Woodberry Forest Sports Camp

2011-09-13T15:05:00.003-04:00

Join us next year June 17 through July 7, 2012. Check out the Woodberry Forest website for details.
https://www.woodberry.org/summer

At the TOP!

2011-07-08T23:31:00.000-04:00

All of the champions have been crowned. WOW what a great tournament. Every championship game was amazingly competitive. Right until the bitter end.. Each team gave 150%. It was a great finish to a fantastic sports camp.

We began our morning with the championship football game between Brown and Stanford. The scoreboard was turned on and we even had a game announcer. Chip Brierre, coach of The U, commentated the game. He was great. The kids loved the banter and the music between plays. It was a real stadium atmoshphere. The game was nothing short of exciting. Brown took an early lead, but a couple of trick plays later and Stanford was right in the game. In the end, the Bears pulled ahead and Stanford could not answer, Brown over Stanford 34-22.

With their #1 ranking, it seemed that Brown was destined to be football champs. This disciplined team didn't let us down. They did it for Kitty!

Over on the soccer field Duke took on Notre Dame. The Blue Devils came decked out in warpaint. They were ready for a battle. This team was HOT! You couldn't stop them. I saw some soccer that I hadn't seen for the last three weeks. Where did they get these players? They stepped up their game and showed some skills that rival FIFA 2011! The final... Duke 6-2 over Notre Dame.

The afternoon championship brought two brothers together in the sport they love. These two guys play competitive ice hockey back home. This afternoon they met up on the floor hockey court. Brown took on Ohio State. The Bears were down 6-0 before coming back late in the 3rd quarter. At the end of regulation it was 7 - 7. Overtime lasted 1minute. In sudden death, Ohio State was victorious. It was an amazingly entertaining game. Thanks guys!

Duke and Penn State didn't disappoint us on the basketball court. Penn State kept a steady lead for the first three quarters of the game. The fourth quarter teams rallied to bring the score to within 2. They traded baskets throughout the final minutes. Duke put a shot up in the last second.. It went in... swirled around and bounced out. It was CRAZY.... The crowd went wild. What a game. It was a memorable end to a great day.

We finished the evening with our last campfire. The campfire was held indoors at Edwards Lecture Hall. We had a threat of storms so we decided to keep the group inside. Our MC's drew a "flaming W" on the chalkboard...(clever).

Tonight's skits were fantastic. WOW! I am telling you... boys today are so theatrical. It had to have been the best skit night ever. I believe I felt that way last week and the week before, but they continue to step up their game.

The guys are eager to see their families tomorrow, so travel safe and we'll see you in the morning!

Champions!

2011-07-08T07:43:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we saw two championship games. In Lacrosse, Virginia, who was originally a #7 seed in the tournament defeated the Buckeye's by a score of 9-7. The game was tied 4-4 during half time. The two teams traded goals until UVA pulled ahead late in the 4th quarter. It was an amazing win.

Penn State and Ohio State met on the diamond for last night's championship softball game. This game was played in front of a crowd. It was a beautiful night for softball. There was only one other game going on, so teams had a choice to practice a sport or watch the softball finals. The only thing missing? A hotdog vendor!

These two teams didn't let us down. There were no errors, but there were some big hits. Both teams made amazing plays. The hit that brought in Penn State's two runs after they were down 1-0 in late innings, was a doooozzzzyy! It made for an exciting ending to a great game. Both teams had an incredible run in the playoffs.

There were playoff games and exhibition games played all day long. The last semi-final football games were played between Miami and Brown. #1 Brown dominated the game and won 35-0. This group is so amazing they installed a defense designed specifically to shut Miami's powerful offense. The Bears executed perfectly and Miami didn't have an answer. In the other semi-final, Stanford took on LSU. This game went back and forth for a while until Stanford pulled ahead. The clock finally ran out on LSU. With a final score of 32-18, #11 seed Stanford moves onto the Championship game against Brown. This game will be played this morning at 9am.

To set up todays basketball semi-finals, Duke and Wake Forest met up yesterday along with Brown and Notre Dame. In typical Blue Devil fashion, Duke pulled ahead early and stayed ahead to defeat Wake Forest. Wake brought the score within two during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but the 4th quarter would be all Duke. The final... 45-37. The Brown/Notre Dame match up remained close throughout the entire game. It was only in the final minutes that Brown hit back to back to back three pointers to pull ahead and secure the win. The semi's will be played this morning. Brown takes on Penn State and Duke will face UNC - how about that classic match up??? The championship will be the featured game tonight.

Hockey and soccer are both getting pretty exciting. The mid-morning soccer game today between Notre Dame and Duke will be for the championship. Both teams had impressive wins yesterday. This is going to be a great match up. The Hockey final will be the feature just before dinner.

Yesterday was a full day. We had groups doing all sorts of things. In the afternoon a couple of teams met up to play some ultimate frisbee.. WOW what a fun game. They had a blast.

Probably the biggest highlight of the day was the field trip that four teams were fortunate to be a part of. They headed up to White Oak Canyon in Madison County. It's our little tropical waterfall getaway. Check out the link to right of this blog entry to view some spectacular photos and video.

Well, it's hard to believe today is the last full day of camp. We'll close out the week with our final campfire. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. It's been a fabulous three weeks. I think we say this every year, but this HAS BEEN... the best camp ever. Thanks for sharing your most precious gifts.. they have given us joy that words cannot describe. It's been a blessing to have every one of them here at The Forest.

Enjoy yesterdays photos and the youtube video of White Oak Canyon. We're looking forward to seeing you early tomorrow for games and awards. See the schedule to the right. Safe travels!

Rain Rain Go Away!

2011-07-07T08:04:00.002-04:00

For the first time in recent history, rain hit King's Dominion - lot's of rain! The guys hung in there and made the best of it.

Teams took advantage of the hit and miss showers and ran to the rides they really wanted to get on. The upside of going to King's Dominion on a rainy day? Low turn out... there were no lines - the campers got right on - over and over again!

Some of the favorite rides include Drop Tower. This thing drops you 272 feet at 72mph! OMG... They love it.

King's Dominion is situated on 400 acres just north of Richmond, VA. It's filled with thrill rides, attractions for little ones and a water park. The water park didn't get much use yesterday. The list of Sports Camp best rides of all time include; Intimidator 305, The Dominator, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Anaconda and The Hurler (what a name).

The campers and their "drafted leaders" didn't let the rain get them down. They had fun in the game section and inside the arcades. There were plenty of prizes won and most of them were able to come him with the guys. If the prize got too big - Coach encouraged them to "donate" to a needy child they met in the park.

By the time the camp arrived back on campus it was bright and sunny. They still had smiles on their faces and of course bags of candy in their hands. The day was a success and all slept well last night. Today promises to be bright and beautiful. We're blessed, because we need to get a lot of games played today.

Today's lacrosse game is for the championship. The Ohio State Buckeye's take on The Cavaliers of Virginia. In the afternoon session Penn State and Ohio State meet up for the Softball title. It's going to be a great day. Have a good one!

Staying Alive

2011-07-06T10:09:00.002-04:00

There were some hard fought games yesterday. It was definitely "upset Tuesday". Some teams refused to go down. LSU defeated Duke 19-6 in the morning round. They were relentless on defense. They'd give up a great pass to a tall receiver, but then they'd dig deep and stop the run. Their own offense was impressive. Coach Ryan Alexander, former D-1 quarterback, exclaimed a few times how much he "loved their spread". This team throws the ball more than any other team in camp. #10 LSU will match up with #11 Stanford in the Semi-Finals.

#9 Brown pulled off the day's biggest upset by defeating #1 Ohio State in morning soccer. The Brown Bears were HOT. They were clicking on all facets of the game. They are definitely the team to watch in the semi's. They'll take on #4 Duke while #6 Stanford and #2 Notre Dame face off in the other semi.

Wake went down hard in softball yesterday. Despite the great effort of their outfielders, Wake Forest could not stop the powerful hitting by Ohio State. The #7 Buckeye's ate their Wheaties yesterday and scored 8 runs to beat the Demon Deacons - the #2 seed.

On the football field #4 Miami faced UNC. The two teams traded scores throughout the game until the final minutes of the fourth quarter when Miami pulled ahead by two touchdowns. Miami's offensive weapon, "the man-child" runs hard and can throw an accurate ball. Miami is a multi-dimensional threat when it comes to football. They block, they run hard, they catch and they play as a team. They'll face #1 Brown in the semi-finals. This will be the matchup everyone's been waiting to see!

Other upsets include #6 Stanford over #3 Miami in Soccer (that game went into overtime), #6 Stanford over #3 UNC in Softball, #7 Virginia defeated #3 Stanford in the Lacrosse Semi-final and another biggie.... #8 Penn State over #1 Virginia in Basketball.

Our 4th of July Team Competition winner's enjoyed dining out in Orange yesterday. They gathered at El Vaquero for classic coke's and authentic Mexican food. They were all giggles and smiles as they tried to pronounce the entree they wished to order. To my surprise not one camper ordered off the American menu. By the end of the meal everyone's plate was clean. It was a delicious afternoon.

Texas and Texas AM also enjoyed a special afternoon. After rest period they headed over to a nearby Civil War Battle Field for a bit of a history lesson. Coach Henry Heil - Woodberry History Teacher and Head Varsity Baseball coach, along with Ryan Alexander drove the group up to Cedar Mountain. The battle of Cedar Mountain took place in 1862. The battle was led by Union forces who out numbered the Confederates by a ratio of 2:1. However, Major General "Stonewall" Jackson went on to defeat the northern army after nearly being driven out early in the battle by the union. It was Texas head coach Erik Laub that took over the history talk at the battle site. Not originally known to us, Coach Laub has a passion for military history - specifically The Civil War. What a surprising blessing. I hope those boys appreciate the gift they received yesterday.

Today the entire camp is off to King's Dominion. They were so fired up about this trip last night. As they should be - King's Dominion is a whole lot of fun.

Check out the scores to the left. We'll have a very full Thursday and Friday trying to get the semi-finals and finals finished up. I've also posted Saturday's schedule to the right.

Let 'Em Play

2011-07-05T08:19:00.001-04:00

The competition is really heating up. Yesterday we resumed tournament play. It was hot and sticky on the fields and things got hot on the courts!

LSU took down Duke in floor hockey yesterday. They traded goals every quarter. LSU won 7-6. It was a great match up. The cheers from the hockey game drowned out anything else that was going on in the Barbee. Way to go Tigers!

On the softball field the Stanford Cardinals pounced on the Cavaliers early with a home run by their big guy. He would go on to hit two yesterday with a couple of RBI's. It seemed like everyone was hitting well yesterday. It was certainly a Cardinal day as they went on to win all four of their games yesterday. Those trees were making some noise!

Out on Hanes field Miami and Texas played their hearts out. Each team gave their all. It was definitely the game to watch. Both teams scored on every possession. They couldn't stop each other. It was really incredible. The clock ran out and Miami pulled off the win. Sometimes, it's jut all about the U!

Miami wasn't so fortunate in last evening's lacrosse game. They ran into the Buckeyes. This game was also a back and forth match up. Finally the game ended in sudden death overtime when Ohio State's smallest player scored on a fast break... He might be small, but he is FAST! It was an amazing win by an amazing team.

You can check out all the scores to the left of this post. Today we continue with playoff games. We will have determined our semi-finalists by the end of the day. Tomorrow we're off to King's Dominion. The semi-finals and some of the finals will be played on Thursday with the rest of the Finals on Friday. So far there haven't been any major upsets. I have a feeling today will be the day. Check out the blog tomorrow for the update. Until then, have a fabulous day.

Fireworks!

2011-07-04T08:29:00.000-04:00

There were no real fireworks yesterday, but there were some firework performances during our 4th of July Celebration. Traditionally this day is dedicated to individual competitions. The teams compete for points in each competiton. They choose the camper that is best suited for the event. The goal is to achieve the most points overall. Yesterday's challenges included; Lacrosse shoot, Soccer Shot, 100meter dash, 400 meter dash, Basketball shoot, 50meter Swim, Strongest Man, Golf (3 holes), Tennis, Wrestling, Quarterback Challenge, Home run Derby, Hockey shoot and 4x200 relay.

This year's Home run Derby was the best ever. Two contestants competed in the tie-brearker. They each hit the most home runs in Sports Camp History. Our winner hit 7 out of 10 with the runner-up reaching 6 earning them nick-names like "The Babe" and "ManChild".

The Quarterback Challenge is always a spectator favorite. The QB's have to hit several targets consecutively. They rack up points if the ball makes contact. Their final challenge includes a moving target. This always gets big crowd cheers!

There were so many lead changes yesterday. It was a tight race between all 14 teams. Duke pulled ahead after the final event to secure the lead. Way to go Blue Devils! They had the right people in the right events and everyone gave 110%.

A major storm system was brewing yesterday afternoon so we decided to forego the cook out at the pool. Our food service department graciously grilled burgers and dogs and then transported them down to the Barbee Center. Everyone enjoyed the traditional 4th of July fare.

The camp then gathered inside for the grand finale.... 4th Annual Dunk Contest! Administrators and coaches put on their court shoes and showed their stuff. Check out the video we gathered of just some of the dunks. The campers were going crazy. It was quite a show.

After much needed showers (and I mean MUCH needed), the group met up at Slane Lecture Hall for another movie night. Last night's main attraction was Remember The Titans - another sports classic.

I hope everyone slept well last night. Tournament play continues today. It's going to be a normal summer day. HOT, HUMID and chance of storms.

Enjoy your holiday celebrations!

The Draft

2011-07-03T09:38:00.002-04:00

This year's first round pick... KUNLE! The campers love Kunle sooo much they've created the Kunle Dance. The crowd went crazy when Coach Alexander announced that Kunle was the first pick of the 2011 King's Dominion Draft.

All of the counselors that are traveling to King's Dominion on Wednesday were eligible to be drafted by the campers. During the course of this week, the campers organized themselves into groups. They gave themselves names like, The Platypus's, The Charlottiers and The Monders. Each team name was placed on a card. Coach Alexander chose the cards randomly to decide who would pick next. There was a lot of excitement and anticipation.

Last night's draft was extra exciting this year as Chip and Ade volunteered to MC. It was a real ESPN-like format. We had music and interviews... We even had a few phone calls come in from eligible counselors. Slane Lecture Hall was rockin'...

Midway through the draft we held the annual "Dance Off". Four campers vs. CJ and Landrus.

In tournament play yesterday there were some great games. Michigan was the upset winning team of the day. They defeated Texas in soccer and Penn State in floor hockey. AMAZING wins! Hail to the Victors.

Miami beat Stanford on the bball court. Miami came from behind in the first half and then made a buzzer beater to finish the game. The final... 37-36

Two soccer games finished with PK's. As a matter of fact, the Stanford UNC game went to double PK's. It was an incredible Stanford win. Both teams played 60 minutes of great soccer.

Today we celebrate July 4th with individual competitions and then a cook out at the pool. The guys are really looking forward to the change of pace. Tomorrow we'll be back at the tournament.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Week Two Comes to an end

2011-07-02T08:58:00.002-04:00

Ade and Chip closed out week two last night. These guys are dedicated. They both had a scheduled "day off" yesterday, but returned last evening to MC the second campfire. When the crowd asked "why???" Ade exclaimed, "as Bo Schembechler once said, not exact words, the kids, the kids, the kids." The crowd cheered.

The campers didn't let us down this week. They performed some pretty great skits. Every year I'm amazed at how comfortable these boys are in front of an audience. Michigan won the pizza party as they were cheered for the loudest. It might have been their BIG BLUE singing sensation that put them over the edge. Check out the link to the right for a little tidbit of what you missed last night.

Another pizza party was earned by TEXAS.. They had the cleanest rooms of the week and achieved the highest score in Sports Camp History... Way to go Texas!....Hook em Horns....

Yesterday we kicked off the individual competitions. During camp the campers have been attending individual sports instruction. Now it's time to show what they've learned. Each camper will be tested on a specific task. Placement ribbons will be awarded to the top 4 four campers in each category in each age group. The campers took part in standing broad jump, 100m dash, lacrosse shoot, soccer shoot, softball throw, football throw and punt, tennis and swimming.

The final regular season games were played last night. After the campfire Coach Alexander finished seeding the teams for the tournament which begins today. We had some great match ups yesterday which determined the outcome of tournament placement.

Notre Dame and Brown met on the gridiron. It was an amazing game. At one point the game was so intense Coach Alexander called a pow wow on the field. He asked the teams to relax, loosen up and enjoy the game. ND and Brown are two of the best football teams in camp and the head to head meeting was becoming too much. They traded "3 and outs" and touchdowns right until the bitter end. Brown pulled off the win by stopping ND on their final possession. Coach was so proud of the two sets of coaches. They were professional and extremely supportive of their teams. Good job guys!

The Blue Devils proved why they're the team to beat during the tournament. They won all three of their match ups again yesterday. They're just SOOO GOOOD and in every aspect of TEAM. What a great group of guys.

It's going to be an exciting day around here. With the tournament beginning and the draft tonight we're really going to have some fun. Check out tomorrow's blog to see how things played out today. Enjoy your weekend!

Giving it your All

2011-07-01T08:47:00.001-04:00

11 days into camp and these guys are still giving it their ALL... Three games per day, individual instruction and clinics and our campers are as energetic as ever. They race up the hill at night to get to the Fir Tree. I've heard more than one counselor comment on the energy level of this group. The counselors can hardly remember when they too had the same endless amount of pep. We're so proud of all of them. This is certainly a special group.

We had some great games again yesterday. UNC and Wake matched up well on the lacrosse field. The game remained tied at 4 until late in the 4th quarter when UNC scored 3 unanswered goals. That's lax for ya!

Texas Am is still improving on the gridiron. They continue to look for their first win in the football. Their players give 100% every play. They took on Virginia in the morning session. The Wahoos scored late in the final minutes of the game to go up 19-13.

With their endless amount of energy the campers are actively participating in their values meetings and earning Superman T-shirts. Like Coach Alexander told them yesterday, if they take anything home with them after camp, he hopes it's the values and lessons they've learned in their nightly meetings. He let them know that these are the things that will stay with them throughout life, not whether they won or lost a game during sports camp.

Tonight we'll host the second of three campfires. Four teams will perform their skit. I can't wait to see what they have in store for us this evening.

Great Day For Sports

2011-06-30T07:58:00.001-04:00

We held five sessions of games yesterday. The outdoor games that were rained out on Tuesday were played mid-morning and after rest period on Wednesday. It was a gorgeous day, not too hot with low humidity. There were some great games too.

After losing their first soccer game of the morning and looking rather sluggish, Miami matched up with Michigan in round 2. They played two five minute overtime periods and finished with a shoot out. It was a great one! Miami had actually tied up the score in regulation and then pulled ahead with a minute to go. Michigan then got a quick goal to bring the score to 5-5. It was CRAZY! During the overtime the score remained at 5 all. Both teams played tight defense. Miami won the penalty kicks 5-3.

Michigan had some day... They went on to play in an overtime football game against Ohio State. Coach Alexander said it was probably the best played football game in the history of Sports Camp. WOW! The final score was 25-18 Ohio State.

During the mid-afternoon make up game session, Stanford and Duke faced off on the soccer field. What a great match up. Stanford came back from a 3-1 deficit. In the end, Duke pulled off the win in the second overtime period.

We're nearing the end of regular season play. This weekend we'll get the teams seeded and tournament play will begin. We've actually got a BIG weekend planned. Friday night is campfire night, Saturday tournament play begins, Saturday night is the 5th annual Counselor Draft for Kings Dominion and Sunday is our Fourth of July Celebration. Whew....

Check out the latest team cheer. Like everything Duke does, this pre-game warm up is pure perfection.

Enjoy!

Football Domination

2011-06-29T07:32:00.003-04:00

The Tarheels are really showing some promise on the football field. In the morning session yesterday they beat Stanford 25-7. Stanford is no roll over - they've got their own weapons, but UNC gets better everyday. This team has a heck of a quarterback, they block, they can catch and they've got speed. As a bonus, their head coach happens to be a veteran camp counselor, sports camper, former Tiger fullback and is intense about football. They seem like they could be the team to beat come tournament week. We'll see how it plays out.

We managed to get the morning games played, but the rain moved in for the afternoon. Plan B went into full action. Inside "the cage" one basketball game was played, but over at the Barbee there was a lot of activity. Brown and UNC matched up on the hockey court, Texas and Texas AM played basketball and the rest of camp took part in Dodgeball.. Yes, Dodgeball - will REAL balls. The Barbee Center was Rockin'. The storm just kept hanging on so we had to bus the guys up the hill for dinner.

It was still raining after dinner with rumblings of thunder, so PLAN C took over. What was plan C? Coach Alexander came up with this one on the fly... The teams that were scheduled to play basketball and hockey were bused to the Barbee to play their games, the remaining campers and counselors gathered in Slane Lecture hall for movie night. The main feature? RUDY... a classic. I couldn't believe the number of kids that hadn't seen this film. They loved it! It should be a staple in every one's collection. What an inspiring story. The boys were amazed that this film was based on a true story.

Today will be a game extravaganza. We'll be making up games during individual instruction and clinic time. I'll update the scores later today. For now you can check out the overall team standings. The weather is looking good. We should be able to get caught up.

Enjoy your day!

Water Fun!

2011-06-28T07:40:00.000-04:00

The gang had a great time at Water Country yesterday. Water Country USA is part of the Busch Gardens chain down in Williamsburg, VA. It is Virginia's largest water park which includes more than 30 rides.

Some of the favorites include the 23,000 sq. ft. wave pool and the Hubba Bubba highway (kick back and enjoy the winding river like water way). Big Daddy Falls simulates white water rafting and is a fun group experience. The most daring riders take on The Aquazoid, Meltdown, Wild Thang and Jet Stream. The names speak for themselves.

The park is filled with tasty restaurants and outdoor pavilions. Apparently there weren't any Teen USA contestants to be found... Ahhhhh... poor guys, I hope they weren't too let down. Just goes to show, you can't believe every rumor you hear!

The last stop on the water park tour? The famous CANDY STORE! This tradition has gotten so popular Coach Alexander had to set up a schedule. Each year the teams would pile into the candy store so that the campers could spend the last of their cash on bulk candy. The buses would end up leaving the park late due to the back up at the store. Yesterday, each team had a designated time they were to visit the store. If they missed their time, they missed their candy. It made for a much smoother departure from the park. GENIUS!!!

As I watched the guys arrive back on campus and head to dorm I noticed they were exhausted. My guess is they were pretty wound up on the bus ride home due to the sugar rush so by the time they reached Orange, they were ready to crash. I bet they all slept well last night.

Hopefully that's true, because we're back at it today with morning games beginning at 9am. All is well here at the Forest. Enjoy your day.

Ivy League Intellectuals

2011-06-27T08:15:00.001-04:00

The Brown University Bears have become one of the more successful teams at sports camp this year. Whether they're on a court, ball diamond or a turf field, they're a good solid team. If you ask them what makes their team successful they'll tell you that they're not the most talented team, but they have a secret weapon. Their minds... I've heard rumors that during rest period they're known for kicking back and reading classic literature. If they're not doing that, they're engaged in thoughtful conversation in Ade's room. Hmmmmm, very interesting...We'll see how this strategy holds up through the rest of camp.

We started Sunday morning fresh and ready to go. Everything was pushed back by one hour. You could see the difference in the faces as we gathered at the Dick Gym steps after breakfast. The group was awake and lively.

Coach Alexander said a few words to start the morning, then he turned it over to Frazier Stowers. Each Sunday Frazier speaks about a topic and then asks the group to reflect about the thoughts he shared. Yesterdays topic was about guidance and help. He shared a story of a man at Middlebury that through the years offered guidance and support to those around him. He talked about the man's modesty and how he was humble. Frazier went on to talk about how Coach Alexander often refers to Coach Red Caughron and Dick Glover when preparing a new group of counselors for sports camp each year. And how who they are and what they stand for is the foundation of this camp. They are men of character and that they too were modest and humble. They were consistent in the way they guided young men to have character, humility and compassion. They each had compassion for those around them. These are the qualities that every man should strive for throughout their life. Frazier went on to tell the boys that they are not going to develop these qualities in 3 weeks... They won't develop them by the time they reach high school, but these are things that will over time help them become good men, good fathers and husbands. It was an inspiring talk and what amazed me the most is the way the group really watched Frazier and listened. We really do have a wonderful group of young men this year. We are truly blessed to have each one of these precious boys here at the forest this summer.

By 10am the group was down the hill and ready to begin another day of athletics and competition. We went right into the first round of games. We didn't have any overtime games or major upsets. One of game of note though, Notre Dame scored 61 in their basketball game against Miami - Miami scored 47 which is typically considered high. WOW... Go Irish!

We had one session of individual instruction and then we were off to lunch and then rest period. After that the southern conference enjoyed the outdoor pool while the rest of camp took part in sign up clinics. I noticed Coach Alexander working with Texas AM on the football field. It seems they're struggling a bit in that sport so coach worked up some plays to suit them. Word is, they still haven't scored, but they came real close last night, so with a few more "private" practices, maybe they'll get it together. They certainly have it together on the Lax field.. They beat Wake in the morning session 5-4!

There were two tight games last night. UNC and Ohio State matched up real well at football. UNC pulled it out in the end 47-42. Wow there were a lot of touchdowns in that game. Ohio State has a small secret weapon.. Check this guy out! He is amazingly sneaky and fast....

