Thanks for the Memories!

Friday was a sad day!  I was sad for two reasons.  (1). It was the final day of camp and (2). I was not at Doublecreek.  I had teacher in-service for most of the week.  In-service was tough, especially since I was still in Doublecreek mode.  I kept referencing back to my Doublecreek schedule.  While most teachers were filtering in and catching up on what they did over the summer, I was thinking I should be leading the pledge and singing “You’re a Grand Ole’ Flag.”

Thankfully, I’ll transition from Doublecreek mode to school mode quickly.  I’m grateful that I work at a school with a terrific staff and supportive administrators.  I enjoy my position and find it rewarding.  I’m often asked how I can work with children all year long.  Hey, I’ve got the weekends!  I’m a lucky man – my job doesn’t feel like a job.

I wish I could have been at Doublecreek for all of Final Fling Week.  The staff does a fabulous job of having a week that’s different and fun without having things go off the rails.

I’ve had a terrific summer!  I have to thank our owners, Judy Kirtley and Jane Neal, for continuing the legacy of Uncle Carter and Aunt Trudy!  I truly appreciate Dan Neal for his energetic, visionary leadership!  Doublecreek would not be Doublecreek without our incredible staff.  Finally, I have to thank our parents for trusting us with your children this summer.

So, 2017 is now a memory.  I can’t wait for 2018 to create new memories!

-Joe Ray

See our "Goodbye" video:  https://vimeo.com/230216394

Only at Doublecreek!

This week was the world famous (especially in Round Rock, TX) DC Challenge!  What’s the DC Challenge, you ask?  I’m glad you asked!  DC stands for Doublecreek (big surprise) and Challenge actually should read “Challenges.”  All groups were involved in the challenges.  We had everything from eating a donut to rolling a bale of hay!

This whole week was the brainchild of Director Dan.  The tasks are age-appropriate and everybody took part in some fashion.  The course started with scooterboard races; then transporting water from one bucket to another using sponges to squeeze out the water.  From there, the groups went to the water balloon station (I know you’re shocked that somehow we worked in water balloons).  At this station, campers used a special balloon launcher to propel the water balloon and the teams had to catch the water balloons in a bucket.  It didn’t matter if the water balloons landed in the buckets or out.  By the way, catching a water balloon in a bucket isn’t as easy as it sounds!

Next, campers tossed a hula hoop over a huge tree stump.  From there, campers went to the pool to swim and then on to the ropes course.  One of the stations was Soccer Darts – that’s right, soccer darts.  At Soccer Darts, campers kick a soccer ball with Velcro attached to a giant inflatable dart board.  Next, campers went to the shuffleboard court, then crossed the log on the low-ropes course.

Our most unique station involved eating a donut while balancing on a low cable.  Of course, the lucky camper eating the donut had lots of help from their friends.

The next station (for only 4th graders and younger) was the tire-rolling feat; while the fifth graders and above rolled a hay bale (a big round bale).  Next, the teams had to form the letters ”DC” on the platform we use at the end of the zipline.  Most groups’ “DC” looked more like “DO,” but that was close enough!

Archery was followed by the semi-grand finale – the mud pit!  Campers crawled through the mud pit, then climbed over a mountain of gymnastic mats covered in baby oil, and then dove under a pole that represented the finish line.  Finally, campers sprinted through the water mister.

When all campers were through the mist, the challenge was complete.

Determining the teams’ final time was complicated.  Time could be deducted for tasks completed during the course.  The details for this phase are complicated, but the final score isn’t important.  Teamwork is the aim of this challenge.  The beauty of the DC Challenge is that everyone does something.  I don’t know if the winners got a reward.  However, I got a reward from all this, seeing campers covered in mud, shouting, laughing and best of all – cheering the last members of their group when they finished!  At the finish there were high-fives all around and their score was an afterthought.

 Joe Ray

Here is the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/229272108

Doublecreek Star Power!

The excitement was building!  The tension was unbearable!  Friday was the day!  The day for what, you ask?  It’s the day we crowned the 2017 Mr. and Mrs. Doublecreek.  This week, five couples put their hearts and souls into this amazing competition and in the end, Atiyeh and Tiffany were crowned our winners.

How long have we had Mr. and Mrs. Doublecreek?  This competition started in the late 1990’s.  I don’t remember the year, but I remember the talent show on the final day of the competition.  There were two pairs of contestants ahead of the other pairs of contestants.  Of course, they were the final two acts on Friday.  The next to last pair did a very elegant song and dance to “My Heart Will Go On” from the movie "Titanic"!  The next pair were two of our male counselors who called themselves Hans and Gretel.  They spent the week posing and lifting anything and anyone. For their final talent, they put on a wrestling contest.  It was beautiful (or as beautiful as a wrestling match could be.)  They smashed chairs over each other’s heads, dove off tables, and for the grand finale, they fell from a ladder onto every mat we had at camp!  When it came time to decide the winner, we let Joe Ray’s magic hat decide -- which is our way of letting the crowd (mob) decide.  Of course, Hans and Gretel blew away the cultured portion of the program.  Oh, well, Hans and Gretel knew what the crowd liked!

