For this post I wanted to create a list of things about Kingswood for which I am grateful. Immediately, a problem arose – too many possibilities!! I had to find a way to limit my list. And that’s when I remembered one of my favorite games – Scattergories. In Scattergories, participants are given one minute to brainstorm as many items in a given topic (such as “animals”). But before the game begins, someone rolls the Scattergories die (a 20 sided die which includes all the letters of the alphabet except Q, U, V, X, Y, and Z); all items on the list must begin with the letter on the die. So that’s what I’ve done here – the list below is The Top Ten Things about Kingswood (which begin with the letter “F”). 

10. Franconia Range – The Franconia Range is a series of four mountains, all above 4,000 feet. All four summits (Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, and Flume) are connected by the Franconia Ridge, which spans five miles and is mostly above tree line. I am grateful to be so close (under an hour drive) to this range, and absolutely love taking boys here – the climb is challenging but doable, and the view and psychic reward is unparalleled. 

9. Fusco and Frank – These two guys (Mike Fusco and Bryan Frank, pictured above with Spanky Roman) are our maintenance team. They make sure everything is running and the buildings and grounds look as good as they do. Much of their work is behind the scenes, but we all benefit from the skills, knowledge, and work ethic. I am grateful to have them as part of our team, and camp is certainly better for it!

8. Fat Bob’s – For Kingswood campers in the 90’s and 2000’s, Fat Bob’s was synonymous with ice cream. If you were on a winning BVT team or made the Good Deed Doer List, you were ushered off the Fat Bob’s, whose portions were legendary. Fat Bob’s went out of business and was replaced by Moose Scoops, but I still sometimes misspeak and refer to the ice cream shop down the road as Fat Bob’s. I am grateful for the simple pleasures in life, like the joy of ice cream with friends on a summer day.

7. Fires – I’m willing to wager that few camps in America have a more pristine setting for their council fires than Kingswood. After a busy day on the fields, trails, and water, it’s nice to gather as a community and “stare into the embers” as Mr. Wiff regales us with camp history and lore – sometimes the stories are familiar (Neilson!), sometimes they are fresh, but they always build a shared understanding and appreciation for the camp experience. Couple that with great music and the camp song, and you have one special night. 

 

6. Football Tournament – The Kingswood Football Tournament is a signature event every summer. I love the healthy competition and the fact that it’s a mixed age tournament. And I especially love the unique scoring system, where a touchdown by a junior is worth 8 points, an intermediate 6 points, a senior 5 points, and a second touchdown by anyone is worth 4 points – this system assures that quarterbacks are looking to get everyone involved, especially the little guys near the end zone. 

5. Food – I am so grateful for our hard working cooks and kitchen staff. The food at camp is amazing – both the quality and the variety. While some might envision food at a boys camp to be bland or basic, nothing could be further from the truth at Kingswood. We truly eat like kings! 

4. Frisbee – If you’ve ever set foot on the Kingswood campus, you know that frisbees are flying everywhere. While frisbee games such as Ultimate, Line Frisbee, and Crosbee are popular, nothing tops Frisbee Golf. For many, our 18-hole course is the Augusta National of Frisbee Golf. I love seeing groups of campers and counselors enjoying a round in the late afternoon or evening – it’s the perfect combination of casual and competitive, and a great way to just relax with your buddies. The course provides the structure, but it also provides a sense of freedom and independence!

3. Foreign Campers and Counselors – We are so fortunate to have campers and counselors from around the world at Kingswood. What an extraordinary cultural exchange opportunity, and a great way to develop friendships that span the globe. It takes a lot of courage to spend the summer abroad – thank you international campers and counselors for choosing to spend the summer with us! 

2. Free Time – School, homework, and extracurricular activities leave little time remaining for free time. But unstructured free time is essential to a person’s health and wellbeing, and at camp, boys get that time every day. The largest chunk of free time is B-Block, which runs from 4:30 – 6:00. During this time, the lifeguards are supervising the waterfront and other counselors are spread throughout the campus in what we call “Zone Defense,” but campers are free to do whatever they please. Many choose to cool off in the lake, but others choose to play ping pong, shoot baskets, play variations of volleyball, make up their own games, take a shower, or just sit around and talk. It’s their time, it’s their choice. For many, this is their favorite time of the day, and I am grateful that boys get this free time every day.

1. Friends – The most important part about camp is the friendships you make. Many of my closest friendships were formed while at camp. And my story is not the exception, it’s the norm. The communal living space, shared experiences, and the sheer volume of time to hang out together makes it easy to make friends and deepen friendships. I am grateful for my camp friends and family, and I hope that all of you will have the same experience. 

I hope you have a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!

Mike Wipfler