A couple of stories which came back from King's Dominion worth sharing included one of our little campers and a special needs boy. Inside a restaurant, one of our campers gave the stuffed animal which he had won to a little boy with special needs. The camper realized the little boy was admiring the prize so he walked over and offered it to him. The little boy was thrilled. Another sweet story involved the teenage boy running one of the games. He had struck up a conversation with one of our groups. This young man talked about how fortunate our counselors were to actually enjoy their job. He asked the guys if they found that their jobs were fulfilling and something to be proud of. The young man also commented on how fortunate the campers were to be at such a wonderful camp. After the group ate lunch they decided to take all of their lunch change and give it to the employee.
Two dodge ball games were played first thing. One was a quarter final and the other a semi-final. In the meantime, a basketball semi-final was played in the Dick Gym. If teams weren't involved in a game but had one scheduled for the second morning session, they were to watch a game which was being played. The rest of the teams were scheduled to play a coach/camper flag football game. The campers were the offense and defense minus the quarterback. Coaches took turns at the QB position. That was interesting! Campers scrambled to sack the QB on each possession. This game also had an announcer in the press box whose commentary added to the fun.
After lunch, if teams weren't involved in the hockey semi-final or the handball semi-final they watched the Championship Basketball game in the Dick Gym. The gym was hot but the game was so exciting so it didn't matter. Oregon pulled off the win but West Point was in it right up until the end.
After the bball game we raced down the hill to watch hockey, dodgeball and handball. By dinner we had crowned all four remaining championships. All three games were incredible but the handball game was determined in double overtime. Michigan won their second championship by beating Texas in hockey. Stanford won their first championship of camp. They beat Georgia in a seven game matchup. The double overtime handball game was between LSU and Brown. Wow! What a game. LSU had the final goal in the second overtime with their young guys. The second overtime brought out the B team. It was a great contest.
After dinner we bused teams down the hill and dropped them at Johnson Stadium. We held our annual Tug of War competition between teams. Navy was the winning team. By the time they won the final tug match they had tugged half a dozen times and they were still awesome in the end!
After the Tug of War campers could either watch the staff softball game outdoors or the staff handball game indoors. Both games were exciting. Several staff members hit homers. Campers gathered over the fence anticipating the hits. They fetched each one with great enthusiasm. Inside on the handball court, campers watched from behind the netting which hangs from the ceiling of the Barbee. The handball goes flying during this game!
Our final event of the night was our campfire. Because of the 50% chance of thunderstorms we decided to hold the campfire inside the Barbee. This was a bummer but we felt it was better to be safely inside just in case the storm amounted to something. It didn't but the kids were so engaged in the campfire meeting that it didn't matter. At our final campfire we award not only Camper of the Week but also the Tiger Camper Award and Honor Camper Award. The cleanest room competition was so close we awarded the top prize to two teams last night. They were awarded with pizza on dorm after the meeting. West Point was also given pizza last night because they had to endure six playoff games yesterday. Their perseverance and resilience was incredible.
Although we're exhausted we're always sorry to see the final day of camp arrive. It has once again been a wonderful experience. The campers and counselors this year are an incredibly fabulous group of young men and kids. Thank you for sharing your amazing children. Please enjoy the below link to yesterday's photos and videos. Feel free to share the blog with the kids when they get home. We talked a bit about it on and off during camp. Many of the boys would often ask how they can find the photos. Please enjoy the rest of your summer and safe traveling!
July 7 Video
July 7 Photos
