Track and relay camp in Lakewood, Washington
Baton is a six-week summer camp for ages 6 to 13, on a school track in Lakewood. Every week starts at the start line, and every camper learns the baton pass.
Your first week
No experience needed. Every camper starts the same way, one day at a time, with a coach at the start line.
Drop-off is at the track gate. The group walks the lanes, finds the start and finish lines and runs a first short sprint.
Hand-offs start at a walk, then a jog, then a run, until every group has a full relay lane.
Sprints, hurdles, loops and the long jump each get a turn. Nobody has to love them all.
Every camper runs a leg of a team relay, and families are welcome to watch from the sideline.
Summer
Book one week or several. Every week runs Monday to Friday and starts at the start line, so a camper can join at any week.
Everyone runs a first sprint and learns the track. A good first week for beginners.
Hand-offs at a walk, a jog and a run, ending in a team relay on Friday.
Low foam hurdles, the long jump pit and plenty of turns for everyone.
Easy-pace loops, pacing games and a cool-down circle every day.
Mixed-age teams, a new running order each day and a relay tournament on Friday.
Every event in one week, finishing with a field day on the track.
Sample sessions.
Weeks open, fill and gather waitlists as families register. Our registration page has the latest.
Events by age
Find your runner's age group, then read across. Every event has its own block in the week, and coaches are on the track for every one.
6 to 9 years
Beginners start here, with the whole group at the start line
10 to 13 years
A little more choice in each block
Every block runs every week, on the days shown. Our registration page has the latest on weeks that are full.
Sample programs.
Coaches and notice
Coach numbers by age group, the notice for our camp and how we handle heat, rain and pickup.
This camp is a seasonal program that runs for fewer than three months a year. It is exempt from child care licensing in Washington and is not licensed as child care by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).
1 adult to 8 children
6 to 9 years
Group size: 16
1 adult to 10 children
10 to 13 years
Group size: 20
Capacity
50
Ages 6 years to 13 years
Every block starts with a warm-up. Campers wear closed-toe running shoes, and spikes stay home.
Hurdles are low and made of foam. The long jump lands in a soft pit with a coach beside it, and campers jump one at a time.
Water is on the field all day, and we stop for a water break between blocks, more often when it is hot. Campers wear a hat and arrive with sunscreen already on. On a hot day the long runs move to the cool morning and the afternoon moves into the shade.
Light rain does not stop camp. When the track is slick or there is thunder, the day moves into the gym, and we text families before drop-off.
An adult on your list signs your camper in and out at the track gate, and we ask for ID until we know you. Campers leave only with an adult on your list.
Tell us about allergies and medicine at registration, and we ask what we need privately. A camper with a fever stays home. If a camper feels ill at camp, we call you and a coach stays with them until you arrive.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Coaches
Three coaches run the first sprint, the relays and the long jump line, and they stay on the track through every block.
Founder and head coach
Revathi coached school track teams before she started Baton. She plans every week, runs the first sprint on Monday and answers the camp phone herself.
Relay coach
Shanti leads the relay blocks and the baton hand-offs, and teaches every group the same way: walk it, jog it, then run it.
Distance and jumps coach
Darcel runs the distance loops and the long jump pit. She sets the easy pace for the group and keeps the jump line moving, one camper at a time.
Questions
No. Most weeks have beginners, and the first day is built for them. Every block starts with a warm-up, and every camper runs at their own pace.
Camp runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A day has a warm-up circle, a block of sprints or hurdles, relay practice, lunch from home, distance loops and a block of field games, with a water break between each.
Light rain does not stop camp. In thunder or on a slick track, the day moves into the gym. On a hot day the long runs move to the cool morning, and we text families before drop-off whenever a day changes.
An adult on your list signs your camper out at the track gate, and we ask for ID until we know you. If someone not on your list needs to collect your camper, call us first.
You hold a place when you register for a week. When a week is full, you can join its waitlist, and we call families in the order they joined as places open.
Closed-toe running shoes, a filled water bottle, a lunch and a snack, a hat, and sunscreen already on.
Registration opens in February. Register on our enrollment page, or call and ask which weeks have room.