Almost on cue, the rains ended by lunchtime and, after the meal, we were even able to assemble everyone in the Council Circle to make announcements . Remember, we had decided to run those morning clinics in the afternoon after rest hour and there was plenty of information to give to newcomers and old-timers alike. “Closed-toed shoes” was mandated by more than one clinician as was “wear sunblock” and “bring a water bottle.”
We had spent so much time and effort during staff orientation week on good ways to run clinics that I could not wait to see them in action. I was present at the initial pull-away from the dock of our spanking new Ski Nautique Ski boat.
Amanda and Nathan Marvelle, wife and husband tag team, headed out to sea with seven older campers to experiment with wake surfing, a new camp activity made possible by the Nautique, which is capable of generating the proper waves (computer driven, can you believe?) Time was short but all seven campers got a crack at it. Much more on this and photos galore as the session wears on.
I drifted around to several clinics until settling into the senior baseball practice for the duration. I had had a hand in developing the protocols for this activity having coached varsity baseball for years in my former life. I know how to run a fast-paced session.
Upon arrival I could see right away a thorny issue which we had anticipated. Coaches Brayden Bunce, Nick Potash and Henri Turcotte were running a simple throwing drill where everyone was an infielder and tossing the ball from base to base. But, there was a tremendous skill differentiation amongst the group. One boy was ready to join the big leagues while a couple of others were quite green.
I was amazed and thrilled by how they kept adapting the drills to make them fast, easy and inclusive. They shortened the distances on one round, soft tossed a round, and timed some rounds to make it competitive for skilled and unskilled alike. Good camp
I saw the same theme in other clinics as well. Up on the soccer pitch, boys of similar skill sets were matched up with one another. I watched some advanced sailors (certified) take out boats on their own while first-timers were learning first about identifying the parts of the sailboat and how to determine wind directions. And so on… all counselors endeavoring to “make it work.”
Last evening was a beauty and the counselors offered an enormous variety of options. One of these days, I will devote an entire report to Mat Ball, an absolutely hilarious kickball game where scores of boys can be seen running the bases at the same time — round and round again until they are put out. This septuagenarian could be seen laughing and laughing some more. And, so it goes, as camp is made to work.
- I have plenty to learn about posting these reports and adding photos. I might be making editorial upgrades from time to time. Be patient with me.