I can feel the pace of camp picking up with each passing day. I feel like we are beginning to hit our stride and that our boys are becoming more relaxed and confident and there are fewer campers stopping by my office for check-ins. The excitement of our program is creating the perfect distraction to entice our boys to participate and explore. I’m happy to report that we received all negative test results for the boys living in the bunk where we had two cases of COVID-19. Admittedly though, the boys have been so wined and dined during the last five days of “shadow camp” that they might feel it’s a comedown now that they’re joining their peers in our regular program.
While we celebrate a COVID-free camp, we remain focused and diligent on the health and safety of our campers and staff. We will continue to antigen test any camper or staff member who comes to our health center complaining of any symptoms that mirror COVID and have protocols in place to manage a bunk, age group, or entire camp community if necessary. In the meantime, our boys enjoy being in the fresh air outdoors without masks as we have created a camp environment that resembles the one our boys have always loved and appreciated in prior years. Some of our older, vaccinated campers have been enjoying playing golf at Point Sebago, a magnificent 18-hole course that has been the host of the Maine Open. We have secured tee times three days a week for our oldest boys but unfortunately cannot extend this offer to our younger campers based on the golf course’s current rules and regulations.
I have been in contact with some of the local boys’ camps that we compete with, and we are in discussions about head-to-head competition for our vaccinated boys in the coming weeks. We will use this time to organize teams and have practices in preparation for this intercamp competition. We have scheduled dates on the calendar to take our four oldest age groups whitewater rafting in northern Maine. This 12-mile rafting trip in ten-man rafts will be a highlight of this summer and something our boys can really look forward to experiencing.
Finally, we have spent a lot of time evaluating our in-camp sports leagues. While we remain committed to creating balanced leagues by age and grade level, we recognize that today’s boys are often forced to specialize in certain sports at home, which doesn’t afford them the opportunity to play other sports until they come to camp. This often creates a challenge for us when we try to organize a baseball game where some boys are very proficient and other boys have a lack of experience. These specialty leagues will give those boys who have the interest and desire in a particular sport the opportunity to gain skill development, confidence, and proficiency without feeling intimidated. We will also be able to group those who desire more competition in the sport of their choice and place them with boys of similar ability, creating more competitive games with a higher level of skill. This additional league in camp is not meant to segregate but rather create an environment where every team member can have the opportunity to compete and grow at his own pace. We have the facilities and amazing coaches. This summer in our camp bubble creates the perfect opportunity to launch this new league.
