Small Choices, Big Impacts

Can you believe we only have a week of camp left? This session has been flying by. During Morning Watch today, Sam Sweitzer started off our day with a thought about decision making and risks. He described how when he was a boy, he didn’t want to go to camp at first. His sister went to camp every summer, but he just didn’t think it was for him because he was too afraid to give it a chance. “At least take a tour at Falling Creek,” his parents suggested, but every day during the summer he kept declining their offer. Finally, on the last day of their trip in North Carolina, when they were about to head home after picking up his sister from nearby Camp Greystone, he turned to his parents and said, “Actually, I think I want to take a camp tour.”

Sam leading today’s Morning Watch

From there, Sam described how it was just meant to be. He enjoyed the tour so much that he was a camper that next summer. Now, 9 years later, Sam is still coming to camp. This year he’s even returned as a counselor. Sam finished by describing how such as seemingly small decision (and what seemed risky to him as a young boy) ended up paying off big time. Making the jump to attend camp changed the direction of his life, even though it was just one small decision to step outside of his comfort zone. Sam challenged the boys this morning to try appropriate risks while they were at camp during this final week, and to not be afraid to try a new trip or activity, since you’ll never know it’s impact.

We’ve had plenty of trips out of camp during this first week, and lots of boys have already been taking Sam’s “try something new” challenge by signing up for the trips. By Friday, all of our trips return and we get to share dinner together as one big community again. It’s always fun catching up with cabin-mates and friends about trip highlights. Tonight there were plenty of stories shared from the week’s adventures.

Enjoying Lake Jocassee for three days

One of the longer trips out this week was the “Lake Jocassee 3-Day.” The boys spent the past three days paddling across the beautiful waters of Jocassee, sleeping on the lakeshore overlooking the water, and swimming as much as they could. They returned today, and the boys couldn’t wait to tell everyone at the Yak Shack about their trip. “The best part was the cliff jumping!” Palmer proclaimed, explaining how they were able to jump off some of the rock outcroppings on the banks, splashing into the water below. “Actually the storytelling was best,” Tommy suggested, not able to decide which was better. One of their counselors, Zac Buys, is a talented storyteller, and captivated the boys attention with his stories about travels in Egypt, the Congo, and more.

The opportunity to “choose your own adventure” continued with Evening Program tonight. We had Free Choice Friday, where the boys were able to choose from all the usual Free Time activities, (like swimming at the docks and ball sports in the gym), as well as other special activities. These included playing music or reading at the library, playing Taco Cat on the field, and soccer matches.

No matter what we do during Free Time, it’s always more fun with friends

By now, you will probably be receiving your first letters home from your sons (unless they’ve been too busy to write!) We wanted to make a note of encouraging you as parents in case a few have received homesick “snail mail” letters, reflecting boys’ feelings during the first few days of settling in at camp. Now that the boys have been here for a couple of days and camp is still new to them, this can be a time when homesickness could begin to show in some of them. This is completely normal and we’re prepared to work with each boy, as no situation is the same. Please be assured that if your son shows any continuing signs of homesickness, we will be in touch with you. A good rule of thumb typically is that no news from us is good news, and the homesickness usually passes quickly. Getting them doing things is the quickest way to get their mind off of home and distracted by the fun trips and activities. The challenging times for them can be when things are moving at a slower pace such as during rest hour or at night. This is also usually when they have the most time to write home. The boys are learning to be independent and you are giving them the opportunity to do that by allowing them to be at camp.

I know I used to be a pretty homesick camper myself, but it was all part of the process and I gained a lot of independence and confidence from my time away at camp, which helped me immensely when I made it to college. Parents also can experience the challenge of their son being away from them. Many of the boys have highly scheduled days at home with not much opportunity to play freely and make decisions on their own without parental input. This may explain why many parents are feeling more anxious than their sons since they are not used to them being away. The boys are making their own decisions here at camp on what activities they want to take, walking themselves to the classes, learning new skills, and making friends. These life lessons learned at camp can help in many situations back home where they may be the new boy in school, moving to a new neighborhood, or even later when preparing for college. These experiences can also help with understanding natural consequences (like at camp when you leave your wet bathing suit in your trunk). That being said, the boys have been having a great time during this first week, and we’re already looking forward to the fun memories that tomorrow will bring!

-Annie Pharr

More Highlights From This Friday

• Evening program tonight was “Free choice Friday”, where the boys had the opportunity to try new things or enjoy many of the fun activities like the blob, high wire, rope swing, roller coaster, and diving boards.
• Breakfast: Everyone’s favorite blueberry muffins, cinnamon oatmeal, with lots of fruit. Pineapple, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, grapefruit, and a granola and yogurt bar.
• Lunch: “Fish and chips,” with broccoli, cheesy chicken tortilla soup, a full salad bar, and s’mores bars for dessert.
• Dinner: Greek gyros with pita bread, tzatziki sauce, lamb, tomato and lettuce, roasted green beans, grapes, a full salad bar, and peach cobbler for dessert.

Having a “wheely good time” this week!