The Brown/Penn State game ended with PK's. They played two five-minute Overtime periods and finished with the PK's. Each team puts up 7 players to kick. The team with the most successful shots wins. Penn State came up with the win. 5 PK's to 4... It was pretty amazing. Beating Brown at soccer is really something to be proud of. Both of these teams have amazing soccer players. I'm thinking we'll see them face up again at some point in the tournament.

Two teams camped out again last night and the rest went to the Fir Tree. Like coach said, "there's nothing like a good old Gus Burger and a milk shake after a loss (or a win)".

There was a lot of anticipation and excitement about todays trip to Water country. Even if they didn't sleep well last night, they'll have 2.5 hours each way on bus to catch up. Someone started a rumor that the Miss Teen USA pageant is supposed to be down at Water Country today...hmmm.... for the girls sake, I hope it's just a rumor.. OH BOY!!!!!

Don't forget to check out the latest team cheer.. The Nittany Lions put one together before their Lacrosse game yesterday... WE ARE PENN STATE!!!!

Enjoy your day. I've sent a camera so hopefully we'll get some good shots of the guys at the park!

Sleep In Day!

2011-06-26T08:49:00.003-04:00

Sunday is sleep in day around here. It's much needed. Coach was asked more than once at dinner last night by some little guys, "is tomorrow the day we get to sleep in?" Sure is... Breakfast begins at 9 followed by group worship on the Dick Gym steps. Then we're down the hill to begin our second week of Sports Camp.

Yesterday was another great day. Mother nature is certainly cooperating this year. Sunshine, low humidity and no rain in sight. It's been fabulous.

At the post dinner meeting Coach Alexander talked about the importance of choosing the right afternoon clinic and taking the individuals seriously. He asked the campers to consider their strengths and weakness and how it effects their team. After a self evaluation, they should make sure they attend a clinic that would assist them in improving their skills. We're at the point in camp where the teams know where they stand. They realize what sports they might be great at and which ones need improvement. We've got some great instructors. They really know their stuff....

Once again we had some exciting games all day long. The morning football game went into double overtime. In the second overtime, the Buckeyes got a big stop giving them the ball and then went on to score on 4th down. What a great matchup between two Big Ten teams, Penn State and Ohio State. Both teams have a couple of great coaches... It was like watching Jo Pa and Woody again!

Have a blessed Sunday. We're headed to Water Country tomorrow. It's an all day event. There won't be any games.

Burn Baby Burn

2011-06-25T08:09:00.001-04:00

Last night's campfire started out with a traditional Woodberry cheer, "Burn Baby Burn". It didn't take long to get this group fired up. Veteran camp staff members Ade Oyalowo and Chip Brierre MC'd the nights festivities.

Camper of the week awards were given out between camper skits. Each week the team coaches choose a camper that exhibits all the qualities of a great camper all week long. These qualities include: unselfishness, leadership, good behavior on dorm, participation in values meetings and effort on the playing field. We had some pretty proud little guys last night. It was amazing to see how many of our young and new campers received this award. That is an attribute to our veteran campers as they have set the good examples. The entire camp amazed me at how supportive they were when each award was given out. We've got a really rowdy group this year!

Five groups performed skits last night. Included in that group were the referees. They took some major risks last night. The majority of their skit was centered around Coach Alexander and all the little things that make Coach, Coach! Speaking of taking risks, Stanford had a good time making fun of my golf cart driving. Mostly the campers make fun of themselves. Anyone who hasn't been at camp all week wouldn't really "get" any of it. It's all good though... Great fun! In the end, the team with the best skit was Penn State. They won a pizza party last night. The entire camp cheers for the team with the best skit. The team with the loudest cheers wins.

Our final business last night was to award the team with the cleanest rooms. Each day Mr. Hahnenburg visits every dorm room and assigns a score. The rooms are scored 1-5, 1 being the messiest. The campers are asked to make their bed, pick up trash and their dirty clothes. The room that is completely tidy, will get a 5. The scores are added up and the team with the highest score at the end of the week wins a pizza party. Last night it was a close race between Brown and Texas. By a margin of about 5 points, Texas was the winner and enjoyed the pizza.

It was a GOOOORGEOUS day yesterday. There was a nice breeze and sunshine all day. Wow, we'll take 15 more days like that please! The games were heating up though. The morning softball game between Texas and Ohio State went 10 innings. This game is normally only 7. The soccer match up between Duke and Texas mid morning didn't go into OT, but there was a last minute shot that put Texas up over Duke 4-3. In the evening session, Wake and Michigan played one overtime with Michigan coming out ahead 5-4. At one point, Wake led the game 4-1. It was an impressive come from behind win by the Wolverines. Hail to the Victors!

Today looks to be as beautiful as yesterday. Have a blessed day and enjoy your entire weekend.

The Team The Team The Team

2011-06-24T08:11:00.000-04:00

Win or Lose the teams have come together... Three days down of heavy competition. The teams by now have played every sport and are getting their strategies figured out. Kudos to Coach Alexander for putting together evenly matched teams. It's quite a puzzle to sort that out without knowing a lot of the kids and/ or seeing how they've grown. It should be interesting to see how it all plays out in the end.

Check out yesterdays scoreboard. During the afternoon session we had a Hockey game go into overtime. The Barbee Center was ROCKIN'! UNC pulled off the win with a last minute slap shot. Over on the football field last night Stanford and Miami matched up well. The game ran late so they had a whole bunch of spectators on the field to see who would pull it off. Miami jumped ahead with a touch down and extra point with 1:55 left to go. That gave Stanford plenty of time to score. (I've seen them run back the kick... they've got some strong fast guys on that team). They did get near the end zone, but the Hurricanes stepped up their defensive play and shut down the Cardinals. It was a great game.

Last night was a beautiful night. Today promises to be glorious. Right now there's nothing but blue sky and sunshine.

Tonight will be the first of our campfires. The camper of the week awards will be given out along with the cleanest room award (pizza party) and of course.... THE SKITS! 5 teams will perform their skit tonight. I can't wait to see that!

Have a fabulous day. Don't forget to check out the WAHOO CHANT! See the link to the right.

Challenging the Outdoors

2011-06-23T07:53:00.002-04:00

The camp began their day early on Wednesday with a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon then they were off to take on their outdoor challenges. Old Rag Mountain was the challenge of choice for the majority of camp. The remaining campers hiked around Woodberry's 1500 acres on The Perimeter Trail.

Old Rag Mountain is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is situated in the Shenandoah National Park. The drive is just under an hour away from Woodberry. The group departed on buses promptly at 8am. Old Rag is a very challenging 8.8 mile hike and rock scramble with spectacular views. At the summit it sits at 3,291 feet.

Once they persevered to the top, the guys enjoyed a sack lunch. On the way up some of them encountered wildlife. No bears this year, just deer. Mr. Jim Reid lead the first group. How lucky were they? Mr. Reid is the head of our science department here at WFS. He always gives a great talk on the way up which includes a history of the mountain and the different formations.

After the exhausting hike, they boarded the buses to head back to the Forest. The buses remained silent on the way home as the campers and counselors couldn't help but doze after conquering OLD RAG.

Back at WFS the group traveled the perimeter trail in record time. We had a spry group this year. I hope they took in the beautiful scenery. Our trail is a total of 8 miles in length and was completed and dedicated just a couple of years ago. It continues to be kept up (cleared and trimmed) by the students of Woodberry. Yesterday's group encountered snake skins, turtles, small wildlife and a fabulous view of the Rapidan River and rock formations. The perimeter trail gang enjoyed their lunch down at the Barbee and then messed around with the basketballs before heading to the outdoor pool.

Everyone was back on campus by 3pm. Walking a little funny, they headed into the dorms for some much needed rest. We had about a 2.5 hour rest period and amazingly it was very quiet... Not much going on in the dorms yesterday.

Boy they were hungry by dinner time. Some were lined up outside the dining hall 10 minutes early, eager to get a meal after such a strenuous day. By 6:45pm we were down the hill for the only set of games that day.

It was amazing to see them go right back into competition format. There were some great games last night. I didn't think the soccer game between Stanford and Michigan was ever going to end. They played an additional 10 minutes of overtime which still ended in a tie. At this point they had to go into penalty kick mode. This portion of OT is Sudden Death. Each team gets a shot on goal if they both miss, they keep kicking until only one team misses.. They went three rounds. Stanford was finally victorious!

We're back to normal schedule today. Weather looks to be normal too. Chance of Isolated storms - The usual.

Have a blessed day and enjoy the slideshow. I had some great photographers up on the mountain yesterday. Many thanks to Mr. Reid, Coach Conklin, Coach Tisch and Frazier Stowers!

p.s. Check out the link to the top right of this entry... Stanford has the most awesome "warm up chant". I've challenged the other teams to get creative too... Look for future postings. This should be fun! Also, don't forget to press play on the playlist below if you like the music. I try to choose an appropriate song each day. Yesterday some of the guys commented that Old Rag reminded them of the movie - Last of the Mohicans.. so of course... we chose a song from the soundtrack for today. Enjoy...

Coming Together

2011-06-22T07:55:00.002-04:00

By the second full day of sports camp the teams have really come together. We're four games into camp. It hasn't taken long for this group to get into game mode. They're playing hard and they're all in it to win it.

Yesterday started out with a nice hot breakfast and then morning meeting on the Dick Gym steps. The first of the superman t-shirts have been handed out. Periodically the coaches and conference directors get together to discuss a potential "superman" award winner. This camper will exhibit qualities of an overall great camper, but most importantly he will have participated in the values meetings by showing leadership and sharing thoughts and helping others. Tuesday we had three recipients. Then it was off to the games.

The morning session was perfect. It hadn't gotten too hot yet. After the games finished up the groups broke off into individual instruction and then it was time for lunch, rest period and then clinics. The afternoon games were cut short by a threat of lightning. Stanford and Virginia had to finish with a 2-2 tie. The same goes for LSU and Penn State in football. The storm didn't amount to anything. We were able to get the kids up the hill and into dinner without any problems. The evening was gorgeous. We had another beautiful sunset. Our camping group wasn't able to finish up though - again... lightning threats.

We had a couple of intense evening games last night. The soccer match up between Brown and UNC was a great one. UNC pulled ahead right at the end and that's where it stayed. The hockey game went into overtime with Penn State pulling off the win. The football game was a real nail biter. In the last minute Wake Forest pulled off a score to beat Miami 26-25. I suspect both of these teams will be quite successful throughout the tournament.

All in all it was another great day at camp. I bet the guys slept well last night. Hopefully they did because today they will tackle Old Rag Mountain. The campers actually had a choice, they can either climb Old Rag today or hike the perimeter trail around Woodberry Forest. 100 campers decided to take the Old Rag challenge. The remaining campers will enjoy seven miles of lush green forest and the Rapidan River. So far it looks like it will be a beautiful morning. The groups are starting out early today to beat the heat.

We will have some competition tonight. After a long rest period the camp will have dinner and then head down the hill for a set of evening games.

I've sent a camera on the hikes, so I hope to get some great pics to share with you tomorrow. Have a great day.

Let The Games Begin!

2011-06-21T07:49:00.001-04:00

By 10am Monday morning the rain had moved off and the campers were back on the fields. The coaches held the practice of their choice and then the campers broke up into their age groups for individual instruction.

After hitting the showers everyone enjoyed lunch and then some r and r on dorm. I bounced around to the dorms a bit. Some were actually sleeping and some were just hanging out quietly with their new friends. One little guy even told me he couldn't sit still because he was so eager to start the next session for the day.

The Eastern conference enjoyed the outdoor pool after rest period while the rest of the campers attended the clinic of their choice. Each camper has an opportunity to sign up for an afternoon clinic daily. This is usually a sport that they want to learn about or just get better. It's a more intensive session which focuses on exactly what they need to work on. The choices include golf, tennis, football, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, track and basketball. The track choice is new this year. We have a new member of the faculty here at WFS. Coach Curtis Phillips is our Track and Field Coach. He has coached at the college level and has already done amazing things with our track program. He'll specialize in speed training during sports camp. With the proper technique, these athletes can really increase their speed.

Just before dinner the teams were able to practice the sport of their choice again. Most practiced for the game they were to play last evening. There was so much anticipation for the games that were to be played. At the post dinner meeting Coach Alexander made sure to remind them all they are "undefeated" at this point. He also reminded them that it doesn't really matter about the win. What does matter is that they play as a team and support each other.

There were some really exciting games. Early predictions were proven to be true.... but some were proven to be wrong! The unlikely winner (according to the rumors around camp) of the lacrosse game was LSU. They played UNC who was supposed to be LOADED with laxers.. Well, LSU pulled out the win 5-4. Another highlight game was the Miami/UVA soccer game. Miami tied it up at one point on a penalty kick. The game stayed close and Miami went on to win 4-3. Check out the side bar for all the scores.

Today we begin the day bright and early with games at 9am... Last night Texas and Michigan camped out by the skeet range and ropes course. It turned out to be a beautiful night. I hope the boys took a moment to gaze at the beautiful sunset out there while they enjoyed hot dogs and marshmallows (fat chance I suppose). The rest of camp descended upon the Fir Tree before their values meeting. There's nothing like a Fir Tree milk shake and cheeseburger to end the day!

Enjoy the slide show!

Opening Day 2011

2011-06-20T08:53:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the 45th year of Woodberry Forest Sports Camp. This is the largest camp we've ever had. We now have 161 campers that make up 14 teams. WOW! And what a great group. I've never seen a happier group of kids on the first day of camp. The veteran campers have really helped the new guys to settle in. It's great to see all their shiny new faces. Our staff is once again a fantastic group as well. The next three weeks should be great.

BTW... we lost our ability to automatically play music on the blog. (if anyone knows the trick to getting it back, let me know) You'll have to scroll to the bottom of the blog and click the play button. If this is your first time using this blog... You can click on the slide show at the end of this post to view the photos full screen while listening to the music. You should also be able to go right to picasa to get the photos.

After opening announcements and introductions the campers remained with their teams and met with their conference directors. Although the campers are on a "team" - they are also part of a "conference". The teams are competing against each other, but ultimately the conferences are too.

Immediately after the meetings the teams began practicing the sport of their choice. After that the campers broke up into their age groups for some individual instruction. They were either, swimming in the indoor pool, working on their golf skills; driving, chipping or putting, laxing it up, playing soccer, football, basketball, softball or tennis. Soon it was time for their first shower and then they were off to dinner up the hill. Post dinner they were back on the fields with their teams preparing for the first competition which will be tonight.

After evening showers and snack the entire camp gathered in Slane lecture hall for the first "Value's Meeting". Coach Alexander began last night's meeting with one of his favorite quotes, "A reputation of a thousand years can be ruined in a single act". The coaches continued the meeting with their teams back on dorm. They'll hold these meetings nightly in their small groups where the campers will share their thoughts with each other. It's a great team building tool and also for individual character development. Like coach said yesterday, the teams that will be most successful in this camp will be the ones that are a TEAM - Together Everyone Accomplishes More - not necessarily the ones with the most talent.

It's raining this morning... I'm not sure we've ever had a complete wash out day.. Should be interesting. We'll try to remain optimistic that the afternoon will brighten up.

Have a blessed day.

It's almost here!

2011-06-18T10:38:00.001-04:00

The count down to Sports Camp 2011 will come to and end tomorrow.

We're looking forward to all of the campers arriving Sunday, June 19th. Happy Father's Day to all the dads and grandfathers.

Check in begins at 9am and runs through 1pm. Camp officially begins promptly at 1:30pm with counselor introductions and team organization.

We're looking forward to another great camp. Travel safe and we'll see you tomorrow!

Another Camp Comes to an End

2010-07-14T17:01:00.002-04:00

The highly successful Tarheels of UNC show the love. This was the score that sealed the deal for the Tarheel win over the Cavaliers. UNC was the most successful team in camp winning many championships. They were a fun team to watch. It was a group of very talented young men.

Championship Friday Games

Lacrosse: UNC-8, Duke-4

Football: UNC-27, UVA-14

Floor Hockey: Stanford-6, Penn State-3

Soccer: UNC-4, Michigan-2 in OT

Friday night we finished championship week with our final campfire. The campfire was held in the Barbee Center as a storm brewed up outside. We watched our four final skits. WOW, were they funny. By the end of camp, there is so much material to work with. This weeks skits were really enjoyable. The campfire ended with Camper of the Week awards, Tiger Awards and Honor Camper Awards.

Coach Alexander spoke about the two special awards briefly at the assembly on Saturday. Below is an overview of the two awards presented Friday evening.

Honor Camper

It is presented to the member of each team, who has made the most significant contribution to the team in the areas of athletics, sportsmanship, citizenship, and leadership. The Honor Camper is the most dependable and reliable member of the team, not only on the playing field, but in all areas of camp life. It is the highest honor bestowed by the teams coaching staff to a member of their team.

Tiger Award
It is presented to the team member who displays considerable athletic talent and a strong desire to win. The winner of the team's Tiger Award is usually the boy who hustles in every sport, leads the team in spirit and sportsmanship, and encourages all members of the team to do their best in all activities.

Saturday morning we woke up knowing we would impelement PLAN B... Plan B meant games would have to be played indoors due to inclement weather. By the time the games were over the sky had cleared. It turned out to be a fabulous day. Campers and parents proceeded to the Walker Center for the closing ceremonies.

Coach Alexander said a few brief words and then introduced the team coaches. The coaches remarked about their teams and then each member was introduced on stage.Once each team was presented the final awards were given out. Below is an overview of the annual sports camp awards.

The Tom Baumann Memorial Spirit Award is given annually to the camper who during his years here has contributed positively to the atmosphere of the camp with his pleasant nature, willingness to participate, and unselfish spirit. The winner of this award is admired by all members of the camp for his zest for life and warm, congenial personality. The award is given in the memory of Tom Baumann, a 1972 Woodberry Forest School graduate and former counselor who possessed these same qualities.

The Sportsmanship Award is given annually to the camper who possesses the qualities which the staff of Woodberry Forest Sports Camp tries so hard to instill in each of our campers. The winner of this award is fair, generous, a respectful loser, and a gracious winner. He encourages his teammates, cheers for his team, and never argues with officials. He maintains a positive attitude at all times and in all situations.

The Team Sportsmanship Award - Woodberry Forest Sports Camp has always taken pride in the fact that good sportsmanship is emphasized just as much as athletic skills during the boys' time here. The Team Sportsmanship Award will be given to the team with the most outstanding record of sportsmanship during the entire camp.
The Moubray Conference Award is given to the conference that finished sports camp with the best overall record in team sports – basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, soccer and softball. The recipient conference will have demonstrated superiority in a variety of team sports as well as balanced athleticism.

The Best Athlete Awards are given to the best all-around athletes in the camp's four age divisions. The recipients of this award are talented in all sports, put forth consistent effort in every game, and continually show supreme effort, determination, and a drive to succeed. A camper's ability to handle adversity and lead his team in a variety of situations is also considered in determining the Best Athlete Award winners.

The Staff Award is given to the camper who, in the eyes of the counselors, has distinguished himself with his helpfulness and positive attitude. The recipient of this award is dependable and willing to give of himself for the benefit of others.

The Richard Glover Leadership Award –It is named in honor of Richard Glover for his many years of leadership and guidance given to the boys of Woodberry Forest Sports Camp and School. He was a Woodberry graduate and a US Marine. He taught history and coached wrestling at Woodberry for many years. He lives and works by the creed: “Fear None, Respect All”.

The Red and Cathy Caughron Award is named for the founders of the camp. Red and Cathy started the camp in 1967 and directed it for the first 25 years. Their tireless dedication and infectious charm made the camp the overwhelming success it is today. We all owe Red and Cathy an immense amount of gratitude for all they have done for the camp. This award is given to the camper who through his dedication to the camp and his team over the years has distinguished him from his fellow campers.

The Outstanding Camper Award is the most prestigious award a camper can earn and it is given to the boy who displays the highest qualities of athleticism, leadership, sportsmanship, responsibility, and fair play. The Outstanding Camper possesses a sense of integrity, character, and maturity that distinguish him from other campers. The recipient of this award has a positive impact on the camp in many areas and his presence makes everyday camp life more pleasant for counselors and campers alike. He serves as a role model for younger campers.

It's hard to believe another sports camp has passed yet again. Where did the time go? We raced out of here Saturday afternoon in order to attend a family wedding. When we returned Sunday evening, campus was like a "ghost town". There is always a period of withdrawl. Spending time with family helped during the immediate day or two, but right now, we still feel like we should be doing something else. We really enjoyed our time with the counselors, administrators and of course the young campers. There was a great chemistry this year among the entire group. Thank you for sharing your most precious gifts - your boys. We look forward to seeing them in the future either at camp next summer or perhaps a football game or two this fall. If your young man has "aged out" of camp, we hope that he pays WFS a visit.

Enjoy the below slide show. These are some of our favorite pics of the camp. Have a blessed summer everyone!

Tarheel Victory!

2010-07-09T08:12:00.003-04:00

It could be considered the greatest basksetball championship in the history of Sports Camp. Yesterday afternoon the Tarheels from UNC took on the Cavaliers of UVA. These teams were trading 3pt baskets all throughout this game. Where did these kids come from? They've definetely got game.

At the end of regulation, the game was tied at 50pts. Things got a little scary for Carolina when their "best" player fouled out, but after a 3pt shot in the last minutes of overtime by another fantastic player, they sealed their fate. One championship down and another in their sites.

Yesterday was a great day for tournament play. UNC went on to play A & M in the softball finals just a short time after their basketball game. A & M's big hitters were too much for the Heels. I mean, A & M has some BIG hitters. It is really fun to watch these guys crack that bat. The final score was 6-5.

Don't fret Carolina fans, because UNC has stayed alive in soccer. Although they went down in hockey last night, today they'll play for the soccer championship. Go Heels!

Lots of highlights from yesterday's games. Duke and Penn State played into overtime in lacrosse. Duke managed to stay alive and will play for the championship today. Check out all the scores below.

Today we've got a lot in store for the group. There will be a soccer tournament for those not participating in championship games. We've got two Davidson grads hosting a football game. They'll separate to form two teams of 13 and 14 year olds. Finally, we'll get to see the counselors play in a staff softball game and a staff basketball game. Tonight is our final campfire and tomorrow is the big send off. I can't believe three weeks have almost passed. Seems like yesterday we were just greeting your little guys.

We wish you all safe travels and see you tomorrow!

Morning Games
Basketball Virginia - 41 Penn State - 25
Football UNC - 31 Stanford - 13
Soccer Michigan - 3 LSU - 2
Softball Texas AM - 13 Notre Dame - 5

Mid morning games
Hockey Penn State -5 LSU - 4
Lacrosse UNC - 5 Notre Dame - 1
Softball Texas AM - 8 Duke – 3
Basketball UNC - 57 Virginia – 54 OT Championship Game!
Lacrosse Duke - 3 Texas AM - 2

Afternoon Games
Hockey Stanford - 9 Michigan - 2
Softball Texas AM - 6 UNC - 5 Championship Game!

Evening Games
Football Virginia - 19 LSU - 13
Lacrosse Duke – 4 Penn State – 3 OT
Soccer UNC - 3 Texas AM - 1
Hockey Stanford - 5 UNC - 1

Kings Dominon 2010

2010-07-08T17:27:00.000-04:00

We picked up some new campers at Kings Dominion yesterday... A couple of our counselors won these guys at the basketball shoot. Which of you lucky families will get to take one of these home with you on Saturday? They're not staying at my house!

The guys had a great trip. Despite the heat they enjoyed riding their favorite rides and a little water fun at the water park. Kings Dominion is located slightly north of Richmond. The drive is only about 90 minutes from campus.

Kings Dominion has 400 acres of what they call the most hair-raising rides, the wettest water park, the most sizzling stage shows, and tons of other cool stuff everyone can enjoy. Our guys seemed to have a blast. The park attendance was down, so they were able to ride over and over and over again.

Favorites? The DOMINATOR! This 4,210-foot steel coaster is the longest floorless coaster in the world. Apparently you fly through the air at up to 67 mph.. Too much for me. Better yet is the Intimidator 305 - if you like that sort of thing - it claims to be the biggest, baddest and meanest coaster in the Mid-Atlantic. Other camper/counselor favorites include the Anaconda, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Beserker and The Drop Tower. I hate to watch the drop tower... it makes my stomach turn just watching it.

If you are a non-coaster person, and we had a few of those, there is an entire area with other rides. You've got White Water Canyon, The Carousel, Ferris Wheel, Flying Eagles and the Boo Blaster. Plus, there is the water park and I happen to know that a few of the groups spent some time in this area.

The guys had a great time snacking on "fair" food and of course, the last minute trip to the candy store. All seemed to sleep well last night. They look good today. We've had some really great play-off games and a couple of championship matches as well. Look for tomorrow morning's update!

Victorious

2010-07-07T07:56:00.000-04:00

The LSU Tigers were successful in taking down the undefeated Duke Blue Devils in soccer yesterday. This would go on to be our biggest upset of the day. The final score was 3-1. LSU came to play and they were excited!

It was a full day of tournament play. There were many close games. We're so proud of how the coaches and campers have stepped up this week. Everyone has taken their play to the next level.

