About Us
The Decathlon Sports Club was founded in 1981 by Scott Berridge and Rich Wohlstadter. They grew up in neighborhoods where the kids came outside after dinner and played stickball, pickle, football, basketball, hide-and-seek, 3-flies-up, traded cards, had water fights, etc. That childhood experience provided the foundation and inspiration for this camp.
The camp environment we have created and fostered feels a lot like that 'old neighborhood', with sports, games and socializing going on almost non-stop. Contests, barbeques, slip & slide, water fights, swimming, treasure hunts, trivia, arts & crafts, hide and seek, tug-of-war, kick-the-can, tons of laughter, board games, card-trading, prizes.... These things, in combination with structured sports and instruction, create the simultaneously relaxed, crazy, fun and educational feel of our program. This is a wonderful place for children to play, get tons of exercise, and develop socially, physically, and athletically.
The Decathlon Sports Club of Los Altos began small (with just 20 children). We now proudly serve over 700 families from Palo Alto to Los Gatos each summer. Yes, we have grown and evolved quite a bit, but our goal and focus has always remained the same....great staff, hard work, emphasis on safety and service, attention to detail, individualized attention, and understanding and catering to those things that children enjoy and need.
Jeff and the other camp directors don't just direct the program, they LIVE the program.
We are looking forward to another great summer (our 44th) and we hope you will be part of it!
The Heart of Our Program
Our Camp Staff
The teachers, coaches, and university and high school student/athletes that make up our staff are the heart of our camp program. Many of our staff are former campers. Most return for multiple summers, working their way from junior counselor to counselor. This creates the wonderful sense of community, continuity, and tradition that sets our program apart. All our counselors and senior staff are CPR and First Aid certified. Our entire staff, from JCITs to Directors, are extremely motivated and dedicated to create and maintain a fun, safe, educational, supportive, positive camp environment.
There is one staff member for every 6 or 7 children in our program.
Meet the Directors
Scott Berridge (on the left)
Founder of our Los Altos program. Scott is a local boy (born in Palo Alto) and has lived within walking distance of our Los Altos camp location for the past 51 summers. He holds a B.S. in Human Performance from San Jose State University and has taught physical education to boys and girls ages 6-13 since 1982. Scott was a three-sport athlete at Homestead High and over the years has coached numerous youth sports teams including baseball, football, track and basketball. Scott is the proud father of four great kids (3 girls/1 boy) and all four have attended and worked at the camp.
Rich Wohlstadter (on the right)
Founder of the Decathlon Sports Club, Rich has over 50 years of summer camp experience. Rich is not sure if he should be proud or embarrassed, but he hasn't missed a year of summer camp since he was 7 years old! He holds a B.A. from Stanford and a Masters in Education from U.C.L.A. Rich also taught and coached for 15 years at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. While no longer an everyday onsite Director, Rich continues to serve as a camp consultant, mentor, and godfather of our program.
Jeff Berridge (on the right)
Proud husband to Jessica and father of Duke , Jack, and Beau. Jeff is a second-generation camp director and the son of Scott! Jeff has over 30 years of camp experience, as he has been attending or working at camp since he was five years old. He loves sports, has a passion for play, and shares his knowledge with our campers. In high school, Jeff was a three-sport athlete; he played four years of NCAA Basketball for the University of Notre Dame De Namur. He graduated from the University Of Notre Dame De Namur (2010) with a Degree in Business and Finance. Jeff also currently teaches physical education.
Neal Swank
Neal grew up and lives locally. He attended St. Francis HS where he now teaches history and coaches football and basketball. He earned his BA at UC Davis in 2001. Neal is the father of two great boys (both Hall Of Fame campers) and is excited to return to camp for his 24th consecutive summer (his 25th as a director)!
Chris (Coach) Null
“Coach” Null is a retired Physical Education Teacher/Coach of 33 years. He has been involved in sports since he was 5 years old! This includes playing, coaching, teaching, refereeing and mentoring. This included playing in the Junior Davis Cup Tennis League. He played tennis and swam at Chabot College in Hayward, and played football at Long Beach State.
He has grasciously earned the following awards over the years; “Long Beach State 49er Camp Counselor 1990”, “Coach off the Year Tri-County Athletic League 2000”, “Teacher of the Year Delta Vista Middle School”, and the “Oakley Union Elementary School District 2015 Elks Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award”.
“On a more personal note! I believe I have a good sense of humor, and I am always striving to make myself and others better. One of the most important things I have shared with students and athletes is to “play hard, play fair, play to win but most of all have fun.” Lastly, I like to tell people that I am “Living the Dream”, and that includes working at Decathlon! Looking forward to a great summer!”
Hana Dvorak
This is her 21st year of Decathlon! Hana started as a camper, and now works as a director. She went to California College of the Arts for Ceramics and Glass. She now work at Public Glass in SF. Outside of Art, her passion is martial arts, she is a black belt in TaeKwonDo and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). Two of her favorite team sports are basketball and volleyball and she played on my high school teams all four years. At camp, she is known for my lanyard making skills!
“Every year, I can’t wait for the summer to start, because I love Decathlon!”
Miles Wolf
Miles has been coming to Decathlon as a camper and then staff member for 14 years now. He grew up in Sunnyvale and went to UC Santa Barbara, where he majored in Chemical Engineering and spent all the time he could at the beach.
In the past few years, he has backpacked through most of Western Europe, explored parts of Southeast Asia, spent a lot of time in Mexico, some in Israel, and had adventures all over the US. Now he’s studying data science and learning all about Artificial Intelligence.
During my travels, he saw many unique places and met many amazing people, but a massive takeaway from it all is how many incredible places and people there are right here in the Bay Area.
“Decathlon is one of those places with so many awesome people! I had a blast working with the Group 1.5 boys last summer and I’m excited to work with the J7s this summer. Let’s have some fun!”
Celena-Lynn Squires
She is thrilled to be joining the team as the Office Manager! She has been working with children for years and is very excited to bring her experience and energy to a place that values community, fun, and growth. Celena grew up in the big skies and wide open spaces of Montana, and is currently attend college online through Western Governors University. She’s pursuing a degree in Elementary Education and Special Education (Mild to Moderate) and plan to become a licensed teacher.
Outside of camp and school, Celena stays busy with babysitting and, later this summer, she will be working her second year in childcare shifts at 49ers stadium—go Niners!
“I have a deep passion for working with children, especially those with disabilities, and helping them meet their educational and personal goals is something that truly inspires me. I’m so excited to be part of Decathlon and can’t wait for all the great memories we’re going to make this summer!
Tapan Dave
This is Tapan’s second summer at Decathlon as a Director! He was born and raised in San Jose and is proud to be able to be a part of Decathlon! Having a twin, younger brother who was extremely competitive prepared him for the many sports that he would play in the future. He has completed his tenureship with both Bachelors and Masters degrees with the goal of teaching. Most of his time in college was spent mastering his craft in teaching students various skills and topics while also fostering a growth mindset. He is an Athletic Director who strives to give students an opportunity to grow and experience sports in a positive environment.
“I was more than ready to play sports as early as 5 years old. I played volleyball, basketball, and track throughout my schooling… I’m looking forward to spending the summer working at Decathlon Sports Club. I wouldn't want to spend my summer any other way, and I hope to make your kids feel the same way! Let's have an amazing summer!”
We're Hiring!
We're Hiring!
We've hired a lot of really great people over these many wonderful summers. Our staff is truly the heart of our camp!