Kids who attend the Hi-Five Sports Camp in its Northbrook location this summer can take advantage of a 200-acre location on a hill, as well as a dome and turf fields.
The Northbrook Village Board voted unanimously March 11 to approve a special permit that allows Hi-Five to move its Northfield summer camp to some 200 acres at Willow Hill golf course in Northbrook, a 9-hole private course that sits 100 feet above the region at 1350 Willow Road on a hill made from landfill.
Hi-Five, which operates three other facilities at Northbrook Court, had been searching for a new site to expand and grow its nine-week summer camp, said Danny Tuchman, a co-owner of Hi-Five Sports Club Northshore, which provides youth sports and youth entertainment.
Hi-Five sought a new space because it had outgrown the previous location at Christian Heritage Academy in Northfield, Tuchman said.
“We were looking all over the North Shore,” he said. “We wanted to be in the Northbrook area. We have known about Willow Hill, and they’re growing and making it better. And they put air conditioning in their dome. We thought it was a good opportunity to grow the camp there.”
From June 9 through Aug. 8, Hi-Five will get exclusive weekday access to the 104,400-square-foot dome, three full-size turf soccer fields, and a parking lot that will be converted to basketball courts and street hockey rinks, Tuchman said.
“They’re putting in a brand new gazebo for shade,” he said. “It’s going to be one of the most beautiful campgrounds around. If it rains, we have the dome.”
The dome, which is made of two layers of vinyl and was manufactured by the Farley Group of Canada, is one of several throughout the Chicago area, including several built on soccer fields such as the Fire Pitch, owned by the Chicago Fire FC, in Chicago, and the Bridgeview Sports Dome in Bridgeview, said Kent Knebelkamp, manager and owner of Willow Hill.
“They’re phenomenal. We have a bunch around here,” Knebelkamp said. “They’re mostly in cold climate areas. You start seeing them around southern Illinois and then more and more as you get further and further north.”
The Hi-Five summer camp serves kids ages 5 to 13 who are divided into age groups, according to a report from Swati Pandey, senior planner for the village. Participation will be limited to 500 children, who will be supervised by 100 employees, Pandey said.
According to the Hi-Five online brochure, summer camp prices start at $850 for one week and cost $4,650 for the full nine weeks.
The soccer fields will be used for baseball, softball, football and volleyball, Tuchman said. Golf and swim lessons will also be available, he said.
“We’re going to do new things,” Tuchman said. “If it rained before, we lost the fields because of the mud. Now we’re on turf so they will be dry no matter what. Not many sports camps have turf fields. It’s a pretty cool thing to have.”
Knebelkamp said the idea of relocating Hi-Five to Willow Hill came up during a conversation with Tuchman, a longtime friend and fellow business owner.
“I know Danny,” Knebelkamp said. “We were talking like a year ago when we saw each other. We brought it up to each other, so it’s kind of a mutual thing. He runs a very, very well-respected camp.”
“Kent is the owner of Willow HIll,” Tuchman said. “His son went to Hi-Five years back. I knew him then. He knew my father when I was younger. I knew his son. We’ve known each other from the community.”
Willow Hill’s three turf fields span 350,000 square feet, he said. “It’s a perfect set-up for Hi-Five’s camp,” Knebelkamp said.
Willow Hill is expanding its operations in several areas. Waste Management owns the property, but Willow Hill leases the golf course site from the company, Knebelkamp said. Willow Hill is a privately owned company, he said.
At the same meeting at which the Hi-Five move was approved, Northbrook trustees granted a liquor license to Landmark on the Hill, which plans to operate in the clubhouse at Willow Hill golf course.
Landmark on the Hill will mark a second location for the popular Landmark Inn of downtown Northbrook, Knebelkamp said. “They’re hoping to open sometime this spring,” he said.
Tuchman said Hi-Five will continue to operate its Sports Zone, Academy and Movement Studio at Northbrook Court, the once-popular shopping mall that is currently undergoing extensive renovation.
The Sports Zone serves about 1,000 families each year, he said. The Academy serves preschool children, and the Movement Studio offers gymnastics and cheerleading programs, Tuchman said.
“We’re packed everyday,” he said. “I grew up here, so I want to keep Northbrook Court alive.”
