Dignity of Responsibility

"Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation: for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company."

George Washington

Last night's values meeting topic was Dignity of Responsibility. The campers and coaches discussed ideas associated with the main topic such as being responsible and doing the right thing, with tradition comes responsibility, integrity and truth, what is class, and setting a positive example. After discussing these topics, campers were asked to reflect on several questions. As Coach Alexander drove around visiting the group meetings he heard both younger and older campers sharing their thoughts. They talked about what they would like their own honor code to be, what class looks like to them and why they think it is right to set a good example for kids younger than them. These kids had to think about the things they do and say on a daily basis. They were asked to think about whether or not they make others around them better. These ideas are something we hope will stick with them as they grow into adulthood. Many of our counselors are boys we've been around for years. Some were campers themselves and some are students here at Woodberry. We're never surprised but always proud of the boys who coach your sons. They take the time to teach these values on and off the fields and courts. They've learned themselves, that it's not all about winning the games.


   

Earlier in the day we did play four rounds of games and also held three team competitions. After canteen the camp divided into three groups. The boys who were selected to represent their team in golf played the first three holes of our nine hole golf course. Four golfers started out on each of the three holes. It was fun to follow the groups around and was almost exciting as the Masters!

The tennis competition took place on our lower courts. This competition is based on accuracy. The quarterback challenged is also based on accuracy. QB's threw a  total of eight balls which included a moving target. We don't know which team is winning the competition. The scores are still being calculated, but we do know it is a close race.

Two games went into double overtime yesterday. Stanford and Navy went to battle on the basketball court. The Cardinal came out ahead 57-51. Alabama and Brown faced off in handball. This game also went into double overtime. Bama was victorious 13-12.

We've been experiencing some beautiful weather over the past couple of days. The sunsets have been amazing and it actually cools off a bit at night. Today is supposed to be no exception. All is well at the forest!

June 28 Photos

                         

Yesterday 192 Campers and 40 counselors descended upon Water Country USA. I hope the park was ready for our crew because our crew was ready for the park. There was so much excitement and anticipation during the morning meeting. The kids rode in style too. We hired tour buses for the two and a half hour trek down to Williamsburg. 

Before departing Coach went over some ground rules and the candy schedule. What's the candy schedule? Well, the candy schedule was created a few years ago when we found the need to create one. Sports campers traditionally would stop in the candy store at the end of the day causing a large back up. The store was unable to handle the pile up and the buses were always late departing for home. Stopping at the candy store was necessary though(?) The kids think they need nourishment on the way home! It made for a good story for a few years but now we have a schedule. Starting at noon, each team has an assigned time slot to hit the candy store. If you don't make your assigned time, you are out of luck. If you are one of the teams going early to the store, you are allowed to go back to the bus, deposit your stash and then go back into the park. It's a great system and has worked well for the last few years. This year the candy store clerks were particularly impressed with the behavior of our campers. They made numerous comments to our staff about the experience.

After a sack lunch in the parking lot, the teams went into the park. What a perfect day to be at a water park. It was quite hot down in Williamsburg. Monday is typically a light day at Water Country so this helped to keep the lines for the rides down.

There are a variety of rides at this park. The kids enjoyed Aquazoid, Big Daddy Falls, Colossal Curl, and the Jet Stream just to name a few. One of my favorites is the Hubba Bubba Highway. The highway is a river type ride where you sit on a tube and just go. The water carries you and in the meantime you see a lot of the park!

Coach Alexander and Coach Hahnenburg were able to snag a few photos. We've shared them on the link below. If you don't see your child it doesn't mean he wasn't there it just means his group was too busy to stop for a photo!

Water Country Photos

Ball Game, Little Biscuits and the Gatorade Flip

With the first week winding down we've been reflecting on some of the quirkier things about camp. A few things have come to mind like the way Coach Hahnenburg says "ball game" before every pitch on the softball diamond and how Coach Alexander calls the young guys "little biscuits". As you know, boys are constantly moving and there's always something going on. Over the years, one of the favorite ways to pass the time was to 'flick a Gatorade cap'. This year the 'Gatorade Flip' has gone through camp like wildfire. Boys take their partially full bottles and flip them to see if it lands upright. (it usually does) It's noisy and it's possible that a bottle might explode due to this practice. It was banned yesterday as was the bottle cap flip in the past. By the end of camp there will be a few more tag lines and I'm sure the guys will find another quirky little game!

             

Yesterday each conference awarded a Camper of the Day and one coach also earned Coach of the Day. Morning meeting was brief because we had five rounds of games to get through so after the awards and some general business the gang headed down the hill for Round 17.

        

Kentucky and Michigan met up on the lacrosse field. It was a great game. Both team's A team and the B team contributed goals. In the end the Wolverines were victorious. Hail to the Victors! 

             

The morning softball game was a close one. Georgia and UNC came close to extra innings but Georgia hit a dinger with a batter on base to pull ahead. The final score was 6-5 Dawgs!

              

                                     

The LSU Tigers have been making headlines over the past few days and once again they found themselves in a close one on the soccer field. UVA was too much for the Tigers. The final score in overtime was 2-1 Wahoos!

After the 2:30 games and before the 4:30 games the campers had canteen and then gathered at the outdoor track for the 4 x 100 relay race. Each team put together a group of four runners for the event. There were four heats and then a final championship heat. UVA won the entire race. Their time was 57.41 - a Sports Camp record!

To view the final leg of the race, click on the link below.

Sports Camp 4 x 100 Relay

I'm hoping to post the team standings on tomorrow's blog entry. Things are really heating up. We're looking forward to seeing how things play out in week two!

June 26 Photos