Our Mr. and Mrs. Doublecreek shows have followed the same formula year in and year out!  Each day brings a different category.  Some years, it’s evening wear, swimwear, some type of relay and always a talent show.  This year we had a “Guess What Your Partner Would Say” game, a relay that was too complicated to describe, a dance contest, and finally, today’s talent show.  All years are entertaining and this year was no exception.  No one takes this very seriously, so there are really no losers.  We had terrific acts.  Will they burn in my memory like Hans and Gretel?  Well, there was only one Hans and Gretel – which is a good thing!  We were running out of tables!

I would be remiss not to mention Mr. and Mrs. Doublecreek was started by our previous director, Scott Kirtley.  Scott instituted many innovations at Doublecreek.  He introduced  mini-golf, gun safety, the rock wall, ropes challenge course and paintball...in addition to Mr. and Mrs. Doublecreek.  It was ten years ago on August 2, 2007, that Scott left us.  Ten years later, we still remember Scott and we are grateful for everything he meant to Doublecreek!


--Joe Ray

Here's the link to this week's video: https://vimeo.com/228362671

A Pirate's Life for Me!

I love Pirate Week, and I suppose it’s because I’ve always had an affinity for pirates.  They’re cool.  If you can pull off wearing an eye patch and have a parrot on your shoulder, while speaking like you have gravel in your mouth, you must be high on the cool scale!

The subject of some of my favorite books and movies when I was in elementary school (yes, that was over fifty years ago) involved pirates.  I read Treasure Island so many times the book fell apart.  In my world, Wallace Beery is still the quintessential Long John Silver.  I know from reading countless books and articles, and from watching documentaries, that the pop culture view of pirates doesn’t match the genuine pirate.  But, that doesn’t matter at Doublecreek.  We’re not shy about taking liberties with reality.

This week at Sing-Song, we had pirates.  Now, the only reason you would know they were pirates was because the narrator told you they were pirates.  We had some characters wearing the traditional black tri-cornered hat with the skull and crossbones on the front.  However, we didn’t have enough to go around.  Some characters wore pitch helmets, top hats and a wig.  We didn’t have a parrot, so a counselor dressed up like one.  I would try to describe our human parrot, but any description I would come up with would not do the sight justice.

I have to point out, that I learned something this week.  Using a formula that seems somewhat dubious, I learned that my pirate name would be “Sticky Slappy Smuggler.”  While that’s not a great name, it’s certainly better than Fishy Creepy Ratbreath.  The name I like the most, is Cesar Von Dark Water.  Now, to have that name, I would need to have a first name starting with the letter “X,” ends with the letter “R” and a last name that starts with the letter “U.”  Can you figure out the code for finding out your pirate name? [To see what your pirate name would be, just scan on down this newsletter to see the code.]

What’s not hard to figure out, is how to have fun with the pirate theme.  We’ve spent the week looking for fake treasure, wearing fake costumes, and telling fake pirate stories.  One thing we don’t have to fake at Doublecreek, is having a good time!

We have as much fun as the irate you find in books by Robert Luis Stevenson, except you don’t have to sail the Seven Seas looking for treasure.  We find our treasure just off Doublecreek Drive!

-Joe Ray

To view our video from Pirates Week, go to the following link:  https://vimeo.com/227411889

Lights, Camera, Action!

Whenever I hear the phrase, “Lights, Camera, Action,” I think of movies.  I don’t know if they actually say “lights, camera, action,” when they’re making a movie, but I’ve seen this phrase being used in movies about making movies, so it has to be genuine!

Let’s make this article semi-interactive!  We’ll work in a movie reference when describing the activities this week. Try to find the plethora of references in this week’s article.  One warning:  You’re at the mercy of my movie experience, which covers the gambit from obscure to random.  So fasten your seatbelts – it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

This week it was decided by the high command that each group would act out a scene from a movie.  We realized this would be like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get.

The first group, the 1st grade girls, were as cute as the puppies in 101 Dalmatians.  They performed a scene from Moana, which was as touching as Romeo and Juliet.

The 1st grade boys put on a show that had all the best parts of Hang ‘Em High and a Few Dollars More.

If you like fairy tales, the 2nd grade girls had a show for you!  There was Cinderella who danced like she was wearing the glass slippers.

The 3rd grade girls did a wonderful Beauty and the Beast performance!  It was truly enchanting, and I was spellbound watching the love story.

The 2nd grade boys did a scene from Mulan.  It ended with a scene that combined Braveheart, the Ben Hur chariot race, and the fall of Jerusalem from Kingdom of Heaven!

Now the 3rd grade boys transformed Despicable Me into Minions Behaving Badly.  They didn’t care about the rules of the game.

The 4th grade girls did the “Be Our Guest” number from Beauty and the Beast.  They filled our dance barn with the sound of music.

Now the 4th grade boys went rogue.  They did a play within a play using the Little Mermaid, Jaws and Peter Pan in combinations that would leave you dazed and confused.