Although a couple of teams have been completely eliminated from tournament play, they didn't go down without a fight. Miami had some tough matches. Their first game of the day was against Notre Dame in Lacrosse and this one went into overtime. Unfortunately for the U they came up short because of a last minute goal by the Irish. That didn't stop them from holding their heads high when they went over to the soccer field. They came ready to play the Wolverines but it wasn't enough. The Wolverines have gotten quite scrappy this week. Victory was theirs from the very beginning. They were clicking in every aspect of this game and pulled off a BIG WIN at 5-1.

The Ohio State Buckeyes were our other team to fall out of the tournament. Although they were a top seed in Lacrosse and Hockey, they couldn't pull off a win. Yesterday they lost to the Nittany Lions of Penn State. It was a tough match on a hot field during mid-morning play. They never gave up, but the Lions were just on their game.

You are probably wondering about UNC. Well, they've proved to be the most successful team in camp (as far as W's and L's go). It's one thing to win as many regular season games as they did, but it's another to remain undefeated during the tournament. They have accomplished just that. They're still undefeated in every game they've played this week. Duke gave them a run for their money in an overtime hockey game yesterday morning. In the end it was Carolina 3 - Duke 2. That would be their only "close" game of the day.

So what are the guys doing if they're not playing in a tournament game? Coaches have the choice of practicing for their next sport, enjoying one of our pools or as in the case last night... playing in a "semi-organized" game of some sort. Last night the older boys from a few teams got together for some fun on the softball field and the younger guys played a pick up soccer game. Things got pretty goofy on both fields. They had a great time. It was fabulous to see them let loose and just PLAY!

The camp is ready for a big day today. Should be fun for all. They're looking forward to a break from the heavy competition.

Yesterdays scores:
Basketball Texas AM– 27 Michigan - 24
Hockey Duke - 4 Virginia - 3
Lacrosse Notre Dame – 4 Miami - 3 OT
Soccer Stanford – 2 (3-1 PK) Texas - 2

Midmorning
Football LSU Texas AM
Hockey UNC – 3 Duke – 2 OT
Lacrosse Penn State - 5 Ohio State - 3
Soccer Michigan - 5 Miami - 1
Softball Virginia – 9 Texas – 8 EI

Afternoon
Football Stanford -21 Penn State 20 Two point conversion with 5 seconds left
Hockey Texas - 4 Notre Dame - 3
Soccer LSU - 3 Duke – 1 Huge upset. Duke was undefeated.
Softball UNC - 8 Virginia - 2

Late Afternoon
Basketball UNC - 45 Texas AM - 30
Football Virginia - 7 Texas - 0
Softball Duke - 6 Stanford - 3

Evening
Basketball Virginia - 44 Duke - 28
Basketball Penn State – 52 Miami - 38
Soccer UNC - 5 Stanford - 3
Hockey LSU - 6 Texas - 3

Championship Week Begins!

2010-07-06T08:08:00.000-04:00

The perfect goal. There wasn't anything Virginia could have done about this shot. The Texas A & M players worked the ball all the way up the field to set up this goal. It was SICK (as the guys say...) A & M went on to win this game 3-1.

All of the games were exciting yesterday. There may have been some lopsided scores, which is expected during the first round, but the campers and coaches made the games fun. Some teams had to play 5 games yesterday. They were real good sports about this. Each group kept their chins up and tried their hardest in every match. This is quite an accomplishment and excactly what we are looking for at this point in camp. The "team" concept has caught on. You never want to let your team down, so play as hard as you can... "Every player, Every Play".

LSU upset Penn State in soccer. This was our biggest upset of the day. LSU had only won one other soccer game during regular play. The game was tied after the second overtime period, so it went into PK mode. Each team takes 5 penalty kicks. The team with the most successful PK's wins. Yesterday, that was LSU. They had 3 successful PK's to Penn State's 2. LSU went crazy... You could hear the elation all the way over at the football stadium!

Yesterday's Results:
9am Games
Basketball Stanford - 35 Texas 27
Football Notre Dame - 20 Miami - 0
Lacrosse Penn State - 6 LSU - 2
Soccer Texas AM - 6 Ohio State - 1
Softball UNC - 8 Michigan - 6

10:45am Games

Basketball Miami - 38 Notre Dame - 35
Football Texas AM - 19 Duke - 18
Lacrosse Virginia - 4 Texas - 3
Soccer LSU – 2 (3-2 PK ) Penn State - 2
Softball Stanford - 5 Ohio State - 3

2:45pm Games
Football Stanford - 13 Ohio State - 0
Lacrosse Duke - 6 Michigan - 3
Soccer Miami - 3 Notre Dame - 2
Softball UNC – 5 Penn State - 3
Basketball Texas AM - 39 Ohio State - 18

4:30pm Games
Football Texas - 27 Michigan - 20
Lacrosse Stanford - 2 Virginia - 1
Hockey Penn State – 4 Miami - 1
Softball Notre Dame - 7 LSU - 6
Basketball Duke 45 LSU - 32

7pm Games
Football UNC – 27 Notre Dame - 6
Hockey Penn State - 5 Ohio State - 3
Soccer Texas AM - 3 Virginia - 1
Softball Texas - 8 Miami - 1

8:15pm Games
Basketball UNC - 54 Stanford - 31

Hockey Michigan – 3 Texas AM -2

Red, White and Blue

2010-07-05T08:12:00.000-04:00

A few of our veteran campers got together to show off their red, white and blue yesterday. The entire camp celebrated the July 4th holiday by participating in various competitions. We finished the day by having a traditional cook out down by the pool complete with burgers, dogs, pool games and sand volleyball. It was a perfect day.

We began our day with a meeting outside the Dick Gym. Coach Alexander spoke about what July 4th really means. He encouraged the group to think about the men and women that sacrificed so much to give our country it's freedom.

Additionally, the meeting included an explanation of how the day would proceed. There would be a series of challenges at various places. In the morning session some of the events would have to occur at the same time.

Finally, we wrapped it up by awarding campers of the day from Saturday. The group then eagerly headed down the hill to disperse to the various events. At this time they could either hang out at one of three golf holes, view the swim relay or watch the lacrosse or soccer shootout.

During the individual competitions that were held earlier in the week, the teams determined who would represent them in the July 4 events. Each team chose one representative. In golf, the player would play three holes. These groups were set up by conference, so we had three groups of four players. They played the first three holes of Woodberry's nine hole golf course. Coach Marc Hogan hosted the groups.

Over at the indoor pool, the swimmers were involved in a 50 yard swim. There were two different heats with five campers per heat. The top times would compete in the final heat.

The lacrosse shoot out was a little different this year. Not only did we have an actual goalie to shoot at, we allowed a camper and counselor at this position. Each competing camper took 10 shots in 30 seconds. The soccer shoot out was similar, however we only allowed a counselor to act as goal keeper. Here too, the camper was allowed 10 shots in 30 seconds.

Once the lacrosse and soccer shoot-outs wrapped up, the group headed over to the track or the football field for a couple of more events. On the track we held the 400 meter run. At Johnson Stadium runners competed in the 100 yard dash.

By 11:30 groups either gathered inside the Barbee Center for the basketball shootout or they headed up the hill for the Tennis tournament or Strongest Man competition. At the basketball event, campers were given 10 shots in 30 seconds: Ten balls were placed behind cones two (2) feet inside 3 point line, they were to pick-up ball and shoot from behind the cone. The Tennis challenge included shots to designated spots, down the line, cross court, back hand shots and volleys. WOW, we have a talented group of tennis players. I wish I had their skills! Inside the Glover Fitness Center, at the strongest man challenge, campers were asked to do dips, pull ups and push ups.

Finally, it was time for lunch and rest period. We had a big afternoon in store, so it important that the guys take a rest before we got together again.

The afternoon began with a wrestling tournament down at the Barbee Center. This is always a favorite and draws a loud crowd. Wrestlers were divided into weight classes. The first wrestler with two take downs wins and moves on to the semi-finals and then the finals. This is one of the most exciting events of the day.

Once that was finished we moved outside to the Home Run Derby. We set this up a little differently this year. There were far more home runs, so it was a good move. This is also a group favorite. Lots of cheering for these guys. There is something about that sound - when the bat hits the ball just right?... you just know it's going out of the park!

The Quarterback Challenge was held at Johnson Stadium. This is always a fun event. Coach Alexander acts as a moving target driving a golf cart from one side of the field to the next. Loud cheers come from that crowd whenever the quarterback contestant hits the cart. They're especially loud if the coach gets hit! In addition to a moving target, the camper is to hit various spots on the field.

Finally, it was time for the Tug of War. Instead of doing this down at the pool, we decided to finish the challenges at the stadium. In the end it was Texas that was victorious. They were the tug of war champions this year.

The challenges were wrapped up by 4:30pm. The group headed into the Barbee for showers and then took off for the dorms for a short rest period. Around 6pm they descended to the pool for dinner and fun. For the next two hours they frolicked at the volleyball courts or in the pool. I even saw one group playing an interesting game of "soccer". It was some form of soccer, not quite soccer, but it appeared to be fun. Teams got together to play "the sponge game". The winner of this receives free milk shakes at the Fir Tree this week. Several campers and counselors got together for a diving competition. Coach Alexander rated each guy as he showed off his diving skills. Eventually, the other end of the pool watched in amazement as well.

By 8:30pm all campers were on dorm and getting ready for lights out. Another successful July 4th Celebration has passed. This morning we gear up for Tournament play. The brackets are set and Coach is all fired up to give his motivational pre-tournament speech.

Enjoy your week.

The Draft

2010-07-04T09:08:00.004-04:00

Last night we held the 4th Annual Sports Camp Counselor Draft. The draft is held each year prior to our trip to Kings Dominion. During the week the campers were asked to join together with 3 or 4 other campers to form a team they would like to travel with around Kings Dominion. They came up with a name for their team. Some of the names included; Platypus Norwals, The Stars, The Foxy Stonecrabs and The Rabid Bunnies. Yes, rabid...The team then had to choose several counselors they would like to have as their chaperone. The chaperones were put in order of 1st choice, 2nd and so on.

After our evening games, the camp enjoyed pizza at the Barbee and then everyone headed to Slane Lecture Hall. Each counselor eligible for the draft had his name placed on the large board at the front of the hall. The names of the camper teams were on index cards. Coach Alexander chose a card, read the names and then the team assembled in the front of the room to determine which counselor from their list they would draft. The first team chose Ade Oyalowo. He was the first pick of the first round. I believe that's two years in a row. Ade must really be a fun guy. You could hear cheers from the team that picked first, but heavy sighs from a lot of other teams! He must have been on the top of many lists...

Prior to the beginning of the draft we held a "dance off"... last year an impromptu dance contest took place, so we decided to run with it again this year. Each time a counselor gets drafted, a special song is played as the counselor decends down the steps to meet his new team. This is why we had the music, thus the dance contest. This year one camper from each conference was chosen to represent the conference. The camper then came up to the front of the room with the other three contestants. They all danced to the same song. At the end of the music the entire camp voted on who should compete against counselor/coach Landrus Lewis in the final dance off. The finalist was chosen by how loud of a cheer he got. Well, not sure how it was determined because the cheers were incredibly loud for each camper. Did you know your kids can dance? Wow, I mean... we really saw some moves. These guys are not shy. In the end it was a little guy from UVA that competed against Landrus. He was amazing!

All in all last night was a lot of fun. I'm glad I only had to put one little (pseudo) camper to bed. The coaches must have had their hands full because these guys were wound up by the time it was all over. Fortunately today is a sleep in day.

We're really looking forward to the 4th of July festivities. Today we travel around the sports fields and courts for the 4th of July competitions which are individual based on age group. In the late afternoon we head to the pool for volleyball, swimming, tug of war match and a cook out with burgers and stuff! It looks like it's going to be a fabulous day.

Yesterdays scores:

Morning
Basketball
Michigan - 32 Stanford - 24
Football
Virginia - 36 Miami - 13
Hockey
Texas - 5 Texas AM - 4 OT
Lacrosse
Duke - 6 Notre Dame - 4
Soccer
LSU - 2 ( 3-0 PK ) Ohio State - 2
Softball
UNC - 4 Penn State - 2

Afternoon Games
Basketball
Texas - 22 Stanford - 21
Football
Michigan - 13 Ohio State - 0
Hockey
Miami - 2 Virginia - 1
Softball
Penn State - 10 Notre Dame - 0

Evening Games
Basketball
Miami - 32 Ohio State - 7
Football
Notre Dame - 13 Duke - 12
Hockey
Stanford - 7 Texas - 1
Lacrosse
UNC - 4 Virginia - 1
Soccer
Texas AM - 2 Penn State - 1
Softball
Michigan - 11 LSU - 1

The Team, The Team, The Team - Bo Schembechler

2010-07-03T08:44:00.000-04:00

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is a process; working together is success.

Henry Ford

Each night the teams gather for their values meetings. Values Meeting number four focused on Teamwork and Love. As we get ready for tournament play beginning on Monday, it's interesting to see the dynamics of each team. This year, I have to say, all twelve teams have bonded and show strength. Some bonds are stronger than others, but for the most part we have TEAMS. This will be a big factor during next week. We're all looking forward to seeing how things play out. As coach said in yesterday's meeting, first seeds will succeed, but there will be upsets!

Together

Everyone

Achieves

Last night's camfire was fun. The Midwest conference performed their skits along with LSU. It was obvious that this weeks teams put a little more effort into their skits. The subject matter was a little more interesting and lot more funny. After almost two weeks of camp, they certainly had more material to work with. My personal favorite? Michigan's mocking of Coach Alexander... it was hilarious.

Additionally, the coaches handed out their camper of week awards and then the cleanest rooms were announced. This week's winners included Michigan for their skit and Texas for the cleanest rooms. Both will receive a pizza party later in the week. After the campfire, those who wanted to stay behind at the campsite to hear spooky stories were welcome. All others made a dash up the trail to head back to dorm. It's tradition to tell stories of the Rapidan Man and the haunted Woodberry house. From what I hear, the counselors do a great job. I wonder how much the stories have changed over the years? And, I wonder where this haunted house is... I'm still unclear about that. One thing I do know, is that I never walk my dog by the river at night!

Today we will continue with the individual sport competitions and interconference games. Tonight, however, is our annual "Kings Dominion Draft". This is so much fun. The campers LOVE it! All counselors that will be making the trip to Kings Dominion are put into the draft. The campers have gathered together with their buddies to form small teams. Each team has about 5 campers on it. This is the group they will travel around with at Kings Dominion. Each team is either a "coaster" team or a "non-coaster" team. They are given a number. The first number picked, gets to have first choice of which counselor they wish to be with at KD. This draft happens in Edwards lecture hall. It's designed after the NFL football draft and is an absolute riot. We'll update you with details tomorrow!

Morning Games

Basketball

Michigan - 31 Texas - 24
Football
Virginia - 12 Penn State - 6
Hockey
Stanford - 6 LSU - 5
Lacrosse
UNC - 6 Texas AM - 2
Soccer
Notre Dame - 1 ( 3-2 PK ) Ohio State - 1
Softball
Duke - 13 Miami - 3

Afternoon Games
Basketball
UNC - 51 Virginia - 46 OT
Football
LSU - 26 Texas AM - 12
Hockey
Duke - 4 Miami - 3
Lacrosse
Notre Dame - 4 Texas - 3 OT
Soccer
Stanford - 2 ( 3-1 PK ) Penn State - 2
Softball
Ohio State - 6 Michigan - 5

Basketball

Penn State - 40 Texas AM - 30
Football
UNC - 30 Stanford - 0
Hockey
LSU - 1 Notre Dame - 0
Lacrosse
Miami - 3 Michigan - 2
Soccer
Duke - 6 Texas - 3
Softball
Ohio State - 10 Virginia - 3

Individuals

2010-07-02T07:26:00.000-04:00

For the past two weeks the campers have been gathering daily with their individual groups for instruction. These groups are set up by age and the boys stay with the same group throughout camp. They've been going to activities such as strength training, wrestling, basketball, swimming, football, tennis, golf, soccer and lacrosse. Each group is made up of about only 10 boys, so with several counselors at each activity, they are able to get good personal attention. The above photo is part of a group of 10 year olds.

Yesterday I just happen to stop by the football field as I was heading up the hill. I'm so glad I did. This group was divided into defense and offense to compete using the skills they've been learning. The group in the picture was the offense coming up with the plan. Ryan - the other coach Alexander - looked at me and said, "they don't even ask me what they should run"... meaning by now, they had their own plays, everyone agreed and they're just going for it! What a hoot... Well, they ran the play and it worked beautifully. They were so excited and showed it in only a way that ten year olds can. It was priceless. BTW, thanks for trusting us with your little guys. They are precious and we are so lucky to have such a group here this summer!

The counselors are assigned to these activities based on their experience. So, if a counselor is or was a wrestler at WFS or college, he would be assigned to wrestling skills. The campers have been rotated through these activities several times throughout camp. Today they will come together with the other campers in their age group for competitions. Each boy is tested in the skill. Ribbons will be handed out to the top campers in the age group. The boys will see these ribbons in their departing packets. Every boy is recognized as having improved in the skill. Our counselors and campers are excellent at providing encouragement and praise of each young man during these sessions.

The campers and counselors are looking forward to the change in activities today. This will take place over the next two days during our regularly scheduled individual instruction session. The rest of the daily schedule remains the same with interconference games, meals, rest period, etc.. Tonight will be our second campfire night. We're looking forward to seeing some great skits and presentation of the camper of the week awards.

Today promises to be another beautiful one. Temperatures are expected in the low 80's. Enjoy looking over yesterday's scores and have a blessed day.

Morning Games
Basketball
Michigan - 33 Ohio State- 4
Football
Penn State 14 Duke - 0
Hockey
LSU - 4 Miami - 1
Lacrosse
Texas AM - 2 Texas - 2 OT
Soccer
Stanford - 4 Notre Dame - 0
Softball
UNC - 7 Virginia - 6 Extra innings

Afternoon Games
Basketball
Virginia - 30 Penn State - 26
Football
LSU- 6 Michigan - 2
Hockey
Duke - 6 Texas AM - 3
Lacrosse
Miami -3 Notre Dame - 2
Soccer
UNC - 4 Texas - 1
Softball
Ohio State - 6 Stanford - 5

Evening Games
Basketball
LSU - 28 Stanford - 26
Football
Texas AM - 20 Virginia - 19 OT
Hockey
Michigan - 2 Notre Dame - 1
Lacrosse
UNC - 6 Duke - 3
Soccer
Miami - 1 Ohio State - 0
Softball
Penn State - 8 Texas - 2

Success!

2010-07-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

Things weren't really going as planned for the Irish on Wednesday. A couple of close losses earlier in the day, but at last night's softball match up against Michigan, they pulled off a win. As you can see they were giddy with excitement. What's amazing about this group is that they've probably dealt with more adversity than any other team. They're down two players due to injury, but still they remain positive and upbeat. When I asked them about their basketball game yesterday, instead of immediately telling me of the loss, they began with, "we did really well and almost won!" Now that's positivity. Way to go Irish!

Overall Wednesday was a fabulous day. The skies were blue and I believe it didn't even hit 80 degrees yesterday. It was glorious. The kids and counselors are staying energized and for that we are grateful.

It was a typical day at camp with morning meeting, games, individual instruction, lunch, rest period, clinics, more games, dinner and the final set of games. Then teams proceeded to dorm to conduct values meetings and hopefully fit in a trip to the Fir Tree. To end a successful day, Notre Dame headed out to the camp site with Texas A&M for a great night under the stars. I bet there were a lot of them too with such a clear sky.

Wow, do we really do all that in one day? Yes, and amazingly the group is geared up and ready to do it again the next morning. Still having fun....

Game Results:
Morning
Basketball
Texas AM - 49 Texas - 46
Football
Stanford - 26 Notre Dame - 25
Hockey
UNC - 3 Virginia - 1
Lacrosse
Ohio State - 4 Michigan - 0
Soccer
Duke - 2 ( 5-3 PK ) Penn State - 2
Softball
Miami - 12 LSU - 2

Afternoon
Basketball
Miami - 39 Notre Dame - 31
Football
UNC - 41 Texas - 14
Hockey
Stanford - 6 Ohio State - 5 OT
Lacrosse
Virginia - 4 Penn State - 2
Soccer
Michigan - 4 LSU- 1
Softball
Duke - 14 Texas AM - 4

Evening
Basketball
UNC - 52 Duke - 42
Football
Miami - 12 Ohio State - 7
Hockey
Texas - 3 Penn State - 2
Lacrosse
Stanford - 4 LSU- 2
Soccer
Virginia - 2 Texas AM - 0
Softball
Notre Dame - 4 Michigan - 2

Motivation!

2010-06-30T08:28:00.000-04:00

"Greatness is not marked by perfection, but by the ability to constantly overcome adversity and failure."

- Nike

We're well into camp and as I look around I see challenges, successes, wins and losses. There isn't one team here that has had an "easy" time of it. These kids have all had to deal with adversity at some point in camp. Amazingly each team has managed to deal with all situations in a positive way. We're very proud of our campers and our counselors. This years Sports Camp has reached the halfway point and so far it's been a wonderful session.

Today promises to be a glorious day in Central Virginia. We're expecting temperatures of only 80 degrees. WOW! It's going to be great. Enjoy looking at yesterdays scores and slide show.

Morning Games
Basketball

Michigan - 33 Texas - 29
Football
Texas AM - 21 Ohio State - 0
Hockey
Stanford - 11 Notre Dame - 5
Lacrosse
Penn State - 6 Duke - 5
Soccer
UNC - 6 Miami - 1
Softball
Virginia - 14 LSU- 4

Afternoon Make Up Games
Football
Virginia - 12 Duke - 6
Lacrosse
Texas AM - 3 Notre Dame - 1
Soccer
Michigan - 3 Stanford - 2
Softball
Texas - 6 Ohio State - 4

Afternoon Games
Basketball
Texas AM - 31 Notre Dame - 24
Football
Stanford - 31 Michigan - 13
Hockey
Ohio State- 6 Texas - 5
Lacrosse
UNC - 7 LSU - 0
Soccer
Duke - 3 Virginia - 1
Softball
Penn State - 4 Miami - 3

Evening Games
Basketball
Stanford - 32 Ohio State - 22
Football
Texas - 19 Notre Dame - 6
Hockey
Texas AM - 6 Michigan - 3
Lacrosse
Virginia - 4 Miami - 2
Soccer
Penn State - 6 LSU- 1
Softball
Duke - 8 UNC - 1

Wet and Wild!

2010-06-29T09:23:00.002-04:00

Yesterday the camp traveled to Water Country USA. The group was bright eyed and eager to get on the buses and head down to Williamsburg, VA. Just prior to 9am they loaded up and headed out for the 2.5 hour drive southeast.

It was HOT down there. What a great day to enjoy the park. As the mid-Atlantic’s largest water park, Water Country USA has 43 acres of pools, lazy rivers and water rides. The boys had a blast at “Rock ‘n’ Roll Island,” which features nearly 600 feet of body slides, a 700-foot lazy river and a 9,000-square-foot pool. Rock ‘n’ Roll Island celebrates the music of the 1950s and ‘60s – the era that all of Water Country USA is themed after. They also took a “cruise” down Hubba Hubba Highway, Water Country USA’s radical river adventure.

In the late afternoon, groups gathered at the many eating sites to enjoy dinner together. If they were lucky with time to spare, they were off to visit the candy store. Traditionally the campers flock to the candy store loading up on the all their favorites. By the end of the 2.5 hour trip back to Woodberry, the candy is gone and the kids are peacefully catching some zzz's on the bus.

I bet they all slept well last night. It was another successful trip to the water park. Hopefully they are all ready to go today. We will have some make up games during clinic time again. That means some teams could possibly play four games today. Fortunately we're expecting better weather. Only 90 degrees today! Can you believe we're thrilled about 90? Tomorrow a major cool down begins.... 80 degrees or so for the next several days after. Whew... we need it.

Many thanks go out to Coach Nick Hahnenberg for taking photos yesterday. Great job Nick!

At the End it Doesn't Really Matter!

2010-06-28T15:28:00.003-04:00

Although the soccer game between Notre Dame and Texas was a bit of a blow out last night, the guys had a good time and exhibited great sportsmanship. That's really what it's all about here. Each day there is some heavy competition and emotions run high, but at the end of it all, the boys have learned a lot about each other and are becoming good friends.

Sunday morning began with morning meeting and Coach Stowers spoke about how the campers, counselors and administrators should each use the break times for reflection. He said they should realize what they are learning here is not just about "the winning goal" or how you let a guy "get by you". He relayed some thoughts from John Wooden, what you are as a person is the truest test of a man's character, not how you perform on the court. Essentially, how we treat each other is key. He encouraged them to think about what they do when no one is watching and that they should not measure themselves by what they do on the fields or on the court. He asked them to think about the effect they have on other people, other kids. Coach Stowers encouraged the group to understand that the decisions they are making now, will be reflected in the person they will become.

This is an important message to relay to these boys at this point in camp. Week two begins another round of regular camp games. At the end of this week, the teams will be seeded into tournament play. With the help of Coach Stowers message and support from the coaches and administrators, the boys need to focus not only on the wins, losses, and personal play, but also their actions towards others. They need to be encouraging and supportive. It was a great beginning to a very full Sunday!

