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.
