Excellence

It is another glorious day at camp. Sunny, breezy, warm, and comfortable.

Comfortable… that is the adjective for camp right now. The middle week is one of settling in and relishing the moments that camp offers. Thursday is the most comfortable of these middle days (in my opinion).

We are doing our thing and are now shocked to see that time is running out… only 7 days till banquet, close enough to see the finish line far enough away to feel like a long time from now. At this age, a week is a long time!

Thus we enjoy the moment without the pressure of the future. This is how God intends us to live every day, but such “connectedness” is hard to find. We discover it together at camp… often surprised by the discovery.

A few observations from the program area:

Glass Beads and Glass Fusion are spectacular this year. These programs are always good, but the staff has really stepped up their game. Their Program Skit on opening day was one of the best presentations that night… I knew then that it would be a good year. My brief visit to “advanced beads” confirmed my suspicions. They were making Glass Bead Bears! Amazing craftsmanship requiring remarkable skill and patience. Melting 3 colors of glass rods and forming the molten glass into a tiny glass bear (complete with nose, ears, paws) is amazing. I was mesmerized.
High Adventure is knocking it out of the park. I watched a girl climb the advanced wall during 4th period yesterday… this wall is angled out, thus as you climb the 40 foot tower you are literally hanging onto each hand hold and wedging your feet so as not to fall. It is physically impossible for me to do and very few campers ever even attempt it… there were 4 girls in line to try! I love it.
High Ropes is fantastic. We purchased new “lobster claws” and helmets for the course this year. Helmets are helmets, but these new lobster claws are AMAZING. Swiss built engineering marvels. Lobster Claws are what connect climbers to the high ropes safety cables. There are two steel “claws” that are to be securely connected at all times. In years past, the counselors main job was to confirm that every camper is ALWAYS connected correctly. This sounds fine, but what it means is that the counselors do not get to “relate” to the campers while on the course. There is so much activity, the counselor must “zone in” on every transfer location and scan for danger ALL THE TIME. They end up being traffic cops not counselors. The new claws are “self-confirming” in their connections. It is very high tech and is a system that has been perfected over the past few years… these claws cost a whole lot but are much safer than the old system. Counselors are freed up to talk with and encourage the campers, making the class MUCH MORE FUN. I am impressed with the counselors and pleased with Kelly’s purchase (Kelly is our Program Director and is engaged in program improvements year-round).
Diving is great… we have a “real” diving program. The girls are doing some really wonderful back dives and quite literally beam as their heads break the surface of the diving pool after a “scary” dive.
Syncro… I didn’t even know we were teaching Syncro Swimming at June Camp, and the girls are really loving it. Syncro is HUGELY popular at Main Camp, I am thrilled the June campers are being introduced to this demanding sport.
Waterpark… our new waterpark patio and dock have vastly improved the waterpark experience. No more mud between your toes or difficulty launching your SUB (stand up surfboard). It is very well done and is working beautifully. ALSO, the girls are loving the connecting tube between the two trampolines… this was a “Kelly” improvement as well.

I could go on for hours about the program areas. Every one of them is really good this year… but that is not the best part of the summer. The best part is what is going on inside each camper. I see hundreds of girls confidently striding from class to class, jumping into group after group without hesitation or self-consciousness, and visibly relaxing as the long summer days unfold from joy to joy. It is a wonderful experience.

Thank you for reading the blog and for your kind comments. Soon we will remove the “log-in” requirement to the comment option… there are some wonderful friends of camp who read the blog and send me emails. We are going to make it easier for EVERY ONE to share their experiences and observations. Camp is a community that is enhanced by involvement!

Your girls are great!

Jimboy

PS Breakfast featured Eggs Benedict (yes, we poached 1,000 eggs and put them on toasted english muffins with Canadian Bacon then covered them all in a zesty Hollandaise sauce… crazy huh?). Yes, there were lots of left-overs, but we tried! Lunch is going to be cheeseburgers. We have a butcher who ground the chuck roasts for us this morning. We formed each patty by hand and broil them to form a nice salty crust… big tomato slices, lettuce, red onion slices, mayo, mustard, ketchup… fries… yum. Maybe I have been eating too well for too many weeks, but a hamburger sounds really good to me right now. Dinner is a new one… fettuccini noodles in a nice white wine infused cream sauce with home made Italian sausage. Kind of a home run day for the kitchen!

PPS JOKE An Atlanta mother is driving home during a dark and stormy night. She strikes an adorable little bunny rabbit and is distraught to find the bunny motionless by the side of the road. Another mother stops to help and pulls a spray can from her purse… she sprays the bunny and it revives! The bunny hops a few paces, turns and waves… this goes on until the bunny is in the bushes again. The now joyous mother grabs the can to see what it is and reads: “HAIR SPRAY, GUARANTEED TO REVIVE DEAD HAIR. ALSO ADDS PERMANENT WAVE.”