Just as rest period was ending we had a storm brew up. Once it blew by, we shuttled the kids down to the Barbee center for some impromptu fun. I have to hand it to Coach Alexander, he is always on the ball with a Plan B! This time the whole group witnessed a Dunk Contest. Counselors and administrators took part in this. The finalist for a show down with Coach Stowers is CJ Prosise. CJ will be a junior here at WFS next year. He is an amazing athlete, bright student and all around great guy! His dunk was UNBELIEVABLE... I wish I had a better photo of it... let me give you some details... place a counselor (who happens to be on the smaller side) in front of the basket... then proceed to dunk over him. The place went crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once the excitement was over, a few teams had regular game match ups in basketball and hockey. The rest of the teams played a dodgeball tournament. Winner of that? Texas A&M. Go Aggies!

Game Results:
Morning Games
Basketball
Penn State - 37 Duke- 23
Football
UNC - 40 Miami - 0
Hockey
LSU - 7 Virginia - 2
Lacrosse
Michigan - 2 Texas - 1
Soccer
Texas AM - 1 Ohio State - 0
Softball
Stanford - 5 Notre Dame - 4

Afternoon Games
Basketball
UNC - 38 LSU- 17
Notre Dame- 26 Michigan - 25
Hockey
Penn State - 6 Miami - 4
Football
Duke Virginia - Cancelled
Lacrosse
Notre Dame Texas AM - Cancelled
Soccer
Michigan Stanford - Cancelled
Softball
Ohio State Texas - Cancelled

Evening Games
Basketball
Virginia - 39 Miami - 33
Football
LSU - 26 Penn State - 20
Hockey
Duke - 5 UNC - 4
Lacrosse
Stanford - 3 Ohio State -2
Soccer
Texas - 7 Notre Dame - 1
Softball
Texas AM - 8 Michigan - 1

Tough Losses and Great Wins!

2010-06-27T07:53:00.001-04:00

The campers have really learned a lot this week about handling adversity and success. Yesterday UNC went down in the first round of games. Notre Dame outscored them in softball 4-2. It was a great winning streak while it lasted. They held it together the rest of the day and came back to win their last two games. Notre Dame however couldn't pull themselves back together after the big win. They took it on the chin in their remaining two games.

Although the USA World Cup team couldn't pull off a win, the campers and counselors still enjoyed watching the game. Groups gathered in various areas around campus to check it out. The rest and cool air was a welcome mid-day treat.

Last night we were able to get back to camping. Did I mention earlier in the week that storms had damaged our tents beyond repair? The storm that ripped through brought high winds and hail. Although brief it really made a mess of the campsite. We were able to replace the tents and the site was ready to go. Penn State and Miami enjoyed a night under the stars while feasting on weenies and smores.

Today is sleep in day! The camp cheered during yesterday's morning meeting when Coach Alexander let them know they would have an extra hour to sleep in today. Everything until lunch time is pushed back an hour. We'll start the day with a warm healthy breakfast and then come together for fellowship on the steps of the Dick Gym. We're looking forward to some inspirational words from Coach Stowers and Coach Ryan Alexander.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.... Tomorrow is a special day at the camp... check out the blog on Tuesday for details!

Morning Games

Basketball

Texas - 30 Miami - 29
Football
Stanford - 13 Duke - 6
Hockey
LSU - 4 Texas AM - 0
Lacrosse
Ohio State - 4 Virginia - 2
Soccer
Penn State - 3 Michigan - 2 OT
Softball
Notre Dame - 4 UNC - 2

Afternoon Games
Basketball
Texas AM - 48 Duke- 37
Football
LSU - 24 Texas - 12
Hockey
Stanford - 7 Miami - 4
Lacrosse
UNC - 6 Michigan - 0
Soccer
Virginia - 3 Notre Dame - 0
Softball
Penn State - 11 Ohio State - 7

Evening Games
Basketball
Stanford - 39 LSU - 20
Football
Texas AM - 26 Miami - 6
Hockey
Texas - 7 Duke- 6
Lacrosse
Penn State - 4 Notre Dame -1
Soccer
UNC - 4 Ohio State - 1
Softball
Virginia- 7 Michigan - 2

Burn Baby Burn

2010-06-26T09:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was campfire day! The end of our first week. Can you believe it? This week seemed to just fly by and what a great first week.

Friday was busy, busy... In lieu of afternoon clinics, we played our make-up games. Due to the storm the other day, we had to cancel our outdoor evening games. These were played yesterday at 3pm. Those not involved in these games enjoyed the pool.
In case you haven't heard, UNC is still undefeated. How is this happening? Well, this group has really come together. They are a TEAM in every aspect of the word! They even won the "cleanest" room contest for the week.

Last night was the first of our three campfires. The camper and counselors gathered down at the site located near the outing cabin and shooting range. They were shuttled out there by mini buses after the evening games and canteen. It's just a short hike down a trail lit by lanterns. Coach Ade and Coach Tyler were our hosts last night. They were quite the comedic act. They told a few knock knock jokes and started the ceremony off by teaching the campers some "cheers"... then the "W" was lit as the group cheered "Burn baby Burn" - an old WFS tradition....

The Eastern conference along with Miami performed their skits. Last nights target seemed to be Coach Chip of the U. He's a great sport to put up with being mocked on stage by guys less than 5' tall! Addtionally, camper of the week awards were handed out. These recipients exhibited leadership, athletic ability and the majority of the great camper traits all week long. Then it was time to announce the pizza party winners. The team with the cleanest rooms all week will enjoy pizza tonight! Finally, the team with the best skit was chosen. The team that received the loudest cheer was Penn State. They too will enjoy pizza this evening.

It was a fabulous first week. All is well here at the Forest. We have a special treat in store today... World Cup viewing at 2:30pm.. Should be a great chance for the campers to take a breather and enjoy the a.c. Go USA!!!!

Game Scores:
Morning
Basketball
Virginia- 30 Michigan - 28
Football
UNC - 39 Ohio State - 6
Hockey
Penn State - 7 Notre Dame - 5
Lacrosse
Texas - 3 OT Duke - 4
Soccer
Texas AM - 5 Miami - 1
Softball
Stanford- 4 LSU - 0

Mid Afternoon
Football
Virginia - 20 Stanford - 13
Lacrosse
Ohio State - 2 LSU - 0
Soccer
Duke - 4 Notre Dame - 2
Softball
Miami - 8 Michigan - 1

Afternoon
Basketball
Penn State - 39 Ohio State - 15
Football
Virginia- 12 Notre Dame - 6
Hockey
UNC - 10 Michigan - 4
Lacrosse
Stanford- 4 Miami - 2
Soccer
Texas - 4 LSU - 2
Softball
Texas AM - 5 Duke - 4

Evening
Basketball
UNC - 51 Notre Dame - 28
Football
Penn State - 19 Michigan - 12
Hockey
Ohio State - 3 3-2 shootout Virginia - 3
Lacrosse
Texas AM - 2 LSU - 0
Soccer
Duke - 3 Stanford - 1
Softball
Texas - 6 Miami - 1

You're Out!

2010-06-25T07:41:00.004-04:00

The fourth full day of camp started out at a fast and furious pace. We had two camper of the day awards for each conference to present at the morning meeting. Coach Alexander also had a few things to say about Wednesday's activities and how proud he is of each group and what they accomplished. Addtionally, campers were reminded of the behavior expectations in the dining room and keeping their rooms tidy. For the most part this group of campers has caught on extremely fast and have done a great job not only on dorm but in the dining hall. We are fortunate and blessed to have such fine young men on our campus this summer!

Soon after the meeting everyone headed down to the fields and courts for the morning session of games. Boy was it HOT already. Wow... the sun was already beaming down on the softball field. What a game that was. The Penn State team is full of some really talented ball players, but they were no match for Stanford. Stanford had the hitters..

At mid morning the group dispersed into individuals and then came together during the last morning session for a camp wide clinic on flag football. The campers were able to learn the position they will be playing in their football games. This proved to help the teams tremendously when they came back later in the afternoon for the football matchups.

Post dinner the camp raced down the hill to begin the evening games. We needed to get them started quick as there was a threat of storms in the area. Amazingly both storm cells missed us. One went north and one went south. It was a blessed day here at the Forest! Enjoy yesterdays scores and pics. Did you know? if you click on the slide show you can view it full screen... click on the slide show below, it will take you to Picasa (our host site for photos), then press the F11 key. This will allow you to view the slide show full screen. (click on F11 again to go back to regular screen) and for all you Carolina fans.... UNC is our only undefeated team right now, 7-0... Go Tarheels!

Morning Games
Basketball
Duke- 42 Michigan - 33
Football
Miami - 20 Ohio State - 6
Hockey
LSU - 4 Notre Dame -3
Lacrosse
Virginia - 3 Texas - 1
Soccer
UNC - 3 Texas AM - 1
Softball
Stanford - 4 Penn State - 1

Afternoon Games
Basketball
Miami - 44 Notre Dame - 32
Football
LSU- 14 Michigan - 6
Hockey
Ohio State - 10 Duke - 5
Lacrosse
UNC - 5 Stanford - 2
Soccer
Penn State - 3 Texas - 1
Softball
Virginia - 6 Texas AM - 4

Night Games
Basketball
Ohio State - 25 LSU - 24
Football
Notre Dame - 7 Duke - 0
Hockey
Miami - 3 Michigan - 2
Lacrosse
Texas AM - 3 Penn State - 2 OT
Soccer
Virginia - 2 Stanford - 1
Softball
UNC - 5 Texas - 4

One with Nature

2010-06-24T08:05:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday we changed things up here at camp. Tuesday we asked the campers to decide if they would like to climb Old Rag Mountain or enjoy the World Cup game - USA vs. Algeria and then tackle Woodberry's Perimeter Trail. About 100 campers and staff members chose to conquer the mountain and the remaining chose to stay on campus for the game and perimeter trail hike. What a great game by the way....

As soon as the World Cup game was over they headed out with their sack lunches for a six mile jaunt on our beautiful trail that runs the perimeter of the Woodberry property. It also runs along the river in most areas. Yesterday the air was hot and heavy, so this hike was quite an undertaking. Our trail was recently completed and open to all who wish to walk, run or ride their bike on it. You can't take any old bike though.... It only accomodates the most daring moutain bikers. Coach Ben Hale, english teacher and cross country coach at WFS headed up the group responsible for forging this trail. There are bridges that cross over creeks and trees that had to be trimmed in order to make this trail passable. There are also plenty of places to hop into the water for a refresher if needed. The boys weren't allowed to yesterday though.. .With the storms the night before the water was running rather quickly - not to mention it was completely muddy!

The other group headed out on the buses at around 8:45am. Their destination - Shenandoah National Park...Here they began their quest to reach the top of Old Rag. Old Rag Mountain is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is situated in the park. The drive is just about an hour away from Woodberry. Old Rag is a very challenging 8.8 mile hike and rock scramble with spectacular views. At the summit it sits at 3,291 feet.

Mr. Paul Vickers, a chemistry teacher here at Woodberry led the group on this exciting excursion. He also heads up the Outdoor Programs offered to WFS students during the school year. These programs include hiking and kayaking. We truly appreciate Mr. Vicker's assistance yesterday.

Each camper was asked to pack four bottles of water and their sack lunch. "4 Bottles!", the campers complained... It did add a little extra weight, but staying hydrated was a big concern yesterday. Much to our delight, the temperature even at the base of the mountain was much cooler than back on campus. The group scurried right up the mountain with no problem. For some this has become an annual challenge.

We're very proud of each of our groups and what they accomplished yesterday. After a much needed rest period, we all met up at dinner and then it was time for the evening games. Amazingly, there was a lot of energy and agressive competition last night. It just goes to show, if you set the bar high, they will reach it!

Last nights game results:

Basketball

Duke - 36 LSU - 18
Football
Texas - 19 Miami - 7
Hockey
UNC - 5 Penn State - 4 OT
Lacrosse
Virginia - 4 Michigan - 2
Soccer
Notre Dame - 4 Ohio State -3
Softball
Texas AM - 9 Stanford - 5

Day Three

2010-06-23T07:08:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was a typical summer day up here in Central Virginia. The morning was warm and as the day progressed the temperature continued to rise. By the afternoon a threat of storms lingered in the air. Sure enough thunder prompted a 30 minute delay of the second set of games. During dinner we could hear more banging and booming, but this time the storm actually blew in.

The first group to spend the night out by the skeet range enjoyed a campfire and some snacks. They seemed happy and relatively well rested.
At the morning meeting Coach Alexander commended the troops for a great night on dorm and their excellent behavior in the dining room. I don't know what it is about this group of campers, but this year they really seem to have caught on to the Woodberry Way. Coach gave special praise to the coaches for setting good examples and leading the way. They've been great teachers. Good job guys!

We did manage to play some games after dinner last night. The campers were shuttled down the hill in mini buses. Two basketball games and one hockey game was played in the Barbee. This is actually fun to do once in a while. The teams that sat out because of the cancellations (due to the storm) were able to cheer from the sidelines. This made for an exciting hour of competition. Things cleared up in time for the groups to head up the hill for meetings and Fir Tree. We had to cancel camping due to the threat of more storms.

This morning a good portion of our group is gearing up for a hike up Old Rag Mountain. The rest of camp will stay behind to watch the World Cup match between USA and Algeria. Once the game is finished this same group will hike the Woodberry Perimeter Trail.

Enjoy the game scores and slide show from yesterday!

Basketball
Virginia - 42 Texas – 38
Football
UNC – 20 Texas AM - 13
Hockey
Stanford - 5 Penn State – 4
Lacrosse
Duke – 3 Michigan – 2
Soccer
Ohio State – 1 ( 4-3 PK ) Miami – 1
Softball
Notre Dame - 4 LSU - 0

Basketball
UNC - 53 Stanford - 30
Football
Penn State - 12 Texas - 6
Hockey
Texas AM - 5 Virginia - 4

Lacrosse
Notre Dame - 3 Miami - 2
Soccer
Michigan 5 ( 3-2 PK ) LSU
Softball
Duke - 12 Ohio State - 6

Basketball
Penn State - 37 Texas AM - 29

Football
Stanford Virginia - Cancelled
Hockey
UNC 5 Texas 4 OT
Lacrosse
Ohio State LSU - Cancelled
Soccer
Notre Dame Duke - Cancelled
Basketball
Michigan - 28 Miami - 24

Let The Games Begin

2010-06-22T08:27:00.000-04:00

The first full day of camp went really well. It concluded with the first set of games. Daily we will give you the game results at the end of each blog entry.

The campers and counselors were up and out of the dorms by 8am for breakfast. Then it was time for the morning meeting on the steps of the Dick Gym. Coach Alexander gave an overview of what to expect for the day. The meeting concluded with each conference presenting a "Camperof the Day" award. Each day the counselors will discuss and nominate a camper they believe is worthy of this award. This camper may exhibit all or just some of the qualities of a great camper. The list of characteristics may include leadership, determination, helpfulness, humbleness, "coachability", positivity, etc.. Sometimes this camper just makes a fantastic play on the playing field that cannot go unrewarded!
By 9am the teams were assembled and practicing their choice of sport. Canteen came rather quickly at 10:15 and then the campers were off with their age groups for individual instruction. Each age group is labeled by a professional sports team. That's how we are able to keep them organized. Ten year olds are either Red Wings or Capitals. So, yesterday morning the Capitals gathered on the wrestling mat to work with Will Sutherland on wrestling skills. Will was a four-year wrestler here at WFS. He showed the guys basic skills. As the camp progresses, they will learn more advanced moves. At 11:30 the campers switch to another instruction group. An easy move for the Capitals, they traveled across the Barbee Center to strength training!

By 12:30 the campers were showered and up the hill for lunch time. Rest period soon followed. The boys are asked to stay on dorm and rest during this time. It normally runs from about 1:30pm - 2:45pm. They can join each other in their rooms or the common rooms, but they must not go from place to place or run around. After rest period an entire conference headed down to the outdoor pool. Each camper was asked to swim a a lap before enjoying the "deep end". Once the testing was finished, they got a great game of water volleyball going. The remaining conferences attended the clinics they signed up for in the morning. Daily the campers are asked to sign up for afternoon clinics. These clinics will run for the first several days of camp. If a camper feels he needs additional instruction or would like to learn a new sport, there is an opportunity to do just that. The following were offered yesterday afternoon; basketball with Coach Justus - Head Varsity Basketball coach at WFS, Football, Lacrosse, Baseball with Head Coach Heil - Varsity coach at WFS, Tennis, Golf with Marc Hogan - Head Varsity Golf Coach at WFS and Soccer with Coach Culbertson - Head Varsity Soccer Coach at WFS. These clinics are helpful and fun at the same time.

Canteen time again - 4pm... Soon after, the teams came together to practice the sport they were scheduled to play in the evening. This was their last chance to get prepared for their first official game. It didn't take any time for these teams to come together. This is the quickest I've ever seen the teams come together in the past five years. There are smiles on faces, fists knocking and pats on backs. Considering this year's camp is made up of at least 65% new faces, this is a pretty amazing observation.

Post dinner, we held a short meeting on the Dick Gym steps to give an overview of game play. Coach just wanted the kids to be aware that 50% of them will lose a game. They need to be prepared for victory and defeat. They need to be good sports and supportive of not only their teammate and conference, but also their opponent.
Things went pretty well. The games were exciting and the teams were well matched. We saw some great play in each game. Below are the results.

Basketball
Penn State - 42 Notre Dame – 32
Football
Texas – 7 Texas AM – 6
Hockey
Michigan – 6 Ohio State – 2
Lacrosse
UNC – 2 Duke – 1
Soccer
Miami – 2 Virginia – 1
Softball
LSU – 7 Stanford – 5
Shortly after 8pm, the teams were up the hill. Two teams headed out to the camp site for weenies and smores and the rest of the teams enjoyed the Fir Tree, Values Meetings and lights out by 10pm. All was well on campus last night... Day 2 concluded....

Enjoy yesterday's photos.

Bringin' The Gear!

2010-06-21T08:33:00.007-04:00

Eager campers and their parents descended upon The Forest yesterday to begin the 44th Session of the Woodberry Forest Sports Camp. They began arriving around 9am and continued to move in just after lunch time. Arriving early proved to be a smart move in order to beat the heat.

The heat shouldn't be a problem for our campers though, all three dorms are air conditioned this year. These guys are living in style. Many of our counselors were sports campers themselves and they love to tell the young guys about their days in the hot and muggy dorm rooms... sleepless nights, fans on high!

We have 141 campers this year. 12 teams made up of either 11 or 12 players. The campers were excited to find out what team they were placed on and who their teammates will be. This year we have a few changes. The teams are still based on universities, but we have some new additions. Additionally, during games the teams will be wearing their team colors. The southern conference is made up of; Duke - Duke Blue, LSU - Purple and Miami - Dark Green. The Western conference includes, Stanford - Red, Texas - Burnt Orange, Texas A & M - Burgundy. The Midwest Conference is made up of, Michigan - Maize, Notre Dame - Gold, The Ohio State - White with Red lettering. Finally, The Eastern Conference teams are UNC - Carolina Blue, Penn State - Navy Blue and UVA - Orange.

Once lunch was served the camp met down at the Barbee Center for introductions to the camp staff. At it's conclusion, the campers said good-bye to their parents and then it was time for a few more important discussions. The new campers were given an overview of camp expectations and the veteran campers were given a reminder. This year's theme is "Leadership". In addition to the final week tournament where each team competes with the others, the campers were informed that there is also a Conference Cup! Not only are the teams working to be successful on their own, but they are working as a conference to be successful.

Immediately following the meetings the campers were organized by age and it was off to their individual skill training. Campers were either working on football, golf, swimming, lacrosse, soccer, strength training, wrestling, basketball, baseball or tennis. Then it was time to hit the showers and head to dinner.

Post dinner the teams got together again for practice. Last night the teams could either practice, Basketball, football, softball or lacrosse. I have to say, there is going to be some tough competition this year. Each group looks really good.

Once the showers and snack were finished the campers headed up the hill for the first of several Values Meetings. Last nights topic was "goal setting". Lights were out around 10:00pm. The first night must have gone pretty well.... no calls on the radio. That's a good thing!

We're gearing up for another great day. It's going to be hot, but the guys have been good about hydrating. Lots of breaks... lots of water...

Enjoy the slide show.

44th Session of the Woodberry Forest Sports Camp

2010-06-18T13:09:00.001-04:00

This Sunday June 20th, 2010 the 44th session of Sports Camp will commence. Recently, the creator of the WFS Sports Camp, Coach Red Caughron passed away. He is pictured above with his wife and co-founder Cathy Caughron. This photo was taken during the summer of 1991. Red and Cathy started the camp in 1967 and directed it for the first 25 years. Their tireless dedication and infectious charm made the camp the overwhelming success it is today. We all owe Red and Cathy an immense amount of gratitude for all they have done for the camp. It is our pleasure to continue to uphold the tradition they began 44 years ago. To read more about Coach Caughron please visit the Woodberry Forest School Website. http://www.woodberry.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=550398

Excitement is building on campus today as we eagerly await the arrival of 141 campers on Sunday. We're looking forward to a fun three weeks. Please see the schedule for Sunday below. Safe Travels!

9am -1:30pm Boys arrive. Registration at the Barbee Center
                      Student Store Open

12pm - 1pm   Lunch available in the dining hall.

1:50pm           Introduction of all counselors to campers

2:30pm           Campers go on the field with their team.

Parents should leave campus by 2pm

Goodbye

2009-07-12T09:42:00.006-04:00

On the morning of closing day, coach and I were getting coffee in our kitchen. Our home is connected to the Griffin Dorm and our kitchen specifically is adjacent. Saturday morning we heard the counselors traveling up and down the hallway to wake the campers. It was their last morning to be awakened by their counselor at 7:30am. As they did this loud cheers came from the rooms. It certainly gave us our morning chuckle. After breakfast and morning meeting, the campers were eager to race down the hill to greet their family members and play their last game.

At times it seems like ages ago, but it's still hard to believe it's been three weeks since camp started. As coach said during the closing ceremonies, we've done so much when you look back over the three weeks. The hike, the first campfire, Water Country, Independence Day, The Draft, King's Dominion and the tournaments. Wow, I'm exhausted again just thinking about it all.

Yesterday was bittersweet. Watching the campers and counselors saying goodbye to each other was precious. Some have made new friends during the course of the camp. Some will see each other next year. We hope all have good memories. I know we do. Campus was so quiet once everyone departed. It's a calm we'll enjoy, but only for a while. Reality sets in today that another sports camp has already passed. It was a wonderful three weeks!

This year's coaches did such a great job speaking about their teams yesterday. I hope you were able to get a sense of what your son's team goals were during the camp. If you get a chance, ask them about their "values meetings". The meetings were a big part of the program this year and we hope that each of them embrace what was discussed.

During the closing ceremonies, several awards were presented. Below is an overview of what the awards entail. The Tiger Award and the Honor Camper Award were actually given during the last campfire.

The Honor Camper Awards
It is presented to the member of each team, who has made the most significant contribution to the team in the areas of athletics, sportsmanship, citizenship, and leadership. The Honor Camper is the most dependable and reliable member of the team, not only on the playing field, but in all areas of camp life. It is the highest honor bestowed by the teams coaching staff to a member of their team.

The Tiger Awards
It is presented to the team member who displays considerable athletic talent and a strong desire to win. The winner of the team's Tiger Award is usually the boy who hustles in every sport, leads the team in spirit and sportsmanship, and encourages all members of the team to do their best in all activities.

The Tom Baumann Memorial Spirit Award is given annually to the camper who during his years here has contributed positively to the atmosphere of the camp with his pleasant nature, willingness to participate, and unselfish spirit. The winner of this award is admired by all members of the camp for his zest for life and warm, congenial personality. The award is given in the memory of Tom Baumann, a 1972 Woodberry Forest School graduate and former counselor who possessed these same qualities.

The Sportsmanship Award is given annually to the camper who possesses the qualities which the staff of Woodberry Forest Sports Camp tries so hard to instill in each of our campers. The winner of this award is fair, generous, a respectful loser, and a gracious winner. He encourages his teammates, cheers for his team, and never argues with officials. He maintains a positive attitude at all times and in all situations.

The Team Sportsmanship Award - Woodberry Forest Sports Camp has always taken pride in the fact that good sportsmanship is emphasized just as much as athletic skills during the boys' time here. The Team Sportsmanship Award will be given to the team with the most outstanding record of sportsmanship during the entire camp.

The Moubray Conference Award is given to the conference that finished sports camp with the best overall record in team sports – basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, soccer and softball. The recipient conference will have demonstrated superiority in a variety of team sports as well as balanced athleticism.

The Best Athlete Awards are given to the best all-around athletes in the camp's four age divisions. The recipients of this award are talented in all sports, put forth consistent effort in every game, and continually show supreme effort, determination, and a drive to succeed. A camper's ability to handle adversity and lead his team in a variety of situations is also considered in determining the Best Athlete Award winners.

The Staff Award is given to the camper who, in the eyes of the counselors, has distinguished himself with his helpfulness and positive attitude. The recipient of this award is dependable and willing to give of himself for the benefit of others.

The Richard Glover Leadership Award –It is named in honor of Richard Glover for his many years of leadership and guidance given to the boys of Woodberry Forest Sports Camp and School. He was a Woodberry graduate and a US Marine. He taught history and coached wrestling at Woodberry for many years. He lives and works by the creed: “Fear None, Respect All”.

