One of the values found in The Code is Servant’s Heart. Around camp, Servant’s Heart is defined by four simple ideas:

• Follow the Golden Rule
• Treat everyone with respect
• Make friendship a fine art
• Take initiative to help others

Paying Attention

Program Director Matt Sloan says the secret to fly fishing begins long before the first cast.

Before stepping into a river, campers are often asked to stand quietly on the bank and observe. Has it been raining? How fast is the water moving? What insects are around? What might the fish be eating?

“The secret to fly fishing is paying attention to the environment that the trout are living in,” Matt said.

He believes working with campers requires the same approach.

There is more going on under the water of their hearts than it appears from first glance.

–Matt Sloan, Program Director

Every camper arrives with different abilities, different frustrations, and different levels of confidence. The best counselors pay attention to those differences and adjust accordingly.

Fly fishing counselor Evan Hunt grew up at Falling Creek, attending for four summers. He credits his passion for fly fishing due to the influence of his counselor Frankie Wimbish.

“For two years, he was my counselor and I asked him a million questions,” Evan said. “He taught me everything I know.”

Frankie helped spark a passion that followed Evan long after camp ended.

“I wanted to become a fly fisherman and he told me, ‘If you have a fly rod and water, you can fly fish.’”

Evan received his first fly rod for Christmas while he was in high school. He returned to camp first as a DASH counselor and this is his second summer on staff and as a fly fishing guide.

“Helping campers hook into their first fish is pretty awesome,” he said. “I hope a camper will follow after me one day.”

That desire to pass something along showed up all morning. Evan covered plenty of ground moving up and down the riverbanks and across the bridge helping campers untangle lines, retie flies, net fish, and make their next cast.

Julian C. from Orlando, Florida landed six fish while working toward his Ranger progression. Jonathan L. from Charlotte, North Carolina had never fly fished before and caught two wild trout. Evan celebrated every fish as if it were his own.

By the end of the morning, each camper had a fishing story to tell.

Fly fishing also teaches campers that success comes with responsibility.

“The boys really learn how to be gentle and take care of the fish and river when they catch a fish,” Evan said. “We teach them to wet their hands, handle the fish carefully, and help it get back on its way by treating it with respect.”

Whether it is caring for a fish, a river, or another person, respect is one of the foundations of a Servant’s Heart.

Slowing Down

The same spirit shows up in pottery.

This week, campers have been building coil robots. Before they can add arms, antennas, and details, they have to complete a step called scoring and slipping.

“Scoring and slipping gets frustrating for the boys,” said pottery counselor Evi-Jane Garnett from Winter Park, Florida. “We explain that it creates ‘Velcro’ for the pottery. It scratches and attaches the separate parts together so their vision comes to life.”

It’s often the step campers most want to skip.

“Sometimes we have to stop them and reinforce these concepts so their projects have the best chance to survive the kiln,” Evi-Jane said. “It slows them down, but we want to make sure everyone has something to glaze.”

Scott M. from Charlotte learned that lesson after a pottery project named Bob McWeirdo exploded in the kiln.

“I think back to that now and it slows me down because I messed up my piece and some other peoples work too,” he said. In pottery, one rushed step can affect more than your own project.

Meeting Campers Where They Are

The same patience appears in woodworking.

Campers begin with simple projects before progressing to more challenging builds.

“Some boys need more help than others because these are multi-step projects,” said woodworking counselor Cole Bearrow from Asheville, North Carolina. “Everybody is making the basic project, but once they get going, you really get to see their individual personalities and abilities come to life.”

Along the way, mistakes are part of the process.

“You learn more from mistakes than getting it right,” said Scott W. from Salemsburg, Pennsylvania. “Once you make one, you learn to go slower because you don’t want to start over.”

Woodworking counselor Drew Foster sees those moments every day.

“Campers have to learn from making mistakes,” he said. “But we don’t let them go too far after a crooked cut. No one is perfect.”