 4300 N. Narragansett. Call (773) 205-9600 or visit www.chicagokidscompany.com.

- Lifeline Theatre's Summer Drama Camp for kids ages 7-12 runs weekdays from Monday through July 24. The cost is $625 for the regular session and $375 for the half-day session. The theater is at 6912 N. Glenwood. Register by phone at (773) 761-4477 or visit www.lifelinetheatre.com.

Jennifer Burklow is a local free-lance writer.