I woke up to the soothing sound of summer rain dancing on my roof– the sound that invites you to roll over and take that well-deserved extra thirty minutes of sleep. Then, I remembered that I have four hundred campers and two hundred staff waiting for me. The late reveille call and the steady rain forced us to have a well-needed, slower start to our day. Boys poured out of their bunks for breakfast in tee shirts, paying no attention to the pelting rain.
I told a group of boys heading to breakfast to wear rain jackets, and one replied, “This sure beats having to wear a mask all day in school.” Out of the mouths of babes… The freedom of camp, the ability to roam and play mask-free, and to regain a sense of normalcy is clearly being celebrated at camp.
We had haircuts for those who wanted them this morning (doesn’t always turn out to be the style your son wants, but it will grow back). Even our hair stylist commented on how relaxed, happy, and content the boys were just to hang and wait their turn. We have completed our first round of league competition and said goodbye to Mike Turtle after a great week of soccer intensive training. We enjoyed a less structured, more relaxing start to our day. The morning was filled with both field houses and all hobby activities in use. Our thespians rehearsed for their upcoming Senior Big Show, Big Fish.
By the end of lunch, the rain had stopped. The lake presented us with calm, perfect conditions for skiing, wakeboarding, and wake surfing, so our ski staff jumped in their boats and gave our boys the opportunity to take advantage of these ideal conditions. The health center reports that, during their weekly bunk inspections, jammed fingers are now the second most common injury in camp, behind the self-inflicted wounds to the face caused by diablos. The Warrior campers are loving perfecting twirling tricks but not before taking a few unintentional mishaps to the head. I cringe at the thought of requiring helmets for this ever-popular fad.
We have managed to create a wonderful balance between organized, structured events, and a natural, healthy play. We have “slowed down to the speed of life,” nothing frenetic, no stress or pressure throughout our day. Without the over-scheduled calendar of out-of-camp events, we have found our joy in everything that we do in camp. As we begin the fourth week of our season, we look forward to welcoming Jordan Baltimore, founder and Director of Research & Training at Empire Baseball in New York City, who will be offering our boys high-level baseball instruction during the early part of the week. We will also be running our Takajo Tennis Invitational, Swim Meet, sailing regatta, and climbing competition, as well as a big, in-camp carnival. So much to do, so much to look forward to, the best is yet to come.
