Goal Setting

With four weeks at Falling Creek, there’s plenty of time to set and reach lofty summer goals. Our campers have already been working on the goals they’ve set for themselves during this first week! Some are working towards specific mileage goals or trips, and some are working towards progression levels. In rock climbing, Trav is already a Challenger, but his goal is to reach Ranger this session. “There’s two things I want to get the highest level in,” he told me, “rock climbing and cross country running. Last time out of the 28 days at camp, I was on trips for 21!” he said proudly.

At the barn, it’s only the first week, but several campers are already working on jumps. “Jacob B only has two things to check off before he reaches Warrior!” said Mary, who is the head of the barn. “He’s working on a smooth seated trot and cantering on the correct leads,” she said. Warrior is the highest level out of our 5 level progressions. The progressions are Scout, Explorer, Challenger, Ranger, and Warrior. Each activity has a series of progressions that can be worked through to show mastery in that activity, and you can read more about the progression program here

Campers can also choose to set personal goals, or one that aren’t necessarily part of the progression program. In mountain biking, dedicated riders can join the 200 mile club, which they earn after riding 200 miles of trails during a single camp session. Roy has this milestone in his sights, and even plans to wake up before the bell on some mornings, in order to pack in some extra riding before the day’s activities begin. On Tuesday, he and his cabin conveniently went mountain biking for their cabin adventure. They headed to Dupont with Cricket and Lew as their counselors, and returned with some great photos and fun stories, despite the rainy weather they had.

At the paddling docks on Tuesday, boys were working on their rolls, with several different progressions in mind. Wade was by the dock, practicing his hip snap in his kayak. His goal for the summer is to get his roll down. He’s been practicing wet exits and working on the next steps. Though boys have to master their roll before making it on more advanced whitewater, you just have to know how to wet exit before paddling down the tamer Lower Green. If you happen to flip over while paddling, you can either roll the boat back up with your hips and the paddle, or you can pull the handle of the spray skirt off and swim out, known as a “wet exit.”
“Yesterday I was scared out of my mind, but today I was the wet-exit example during the activity period,” he told me. He’ll be going on the Lower Green with his cabin (21) today for their cabin adventure!

Also in the lower lake working on rolls were Julian and Paul. Julian is in Cabin 27, and has been helping Paul in Cabin 16. Helping another camper master their kayak roll is one of the progressions for Ranger, but Julian already checked this skill off, so he was just helping out of kindness. “My goal this summer is probably to do a double pump,” he said. This is a flatwater trick that requires strength and balance to lift the bow or stern into the air so you are vertical in the kayak. He told me he also had two more rivers to go on this summer before he achieved Ranger in paddling.

No matter what a camper’s goals are during the summer, our goal as counselors is to help them reach that goal. Boys work on their progress year after year, returning each summer, but the progress doesn’t have to stop when the session ends. Many boys meet up during the off-season with friends they met at camp, working on their favorite activities together. We also encourage boys to reach out to their counselors and write them letters, staying in touch with those mentors throughout the year. We’re not even a week into this session, and are excited to continue laying the foundation, introducing boys to skills that they can progress in long after camp has ended. Here’s to another day of growth and progress!