A Fun Final Day!

We had a great final day of Sports Camp 2015. After breakfast and morning meeting, the entire camp entered the Dick Gym for the Championship Basketball game between Navy and Notre Dame.  The house was rockin'! Both teams 'brought it' which made for an exciting event. Notre Dame brought a little more after halftime though and ran away with the game. The final score was 41-28 and Notre Dame had their second championship of 2015.

A couple of semi-final games in handball and dodgeball were played just before lunch. Post lunch everyone went to rest period which today was also known as 'clean your room and pack' period. 

At 2:30pm we all gathered on Hanes Field for the Quarterback Challenge. Each team is represented in this event. The quarterbacks have to throw twice into a training net receiving points for each ball which makes it into the pocket. Then they sprint to their next two balls which are thrown into another target from a farther distance. Next up is the moving target. Two golf carts pass in front of the QB and he tries to hit it with his pass. The final challenge is to hit the cross bar on the goal post. The QB is challenged to accomplish all of this in under a minute! Today there was a clear winner but two guys were tied for third so we had a playoff. It's an extremely challenging event. We had a great time watching the precision and accuracy displayed by many of our young quarterbacks.

Inside the Barbee, we all watched the Handball Championship game followed by the Dodgeball Championship. Navy played their hearts out in both games but fell short in each one. On the handball court they met up with Oregon... Yes, Oregon! It was actually a great game. The teams traded scores for three periods. They went back and forth the entire time. During the final period, Oregon pulled ahead and Navy just couldn't get the goals they needed. The final was 17-12 Ducks!

After a brief rest it was time for Navy to meet up with Penn State on the Dodgeball court. Navy dug deep, but Penn State was on fire. They won the first two matches quickly. Navy put up a big fight in the last match by refusing to go down but in the end the lone soldier on the court had no where to go. Penn State was victorious by a score of 3 games to none!

After the final two championship games, the entire camp gathered near the outdoor track. It was time for the final team competition. Each team competed in the 1600m run, 4 x 100 relay, and 400m run. This was another fun and exciting event. The mile run was particularly exciting because we are fortunate enough to have a young man at our camp this summer from a little town called McFarland. Yes, McFarland, California and guess what? He's a runner! He showed no sign of exhaustion in the 1600m. He simply ran around the track like a swift gazelle!  After the 1600m event, different runners stepped up for the 400m race. There were two heats but the runners were running for best time not against runners in their heat. The final race was the 4 x 100m. This is always the most fun to watch. The crowd cheered on their teammates as they made their way around and congratulated them at the end.

Our final event before dinner was the counselor handball and dodgeball games. This was an event where we highly encouraged campers to stay behind the safety nets in the Barbee Center. The velocity at which the handballs and dodgeballs were flying was incredible. It was easy for the campers to stay put because the games were so exciting!

After dinner everyone enjoyed the counselor softball game and then it was time to head out to the campsite for the final campfire of 2015. Right away Jack and DeTrea lit the W for the last time and everyone chanted 'Burn Baby Burn'. Tonight we awarded Camper of the Week, Honor Camper, and Tiger Camper. Coach Alexander also awarded Best New 12 Year Old Athlete. We watched four skits and listened to the cleanest room scores. 

The campers and counselors are excited about the exhibition games tomorrow morning. We'll see you bright and early around 8:30am and wish you safe travels!

Sports Camp July 2, 2015 Photos

Five Championship Games and Four Champions!

Four teams were crowned CHAMPIONS in five sports yesterday. The system works! We're so pleased with the outcome of yesterday's games. Dozens of games were played. They were highly competitive and everyone fought until the end. This is exactly what we like to see.

Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Stanford played several games yesterday and were rewarded with a championship in at least one sport. Stanford even gave up rest period and played back to back softball games. Eventually they made it to the finals. They could have easily folded from exhaustion but they stayed alive and after dinner met up with Harvard on the field. They took the lead early with a homerun by Big Jack Bowers at the bottom of the first inning.  There were two other runners on base so the score going into the second was already 3-0. Harvard came back with a couple of good hits and scored two runs but the final was 6-2 Stanford.

Michigan climbed their way to the top of two sports. They actually played in three championship games. The championship soccer game between Michigan and Penn State was one of the best I've ever seen at Sports Camp. At the end of regulation, the game was tied at one. The teams played two overtime sessions and were still tied at one. It was then time for PK's. Each team chose five players to take penalty kicks. Michigan players got down on their knees and prayed before the last phase of the game. The Penn State players gathered close and locked arms. The feeling on the field was intense. Goals were made and goals were missed. Eventually Michigan made a fourth goal. They didn't realize at first that this was the winning goal. Once they did they jumped for joy and embraced each other. Penn State seemed devastated but rallied to give Michigan a big RAY RAH Michigan!

After canteen and a rest, Michigan met Stanford on the hockey court. It was an exciting game as the teams traded scores through most of the quarters. It wasn't until the final quarter that Michigan's A team had a couple of back to back unanswered goals. The final was 10-7. The Wolverines were once again Champions!

After dinner we watched the lacrosse championship game featuring Alabama and Oregon. The Crimson Tide was no match for the Oregon Ducks. It was almost as if Oregon could score at will. Alabama played tough earlier in the day as they climbed their way to the final game. They took down their opponent Navy by a score of 6-3. Both Oregon's A and B teams were scoring. The final was 10-4 Oregon wins!

The final championship game of the day was football. Notre Dame and Michigan quickly traded scores. At the end of the first quarter the score was tied at 7. In the second quarter, Notre Dame scored 13 unanswered points. Michigan just couldn't hold their line any longer. Notre Dame can throw, catch, and run well! The final score was 35-7 and Notre Dame had their first championship crown!

Today we'll watch Navy and Notre Dame play basketball for the championship and then just before lunch we'll hold our annual quarterback challenge. After lunch, the handball and dodgeball championships will be played. The final team challenge will be track events. Representatives from each team will compete in the 1600 Meter Run, the 4x400 relay and the 4x100 relay. Teams will also be playing in consolation games, and cleaning their rooms in preparation for tomorrow's departure. Our day will finish with a pool party, cookout, and final campfire. Phew! What a day! 

Enjoy photos and video from yesterday. We'll see you tomorrow. Games start at 9am! The schedule is to the left of this entry.

Sports Camp Photos July 1, 2015