The Red and Cathy Caughron Award is named for the founders of the camp. Red and Cathy started the camp in 1967 and directed it for the first 25 years. Their tireless dedication and infectious charm made the camp the overwhelming success it is today. We all owe Red and Cathy an immense amount of gratitude for all they have done for the camp. This award is given to the camper who through his dedication to the camp and his team over the years has distinguished him from his fellow campers.

The Outstanding Camper Award is the most prestigious award a camper can earn and it is given to the boy who displays the highest qualities of athleticism, leadership, sportsmanship, responsibility, and fair play. The Outstanding Camper possesses a sense of integrity, character, and maturity that distinguish him from other campers. The recipient of this award has a positive impact on the camp in many areas and his presence makes everyday camp life more pleasant for counselors and campers alike. He serves as a role model for younger campers.

We're so thankful and truly blessed to be a part of this program. We are thankful to all at WFS who help to make this possible. Without the support of this community, it could not happen. Also thank you to all of the parents for trusting Woodberry Forest Sports Camp with your children. They are all special and we have seen that in each in every one of them. It's been a pleasure and a joy. We look forward to having many of you back next year. Additionally, we'll miss those we've gotten to know over the past few years. Putting together the closing slideshow this morning was pretty tough. What a great group of kids and counselors. I hope you enjoy watching it. God bless and have a safe and happy summer.

The Finals!

2009-07-11T08:14:00.003-04:00

The last full day of the 2009 Sports Camp was an exciting one. We started the morning meeting with the Camper of the Day Awards. Coach Alexander also presented the 2009 MVP's. A most valuable player was chosen for each of the six team sports. The camper chosen MVP, excelled throughout camp in this sport. It was a tough decision, but with input from all of the coaches, referees and administrators, the list was chosen.

Soon after the meeting, the group divided up to either watch a basketball playoff game or the championship softball game. Also at this time, Coach Hogan took a group of volunteers on a golf outing. They were lucky enough to play the nine beautiful holes here at Woodberry.

The softball game proved to be a great match up. The Ohio State Buckeyes faced the mighty Florida Gators. The Gators have been strong in every sport throughout the tournament, so the Buckeyes knew they had a challenge. In the end it was the Buckeyes that prevailed. You gotta love those midwest teams! Way to go Buckeyes!

It was still undetermined who was going to play for all the glory in basketball. There were some playoff games before we could get to the championship. These games were played in the Dick Gym where the Tigers play their regular season games.

UNC faced USC in the first morning game. Unfortunately for the Tarheels, they just couldn't stop the Trojans. The Trojans have a real "ringer" on their team. I have to say, it's a joy to watch this guy. He's amazing and we look forward to having him here at WFS soon! UNC fell short with a 14-36 loss. Next up was Michigan and The Ohio State. This turned out to be a pretty good game. In the end it was Michigan over the Buckeyes by a score of 41-37. Michigan's point guard was pretty exciting to watch too. Everyone was looking forward to the USC/Michigan match up to be played later that afternoon.

At mid-morning, the Lacrosse champions were crowned. It was the Florida Gators again. Their tough defense and finesse offense were too much for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The final score was 4-1. Another championship for the Gators! Good job guys!

After lunch we fit in a hockey play off game. Texas took on the Gators. Those Gators had a full day of games. It's amazing they didn't run out of energy. They pulled off the win over the great Longhorns of Texas. The final score was 4-3.

Florida didn't really get to rest after that big win. They had to rush over to the soccer field to take part in another championship game. Once again they faced Notre Dame. Florida remained ahead during most of the match up, but then the Irish came back to tie it up. It remained tied for a good while, but in the end, the Gators finished off the Irish by beating them 4-3. Wow, what a team. Go Gators!

While the soccer game was going on down the hill, the basketball championship was being played in the Dick Gym. The USC Trojans vs. the Wolverines from Michigan. Go Blue! (did I just type that?.. I still have the maize and blue running through my veins, I guess.) My cheering wasn't enough to pull Big Blue through this game. USC was too much for them. The final score was USC 47, Michigan 28. Great job USC!

Finally, it was time for our last championship match up. A large group gathered in the Barbee Center to watch the Gators and the Buckeyes. The Gators were like a bunch of Energizer Bunnies! Even though they didn't pull off the win, they played like the champions that they are. The final was Ohio State 4, Florida 2. A big highlight in that game, was watching the "one timer" by our young "international" camper. This little guy is a great athlete and proved he can do anything. It was his great shot that put Ohio State in the lead for good! Way to go Buckeyes!

You are probably wondering what some of the teams were doing during these games? Well, if they didn't want to watch the playoffs or the championship games, there were some great "pick up" games happening around campus. In the morning a large group got together, under the direction of Coach Stowers for a soccer game. It was the funniest thing I think I've seen all week. The game started out with regular soccer rules, but then turned into some kind of crazy soccer/rugby/football and finally "kindergarten" style play. Sometimes the guys were laughing so hard at themselves, they could barely play. It was fun to watch and their laughing was infectious. Thanks Coach Stowers for a great spontaneous event.

After dinner it was time for the annual staff softball game. The campers gathered around the softball field to watch the counselors and administrators face off in softball. Wow, are they ever competitive. I guess guys never grow out of that! There were some great hits and some great snags. Soon after the game, the group loaded up on the mini buses and headed down to the campsite.

In addition to the Camper of the Week Awards, the Tiger Award and the Honor Camper Award were given out. In between we saw skits from USC, Notre Dame, UVA, LSU and the Referees. The skits were great. They seemed to get better every week. They had great material to work with. We've really got some characters here at camp this year. This weeks cleanest room winner was Florida. Can they do anything wrong??? This group is amazing.

We're looking forward to seeing all of you this morning. It's going to be a great closing day. Safe Travels!

Champions!

2009-07-10T09:47:00.003-04:00

Last night the Trojans of USC were crowned Football Champions of the 2009 WFS Sports Camp. There was a pretty good crowd on hand for the championship game between the Gators of Florida and the USC Trojans. The Gators wore orange and the Trojans wore black.

Last night's game was a classic match up. Both teams showed incredible talent, composure and great coaching throughout the entire camp. Coach Alexander gave the play by play from the press box, which added excitement to the game.

At half time there was still no score. Both defenses were playing well. Not long after the second half started USC picked off a Florida pass to set up a touch down. Later in the fourth quarter the teams traded touchdowns, but as the clock was winding down, so were the possibilities of Florida pulling off the win. In the end the championship belonged to USC. It was a great game and a lot of fun to watch.

Earlier in the day, there were still some playoff games going on. UNC and UVA played into overtime, with UVA, getting the upset. This team has struggled a bit throughout camp, so it was great to see them prevail. In soccer, Notre Dame beat Oklahoma in OT on a penalty kick. Additionally, it took eleven innings for The Ohio State to beat out USC. They'll go on to the softball championship this morning.

Today is a big day. We start out with the Softball Championship followed by the Lacrosse Championship. After lunch the soccer and basketball finals will be played followed by the hockey final. After dinner the entire camp will enjoy the annual staff softball game. This is always a spectator favorite. We'll close out the day with our final campfire which will be full of camper of the week awards, team awards and skits.

Staying Alive!

2009-07-09T08:20:00.005-04:00

Only two days of tournament play left. Some teams were eliminated yesterday. There were some upsets too. At the morning meeting Coach Alexander talked about "Cinderella" and how even at Sports Camp, there can be that "Cinderella Team". He encouraged the players to dig deep, step up and play hard. The campers did just that yesterday. We watched some great match ups.

Today is our second to last day of the Championship Tournament. Tonight the final football game will be played. Will it be, Michigan, UNC, Texas or Florida? We're all excited to find out!

We're expecting another great day here. Temperatures are supposed to be in the low 80's again. It's been absolutely amazing.

Check out yesterday's scores:
Football
USC vs Ohio State 25-13 USC
Michigan vs Duke 13-6 Michigan
Texas vs LSU 13-12 Texas
Florida vs Penn State 12-6 Florida OT

Hockey
Texas vs LSU 6-0 Texas
Oklahoma vs UVA 5-2 Oklahoma
Penn State vs Ohio State 6-2 Ohio State

Lacrosse
Duke vs Notre Dame 4-2 Notre Dame
Florida vs LSU 5-4 Florida
USC vs Ohio State 4-0 USC
Oklahoma vs UNC 3-0 Oklahoma

Soccer
UNC vs Oklahoma 4-2 Oklahoma 4OT
Penn State vs Notre Dame 5-4 Notre Dame
Florida vs USC 4-1 Florida

Softball
USC vs Texas 7-6 USC
Florida vs Oklahoma 13-3 Florida
Notre Dame vs Michigan 9-5 Michigan
Duke vs Ohio State 11-0 Ohio State

Basketball
Oklahoma vs UVS 43-37 UVA
Michigan vs LSU 28-24 Michigan

Championship Play!

2009-07-07T18:00:00.009-04:00

Tuesday was a great day for sports at The Forest. It was a little warmer than what we've been used to for the past two and a half weeks, but we're thankful the humidity was low. The phrase of the day was "hydrate, hydrate, hydrate".

There were five game sessions to kick off the tournament. Not all the teams played during every session. The team's had a choice of practicing for an upcoming game, or enjoy the indoor pool.

Two of today's match ups went into overtime. Penn State and Notre Dame played three overtime periods in Lacrosse. In the end, Notre Dame came out on top. Penn State was also involved in an overtime football game versus UNC. This time they pulled off the win.

The campers are really stepping up their game in tournament play. LSU upset Notre Dame in tonight's final football game. USC squeaked by Michigan in Lacrosse and Penn State held on to beat UNC by one goal in hockey. Tomorrow's games are now set, so it will be interesting to see how things unfold as the week goes on.

Tonight at the Fir Tree the groups were mixing it up with smiles on their faces. It was so fun just watching them laughing and having a good time while enjoying a milkshake or a "Gus" burger. Thirty minutes earlier, they were so serious and emotional in the midst of their games!

Check out today's scores:
Football
Michigan vs Oklahoma 25-13 Michigan
USC vs UVA 20-2 USC
Penn State vs UNC 12-6 OT Penn State
Notre Dame vs LSU 26-20 LSU

Lacrosse
UNC vs UVA 3-2 UNC
Penn State vs Notre Dame 3-2 OT Notre Dame
Texas vs LSU 3-2 LSU
USC vs Michigan 2-1 USC

Soccer
Notre Dame vs Duke 5-0 Notre Dame
Michigan vs Ohio State 3-1 Ohio State
Oklahoma vs LSU 7-1 Oklahoma
USC vs UVA 3-0 USC
Texas vs Ohio State 3-1 Texas

Softball
Texas vs Penn State 14-4 Texas
LSU vs Duke 7-6 Duke
UNC vs Michigan 12-4 Michigan
UVS vs Oklahoma 13-3 Oklahoma

Hockey
USC vs Michigan 6-1 USC
Penn State vs UNC 1-0 Penn State

Basketball
Florida vs Duke 35-29 Florida
Notre Dame vs Penn State 33-28 Penn State

King's Dominion

2009-07-06T22:11:00.006-04:00

Monday morning the entire camp loaded up and headed east and slightly south to King's Dominion. We arrived by 10:30am. The groups assembled to receive their lunch money and apply sunscreen and then they were off.

Several groups lined up first to ride The Dominator. Not only is it the first ride as you enter, it is considered by most to be the best coaster in the park. Some of the groups got back in line to ride it over and over again. I stood underneath to get photos as they rode and the wind tunnel it created was amazing.

This amusement park is set up nicely. There are plenty of shady areas and places to eat all over. They even have a water park. A few of the fellas cooled off later in the afternoon by taking a ride on some of the slides.

Our group wore bright orange WFS Sports Camp t-shirts. They could be spotted all over the park. Centrally located in the park, is a replica of the Eiffel Tower. From the top you can look down and see groups of orange all over. Check out the photos from the tower. I really went beyond my comfort zone to snag those. I'm not a fan of being up so high, but I did appreciate the view.

The camp spent almost eight hours at King's Dominion yesterday. We watched groups get off rides only to get back in line and ride again. A popular ride to go on consecutively was the Drop Tower. This thing takes you up only to drop you down quickly and then stop mid-air. The look on some of their faces was priceless.

Other favorites included Volcano, Anaconda and Hurler. Additionally, we watched guys win prizes at the basketball shoot, football throw and other games. Some of you might be taking home an addition to your family this weekend!

Everyone arrived back on campus safely by 8:15pm. It was a beautiful day. The temperature held in the mid 80's again and cooled off nicely last night. Hopefully the boys slept well and are ready to begin tournament play. The next four days will be really exciting as the road to the championship begins!

Draft Day!

2009-07-06T07:50:00.004-04:00

Sunday here at Woodberry Forest was cool and rainy. After sleeping in an extra hour, the boys enjoyed a hot breakfast and then headed over to the Dick Gym for the morning meeting. As a steady rain fell outside the camp gathered inside on the bleachers. Coach Alexander went over the schedule for the day and then we listened to some words from Coach Frazier Stowers.

Coach Stowers topic was gratitude and thankfulness. He defined these two words through quotes and then asked the group to close their eyes and visualize the people that helped get them to camp. Coach also asked them to think about all the people that help make camp possible at Woodberry from the staff that prepared their breakfast to those that changed the sheets on their beds. He asked them to take time to thank those around them, including their teammates that support them everyday. Coach Stowers words gave us something to reflect upon and were very inspirational. Thanks Coach!

The camp headed down the hill for some big match ups. Despite the light rain, regular games were played all day long. Some very important tournament seeds were set up due to the outcome of Sunday's games.

We had three teams tied for first seed in Lacrosse. #1 Ohio State came out first after winning two important games yesterday. They defeated #1 Oklahoma 3-2 and then #1 Florida 2-1. All three teams were previously undefeated. Go Buckeyes!

In basketball USC and Texas needed to face off in order to determine the number one seed. In the end it was USC over Texas 31-24.

Yesterday's football match up between Texas and Florida turned out to be what Coach Alexander feels was the best football game he's every seen at Sports Camp. Both teams came into the game 5-1. The second seed for the tournament would be determined by this outcome. After 3OT, Florida defeated Texas 38-32!

Today Coach Alexander will finalize championship play. The big games start tomorrow!

After lunch it was time to head over to Slane Lecture Hall for the 3rd Annual Counselor Draft. The campers divided themselves up into groups of 4, 5 or 6. This is the group they will travel around with at King's Dominion. The groups chose 2-3 counselors that they would like to have travel with them at King's Dominion. Each group had a name that they chose. "The Monders" were quite clever with their word play - each boy is from the Richmond area and the "Pansies" was considered appropriate for one of the groups that is made up of "non-coaster" riders.

Each counselor that was eligible for the draft placed their name on the large chalkboard. Coach Alexander shuffled the cards containing the group names and chose randomly. The first group chosen then announced their "draft choice". First up was Aramide Olaniyan. He was this year's number one draft choice. The crowd cheered and "high fived" him as he walked down to greet his group! The draft went on for well over an hour. Between rounds one and two, Coach Alexander spontaneously promoted a dance contest. One of our darling campers vs. Landrus Lewis. In the end, it was the darling camper that won over the crowd. Wow is he talented!

Outside it was pretty gloomy all day, but the camp toughed it out and I have to say Sunday was quite successful. After evening games and canteen the campers headed to dorm with anticipation of another field trip. Today promises to be mid 80's and sunny. We're looking forward to it.

Independence Day

2009-07-04T20:51:00.013-04:00

There were fireworks at Woodberry Forest on Saturday July 4th... Only they weren't at night and they weren't in the sky. All day long campers participated or watched their teammates compete. The "Individual Challenges" began in the morning and stretched right on towards dinner. All twelve teams chose one guy to take part in each challenge.

After the morning meeting and the "Camper of the Day" awards, the camp headed down the hill for the Lacrosse Shootout. Each competitor took 10 shots on the goal in a 30second time period. The shooter with the most number of goals is the champion. The camp went crazy when one camper in particular made about 7 out of 10 shots. It was incredible to watch this fella! We have a lot of talented lacrosse players at camp this year.

The group crossed the road to the soccer field for the Soccer Shootout. This was particularly interesting to watch as the kickers had a target, Aramide Olaniyan, Michigan's assistant coach. While Coach Olaniyan "talked smack" to the kickers, they were given 10 shots and 30 seconds. Again, the participant with the most number of goals wins the challenge. As quick and explosive as Aramide is, these soccer players managed to get in some goals.

At our new outdoor track, twelve runners took part in the 100 Meter Dash. Twelve more participated in the 400 Meter Dash. The camp gathered on the infield to watch the runners. It was so exciting to see the runners gain momentum as they passed the crowd cheering them on. I saw some future Tiger track stars yesterday. It was pretty impressive.

The camp headed inside for the 50 Meter Swim Challenge. Our pool is equipped with an upper level spectator area, so everyone gathered up there to cheer on some future Tiger Sharks. There were two heats of 6 swimmers. The top six times were placed in the final heat. You could see that some of these guys clearly have swim meet experience.

By 11:30am, the camp separated to finish up some more competition's before lunch. Part of the camp stayed for the basketball shootout which was held at the Barbee Center. The rest of the camp headed up the hill for the Strongest Man Competition and the Tennis Challenge.

The hoop stars were given 10 shots to take in 30 seconds. The most baskets defines the winner. The Strongest Man competitors had to do pull ups, dips and push ups. The camper with the highest number in each category is the champion. The upper body strength of some of these boys is really incredible considering their age. The tennis challengers played 10 balls which had to be returned to a target area. The player received points based on whether or not they made the target. Wow, they were really good!

The last challenge prior to lunch was the Home Run Derby. Twelve of the teams best hitters were given a maximum of 20 pitches or 10 hits. Within those hits, the batter with the most "homeruns" is the winner. They had to hit these balls far and they did! To make things real exciting for the crowd, several of our counselors took the challenge. Coach Hannenburg who is a former college baseball player and current high school coach hit 90% of his pitches way out of the park. Of course, Conference Director Frazier Stowers performed equally as well. Coach Stowers just finished his baseball career at Middlebury College in Vermont. Very impressive guys!

Finally, it was lunch time. The morning was really exciting and fast paced. Lunch and rest period was much needed by everyone.

After lunch everyone gathered at the Riley Wrestling Room. The grapplers had weighed in and were ready to go. This is one of the biggest highlights of the day. The entire camp cheered and chanted their fellow campers names during the matches.(What is it about boys and wrestling?)In the finals, we watched some brothers face each other. Things got real exciting at the point. If they're anything like mine, they've had plenty of sparring practice.

Another exciting wrestling tournament came to an end and we headed outdoors for the Golf Tournament. The conferences divided up and placed themselves near a green to watch. The 12 golfers divided into three teams and began playing at either hole one, two or three. After watching some great play yesterday, I told Coach Alexander last night that it's a shame we don't take more advantage of having a golf course in our back yard. What a great skill these boys have. Even if they don't go on to play professionally or play in high school, it's a great past time.

It was finally time for the last individual challenge of the day. The entire camp situated themselves at Johnson Stadium to watch the Quarterback Challenge. Each QB was given 10 throws and three different targets. First they had to throw four balls for what's called a curl route. This was about a 15 yard pass. Then they threw a "fade", this is about 20 yards and finally, they had to hit a moving target. The target? a counselor on a golf cart, and yes, the counselors heckled the QB the entire time!

At this point the entire camp was ready for some food and "r and r". By the time we descended onto the outdoor pool area, Coach Hannenburg, Mrs. Lewis and Mr. and Mrs. Firman, with the help of a few counselors, had the food ready to go. The campers got in line and waited to fill their plates with either hot dogs, hamburgers or chicken. Many of them took all three items. These kids can really eat! The food was hot and really good.

The campers didn't waste anytime after dinner before jumping into the pool. Some of them opted to play a volleyball game on the sand courts outside the pool deck. The competition just never ends!

We had one more thing in store for the guys though. The last event of the day was the Tug of War. This is where the "teams" come back together to compete. The entire group gathered around one of the sand volleyball courts to watch two teams face off with each other. Eventually we were down to the final two teams. USC was victorious in the end. In between team match ups, the counselors faced off by conference. The overall counselor/coach championship went to the Eastern Conference.

At the end of the day, Coach Alexander announced the team with the most number of points for the day. It was really close between 6 or 7 of the teams going into the Tug of War. In the end, Texas had the overall most number of points. Once again Texas shined. Go Longhorns!

Hopefully you enjoyed your day as much as we enjoyed ours. Have fun viewing the slide show of our day.

Excellence

2009-07-03T19:12:00.010-04:00

"It isn't hard to be good from time to time in sports. What's tough is being good every day."
Willie Mays

At the morning meeting on Friday, Coach Alexander espoused on the above quote by Willie Mays. He discussed the previous night's value meeting "The Habit of Excellence". Coach said we make our habits and then our habits make us. He asked the boys to strive to make excellence a habit, then quoted Aristotle, "Excellence is not an act, but a habit." He also shared the cadet maxim used by the United States Military Academy, "Risk more than others think safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible." Motivated, the camp raced down the hill for the first of Friday's match ups.

Although there were some great games played yesterday, there was one that became the highlight of the day. The Florida Gators upset the undefeated Texas Longhorns in football, 13-0. Florida stopped Texas from scoring three times inside the 15 yard line. Texas remained good sports as Florida celebrated their victory with a "Gator Chop". Congratulations Gators!

Last night at the campfire, Texas rallied. Not only did they have the highest score for cleanest rooms, they also performed a superb skit. They enjoyed a pizza party on dorm last night for winning both of those competition's. Way to go Texas! The Eyes of Texas are Upon You...

Additionally, the Camper of the Week Awards were handed out and we enjoyed skits from UNC, Florida and Ohio State. There were some great things said about this week's award winners. The other skits were funny too and included a round of Jeopardy and Family Feud. Pretty clever guys!

Last night was such a beautiful night. I tried to capture it on film from up at the campsite. We are truly blessed to live in such a setting. Check it out on the slide show.

Today the camp is gearing up for the 4th of July Celebration. Each team has chosen a camper to compete in an individual event. In the late afternoon, we'll all gather at the outdoor pool for swimming, volleyball, a "tug of war" and a cook out. We're crossing our fingers that the weather holds up. It should be a great day.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July holiday!

Football
Florida vs Texas 13-0 Florida
LSU vs Penn State 6-0 Penn State
Oklahoma vs Michigan 12-0 Michigan

Soccer
Ohio State vs Notre Dame 2-1 Notre Dame
Virginia vs USC 4-0 USC
UNC vs Duke 2-1 UNC

Softball
Oklahoma vs USC 10-9 USC
Ohio State vs Duke 12-1 Ohio State
Virginia vs Texas 10-0 Texas

Basketball
LSU vs Duke 36-16 Duke
Oklahoma vs Texas 35-34 Texas
Ohio State vs Penn State 38-27 Ohio State

Hockey
UNC vs Penn State 6-2 Penn State
Florida vs Michigan 4-1 Florida
LSU vs Notre Dame 5-0 Notre Dame

Lacrosse
Virginia vs Michigan 8-1 Michigan
UNC vs Notre Dame 4-3 UNC
Florida vs USC 4-0 Florida

Thursday July 2

2009-07-02T21:05:00.009-04:00

Things are heating up!

There were some really close games on Thursday. The teams have really pulled together for this last week of regular games. There were only two overtime games, but across the board, the scores were relatively close.

We had a great day weather wise, so games were played at 9, 10:30, 2:30, 4:45 and 7. There were several matches that needed to be made up because of the weather Wednesday evening. It was non-stop action all day.

Penn State and Virginia played an overtime game of hoops in the afternoon. Penn State tied up the game in the final seconds and then were victorious in the overtime. Duke and UNC played an overtime game of LAX. Duke prevailed in the end. It was a lot fun to see all the excitement around the fields and courts.

Today promises to be another good one. The guys are really looking forward to our second campfire. I can't wait to see what they have cooked up for skits tonight. We'll also give out the second round of Camper of the Week Awards and of course, more pizza will be awarded as well!

Lacrosse
Texas vs Oklahoma 1-0 Oklahoma
Florida vs Notre Dame 4-2 Florida
Duke vs UNC 4-3 Duke 2OT

Football
Duke vs Penn State 14-13 Duke
Michigan vs LSU 18-17 Michigan
Virginia vs Oklahoma 25-22 Oklahoma

Softball
Virginia vs UNC 7-6 UVA
USC vs Ohio State 3-2 Ohio State
Texas vs Penn State 11-5 Texas

Hockey
Florida vs LSU 4-0 Florida
Duke vs Oklahoma 4-3 Duke
Michigan vs Notre Dame 2-1 Notre Dame

Soccer
USC vs Notre Dame 2-1 USC
Texas vs UNC 4-3 UNC
Florida vs Ohio State 4-0 Florida

Basketball
Michigan vs Ohio State 48-34 Ohio State
Virginia vs Penn State 44-42 Penn State
USC vs LSU 47-21 USC

Wednesday's Scores

2009-07-02T20:56:00.003-04:00

Wednesday's game scores:

Football
USC vs Notre Dame 25-20 Notre Dame
Texas vs UNC 32-13 Texas
Florida vs Ohio State 13-7 Florida

Soccer
Duke vs Penn State 8-7 Penn State
Michigan vs LSU 2-1 Michigan OT
Virginia vs Oklahoma 7-1 Oklahoma

Lacrosse
Michigan vs Ohio State 5-2 Ohio State
Virginia vs Penn State 2-1 Penn State 2OT
USC vs LSU 2-0 USC

Softball
Florida vs LSU 10-6 LSU
Duke vs Oklahoma 7-6 Duke
Michigan vs Notre Dame 9-1 Notre Dame

Basketball
Oklahoma vs Texas 37-34 Texas
Florida vs Notre Dame 48-36 Notre Dame
Duke vs UNC 32-28 UNC

Hockey
Virginia vs UNC 12-4 UNC
USC vs Ohio State 6-1 Ohio State
Texas vs Penn State 3-2 Texas

Wednesday July 1

2009-07-02T11:07:00.005-04:00

Dodgeball anyone?

