Yesterday we completed our first week of Sports Camp. WHAT AN AMAZING FIRST WEEK! It could be the best ever. We were reminiscing about last year's camp and what our first campfire of the week was like. It was q great first week as well, however we were only able to hold one campfire outside last year. That night we escaped from the campfire just in time to get everyone safely indoors before a Derecho hit. Last year's weather brought so many challenges. This week however, has been beautiful. Last night was near perfect!
We began our day as always with a morning meeting and presentation of the "Camper of the Day" awards. Six deserving boys were presented with the coveted Superman shirt.
The morning games heated up right away. By the end LSU was still 8-1 and the Irish of Notre Dame were still undefeated. Over on the softball field Wake Forest beat Ohio State in a tight game 2-1 in extra innings.
After canteen the campers are still taking part in individual instruction sessions set up by age. They're still going to "insanity", speed training, swimming, etc... Insanity was the feature in many of last night's skits - we'll touch on that later. I don't get it, I love the Insanity work out! These kids that have more energy than we do in any given moment of everyday and they just can't handle it! Like Coach Alexander says, it's the adversity which will make you better.
After rest period I ventured down to the outdoor pool to see "what's up". It was a perfect day for the pool. The southern conference was frolicking in the water and on the volleyball courts. Our counselors take a lot of abuse in the pool - SUCH A BOY THING! Always hanging on each other.
During canteen, the camp was "buzzing" about the afternoon match up between 8-1 LSU and Undefeated Notre Dame. They were meeting on the soccer field. These two teams are probably in the top 3 best soccer teams at camp. We do our best to spread the "talent", but sometimes there are some "unknowns" and these two teams are blessed! Yesterday though Notre Dame was no match for LSU. The first half proved to be the match up we were expecting. The score at the half was 1-0, but LSU came out "smoking" in the second half. The final - 4-1 LSU.
Over at Johnson Stadium Virginia had a great showing on the football field. Their most valuable player yesterday? One of the youngest and smallest kid on their team. Good things come in small packages. Don't underestimate the power of the little guy! Texas handled it in stride - they exhibited great sportsmanship throughout the game. The final was 21-0 Cavaliers.
After a southern fried chicken dinner it was time for evening games. We rushed down after dinner to get these started because we were anticipating campfire night. There weren't any overtime games last night, but there were some very competitive matches. Most notable was the football game. UNC and Brown played a great game. UNC was behind 13-6 and driving down the field in the fourth quarter when a Tarheel player reached up and intercepted what looked like a great pass coming out of good defensive coverage. This kid was amazing! Brown was able to hold on to the ball and control the clock. The final was 13-6.
By 8pm, the gang was enjoying a quick snack and then we began the shuttling of teams out to our campsite. Up past the ropes course we have set up our campsite. The campsite sits on the grounds of the skeet range. It's one of the most beautiful areas of our 1200 acre campus.
Down the hill from the skeet range and the outing cabin, we've set up the campfire site. Just ten feet from the river is where we burn the "W" to kick off the campfire each week. The kids chant "Burn Baby Burn" a traditional Woodberry cheer.
While the "W" was burning our MC's began the ceremony. Last night the southern and northern conference teams performed their skits. This is where the kids take the opportunity to make fun of all the little quirky things and incidents about camp. In between each skit, one conference presented a weekly award. Each team awarded a "camper of the week" honor to a
deserving boy. This camper shows leadership, positivity and
outstanding play the entire week. At the end of the campfire, there is also a "cleanest room"
honor awarded to the team that scored the most points for clean rooms. Daily
the rooms are checked by Coach Hahnenburg. He is looking to see that the rooms
are clear of debris and that the beds are made - nicely - each day. Points are
given for each category. This week Miami scored the most points. They had
62. The lowest scoring team had just 20. Good job Miami!
Today promises to be another beautiful day. With temperatures in the 80's we just can't ask for anything more. Enjoy your Saturday!