The 5th and 6th grade boys and girls acted out the slime scene from Ghostbusters.  The counselors were either funny ladies or producers.

The minis stole the show with Star Wars!  I didn’t know Darth Vader could be so cute!

Finally, the 7th and Up campers gave us the quick version of Titanic!  It was a night to remember as the Titanic took a voyage to the bottom of the sea!  I haven’t seen that much drama since Gone with the Wind!

It’s safe to say, “movies are fun!”  They go together like peas and carrots.  This was fun and I can’t wait until tomorrow – because tomorrow is another day!

-Joe Ray

P.S.  By my count, there are 26 movie references in this article.  See how many you can find!

To see parts of these tremendous performances, check out our weekly video:  https://vimeo.com/226463442

Soccer Fever!

Soccer fever has gripped Doublecreek this week.  Well, that’s not exactly true – soccer fever is always gripping Doublecreek.  But this week the fever has taken the form of the DC Cup.  I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Wait a minute, the World Cup is still two years away.”  True, the World Cup happens every four years, but at Doublecreek, the DC Cup happens every summer! 

This summer, the countries represented by the teams in the DC Cup are:  Italy, England, Spain, Jamaica, Brazil, Mexico, Germany and the USA.  Players are selected at random.  It’s not a totally blind draw, as we try to have an equal number of boys and girls on each team. We also have an equal number of counselors on each team.  The tournament is run as professionally as possible.  There is a referee (Austin W.), linesmen with red flags, and a set time to play.  We even have brackets to fill out.  We also require lots of water breaks! 

For at least one week out of the summer, Doublecreek has an international flavor.  Campers become identified with a country they may not know existed until they become members of the pseudo-national team.  For some campers, the DC Cup is also a quick geography lesson.

I don’t get to watch as much of the DC Cup as I would like, but the snipits I have seen are very entertaining!  The skill level of the players is as wide as the age range found on the field.  There are players who are very adept, while others are still learning.  But, it’s hard for the skilled players to dominate since we’re playing on a field (pitch) that’s one-third the size of a regular soccer field (pitch), with the same number of players going at each other.  But that doesn’t matter.  The campers are playing for the pride of their countries! 

What makes the matches compelling is that the campers really care.  Now it’s not a “do or die” atmosphere that you find in the real World Cup where losing coaches are fired or exiled if they lose.  Of course, with the DC Cup, that’s a moot point since we don’t have coaches.  We don’t have television or radio.  We don’t play with millions of fans hanging on every play or with announcers who lose their minds when their team scores a goal.  Now we do have announcers, usually a camper with a mike channeling their inner Chris Berman, in front of dozens of campers (some playing 4-Square, some dancing to music and some actually watching the game).  

Let’s stress the word, "game.”  The DC Cup is fun!  The team that wins has fun, but the losing team also has a great time.  I’m not sure what the winning DC Cup teams get for their efforts.  It isn’t fame or endorsements.  I think they get a free Sonic drink.  That may not sound like much in the professional soccer world, but let’s keep this in perspective.  Have a good time AND win a Sonic drink – that’s a pretty good deal!  And you don’t need an agent to negotiate it for you!

 -- Joe Ray

Here's the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/225593676

Red, White and Bloom!

Happy 4th of July Week! To some, this week means fireworks, cookouts and fun with friends and family.  It’s a time of remembrance – a time to remember and celebrate those who served in the military and their sacrifice to enable us to enjoy living in this wonderful country!

I imagine some of you are wondering about our Red, White and Bloom theme for this week.  If you were at Sing-Song Monday, you would have understood the meaning of Red, White and Bloom.  We dedicated Aunt Trudy’s tree.  Appropriately enough, Aunt Trudy’s tree was planted adjacent to Scott Kirtley’s memorial. Scott was Uncle Carter and Aunt Trudy's beloved grandson, and the former director of Doublecreek. We now have two trees in Central Park which are dedication trees.  In the center of Central Park, is Uncle Carter’s legacy tree. 

Trees were special to both Uncle Carter and Aunt Trudy.  For a tree to thrive, it takes lots of care.  Aunt Trudy specialized in caring.  Her favorite group at camp was the mini-campers' group. She loved them and they loved her.  It takes patience and nurturing to work with minis and Aunt Trudy had plenty of both.  The stone at the base of Aunt Trudy’s tree reads “We're All Heart.”  The heart is a symbol of love.  Aunt Trudy expressed her love frequently and in many ways.

I’m glad the family and our wonderful partner, Café Java, decided to honor both Uncle Carter and Aunt Trudy by planting trees. A tree doesn’t grow overnight.  It takes time and care.  A tree is not simply ceremonial – it has a function.  Trees are especially appreciated at Doublecreek.  When the camp opened, trees were few and far between.  We have an abundance of trees now, but we always need more.  Doublecreek looks and feels cooler and more inviting because of the trees Uncle Carter planted.

The tree dedicated to Aunt Trudy may look small and insignificant now, but just wait.  Love grows and blooms, and so will Aunt Trudy’s tree.

-- Joe Ray

Here's the link to this week's Video:  https://vimeo.com/224645960