Watersports Day
One of the nice aspects of a 97 year old camp is that some of the activities taught there are plucked right out of a bygone era.
Syncronized Swimming is one of those activities. It is not taught at other camps (as far as I know) because it is very difficult to teach and difficult to learn. The moves require significant core body strength and a high level of swimming ability; finding instructors is very difficult (it is an olympic sport but try to find a local syncronized swimming class!), and it requires a very deep and large pool. Program directors would say that there is no burning interest to learn such a sport and the cost, even if a lot of campers wanted to learn, was prohibitive. Well… Syncronized Swimming was a big camp activity 97 years ago and it remains so today.
One hundred eight campers took syncronized swimming this summer (impressive, for it is a double period class that only advanced swimmers can take). Interest in this class remains high (participation was up 25% this year) and the girls who take it RAVE about how intense it is. They get a great work out, “dance” in the water to great music, and put on one of the favorite EP’s of the summer!
Tonight’s Water Show will be the highlight of the big Watersports Day competition between the Odds and Evens. This is our last Team event of the summer and is far less intense than Challenge Day. The girls participate in relay’s and races, all on the water. Good weather is important to the success, so we are grateful for the sunny skies and hot July climate! Lots of sunscreen and water… and we will be ready for Rest Hour this afternoon.
We will file into the Aquatics Stadium after dinner, getting a special treat to enjoy while we watch the diving exhibition before the show. The music will sound amazing (the sound system was designed and installed by the same group that did Death Valley Stadium at Clemson) and the setting is wonderful. The sun shaded by the large sycamore trees by the lake as it slowly sets behind the mountains. The sky will turn a dozen shades of red before the first star comes out.
These are the moments that will shine in our memories of camp. We are in a great place and loving every aspect of our time together. Thank you for checking in… the Watershow will be posted on our Livestream this evening around 7:30. It will stay up for one day… a little glimpse into what we love at camp!
OH YEAH… tonight is Pizza Night at camp!!!!
Our pizza is shockingly good and is a major effort for the kitchen. Check out the video… it is really amazing!
