What We Wish We Knew Then

Carson Pleiman from Union, Kentucky, first came to Falling Creek when he was six years old. He remembers being shy and worrying about what other people thought of him. When counselors encouraged him to speak up, meet someone new, or join an activity, his first instinct was often to hang back.

Falling Creek owner and director Marisa Pharr has described Carson as the “most transformative camper” because of the change she has watched over the years. Now, Carson is one of Falling Creek’s oldest campers and part of STEEL, Summer Training Encouraging Emerging Leaders. Instead of waiting for someone else to begin the conversation, he is learning how much it can mean when he notices a younger boy first.

Talking to younger kids can really make a difference in their day,” Carson said. “I didn’t realize the impact older campers had on me until I was able to see it from this side.

Each boy in this summer’s STEEL group arrived with his own history at Falling Creek. Along with Carson, Grant Loeffler, and Thomas “Trip” Bowen, the group includes Ben Finney, Berkley Willis, George Clements, and William Davis. Some have spent years in adventure activities, while others have found their places in sports, arts, and traditional camp activities.

STEEL gives them a different kind of final summer as campers. They still get to enjoy camp, but they are also learning how to help make camp good for someone else.

After so many summers, they have plenty they wish they could go back and tell the campers they once were.

Worry Less

Thomas “Trip” Bowen from Acworth, Georgia, remembers writing plenty of letters home during his first summers. At the time, homesickness felt like something that might never pass. After six summers, he wishes he could tell his younger self to hold on.

I would tell myself that homesickness gets better,” Trip said. “Go on adventure trips and try different things each year.

Grant Loeffler from Charlotte, North Carolina, carried a different worry. When he came to camp without already knowing many people, he wondered whether he would find friends. What he discovered was that Falling Creek gave him plenty of ways to meet them.

Falling Creek has such a strong community,” Grant said. “You always find people you love being with through your cabin and activities. At camp, you just start conversations. Everyone is friendly, and it is a great environment.

Carson worried about how other people saw him. He was afraid they might think he was strange, so he sometimes made himself smaller and stayed quiet. Over time, camp gave him chance after chance to practice doing something different.

I’ve reached the point where I can say, ‘This is who I am. If you don’t like it, that’s on you,’” he said.

That confidence did not stay at Falling Creek. When Carson moved to a new high school, he had to introduce himself, talk with unfamiliar people, and make new friends. The skills he had practiced summer after summer came home with him.

Try It Before You Decide

When asked what advice they would give a younger camper, the STEEL boys came back to the same idea: try more things.

Get out of your shell and try everything camp has to offer, especially the things you can’t do at home,” Grant said. “You have the opportunity to experience some incredible things here.

Grant wishes he had spent more time paddling and recently tried sailing for only the third time. Trip also gave sailing a chance this summer. The boat picked up speed at Lake Summit, and although it felt a little scary at first, he was glad he went.

Carson tried riflery and decided it moved too slowly for him. Mountain biking, however, became something he loved enough to continue at home.

Not everything has to become your favorite activity. Sometimes the point is simply finding out.

Carson still remembers his first rock climbing and mountain biking trips. Grant remembers the activities he waited too long to try. Trip is now curious about blacksmithing. Their advice is not to choose perfectly every time. It is to be willing to begin.

Seeing Camp From the Other Side

STEEL gives the boys more than additional freedom. It also gives them responsibility.

Associate Director Frank Tindall, who leads STEEL, said the boys learn by watching strong counselors and then practicing those same skills themselves. They sit with younger campers at meals, help in cabins and activities, complete chores, clean shared spaces, and learn how to become a dependable older presence.

They are learning leadership by doing it,” Frank said. “They work with younger boys, help guide their journey, and then debrief with counselors about what worked and how they can lead better.

That reflection is an important part of STEEL. A boy may help lead an activity, spend time in a cabin, or work alongside a counselor for several days. Afterward, he has the chance to talk through what went well, what was difficult, and what he might do differently next time.

Reflection is the hallmark of camp,” Frank said.

For Trip, seeing camp from a counselor’s perspective has meant learning that leadership does not look the same in every moment.

During All Camp Games, you bring a lot of energy,” he said. “At Evening Embers, you may have a deep conversation where everyone can really talk. You have to understand what the moment needs.

Trip was nervous about leading activities at the beginning of STEEL, but he quickly learned that training did not mean being left to figure everything out alone. Counselors were close by to answer questions, offer feedback, and help him learn how to be a friend to younger boys while still taking responsibility for the cabin.

Learning to Be Useful

Grant has experienced that same shift while helping with Basketball.

STEEL gives you the opportunity to step more into a counselor role while still being a camper,” he said. “You get to help and mentor younger boys while also sharing camp with them.

That work is happening throughout the STEEL group. Each boy brings different interests and strengths, but all of them are learning how to show up for the community. That might mean helping an activity run smoothly, sitting beside a younger camper, cleaning the Dining Hall, carrying equipment, or noticing what needs to be done without waiting to be asked.

Much of it is ordinary work, and that may be the point. Being an older camper is not only about getting to do more. It is also about becoming someone other people can count on.

The Older Boys Remember

Carson can still name an older camper who made him feel important.

During John Greeley’s STEEL summer, John regularly saw Carson before meals and took time to talk with him. It was not a grand gesture, but Carson remembered it years later.

He was always willing to interact with me,” Carson said. “It meant so much to me as a camper.

Now Carson understands what John was doing. A short conversation, a question around the dining hall, or an invitation to join something can change the direction of a younger camper’s day.

Those moments are harder to measure than a completed progression or a successful trip. They may also be the things boys remember longest.

What They Know Now

The STEEL campers once watched the oldest boys and assumed they knew exactly what to do. Now they understand that leadership does not mean having every answer. It often means paying attention, accepting help, learning from mistakes, and being willing to stop for someone else.

Grant believes camp has helped build him into a better person. Trip has learned that he can bring energy, take responsibility, and still lean on the counselors around him. Carson has discovered a difference between being adventurous and being courageous.

I used to think being adventurous and being courageous were the same thing,” Carson said. “Courage is spending the extra energy to do what is right, even when it may not be the easiest thing for you.

His advice to younger campers begins with trying something new, but it does not end there.

Don’t walk past someone who needs help,” he said. “Camp has taught me that you have time. Your schedule shouldn’t win over people.

The STEEL campers cannot go back and give advice to the boys they used to be. They can, however, become the older boys they once needed.

This summer’s STEEL group includes Ben Finney, Berkley Willis, Carson Pleiman, George Clements, Grant Loeffler, William Davis, and Thomas “Trip” Bowen.