Well, I must have jinxed us!... a big storm blew in late yesterday afternoon. We were unable to get in our afternoon and evening games. We heard thunder around 5pm, so the outdoor groups had to move inside the Barbee Center. They either enjoyed the Woodberry Forest 2008 Football highlight film or they watched the floor hockey match.

By the time that was over, mini buses were waiting to take everyone up the hill for dinner. You could hear the sky rumble throughout our entire meal. After dinner, the camp was again bused down to the Barbee.

Instead of playing evening games outdoors, the entire group stayed inside for a Dodgeball tournament. The teams stayed together and faced off against each other. Wow! These match ups were intense. By the time the finals rolled around, the crowd was going crazy for the finalists.

Good job on the improv coaches!

Later that evening teams headed to The Fir Tree for a snack and then they held their nightly meetings. Obviously, no one camped out last night. Ironically, the storm was gone and the sun was out by 8pm!

Later today I should have some scores for you as yesterday's games are going to be made up today!

Tuesday June 30

2009-07-01T07:41:00.004-04:00

Yesterday marked day ten of this year's sports camp. The teams have really come together. The campers are supporting each other and making sacrifices. Coaches have settled into their strategies and game plans. There are only a couple of regular game days left before championship week.

At the morning meeting Coach Alexander commended the camp on their behavior at Water Country. There were no problems and everyone arrived back at WFS safely. Then Coach spoke about the importance of this week's games. On Monday of next week, he'll be working all day on getting the teams seeded for tournament play.

We have been so blessed with the weather and the outlook is great too. We're expecting low to mid 80's the rest of the week. Last night USC and Duke enjoyed camping. The sky was beautiful and the temperatures were cool. This is our first summer at Woodberry with such mild weather. It's been great.

Below are yesterday's scores:

Hockey
Notre Dame vs USC USC 3-2 OT
Ohio State vs Texas OSU 6-2
Michigan vs Oklahoma OK 8-2

Lacrosse
Duke vs Penn State 5-1 Penn State
LSU vs UNC 4-1 UNC
Florida vs Virginia 5-1 Florida

Soccer
Florida vs UNC 5-0 Florida
Duke vs Virginia 3-2 Duke
LSU vs Penn State 3-1 Penn State

Football
Ohio State vs Oklahoma 20-0 Ohio State
Michigan vs USC 20-14 USC
Notre Dame vs Texas 13-7 Texas

Softball
LSU vs Virginia 10-9 LSU
Florida vs Penn State 5-4 Florida
Duke vs UNC 12-6 UNC

Basketball
Michigan vs Texas Texas 48-43
Notre Dame vs Oklahoma 28-26 Oklahoma 2OT
Ohio State vs USC 34-26 USC

Monday June 29

2009-06-30T16:08:00.004-04:00

The group ventured to Williamsburg, VA to enjoy Water Country USA on Monday. The location is about 2 1/2 hours from Woodberry. So, after breakfast and a brief morning meeting, the camp loaded onto several buses and headed out.

After enjoying a picnic lunch the campers descended into the park. There are 30 different rides. Some of the favorites are Aquazoid, Rampage and Malibu Pipeline. Additionally, there is a wave pool and the Hubba Bubba Highway aka Lazy River.

The campers traveled around with their teams, 2 coaches and an additional counselor like a referee or a support staff member. The temperature was in the mid 80's and the sun was shining all day. Coaches were responsible for making sure campers used sunscreen. Great job coaches! However, today I noticed the campers look great, but some of the counselors look a little uncomfortable.

Meal vouchers were given to each camper and counselor. The groups each had dinner on their own inside the park. There are quite a few places to choose from. Hopefully they ate balanced meals and not just funnel cakes(?)

Prior to leaving, it's tradition to stop in at the "candy shoppe". Coach told them before they even headed down to Water Country that the candy shop stop had to be brief and they could only buy what they can eat on the way home. This system seemed to work pretty well this year. By 6:30pm the buses were loaded again and they arrived at Woodberry by 8:45pm. After the sugar buzz wore off, the campers were pretty quiet and were able to rest much of the ride home.

From what I've heard today, yesterday was a great time. We had a few guys walking around with waterproof disposable cameras. I have developed a couple of them. All the campers were on this trip, so if you don't see your son, it's not because he wasn't there, he just didn't encounter one of the administrators that had a camera. We may be able to post more tomorrow.

Have a great afternoon and evening!

Sunday June 28

2009-06-29T07:38:00.006-04:00

Sleep in Day!

Campers and counselors enjoyed pushing everything back an hour. Wake up was at 8am instead of 7 and breakfast ran from 9 to 9:30. It was much needed rest and everyone seemed to benefit.

After the Camper of the Day Awards and some brief words from Coach Alexander, the camp headed down the hill and went right into the morning games. After the competitions they divided into age groups for individual instruction.

The majority of the camp enjoyed the World Cup Match between USA and Brazil yesterday afternoon. They gathered in their dorm's common room to watch the game on large flat screens. Too bad the outcome wasn't what they had hoped. Meanwhile, Dozens of campers wanted to brush up on their American football skills, so they spent time with Coach Alexander and some WFS football players during the World Cup game. Then it was time for the afternoon match ups.

All in all it was another great day. The rain held off until late last night. Penn State and LSU got rained on at the camp site, but I think they "toughed it out". It was just a light steady rain. Fortunately, they were still able to eat hotdogs and smores.

Check out yesterday's scores.

Softball
Notre Dame vs USC ND 10-0
Ohio State vs Texas OSU 8-1
Michigan vs Oklahoma Oklahoma 21-9

Lacrosse
Michigan vs Texas Texas 4-3 3OT
Notre Dame vs Oklahoma Oklahoma 3-2
Ohio State vs USC OSU 5-0

Basketball
Duke vs Penn State Duke 36-34
LSU vs UNC UNC 28-27
Florida vs Virginia Florida 48-24

Hockey
LSU vs Virginia UVA 3-2
Florida vs Penn State PSU 3-2
Duke vs UNC UNC 4-1

Football
Florida vs UNC Florida 20-6
Duke vs Virginia Duke 20-12
LSU vs Penn State PSU 12-0

Soccer
Ohio State vs Oklahoma Oklahoma 3-2
Michigan vs USC USC 7-0
Notre Dame vs Texas Texas 3-0

Saturday June 28

2009-06-28T09:14:00.008-04:00

After a great day of competition and clinics the campers were eager to get to the campsite for the first of the three campfires. At this weekly ritual the "W" is lit, four teams perform skits, the camper of the week awards are presented and the team with the cleanest rooms are announced.

The camper of the week award is given to one camper per team who performed outstanding all week long. This boy may have a few or all of the following qualities; good character, athleticism, thoughtfulness, dedication, heart, hustle, etc... This year's award is an embroidered ball cap. Check out the pictures at the end of the slide show to see this week's recipients. Way to go guys!

Pizza's were awarded to the team with the cleanest rooms. As we all descended to the river for the campfire, you could smell the fresh hot pizzas, waiting for the winners. The winning team consistently kept their rooms clean. Daily, Coach Hannenburg inspects dorm rooms and assigns a score based on cleanliness. The beds need to be made and dirty clothes need to be put into their laundry bags. The scores are tallied weekly. This year, the higher the score, the cleaner the room. The highest scoring conference this week was the Eastern Conference. The team with the highest score was Virginia!

Last night four teams performed their skits. These are skits thought up by coaches and campers. They took time to work on these daily. The four teams bravely took center stage in front of the "W". First up was Duke. They quickly won over the crowd with their mocking of certain counselors and Coach Alexander. Their re-enactment of Coach Alexander's talk about the Old Rag plan, was an instant hit. Oklahoma, Penn State and Michigan followed. Michigan decided to take on the classic "You've lost that lovin' feeling". Two campers bravely portrayed Maverick and Goose and then the rest of the team kicked in to finish out the song. Oklahoma and Penn State picked on a few counselors and Coach Alexander as well. Oklahoma's depiction of Coach was the best I think I've ever seen. It was all in good fun and the laughs kept coming. In the end, Duke won the competition and enjoyed the remaining pizzas! Can't wait to see what the guys come up with next week.

Today at morning meeting Coach Alexander reminded the team's to discuss and review this past week during their values meetings. It's important that they take a look at all the positives and improve on the negatives. He also went over plans for the upcoming Water Country trip. The trip is tomorrow and everyone is pretty excited.

The crowd cheered as coach explained today's schedule changes. At 2pm the teams can choose to either watch World Cup Soccer or head down to Johnson Stadium for an American football clinic. We have a special guest today. Ed Reynolds Jr. is on campus. He'll be helping kids during the clinic.

This week's weather forecast looks great. Yesterday was gorgeous. This is the way we like it. We are truly blessed. Have a great day!

Check out yesterday's scores.

Softball
UNC vs. Notre Dame UNC 4-3
Penn State vs Ohio State OSU 7-0
Virginia vs Michigan UVA 3-1

Football
USC vs Duke Duke 13-6
Texas vs LSU Texas 7-0 2OT
Oklahoma vs Florida Florida 19-0

Basketball
Texas vs Florida Texas 38-35
Oklahoma vs Duke Oklahoma 34-32
USC vs LSU USC 50-17

Lacrosse
Virginia vs Ohio State Ohio State 4-0
UNC vs Michigan Michigan 3-2 OT
Penn State vs Notre Dame Penn State 3-1

Hockey
Oklahoma vs LSU Oklahoma 5-1
USC vs Florida Florida 5-0
Texas vs Duke Duke 4-3

Soccer
Penn State vs Michigan Penn State 6-4
Virginia vs Notre Dame Notre Dame 3-2
UNC vs Ohio State Ohio State 1-0

Friday's Game Results and Great News!

2009-06-27T13:09:00.007-04:00

Animal Hospital of Ivy Square in Charlottesville has agreed to take care of "Camper" until she is adopted. We'll miss our furry mascot, but are so thrilled that she will be taken care of properly and placed in a loving home. Below are yesterday's scores. Soccer, Lacrosse, Softball and Football were played today during the 10:30am session.

Hockey
Penn State vs Notre Dame ND 5-2
UNC vs Michigan UNC 7-0
Virginia vs Ohio State OSU 6-3

Basketball
Virginia vs Michigan Michigan 34-31
Penn State vs Ohio State Ohio State 27-24
UNC vs Notre Dame UNC 32-31

Lacrosse
Texas vs Duke Duke 2-0
USC vs Florida Florida 1-0
Oklahoma vs LSU Oklahoma 2-0

Football
UNC vs Ohio State Ohio 20-7
Virginia vs Notre Dame Notre Dame (score not available)
Penn State vs Michigan Penn State 25-19 OT

Softball
USC vs LSU USC 4-3
Oklahoma vs Duke Duke 8-4
Texas vs Florida Florida 3-0

Soccer
Oklahoma vs Florida Florida 4-3
Texas vs LSU Texas 5-1
USC vs Duke Duke 3-1

Friday June 26

2009-06-27T08:13:00.008-04:00

Whew! Friday was a hot one. It was by far our hottest day. The campers took it in stride though.

The morning games were played with enthusiasm and then it was time to break off into age groups for individual instruction. The groups that were indoors were definitely happy to be there.

Yesterday's lunch offering was the WFS "Rib-B-Q Sandwich". After enjoying an ice cream dessert the campers headed to their dorms for rest period.

Sign up clinics were offered in the afternoon. Strength training is one of the clinics again this year. There was a big crowd indoors for that yesterday. The campers are learning technique in order to build their "core" strength. This is such an important part of athletics and will help the kids tremendously when playing upper level sports. Having proper technique and knowledge will put them a step ahead of other athletes when they reach the high school level. Good core strength helps alleviate injuries. It's not easy though. Check out the blog pictures of the group holding their "squats"!

Thursday evening the fellas adopted a mascot. "Camper" the kitten was found abandoned outside of the Griffin dorm. He was quickly scooped up by the guys. One of our faculty families offered to foster him temporarily. This cute little guy needs a home!

Friday night would normally have been a "campfire night", however moments after dinner a storm came through. We were unable to play the evening games. The campers were held up indoors either at The Cage or The Barbee Center. By 8pm they were on dorm with emergency lighting and battery operated lanterns. They held their values meetings and then went to bed early. The power finally came back on at 11:10pm. After a sweltering day, these boys needed a rest, so we're thankful for that. The games will be made up this morning. I'll update this blog mid-day to bring you yesterday's scores. Tonight we'll head down to the campsite for the ceremonies. Today promises to be a beautiful one. Enjoy!

June 25

2009-06-26T07:16:00.009-04:00

On Thursday the campers began their day with a hot breakfast and then morning meeting. Coach Alexander took some time to speak about attitude and staying positive. He discussed seeing the "glass half full" and how verbalizing that you see it half empty can bring others around you down. Through his talk, Coach helped the group to see what an amazing accomplishment it was for them to complete the Old Rag hike and how they should all take pride in what they did. This carried over into a discussion about the prior evening's value meeting topic, Teamwork and Love. By now, the teams know each other pretty well and hopefully have developed a relationship where they care about and look after one another. These qualities will become evident in the days ahead as the competions heat up.

Thursday was filled with a whole set of games starting at 9am. Afterwards the camp divided into their age groups for individual instruction which included football, golf, swimming, lacrosse, soccer, strength training, wrestling, basketball, baseball and tennis. Then it was time to hit the showers and head up the hill for lunch and rest period.

The Western Conference enjoyed the outdoor pool in the afternoon. It was a little warmer on campus today, so I'm sure the pool felt great. Today is supposed to be a duplicate of yesterday, as far as the heat goes, however there is an increase in the chance of storms. We'll be keeping an eye on the sky later this afternoon.

The final games were played in the afternoon and evening. The results are below. It seems there are a few top teams, but as the days go on, watch for some other teams to improve. Many of the scores have been close. Penn State lost a heart breaker in their morning softball game. After having the lead, USC got a great hit to bring in a couple of runs, which lead to a victory. The Florida/Notre Dame match up in basketball became a classic. There was one overtime game yesterday. The Ohio State faced Florida in football. Florida was victorious in the end.

Daily, the referees make notes about each game. After each game, they chart the team with the best sportsmanship, specific players that showed leadership and those who show "outstanding play". These notes help the conference director, along with head coaches, to decide who should be awarded "camper of the day". Every morning this award is presented. The recipient is given a "Sports Camp Superman T". This camper shows leadership, great attitude and care for his teammates and others.

Tonight the camp will meet for the first of three campfires. We will head down to the campsite after the evening games. Four teams will perform their skits. Special awards will be handed out as well. It's a great time and everyone is really looking forward to it. There will be no camping this evening. Last night Virginia and Oklahoma enjoyed the great outdoors. We've had some beautiful nights here. The air really cools off and the stars have been shining brightly. I hope the boys have taken time to notice!

Basketball
Duke vs Michigan Michigan 26-22
Notre Dame vs Florida Florida 35-32
Ohio State vs LSU Ohio State 30-18

Hockey
Notre Dame vs LSU LSU 1-2
Ohio State vs Duke OSU 2-0
Michigan vs Florida Florida 3-1

Football
Ohio State vs Florida Florida 19-13 OT
Michigan vs LSU LSU 22-6
Notre Dame vs Duke Duke 13-6

Soccer
Oklahoma vs UNC UNC 1-0
Texas vs Penn State Texas 2-1
USC vs Virginia Virginia 4-3

Lacrosse
Texas vs Virginia Texas 2-1
USC vs UNC USC 1-0
Oklahoma vs Penn State Oklahoma 5-0

Softball
USC vs Penn State USC 8-3
Oklahoma vs Virginia OK 17-3
Texas vs UNC Texas 8-3

Old Rag Hike

2009-06-25T08:12:00.005-04:00

Meet for lunch on top of Old Rag? You couldn't have picked a more beautiful day! Another mid 80's and sunny day at the Shenandoah National Park. The campers started their day an hour early to get to the park and begin their climb.

Old Rag Mountain is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains situated in the Shenandoah National Park. The drive is just about an hour away from Woodberry. Old Rag is a very challenging 8.8 mile hike and rock scramble with spectacular views. At the summit it sits at 3,291 feet.

The camp divided into two groups taking two different routes and eventually crossed paths at the top. Many enjoyed lunch right on the summit. There were a few wildlife encounters along the way. Mr. Paul Vickers, a chemistry teacher here at Woodberry led the group on this exciting excursion. He also assists with the Rapidan Program offered to WFS students during the school year. This is an outdoor program that involves hiking and kayaking. We truly appreciate Mr. Vicker's assistance yesterday.

Arriving back around 4pm, the campers took to their dorm rooms for an afternoon snooze, which was much needed!

Dinner was at 6pm and then the group played one set of evening games. Enjoy the slide show of Old Rag. Coach Henry Heil and Coach John Grey managed to take some beautiful photos yesterday. Thanks for your help guys and what a great job!

Tuesday June 23

2009-06-24T09:25:00.010-04:00

Tuesday was another great day to be at Woodberry. Temperatures were in the mid 80's with low humidity and a lot of sunshine! The campers woke early with anticipation of their first day of games.

After breakfast the campers gathered on the steps of the Dick Gym for morning meeting. The conference directors presented the first camper of the day awards and then it was on to the regular agenda. Coach Alexander spoke with the group about their value choices and goal setting. Each team chose two values to embrace throughout camp. Some of the values included; respect, hardwork, teamwork and sportsmanship. Speaking of sportsmanship, Coach spoke about it at length during the meeting in order to prepare the teams for winning and losing on Tuesday. He pointed out that 50% of the teams will lose a game. Ah, the reality of competition! He talked about supporting teammates as well as the other team. After that, the groups were off and running down the hill.

There were three sessions of games, with individual instruction and various sports between session one and lunch. After lunch and rest period the Midwest conference enjoyed the outdoor pool while the other campers attended their "sign up" clinics. Tuesdays clinics were the campers choice. Canteen was next on the agenda and then it was time to prepare for the second set of games. Dinner followed showers and then the night games were on. Texas and Michigan continued to enjoy the great outdoors by being the first teams to camp last night. They had a cook out with all the traditional items, smores and hotdogs!

The big morning game was the first football matchup. Oklahoma met UNC on the turf at Johnson Stadium. The game remained scoreless after regular play. There were six overtimes before Oklahoma finally scored. What an amazing defensive effort by both teams. Congratulations Sooners!

Other results:

Hoops
Texas vs. Virginia Texas, 39 Virginia, 24

LAX
Michigan vs. Duke Michigan, 1 Duke, 2

Soccer
Ohio State vs. Florida OSU, 3 Florida, 2

Softball
Notre Dame vs. LSU ND, 6 LSU, 4

Hockey
USC vs. Penn State USC was victorious (score not available)

Afternoon Game Results

Football - Texas vs. Penn State Texas 13-12
Basketball - USC vs. UNC USC 39-15
Lacrosse - Notre Dame vs. Florida Florida 3-2
Soccer - Michigan vs. LSU Michigan 4 - 2
Softball - Ohio State vs. Duke Ohio State 3-2
Hockey - Oklahoma vs. Virginia Oklahoma (score not available)

Evening Game Results

Football - USC vs. Virginia USC 19-12
Basketball - Oklahoma vs. Penn State Oklahoma 34-30
Lacrosse - Ohio State vs. LSU Ohio State 6-2
Soccer - Notre Dame vs. Duke Notre Dame 3-2
Softball - Michigan vs. Florida Florida 7-4
Hockey - Texas vs. UNC Texas (score not available)

"The Team, The Team, The Team"

2009-06-22T21:46:00.010-04:00

Bo Schembechler

It was a gorgeous day at The Forest. The skies were blue and the mountains were in clear view all day. It was rise and shine and then off to breakfast at 8am. The morning meeting was brief and the campers were down the hill and practicing by 9.

Today was the first full day of camp and what a success! The teams are really shaping up and are looking forward to their first competitions on Tuesday.There was also individual instruction by age group during mid morning. The groups were either working on their swimming, golf, softball, football, basketball, tennis or lacrosse skills. Soon it was lunch time and then rest period.

After resting, a few groups were able to enjoy the outdoor pool, while the other teams began practicing their choice of sport. Team clinics were offered throughout the rest of the afternoon.

After dinner and another session of team clinics, the campers descended upon The Fir Tree where they enjoyed, WFS's famous milkshakes and cheeseburgers. There was a lot of excitement tonight as many of them enjoyed the College World Series on the Fir Tree television.

By 9:30pm it was off to the dorms for their team values meetings and then lights out. Tomorrow promises to be another gorgeous day. We're looking forward to seeing how the competitions unfold!

Opening Day

2009-06-22T07:44:00.008-04:00

Welcome to Woodberry Forest Sports Camp Blog. Sunday was opening day. We welcomed 136campers yesterday. Veteran campers looked for old friends and new campers eagerly met new friends. There were smiling faces all over as the boys met their coaches and found out the name of their team. Checking into their dorms, the campers were able to meet some of their fellow teammates. At the same time, they checked each other out to see how good their team might be!

After having lunch parents left and it was meeting time at Johnson Stadium. Coach Alexander went over camp expectations and then each team was photographed. Some time was spent going over more specifics in smaller groups and then it was off to the first activity. By 4:30pm the campers were divided up into their age groups for individual instruction such as wrestling skills, football skills, baseball skills, golf, strength training, lacrosse and basketball skills.

The campers showered and headed up the hill for dinner by 6pm. At 7pm each conference took part in one of the following clinics; football, lacrosse, softball and basketball. Then it was off to the showers again along with canteen.

Last night the whole camp met for a "values" meeting. Coach Alexander discussed the intent of "team meetings" and what he hopes each camper and coach will achieve through their team discussions. Every night each team will spend time in their own "value" meetings.

Please check out the slide show of opening day. Click on it to view the photos larger.

Enjoy!

Sports Camp 2009

2008-09-23T13:38:00.003-04:00

The 2009 Woodberry Forest Sports Camp will be held June 21 through July 11. Please contact Clint Alexander via email, clinton_alexander@woodberry.org or phone 540-672-6064 or contact Janet Lewis via email, janet_lewis@woodberry.org or phone 540-672-6044 for information. The camp will fill up soon, so don't delay!

Parents Day 2008

2008-07-13T09:08:00.004-04:00

The day began with much anticipation for the arrival of parents. Breakfast was quick. Before you knew it, the dining hall was empty as kids hustled to morning meeting and raced down the hill to see if their families had arrived. There were hugs and smiles all morning long as campers were reunited with their loved ones.

We completed our last championship game, floor hockey, in front of a crowd. UNC and Texas faced off in a final match up. In the end, Texas was victorious over the mighty Tarheels of UNC. Final score - 5-2.

There were other exhibition games played this morning as well. Duke and Notre Dame in basketball, Florida took on LSU in football, Penn State and Ohio State faced off in Lacrosse, USC and Michigan in soccer and today's softball match up was Oklahoma vs. Virginia. The families had a chance to see their little guys in action. By the end of camp roughly 260 games had been played. That is amazing!

After lunch we all headed over to the Walker Center for closing ceremonies. WFS Headmaster Dr. Dennis Campbell spoke eloquently about Woodberry Forest and the Woodberry Forest Sports Camp. Red and Cathy Caughron founded the sports camp in 1967. Although they couldn't be with us on Saturday, they are always in our hearts and minds as we make our way through camp each year. They began a long standing tradition of values that we strive to uphold. Dr. Campbell finished by introducing Director, Clint Alexander.

Coach Alexander spoke about how fast the time had gone by, due to all of the fun we had. He reminisced not only about the athletics, dorm time, camping, campfires, trips to Water Country, Kings Dominion and the hike to Stony Mountain, but also about getting to know each other. He then delved into the real reason we gather at this camp and that is to teach and provide a safe loving environment. Coach quoted Al Fracassa "Leadership is the gift of a good example" as he went on to talk about his expectations and to thank the Sports Camp Staff. They did a great job and we're proud of every one of them.

The coach of every team then introduced his campers and handed out a packet of memories, for them to take home. Each coach acknowledged his assistant coach and spoke of the time he spent getting to know "his team".

At the final campfire Friday evening, some important awards had been handed out. Coach Alexander spoke about the awards and read the list of names the award was given to.

Honor Camper Award is presented to the member of each team, who has made the most significant contribution to the team in the areas of athletics, sportsmanship, citizenship, and leadership. The Honor Camper is the most dependable and reliable member of the team, not only on the playing field, but in all areas of camp life. It is the highest honor bestowed by the teams coaching staff to a member of their team.

The Tiger Awards were also presented last night at campfire. It is presented to the team member who displays considerable athletic talent and a strong desire to win. The winner of the team's Tiger Award is usually the boy who hustles in every sport, leads the team in spirit and sportsmanship, and encourages all members of the team to do their best in all activities.

Coach Alexander then went on to present the most prestigious awards at Sports Camp.

The Tom Baumann Memorial Spirit Award is given annually to the camper who during his years here has contributed positively to the atmosphere of the camp with his pleasant nature, willingness to participate, and unselfish spirit. The winner of this award is admired by all members of the camp for his zest for life and warm, congenial personality. The award is given in the memory of Tom Baumann, a 1972 Woodberry Forest School graduate and former counselor who possessed these same qualities.

The Sportsmanship Award is given annually to the camper who possesses the qualities which the staff of Woodberry Forest Sports Camp tries so hard to instill in each of our campers. The winner of this award is fair, generous, a respectful loser, and a gracious winner. He encourages his teammates, cheers for his team, and never argues with officials. He maintains a positive attitude at all times and in all situations.

The Team Sportsmanship Award - Woodberry Forest Sports Camp has always taken pride in the fact that good sportsmanship is emphasized just as much as athletic skills during the boys' time here. The Team Sportsmanship Award will be given to the team with the most outstanding record of sportsmanship during the entire camp.

The Moubray Conference Award – This is the first year for this award. This is a bowl that will have the winning conference each year engraved on it.

The Best Athlete Awards are given to the best all-around athletes in the camp's four age divisions. The recipients of this award are talented in all sports, put forth consistent effort in every game, and continually show supreme effort, determination, and a drive to succeed. A camper's ability to handle adversity and lead his team in a variety of situations is also considered in determining the Best Athlete Award winners.

The Staff Award is given to the camper who, in the eyes of the counselors, has distinguished himself with his helpfulness and positive attitude. The recipient of this award is dependable and willing to give of himself for the benefit of others.

The Richard Glover Leadership Award – This is the first year for this award.

The Red and Cathy Caughron Award is named for the founders of the camp. Red and Cathy started the camp in 1967 and directed it for the first 25 years. Their tireless dedication and infectious charm made the camp the overwhelming success it is today. We all owe Red and Cathy an immense amount of gratitude for all they have done for the camp. This award is given to the camper who through his dedication to the camp and his team over the years has distinguished him from his fellow campers.

The Outstanding Camper Award is the most prestigious award a camper can earn and it is given to the boy who displays the highest qualities of athleticism, leadership, sportsmanship, responsibility, and fair play. The Outstanding Camper possesses a sense of integrity, character, and maturity that distinguish him from other campers. The recipient of this award has a positive impact on the camp in many areas and his presence makes everyday camp life more pleasant for counselors and campers alike. He serves as a role model for younger campers.

Coach finished the day by thanking the families, campers and staff for making this wonderful opportunity possible. He went on to say, we hope this marks not just the end of camp, but also the beginning of a long term friendship with the camp and all of the campers, counselors, and families involved. Great memories were created in a month, but stronger and long-lasting friendships have been formed that will continue on into the future.

God Bless and we look forward to seeing many of you in the future.

Championship Week Day Four

2008-07-12T07:34:00.000-04:00

Wew! Friday was a hot one.

The championship games started promptly at 9am with semi-final matches on the Hockey floor and the Soccer field. Texas vs. USC in soccer was a great defensive game right up until the end. Texas was victorious at 2-1 when it was all over. Texas went on to play, you guessed it, Penn State in the championship game that afternoon.

Florida took on UNC in the Floor Hockey semi-final. What a game this turned out to be. Overtime! Both teams wanted this win badly. They were running, shooting, yelling, screaming... the Barbee Center was rockin'. In the end though, it was the Tarheels of UNC that pulled off the win. They will play Texas in Saturday's championship game at 9:30am.

At 11:20am UNC took on Texas in Lacrosse for their semi-final match up. Texas had a real big day playing in soccer, floor hockey and now Lacrosse. UNC was too much for them in the LAX match, they fell 8-0 to the Tarheels. UNC played Notre Dame in the afternoon championship. At the same time as the LAX semi, the softball Championship was being played. The Michigan Wolverines took on the Duke Blue Devils. It was Hail to the Victors as Michigan beat out Duke 3-1 in this game which was scoreless until the latter innings. Good job guys!

If teams weren't playing in games this morning, they were taking part in other fun activities like, room clean up (they're favorite), softball, core training and today we introduced rock climbing. Mrs. Hemming took several groups during the course of the day to the inside rock wall. We are so blessed here at WFS to have an opportunity to explore new things! The wall is challenging and each group was very serious about accomplishing the goals that Mrs. Hemming set up.

After lunch it was to the outdoor pool and if you weren't doing that, you were finishing up the individual tournaments. We finally have our winners. The guys worked hard to achieve their place in these tournaments. We'll find out the winners on Saturday.

The Soccer Championship was played at 3pm. Texas and Penn State played a great game. It was so hot.. hydrate, hydrate, hydrate is what you heard from the coaches for the entire hour. In the end it was Texas over Penn State 4-3. Way to go Longhorns. They had such a challenging day and finally, a pay off.

Soon after the soccer game, we turned to the Lacrosse field where it was UNC and Notre Dame. The fighting Irish had trouble early against UNC. Their team of experienced LAX players was just too much. UNC went on to beat ND 6-2. Way to go Tarheels!

The much anticipated Staff Softball game was played after dinner. The campers gathered on the stands and around the field to watch the game. There were large cheers from the crowd as their favorite counselors came up to bat. As Sonny Close came up to the plate I heard, "we love pirates, we love pirates"... not sure about that one, have to ask the guys! Every one's favorite Ade Oyalowo received "Ade, Kumbaya, Ade Kumbaya".. Ade, now dubbed, strongest man alive, hit one out of the park, but was ruled a foul. Later, he showed off the "guns" to the boys that crowded around him. Some of our counselors have never even played baseball or softball. That was a sight to see. When big Duke arrived at the plate, the kids yelled Doooooke, Dooooooke! Waiting for a big hit, Duke, who hadn't really ever swung a bat, accidentally let go as he did... Too much power. Stick to the shot put and Discus Duke!!!! What a show! This game was fun and these boys can hit hard and throw hard.

We headed on down to the last campfire right after the softball game. It was long one tonight with so many awards to hand out. We watched four skits tonight. Again, a talented bunch of kids performed.. My personal favorite from LSU, the famous bar scene from Top Gun, "you've lost that lovin' feeling".... LSU went on to win the contest and went back to dorm where a pizza party was awaiting them. The Tiger Awards, MVP of sport Awards and the Honor Camper Awards were given out tonight as well. There were cheers from all the campers as these achievements were acknowledged. The entire camp voted on the MVP for the five sports, the Tiger and Honor Camper Awards were decided by the coaches. Last, but certainly not least.. one of the most important was awarded at the end, cleanest rooms for the week... given to Oklahoma! Great job guys. They also had a pizza party waiting for them.

Coach Alexander said a few closing words and for the last time this summer, it was back up the hill, showers, huddle meetings and lights out. As the kids spend their last night on dorm, we prepare for a final championship game and closing ceremony, dreading the silence that will fall on campus late Saturday afternoon. Sleeping in on Sunday will be a luxury only to wake up and find that those faces so cute and filled with joy have gone home to their parents. Coach said, and I have to agree with him, this summer's camp has been the best since we've been here. Enjoy the rest of your summer and safe travels home!

Championship Week Day Three

2008-07-11T07:52:00.001-04:00

The day started out beautifully. The temperature was mild and the sun was shining. It proved to be a glorious day. During the morning meeting Wednesday's Camper of the Day Awards were given out and coach continued to stress good sportsmanship. He went on to say it was crunch time. We have a lot games to fit in and some won't like the outcome, finishing with "it's all meant to be fun, so enjoy it". The campers and counselors descended down the hill with great enthusiasm and anticipation of how the day would unfold.

It was all Penn State on Thursday. Go Nittany Lions. You couldn't help but be happy for them. They persevered through some adversity and were victorious in two championship games.

Semi-final games in football between Penn Sate and UNC started the day. Penn State beat out UNC by a score of 20-7 to move on to the championship and LSU over Texas 40-29. The Championship game went on to be played last evening with Penn State beating LSU 37 - 20. It seemed that LSU just couldn't stop the combination of 4 year camper quarterback extraordinaire and his two tall receivers. It was a sight to behold. Many made the trip down the hill to see this shootout today. LSU's weapon, 4 year camper, all around great athlete was slowed down just enough by the Nittany Lion defense. It was a great game and both teams played well. Good job players and coaches!

Friday morning the floor hockey semi finals will be played with the championship game later this evening. Texas will face off with Notre Dame while Florida meets UNC. Good luck guys!

Another semi final match up will be played in Soccer. Texas and USC will play and Penn State will challenge Ohio State. Yes, those Nittany Lions are still alive in soccer. Should be a couple of great games.

Notre Dame awaits their opponent in Lacrosse today. They beat Ohio State yesterday to secure their place in the championship game. The other semi-final between UNC and Texas will be played at some point. Texas has a big day ahead of them as they are in three semi-final games. Hook em' Horns!!!

Softball's Championship Game will be held mid morning today with with Duke meeting up with Michigan. The Blue Devils had to beat that all mighty team, the Longhorns last night as Michigan watched to see who they would face today. It was Virginia that they took down in the semi-final.

The Oklahoma Sooners played the Blue Devils in the quarter finals. Duke went out to an early lead. The Sooners, however, rallied in late innings keeping their hope and faith alive. The game finished with a score of 4-3. Oklahoma was devastated, they have had a tough run these past couple of weeks. Their coach called an immediate meeting. It was difficult, but the Sooners held their heads high. This group of kids have been really dealt some blows, but they are a great group and have proven themselves to be the real champions.

Our late night game yesterday was the basketball championship. I even outlasted my kids who had long gone to bed by the time this one was over. It was a great game that brought out our new Head Varsity Basketball coach to see his possible future. It looks bright Coach Justice!

It was those Nittany Lions again. They faced off against Duke earlier in the day and squeaked by with a 43-42 victory to move on to the championship game. At 8pm we watched Texas take down UNC. It wasn't easy. UNC held their own all night. They don't have the height or the fancy skills possessed by Texas, but they have speed and heart. Way to hang in there Tarheels! Eventually it was Texas over UNC 43-40.

Texas was given some Gatorade and a few minutes to collect themselves. They seemed re-charged and ready to take on their formidable foes, Penn State. It was back and forth all night. What a show. Both teams seemed to dig deep and really put it all out on the floor. Now remember, Penn State had just played in the championship football game, so both teams were coming off some big games. In the end, Penn State was able to pull off the win. The final score was 38-31. It was an impressive game, definitely a true championship. Great job guys... I'm sure they slept well last night.

We'll see you all on Saturday. Feel free to check the blog before you head over to see how Friday ended. We're all looking forward to another exciting day, plus the final campfire. Today is the day we share excitement, joy and some reflection on the three weeks we've spent together.

Safe travels and remember to be aware of the construction traffic here. We're making some exciting improvements, the disruption will be worth it. Take care!

Championship Week Day Two

2008-07-10T08:03:00.000-04:00

Today it was quarter final play. The teams are working hard to earn their way into the semi-final matches. We were not able to complete all of the games. A few of them will be played today.
The morning started out pretty dreary. Things didn't look good. The heavy rain held off. We didn't have any thunder or lightning, so the 9am games were played while a few drops of rain fell here and there.

After a nice warm breakfast we headed over to the steps of the Dick Gym. Coach Alexander went over some guidelines for the day regarding the quarter final games and individual tournaments. The conference administrators then handed out the camper of the day awards for Tuesday. Then it was down to the fields.

Wednesday morning LSU and UNC faced off in basketball. The UNC team was too much for LSU to handle. UNC took a quick lead and stayed ahead throughout the entire game finishing with a win at 40-27. Texas beat Florida in the evening game to set up the semi final match.

The football semi-finals are set. UNC will meet Penn State which promises to be quite the battle. Both teams are strong in this sport. We're looking forward to an exciting game. The other semi will be Texas and LSU, also strong sports for each of these teams. No surprises here.

In lacrosse we have one semi-final match set up and that will be UNC vs. Texas. Ohio State is waiting to see who they will take on. We are all awaiting the LSU/Notre Dame match up today to determine that semi.

Soccer was pretty exciting yesterday. Only one quarter final game, however was played, USC vs Florida, with USC coming out on top. They wait for today's match ups to see who they play in the semi-finals.

So far in the softball tournament, Michigan awaits the winner of the UNC/Virginia match up and Texas waits on the Duke/Oklahoma game. Both of those should get played today.

The floor hockey tournament is still in the quarter final stage. Only Florida has secured a semi-final match. Today Notre Dame and Ohio State will play as will Texas vs Penn State along with UNC and USC.

Individual tournaments are still underway. The campers break out into their age groups after lunch and compete against each other to earn top spots. Each camper will have competed in every individual sport. Today, we are introducing the indoor wall climb to the campers that are not playing in a game or who have completed the individual tournament. Mrs. Hemming will guide them through some basic "rock climbing" skills.

Today promises to be a gorgeous day. Already the sun is out and temperature is mid 70's, on our way to mid 80's. We'll keep you posted on the tournament play!

Championship Week Day One

2008-07-09T09:23:00.000-04:00

Day one of Championship Week was a success. It was a beautiful day and we were able to complete all of our scheduled games and events. We started out with morning meeting to go over the day's schedule. There were no Camper of the Day awards given because of the King's Dominion trip.

The first set of games started promptly at 9am with Basketball, Football, Hockey, Lacrosse and Soccer. Below are the results.

Basketball
Florida 36
Ohio State 28

Football
Virginia 0
Michigan 24

Hockey
Penn State 4
Oklahoma 2

Lacrosse
Duke 3
USC 0

Soccer
UNC 3
Notre Dame 4

The 11am game Results:

Basketball
UNC 39
Virginia 32

Football
Texas 33
Duke 6

Lacrosse
Michigan 4
Florida 2

Soccer
USC 3
LSU 2

Softball
Ohio Sate 1
Penn State 7

The campers and counselors enjoyed a short break after lunch and then it was time to compete in the individual tournaments. At 1:45pm the campers broke off into their age groups to take part in Basketball, where they shot free throws, Hockey- penalty shots, Tennis - matches vs. others in their age group, Swim Meet, Golf - chipping and putting. There will be ribbons awarded on Saturday to campers that finished in the top spots for each event in their age group. We actually spent two sessions on these tournaments. Once these were finished, the groups went on to canteen and rested up for the 4:20pm Games. Below are those results.

Basketball
Notre Dame 42
Oklahoma 29

Football
Florida 30
Ohio State 0

Hockey
Duke 3
Michigan 0

Lacrosse
Penn State 6
Virginia 0

Finally, Dinner... We enjoyed some real homestyle cooking tonight. One of my favorite WFS dinners, Pot Roast. I don't think I can make it any better. There was another birthday today. I think you could hear the birthday song all the way in Orange! Soon after dinner it was back down the hill for the 7 o'clock games. Below are the results.

Football
Penn State 39
Oklahoma 6

Hockey
Virginia 7
USC 8

Soccer
Ohio State 3
Duke 2

Softball
LSU 4
Notre Dame 1

Last night was a Fir Tree night. The campers certainly earned their milk shakes. We do it all over again Wednesday. The weather looks sketchy. We're hoping to get in as many games as we can. We'll keep you posted!

Championship Week!

2008-07-08T08:20:00.000-04:00

Good morning! Today we kick off the first games on the road to the Championship. At 9am sharp, the teams will be down the hill ready to play round one of the tournament games. After lunch, individuals will face off in their age groups for the individual champion tournaments in various events. We have quite a busy week ahead of us.

Yesterday was fabulous. We traveled 90 minutes to the east and then slightly south when we arrived at King's Dominion. Coach handed out the "bright orange" Under Armor shirts at morning meeting and went over some expectations for the day. He talked about stranger danger. He expects no camper to ever travel alone, on a ride, to the bathroom, etc. The talk finished with his expectations about their behavior while inside the park. We're a large group of bright orange shirts, we're hard to miss and how we act will be noticed! The kids loaded up on their assigned buses. The group lucky enough to be on the charter bus had the pleasure of watching a movie. One of my all time favorites, The Sandlot!

When we arrived at King's Dominon, the groups were given their tickets and lunch money. Most of the groups went right to the rides. (which was smart based on the fact that half the coasters turn you upside down and loop all around) A few of the groups dashed on over to the newest ride, The Dominator. It claims to be the "longest floorless coaster" and have the "largest roller coaster loop". Can you believe some of these groups rode this thing 6 times yesterday? I was nauseous just looking at it.

At around 4pm, groups started to make their way to the meeting place, the famous "Eiffel Tower". Dinner money was handed out and the groups were told to meet at the exit at 6:30pm sharp. By this time many of the groups had been on the rides 2 and 3 times. It was a perfect day for us to be there. It remained pretty cloudy all day, with a threat of rain. The park was relatively quiet and word had it, the longest wait to get on a ride was maybe 10 minutes.

The camp slept well last night, I'm sure. They'll need to rest in order to be up for the tournament this week. We expect some exciting games. There will be some upsets! Be sure to check the blog for the updates. Enjoy your day!

This Mornings 1st round Games

Basketball
Florida vs Ohio State
Football
Virginia vs Michigan
Hockey
Penn State vs Oklahoma
Lacrosse
Duke vs USC
Soccer
UNC vs Notre Dame

Basketball
UNC vs Virginia
Football
Texas vs Duke
Lacrosse
Michigan vs Florida
Soccer
USC vs LSU
Softball
Ohio State vs Penn Sate

Sunday July 6

2008-07-07T07:31:00.000-04:00

After an extra hour of sleep, it was rise and shine, without the shine. It rained a good part of the night and although cloudy, the plan for this morning was to make up the games that had been rained out on Saturday.

First we enjoyed breakfast and then morning meeting. Camper of the day awards were given out and then we had the pleasure of listening to Coach Stowers.

Today's talk started out on the subject of Teamwork. Coach Stowers began by defining "Teamwork". He continued with "we should genuinely believe the value of a team's success is worth more than individual sacrifice". Sacrifice should be encouraged and rewarded. Coach mentioned the orange "TEAM" bands (or bracelets) that have been given out... TEAM, some say, stands for "Together Everyone Achieves More".

Coach Stowers also talked about failure. Failure is an opportunity to begin again, only more intelligently. Failure makes you look at yourself and analyze. You can either give up and stay down, wallow in self defeat or get back up and move on to the next sport. The message he wanted to send to the boys today was that they shouldn't linger in the losses. He went on to say that these lessons will be useful in everyday life as they experience more and continue to grow.

These ideas are important to us as we move into "Championship Week". How we look at each other and how we look at failure will be key to having a great final week.

Later that morning we were able to make up some games missed Saturday due to thunder. It was a busy mid morning. The campers had lunch and a long rest period today to ensure some questionable lunch time weather had passed and then it was off to some more conference games.

Dinner this evening was grilled chicken breast, broccoli, cheesy potatoes and mini apple pie. Yum! We celebrated two birthdays today (a day early). These boys have gotten real good at singing the birthday song!

The evening games got started, but had to be called early due to thunder again. The rain began to really pour down by 8pm. We had gotten the boys up the hill for showers and then huddle meetings just in time.

Below are the standings going into championship week. Things can change drastically during this week. We'll keep you updated!

2008 Conference Totals

East 53 - 40
West 44 - 48 - 1
South 43 - 49 - 1
Midwest 45 - 48

Basketball

East 9 - 6 PA West 7 - 8 PA
UNC 4 - 1 165 Oklahoma 0 - 5
Virginia 0 - 5 Texas 5 - 0 121
Penn State 5 - 0 131 USC 2 - 3

South 7 - 10 PA Midwest 8 - 7 PA
LSU 4 - 2 173 Michigan 4 - 1 143
Florida 2 - 3 157 Ohio State 1 - 4
Duke 1 - 5 Notre Dame 3 - 2 119

Football

East 10 - 5 PA West 6 - 11 PA
UNC 4 - 1 33 Oklahoma 0 - 6
Virginia 2 - 3 Texas 3 - 3 59
Penn State 4 - 1 102 USC 3 - 2 34

South 9 - 6 PA Midwest 6 - 9 PA
LSU 4 - 1 81 Michigan 2 - 3
Florida 4 - 2 45 Ohio State 1 - 4
Duke 1 - 3 Notre Dame 3 - 2 71

Hockey

East 11 - 6 PA West 8 - 7 PA
UNC 5 - 1 Oklahoma 2 - 3
Virginia 3 - 2 17 Texas 5 - 0
Penn State 3 - 3 USC 1 - 4

South 10 - 5 PA Midwest 2 - 13 PA
LSU 3 - 2 13 Michigan 1 - 4 20
Florida 4 - 1 Ohio State 0 - 5
Duke 3 - 2 18 Notre Dame 1 - 4 16

Lacrosse

East 8 - 8 PA West 6 - 9 PA
UNC 4 - 1 11 Oklahoma 0 - 5
Virginia 1 - 5 Texas 5 - 0 7
Penn State 3 - 2 14 USC 1 - 4

South 5 - 10 PA Midwest 12 - 4 PA
LSU 3 - 2 16 Michigan 2 - 4
Florida 1 - 4 Ohio State 5 - 0 3
Duke 1 - 4 Notre Dame 5 - 0 7

Soccer

East 9 - 6 PA West 9 - 6 PA
UNC 2 - 3 Oklahoma 1 - 4
Virginia 3 - 2 Texas 4 - 1 13
Penn State 4 - 1 15 USC 4 - 1 18

South 3 - 11 PA Midwest 10 - 7 PA
LSU 1 - 4 29 Michigan 4 - 1 14
Florida 1 - 4 22 Ohio State 4 - 2
Duke 1 - 4 23 Notre Dame 2 - 4

Softball

East 6 - 9 PA West 8 - 8 - 1 PA
UNC 3 - 2 Oklahoma 1 - 4 - 1
Virginia 1 - 4 Texas 4 - 1 12
Penn State 2 - 3 USC 3 - 3

South 9 - 5 - 1 PA Midwest 7 - 8 PA
LSU 3 - 2 25 Michigan 4 - 1 9
Florida 3 - 2 19 Ohio State 2 - 3
Duke 3 - 1 - 1 14 Notre Dame 1 - 4

Draft Day!

2008-07-06T11:24:00.000-04:00

Saturday July5th was a big day here at WFS. Last evening we held the 2nd Annual Counselor Draft. The campers organized themselves into groups of 4-6 boys in preparation for our upcoming field trip. They gave themselves a name and then made a list of several counselors they would like to hang with on the trip. They had a few days to work on this before the big event. A few of the names they chose brought on some laughs, The Suns, Purple Platypus', The Internationals, Rabbit Monkey's, White Whales, Cockapoos, Inter-Coasters, just to name a few.

First order of business though, was the morning meeting where Coach Alexander announced the winner of the July 4th events. Overall Florida took home the big prize. They had the most points. There were no individual "camper of the day" awards given today. Individuals, however, were awarded a shirt for their 1st place accomplishments in the event in which they competed on the 4th.

Saturday was a little stormy, so plan B went into effect early. What is plan B? Dodgeball of course! What a great way to spend a rainy morning... (if you're a boy)

Later that morning we were able to get in some individual instruction. Then it was time for lunch. After rest period the skies cleared and it was off to the outdoor pool for two teams and sign-up clinics for the others. We had our afternoon contests, dinner and then evening contests.

We had a big show down on the football field today. LSU matched up against Penn State. It was quite the barn burner with LSU coming out victorious in the last seconds of the game. As the two teams gathered on the field, coach talked about their great sportsmanship and pointed out a couple of guys that showed extra effort during the game.

Pizza was served in preparation for the draft which took place at Edwards Lecture Room located in Armfield Hall. The small teams assembled in their seats while the counselors gathered in the back. The chalkboard indicated the name of the counselor eligible for drafting and whether or not they were considered a "coaster rider". Coach Alexander announced that even if they were willing to ride a coaster, they could be drafted by a non-coaster team and that they should abide by their wishes and "deal with it!".

The teams had written their names on cards which Coach Alexander shuffled. He then asked Mrs. Lewis to "cut" the cards. The first card chosen turned out to be the team named, The World's Largest Leprechauns. A cheer came from the crowd as the group of campers ran down to the front of the hall. Whispering in Coach Alexander's ear, they made their choice. The #1 draft choice in this year's Counselor Draft was Ade Oyalowo! There were cheers of joy and sighs of dissapointment from the crowd. Apparently many of the teams had Ade down as their first choice. The night went on with cheers and jeers as teams were thrilled with their choices and dissapointed that their first and second choices were taken. It was a great way to close the evening.

Making their way through the downpouring of rain, the campers descended upon the dorms for showers, huddle meetings and bedtime. It rained a good part of the night, which is actually great. The fields need it and the cooling of the air will make for a good day on Sunday.

July 4th Independence Day

2008-07-05T09:37:00.000-04:00

What a Great Day!

It was long and exhausting, but Friday July 4th was so much fun.

We started the day out with morning meeting and presentation of Thursday's Camper of the Day Awards. Then coach went right into the itinerary for Friday. The coaches had placed their campers into at least one event for the day. The coaches and campers worked together to choose which event each camper would participate in. The teams gained points as the day went on based on how their athlete's performed in the contests. Coach Alexander announced the standings after each one. The entire camp traveled as a group to every event. It made things real exciting as there were cheers from the crowd all day long!

First up on the agenda.... Lacrosse Shootout... 12 Lacrosse stars battled to place the ball into the goal.

Next up, Soccer Shootout. The campers had to kick the ball into the goal, however they had to work around two golf carts and a counselor... Check those photos out!

We all moved into the Barbee Center where we met Coach Ben Hale for the 5o meter and 200 meter events. Coach Hale is our Cross Country and Track coach here at WFS. He explained to the boys how the races would work, gave them a little pep talk and then it was off to the races. It was real official, he used a starting pistol!

Soon after the running events, we packed into the stands at the indoor pool for the swimming events. Mrs. Hemming went over how the event would work and then the fun began.

Next it was back into the Barbee for the basketball shoot. Coach Ebel, "prettiest man alive" went over the rules.... 12 boys had 10 chances to put the ball in the basket. We were entertained afterwards by Coach Frazier Stowers and Referee Landrus Lewis when they showed off their "dunking" skills. Landrus is a Varsity Basketball player at WFS and Coach Stowers is just the most gifted athlete ever born. (according to Coach Alexander).

Then it was up the hill. Half the group made their way into the Varsity Tennis stands and the other half packed into the Glover Fitness Center. 12 boys tried their hand at Tennis. Wow! Do we have some talented tennis players. Meanwhile, 12 other boys were showing off their manly powers at the Strongest Man Competition. These boys had to test their skills at pull ups, push ups and dips. It's amazing to see the determination. What a great group of kids!

Finally, it was time for lunch. We enjoyed some BLT's and then it was off to the wrestling room for the tournament. This event allowed more than just 12 boys to participate. It was a process of elimination, then the 3rd and 4th place round and then the championship round. The first order of business was to introduce a couple of WFS Wrestling Team members. These two sparred off during an exhibition match.

It was back down the hill for the Home Run Derby, Quarterback Challenge and then the Golf Tournament. At this point the sky started to look a little questionable and finally, were heard the dreaded thunder. It was back into the Barbee. The Golf showdown would have to be held later that evening. Once in the Barbee the teams were back together and getting motivated for the "Tug of War".

We decided to move the cook out to the Barbee, so once the Tug of War was over, dinner was ready. The boys ate in the Barbee Center and then as if we ordered it up special, the storm moved out and the sun made an appearance. The golf tournament was finished up and we descended down to the pool for volleyball, swimming and the highlight of the day.... The Dunk Tank!

Our day wasn't over yet. With the threat of storms still on the horizon, we went back to the Barbee for showers and the campfire...Yes, we had our "campfire" in the Barbee.. without fire of course. Camper of the Week was awarded and then we had the pleasure of watching 5 skits . In addition to the four teams that performed, our very talented group of referees and support staff played their version of Celebrity Sports Jeopardy. All the groups that put on their skits tonight did a great job.. There were many laughs from the crowd. Actually, everyone may have been a bit punchy at this point. It was a long day....

All in all it was a day to be proud of here on our beautiful 1400 acre campus. There was great fun shared. We observed the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat along with good sportsmanship, and most importantly an overwhelming support of each other. The boys have come a long way since the beginning of camp. We are very proud of everyone. It's been a great two weeks!

Thursday July 3

2008-07-04T13:24:00.000-04:00

Rise and Shine! Thursday started with a hot breakfast and then morning meeting.

After presenting Tuesday's Camper of the Day awards the morning meeting continued with Coach Alexander announcing that all of the teams have camped and from now on teams that want to camp and risk an encounter with "The Rapidan Man" will be allowed on a first come first serve basis! Camping will resume Tuesday night.

Coach also mentioned that there would be an extra long rest period today. Large cheers came from the crowd of boys! The campers and counselors were elated. They were told to rest, work on assigning individuals to the July 4th contests and practice their skit if they are to perform Friday night.

On a serious note, sportsmanship was discussed at the meeting. Coach Alexander asked the fellas if they thought that winning a championship at Sports Camp the year they turned 12 would really matter 20 years from now when they're married and thinking of starting a family. The overwhelming response was "no" and a few giggles.

He went on to say that the goal for the rest of camp is NO SPORTSMANSHIP ISSUES! and that coaches are to be an example. He made sure they realize that campers like to emulate their coaches. Coach let them know that he LOVES the PASSION... but can do without some of the other stuff... These boys are fierce competitors, but campers and coaches alike must remember the idea is to have FUN!

The meeting closed out with an overview of what to expect on Friday. We have a great day planned with a LAX shootout, Soccer Shootout, Track competition, Swimming, Basketball, Strongest Man Competition, Tennis tournament, Home Run Derby and Wrestling tournament. We'll have dinner by the pool with swimming, volleyball and the ever popular Dunk Tank. The day will close with a campfire.

Don't forget to check picasa for the latest photos!

Below are Thursdays game results:

Basketball
Michigan Ohio State Michigan 37 - 32
Football
Duke Penn State Penn State 30 - 20
Hockey
Florida LSU Florida 5 - 2
Lacrosse
Texas Oklahoma Texas 6 - 2
Soccer
USC Notre Dame USC 5 - 4
Softball
Virginia UNC UNC 6 - 4

Basketball
Virginia Penn State Penn State 42 - 26
Football
Michigan LSU LSU 37 - 22
Hockey
Duke Oklahoma Duke 3 - 2
Lacrosse
Florida Notre Dame Notre Dame 4 - 1
Soccer
Texas UNC Texas 3 - 0
Softball
USC Ohio State Ohio State 6 - 5

Basketball
USC LSU LSU 47 - 23
Football
Virginia Oklahoma Virginia 19 - 6
Hockey
Michigan Notre Dame Michigan 6 – 5 3 OT
Lacrosse
Duke UNC UNC 7 - 2
Soccer
Florida Ohio State Ohio State 1 - 0
Softball
Texas Penn State Texas 4 - 1

Wednesday July 2

2008-07-03T15:29:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday there was a little "change up" in the schedule. After morning games instead of individual instruction there was a series of All Star Games played... Coaches and Administrators put age groups together from each conference to participate. It was quite the show down.

12, 13 & 14 year old all stars from the West and Midwest conference went head to head in football, while 13 & 14 year olds from the Eastern and Southern conferences matched up in Basketball, 12 year olds from these conferences also played a basketball game against each other and 10 and 11 year olds from all conferences played a game of softball. This is the first time the age groups actually competed against each other. It was a lot of fun and the groups seemed to enjoy the competitions.

Pizza day in the dining hall! We enjoyed a pizza lunch, rest period, canteen, practice, games, and then everyone's favorite, Taco bar for dinner, more games and finally, a trip to the Fir Tree. These boys are well fed and deserve every bit of it.. They sure do work hard!

Hang in there guys.. we're in the home stretch... we've got fun things to look forward to; the 4th of July, Friday night Campfire, another field trip and then championship week.

Below are Tuesday's game results, we had some exciting games today!!!!!!

Basketball
Texas Oklahoma Texas 37 - 32
Football
USC Notre Dame USC 19 - 6
Hockey
Virginia UNC UNC 3 - 1
Lacrosse
Michigan Ohio State Ohio State 5 - 0
Soccer
Duke Penn State Penn State 3 - 1
Softball
Florida LSU Florida 12 - 4

Basketball
Florida Notre Dame Notre Dame 25 - 16
Football
Texas UNC Texas 14 - 13
Hockey
USC Ohio State USC 6 - 3
Lacrosse
Virginia Penn State Penn State 6 - 1
Soccer
Michigan LSU Michigan 7 - 4
Softball
Duke Oklahoma 4 – 4 Tie

Basketball
Duke UNC UNC 38 - 35
Football
Florida Ohio State Florida 26 - 6
Hockey
Texas Penn State Texas 7 - 0
Lacrosse
USC LSU LSU 5 - 0
Soccer
Virginia Oklahoma Virginia 7 – 6 PK
Softball
Michigan Notre Dame Michigan 7 - 1

Tuesday July 1

2008-07-02T07:56:00.000-04:00

On the Fields!

It was back to business today... Games, Individual instruction, Clinics and more games! After a wet and wild day at Water Country, we were at it again. The weather was beautiful. I'm not sure it even reached 80 degrees today. We had a mix of clouds and sun and a nice down pour during rest period. There was enough rain to eliminate the dust kicked up by the golf carts and to soften the fields a bit.

Below are Tuesdays results.

Basketball
Michigan Texas Texas 41 - 33
Football
Ohio State Oklahoma Ohio State 26 - 12
Hockey
Notre Dame USC Notre Dame 3 - 1
Lacrosse
Duke Penn State Penn State 5 - 1
Soccer
Florida UNC UNC 6 – 4 PK
Softball
LSU Virginia LSU 8 - 4

Basketball
Notre Dame Oklahoma Notre Dame 47 - 25
Football
Michigan USC Michigan 19 - 6
Hockey
Ohio State Texas Texas 7 - 1
Lacrosse
LSU UNC UNC 7 - 2
Soccer
Duke Virginia Virginia 6 - 1
Softball
Florida Penn State Florida 3 - 2

Basketball
Ohio State USC Ohio State 29 - 26
Football
Notre Dame Texas Texas 20 - 0
Hockey
Michigan Oklahoma Oklahoma 2 - 1
Lacrosse
Florida Virginia Virginia 4 - 2
Soccer
LSU Penn State Penn State 5 - 4
Softball
Duke UNC Duke 6 - 0

Monday June 30

2008-07-01T13:11:00.001-04:00

Water Country USA... Today we ventured down to Williamsburg, VA for some fun in the sun. After a 2 1/2 hour drive we arrived at Water Country which is affiliated with Busch Gardens. We shared a picnic lunch prior to descending upon the park. There are 30 different rides at this place. The attractions have names like Aquazoid, Nitro Racer and Wild Thang. Additionally there was a wave pool, sprinkler areas and a "lazy river".

The campers traveled around with their teams, 2 coaches and an additional counselor like a referee or a support staff member. The thing to do is leave all your gear either on the bus or in a rented locker and travel around in just your swimsuit. The air temperature was about 85 degrees which made the water feel cool and refreshing.

Meal vouchers were passed out so it was dinner on your own in the park. There were plenty of eateries to choose from. We finally called it a day around 6:30pm. I for one was glad. My eight year old wore me out. I'm looking forward to not having to ride "Big Daddy Falls" again for another year.

As you can imagine, the bus ride home was a lot quieter than on the way there. I think the boys slept well last night!

p.s. if you don't see your son in the water country photos, it's not because they didn't go on the excursion. All the campers did, we just had trouble catching up with all of them at the park. They were all there and it seemed as though they all had a great time!

Sunday June 29

2008-06-30T06:59:00.000-04:00

Sleep in Day!

Today the campers and counselors enjoyed pushing everything back an hour. Wake up was at 8am instead of 7 and breakfast ran from 9 to 9:30. It was much needed rest and everyone seemed to benefit.

Today's morning meeting began with a few spiritual words from Coach Frazier Stowers. He decided to speak about leadership this morning. It was a great topic to choose as we finish our first full week of camp and the teams have settled into their roles.

He cited words from the book of Genesis, "Man is made in the reflection of God's character", and went on to explain that God has placed us here on earth to "reign" and that this a powerful thing, we are all meant to lead, further espousing that, sometimes we can be diverted away and misuse our authority by being over confident or not confident enough. Coach Stowers continued on speaking from the book of John, that as a leader, you are a servant yourself and as a teammate, think about placing your teammates before yourself. In closing, he read words from the book of Paul. Coach went on to say that "just because you're young, it doesn't mean you can't be an influence to others around you, God gave this power to all of us". He explained to the boys that they shouldn't shy away from the tasks of doing these things.

It was a beautiful time spent on the steps of the Dick Gym. We all reflected on how blessed we are to be sharing these few weeks with your special gifts from God.

The meeting closed with camper of the day awards from Saturday and a special award going to an entire team for their struggles of the week and their desire to persevere through adversity. Coach Alexander explained to the group how each of their teammates remained supportive of each other throughout the week despite some tough losses and that he likes to believe that adversity reveals character. They are quite an example of leadership and good character. The team that was awarded was Oklahoma.

Below are Saturdays results. Enjoy your day!

Basketball
Duke Penn State Penn State 41 - 37
Football
Florida UNC UNC 20 - 13
Hockey
LSU Virginia Virginia 5 - 2
Lacrosse
Michigan Texas Texas 5 - 2
Soccer
Ohio State Oklahoma Oklahoma 3 - 2
Softball
Notre Dame USC Notre Dame 10 - 4

Basketball
LSU UNC UNC 43 - 32
Football
Duke Virginia Duke 6 - 0
Hockey
Florida Penn State Penn State 4 – 3 OT
Lacrosse
Notre Dame Oklahoma Notre Dame 9 - 3
Soccer
Michigan USC Michigan 3 - 2
Softball
Ohio State Texas Texas 4 - 3

Basketball
Florida Virginia Florida 27 - 25
Football
LSU Penn State Penn State 26 - 19
Hockey
Duke UNC UNC 7 - 1
Lacrosse
Ohio State USC Ohio State 1 - 0
Soccer
Notre Dame Texas Texas 4 - 1
Softball
Michigan Oklahoma Michigan 1 - 0

Saturday June 28th

2008-06-29T13:14:00.000-04:00

Today was another hot day here at camp. Again we managed to escape poor weather. It was hot and sticky, but no storms!

The campers began their day with breakfast and the morning meeting. They had the pleasure of listening to a special guest today. Mr. Kenny Roper, Woodberry grad and four year Sports Camp Counselor. He was inspirational. Mr. Roper spoke of precious memories and the special bond he developed with his friends while at Woodberry. Thank you Mr. Roper for sharing your thoughts and insight into life here at WFS!

Game Results from Saturdays match ups.

Basketball
Texas vs Florida Texas 45 - 20
Football
USC vs Duke USC 12 - 8
Hockey
Oklahoma vs LSU LSU 7 - 1
Lacrosse
Virginia vs Ohio State Ohio State 2 - 0
Soccer
Penn State vs Michigan Michigan 3 - 1
Softball
UNC vs Notre Dame UNC 4 - 1

Basketball
Oklahoma vs Duke Duke 27 - 19
Football
Texas vs LSU LSU 20 - 12
Hockey
USC vs Florida Florida 3 - 1
Lacrosse
UNC vs Michigan UNC 7 - 2
Soccer
Virginia vs Notre Dame Virginia 2 - 1
Softball
Penn State vs Ohio State Penn State 4 - 1

Basketball
USC vs LSU USC 23 - 22
Football
Oklahoma vs Florida Florida 19 - 0
Hockey
Texas vs Duke Texas 5 - 3
Lacrosse
Penn State vs Notre Dame Notre Dame 6 - 1
Soccer
UNC vs Ohio State Ohio State 6 - 4
Softball
Virginia vs Michigan Michigan 3 - 2

Friday June 27

2008-06-28T07:22:00.001-04:00

Today, in addition to individual instruction, games and clinics, the campers were looking forward to the Friday night campfire. At this weekly ritual teams perform skits and the camper/counselor of the week awards are given out. Additionally, the team with the cleanest rooms of the week are also announced.

The camper of the week award is given to one camper per team who performed outstanding all week long. This boy may have a few or all of the following qualities; good character, athleticism, thoughtfulness, dedication, heart, hustle, etc... This year's award is an embroidered ball cap that reads "Woodberry Sports Camp".

A counselor of the week was chosen as well. This counselor was referred to as "a work horse" by coach Alexander. He showed great effort, dedication and pride all week long. He was attentive to the campers and never turned down a chance to offer help. This counselor was awarded a "Woodberry Sports Camp" embroidered towel. Congratulations Ade Oyalowo, who is a first time counselor here at the camp!

This summer we're offering a daily strength training clinic. The campers are learning technique in order to build their "core" strength. An award was given to the camper who showed great ability, dedication and achievement in this area.

Tonight was the first of the skit performances. Teams from the Eastern conference along with the Penn State team bravely took center stage down at the bonfire site. First up was the Cavaliers of UVA. They quickly won over the crowd with their mocking of certain counselors and Coach Alexander. All in good fun of course. We saw skits from UNC, Florida and finally Penn State. At the conclusion of the evening a winner was chosen by judging the applause for each team that performed. UVA was the big winner for the night. For an opening bonfire, these skits were amazing. The counselors and the campers are quite creative and certainly not shy! I'll bet some of you didn't even know you had a comedic thespian in the house. The winning team receives a pizza party this week.

Finally, another pizza party is awarded weekly to the team that has the cleanest rooms all week long. Daily Coach Hannenburg inspects dorm rooms after breakfast and assigns a score based on cleanliness. The beds need to be made, the fans are to be turned off and dirty clothes need to be put into a laundry bag. The scores are tallied weekly. The higher the score, the messier the room , so the idea is to have a low score. The lowest score this week went to the Tarheels of UNC. They were thrilled. Good job Coach Al Williams and his UNC team!

We've managed to escape poor weather this week. Although it was warmer today than any other day, the boys played hard and drank plenty of fluids. It looks as though the temperature should dip back into the mid 80's over the next few days. This is how we like it. We've been blessed and are truly thankful.

Thursday June 26

2008-06-27T07:44:00.000-04:00

Thursday morning we ventured into the Shenandoah National Park. After a gorgeous and relaxing cruise up Skyline Drive we arrived at the trail that would eventually get us to the summit of Stonyman Point and finally our picnic site. Mr. Jim Reid, the head of the Woodberry Forest Science Department, set up and led us on this wonderful journey.

The hike up to the summit was beautiful just on it's own. I'm not sure many campers took time to really notice "why" the area is called Stonyman. It seemed we quickly reached the summit. The campers were so eager, they just breezed right up this little trail. The rock that is naturally laid out among the terrain, was interesting. There were some really spectactular arrangements.

Each team had their picture taken on top of the rock formation found at the summit. It was extremely breezy on top and the air felt somewhere in the low 70's. The view, as you can see from the photos, was amazing. There were lots of ooh's and ah's!

After our little photo session, it was off to the Appalachian Trail. We hiked about 90 minutes to our picnic site. This area was carved out by the CCC in the 1930's. Coach Alexander gave a little history lesson once the hike was over. The hike was just challenging enough to engage everyone and was very picturesque.

Many of the campers fell asleep on the way back to Woodberry. It was much needed rest after five days of constant activity and playing hard. The group was delighted to find out that when we arrived at WFS Coach Alexander told them they could use the next three hours to rest, work on their skit and most importantly, write those highly anticipated letters to their families!

Dinner was at 6pm and then the evening games. Below are the results. Don't forget to click on the Picasa link daily for new photos. You can go to Elaine's Public Gallery and see all of the albums from each day. Enjoy!

Basketball
LSU vs. Duke LSU 44 - 26

Football
Florida vs. Texas Florida 7 – 6 OT

Hockey
UNC vs. Penn State UNC 6 - 3

Lacrosse
Virginia vs. Michigan Michigan 4 - 1

Soccer
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Notre Dame 4 - 2

Softball
Oklahoma vs. USC USC 3 - 2

Wednesday June 25th Game Results

2008-06-26T08:29:00.000-04:00

Basketball
Michigan vs. Duke
Michigan – 27 - 26
Football
Ohio State vs. Florida
Florida 12 - 0
Hockey
Notre Dame vs. LSU
LSU 5 - 0
Lacrosse
Texas vs. Virginia
Texas 6 - 0
Soccer
Oklahoma vs. UNC
UNC 6 - 3
Softball
USC vs. Penn State
Penn State 9 – 8

Basketball - Notre Dame vs. Florida Florida 24 - 21
Football - Michigan vs. LSU LSU 14 - 12
Hockey - Ohio State vs. Duke Duke 3 - 1
Lacrosse - USC vs. UNC UNC 8 - 1
Soccer - Texas vs. Penn State Penn State 8 – 6 PK
Softball - Oklahoma vs. Virginia Oklahoma 4 - 3

Basketball
Ohio State vs. LSU LSU 38 - 31
Football
Notre Dame vs. Duke Notre Dame 7 - 0
Hockey
Michigan vs. Florida Florida 3 - 1
Lacrosse
Oklahoma vs. Penn State Penn State 5 - 3
Soccer
USC vs Virginia USC 6 – 5 PK
Softball
Texas vs. UNC Texas 4 - 2

Tuesday June 24

2008-06-25T13:53:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was another gorgeous day here in Central Virginia. Rise and Shine at 7:30am, room inspection and then off to breakfast. The campers and counselors enjoyed scrambled eggs, bacon and a huge variety of cold cereals. Then it was off to the first morning session of official games between the teams. There were three sessions of games today. With individual instruction in various sports between session one and lunch.

Texas and Virginia paired off for a game of hoops, Oklahoma vs. UNC in football, USC and Penn State challenged each other in hockey, it was Duke vs. Michigan in a Lacrosse game that went into overtime, Ohio State and Florida faced off in soccer and finally Notre Dame vs. LSU in a softball match up.

The winners and the score:
Texas – 50 - 22
UNC – 26 - 0
Penn State 6 - 4
Duke – 3 – 2 OT
Ohio State – 4 - 0
LSU – 10 - 6

Afternoon Games Results

Basketball - USC vs. UNC UNC 44 - 28
Football - Texas vs. Penn State Penn State 13 - 12
Hockey - Oklahoma vs. Virginia Virginia 3 – 2 - OT
Lacrosse - Notre Dame vs. Florida Notre Dame 5 - 1
Soccer - Michigan vs. LSU LSU 6 - 5
Softball - Ohio State vs. Duke Duke 4 - 3

Evening Game Results

Basketball - Oklahoma vs. Penn State Penn State 54 - 29
Football - USC vs. Virginia USC 6 - 0
Hockey - Texas vs. UNC Texas 6 - 4
Lacrosse - Ohio State vs. LSU Ohio State 6 - 3
Soccer - Notre Dame vs. Duke Notre Dame 5 -1
Softball - Michigan vs. Florida Florida 3 – 2

Penn State was the big winner for the day with three consecutive victories. Go Nittany Lions!!!

Tuesday evening closed out with a trip to the Fir Tree and then it was off to camping in the great outdoors for the Texas and Michigan teams. The campers and counselors enjoyed hotdogs, smores and some campfire chatter.

Monday June 23

2008-06-24T16:47:00.001-04:00

Our first full day of camp proved to be a success. The weather was great. We've had beautiful blue skies and temperatures in the mid 80's.

The boys began their day with a morning meeting where the first of our "camper of the day" awards were given out. These awards are given to a camper for a variety of reasons. Boys are awarded not only their sportsmanship on the field, but their behavior on dorm, in the dining hall and how they work with their teammates. Sometimes it is one random act of kindness that gets them a "superman" t-shirt. The awards are given daily. The coaches and administrators get together and decide who is worthy of this most prestigious award!

Monday was mainly a day to get the teams clicking. They spent many of the clinics practicing for their games which begin on Tuesday. The campers also took part in their individual instruction where they are paired up with boys their own age. Here they work on golf skills, tennis, swimming,etc..

Tomorrow the games begin.... Things get real exciting from here on out!

Be sure to check the Picasa link daily. You can click on "elaines public albums" in order to view each day!

Opening Day

2008-06-23T14:14:00.000-04:00

The sky was a gorgeous blue, the temperature was perfect in the upper 70's as 144 sports enthused campers descended upon The Forest. Dressed sharp in their black "dry fit" the counselors, coaches and administrators greeted the boys, their parents, siblings and even some grandparents. Then it was off to pick up their gear, move into their dorm, share a last lunch and finally, a good bye hug and a kiss, if you were lucky.

Close to 3 o'clock the campers had their first team gathering at the new Johnson Stadium, we took a team photo and gathered for our first of a few meetings of the day. Coach Alexander introduced this year's staff and of course went over "camp expectations".

By 4:30pm the boys were fully engaged in athletic activity. It seemed as though at any minute we could have a storm and apparently it stormed to the north, south and everywhere but over Woodberry Forest. We were blessed this afternoon to get in some individual instruction. Branching off into their age groups, the campers took part in Football Skills, Golf, Swimming, Lacrosse, Soccer, Strength Training, Wrestling, Basketball, Baseball and Tennis. By 6 pm they had hit the showers and joined together for dinner in the Reynolds Family dining room. Shortly after dinner it was all about their team. Each team took part in a "team clinic" sharpening their skills in either basketball, football, lacrosse or softball, preparing for those all important games later this week!

It was a full day finishing with a huddle meeting, another shower and finally, lights out. Our first successful day!

To view a complete album of photos, click on the link above to the right, just under the camper award slide show. This will direct you to Picasa. you can check this site daily for updated photos. Enjoy!

About WFS Sports Camp

2008-05-01T13:56:00.001-04:00

Woodberry Forest Sports Camp offers sports-loving boys between the ages of 10 and 13 a special experience. Boys of all levels of skill and ability who are interested in learning a variety of team and individual sports will enjoy the three-week camp. The camp works on developing skills in a friendly, supportive atmosphere where everyone finds encouragement. The camp covers most summer sports, and small-group instruction ensures individual attention for each boy. This camp is for the boy who wants to play sports all day long! Keen interest in sports is the key to enjoying the lively atmosphere of Woodberry Forest Sports Camp.