This week was Doublecreek's Got Talent! Boy, did we ever have some talented campers! We had dancing, singing, gymnastics, tumbling, and even some horseback riding in the show! Here's the link to our video this week! Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/ATCd80RhEdI

Want to See Some Talent?

This week’s theme is “Doublecreek’s Got Talent.”  Boy, do we have talent!  Want to hear singing?  Come to Doublecreek.  Want to see dancing?  Come to Doublecreek.  Want to see tumbling and gymnastics?  Come to Doublecreek.  Want to see magic?  Wait for the next David Copperfield special.

We have a building called The Dance Barn.  It’s where we have Sing-Song.  It is also where we have an activity called “dance party.”  This is place for 4-Square, sitting and chilling, and listening to music.  Listening is not the right word.  Counselors act as DJs while campers and counselors sing and dance to the music.  I often wander through the area to take in the sights and sounds. What strikes me the most is to listen to campers take the microphone and belt out songs that range from “Let It Go” to 1980’s rock ballads.

This week at Sing-Song you will see campers singing, dancing, and doing handstands, cartwheels, round-offs, and splits.  I believe some intrepid campers will also do impressions.  We held “try-outs” Monday afternoon during second snack time.  Maybe try-out is not the right word.  Campers told us what they wanted to do; we asked for a short demo; and then told them to practice really hard because they were in the show.  We are not looking for jaw-dropping talent – we are looking for campers who want to express themselves.  All the acts are special on a certain level because when campers take the stage, they are taking a huge risk.  I’m always surprised by who wants to perform.

I still remember one talent show from the early 1970’s.  We had a camper who did a split into a handstand on a balance beam (yes, we had balance beams and tumbling tables at one point).  Another camper juggled eggs, but not very well – all were broken within 10 seconds.  Fortunately, Uncle Carter stopped him before he destroyed the entire carton.  One boy solemnly came to the stage, opened a book, and began singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”  We all looked uncertain about what to do until Uncle Carter stood and placed his hand over his heart.  We all followed his lead.

But the last act was . . . well, let me give you some background.  A shy girl came to camp.  She was staying with her grandparents while her parents were moving to New York.  She was to fly up to meet them when they were settled.  I was the 11-14 year-old group counselor then.  She kept to herself and seemed disinterested in every aspect of camp.  I was surprised when she told me she wanted to represent our group in the talent show.  Since the only other act was a boy who could make squeaking noises by placing his hand under his armpit, I told her she was on.

On the day of the talent show, she showed up at the pickup point with a guitar case.  So after the eggs on the floor and a very squeaky rendition of our National Anthem, a girl who up to this point had hardly said a complete sentence since she came to Doublecreek took the stage.  After adjusting her guitar, she began to play and sing “The Night They Drove OldDixie Down.”  It was beautiful; it was perfect.  While she played, not a sound was heard.  When she finished, she waited. For two, maybe three long seconds, there was absolute silence.  Then we came out of our trance and the crowd erupted into applause.  I’ve forgotten the girl’s name, but I’ll never forget the smile on her face after her performance and for the rest of the week.

Because of a talent show, a camper was willing to embrace and be embraced by the Doublecreek Family. 

-- Joe Ray

What Does It Take to be a Super Hero?

This week is Super Heroes Week at Camp Doublecreek.  What is a Super Hero?  What does it take to be a super hero?  Could you be a super hero?  There is a Super Hero Quiz you can take to find out which Super Hero you would be.

On a scale of 1 to 5, “1” being a definite “No” and “5” being a definite “Yes,” I answered 47 questions pertaining to super hero status. Some questions made sense, such as:  Do you like to fly?  Do you like to wear a cape? Are you a persistent do-gooder? Are you good at acrobatics?  Are you athletic? Are you a fast runner? Are you obviously powerful?

I honestly didn’t see any relevance to being a super hero on some of the questions.  Maybe you can help me.  Here’s a sample:  Do you like redheads?  Do you have long hair?  Are you beautiful?  Are you young at heart?

I took the test and guess what?  According to the survey, I am . . . wait for it . . . “Superman!”  Well, I’m sort of like Superman.  I scored 60% on the Superman scale when I answered the questions honestly (like a 61 year-old man would).  I guess I’m the “geezer” version of Superman.

But what are the characteristics that make a super hero?  It’s a long list.  Studying the list, I made a connection.  I see these traits every day.  Here is a sample of some super hero traits:  careful, cautious, confident, creative, curious, exuberant, dutiful, intelligent, light-hearted, logical, savvy, stead, serious, whimsical, adventuresome, dedicated, and finally, one-of-a-kind.

As I said, I see these traits every day at the activities all around camp. I see counselors displaying super hero traits in all kinds of situations.  While the situations I observe are not the fictional saving-the-world scenarios, they are real to everyone involved.  The seriousness of the scenarios seen at Camp Doublecreek range from helping a camper overcome their fear of heights to go down the zip line to watching campers figure out who made the winning gesture while playing “Giants, Wizards, and Elves.”

Actually, it’s not just counselors who exemplify super hero traits at camp.  I see campers displaying super hero traits that I have come to appreciate.  Some campers are very curious – they never tire of tracking Rollie-Pollies or Ladybugs.  Want to see some bravery?  Watch a camper stand at the top of the water slide tower, take a deep breath, and then go for it!  The examples of campers and counselors discovering new skills and experiencing new adventures are endless.

For identification purposes, the trait “one-of-a-kind” sets all super heroes apart.  It’s how you know one super hero from another, how Batman differs from Superman.   The campers and counselors at Doublecreek are all one-of-a-kind.  They are all special.  I’m lucky.  Most people have to buy a comic book to see a super hero.  Me, all I have to do is start the bus in the morning.

Doublecreek Dash

Week 2 Super Hero Week 001

The Great DC Race

This week, Camp Doublecreek embarks on the Great DC Race. Movie buffs will wonder if this is Camp Doublecreek’s way of paying homage to the 1965 movie, “The Great Race,” starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Natalie Wood.  After all, this is the 50th Anniversary of the release of this above average movie.  I don’t think so!

I don’t remember Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis engaging in drawing each other’s portrait in twenty seconds using ketchup and mustard like we did this week at Sing-Song.  The contest was short, but very intense!  It is hard to capture the essence of a person with condiments better suited for a hamburger, but the eight teams gave it their all.

I have no idea what obstacles and challenges these teams are going to be put through this week, but I have no doubt they will be met with energy and resourcefulness – two traits all Doublecreek counselors must have.

Challenges come in various ways.  Some challenges don’t seem like challenges at all, such as:  getting campers off the bus, getting campers from one activity to another, and handing out snack cards and lunches.  I’d better hold up on saying handing out lunches is not a challenge.  Getting the correct lunches in the hands of 300+ campers every day is no easy task.  But thanks to our fabulous office staff, it goes surprisingly smooth.

Many of our activities have built-in challenges.  Horseback requires our riding staff to keep campers safe while having fun.  This can be challenging since many of the campers have never approached a horse, much less ridden, until they come to Doublecreek.

There are challenges at swimming to help campers feel comfortable in the water.  For many campers, their first experiences of putting their head under water, going off a diving board, and down a 40-ft. waterslide, happens at Doublecreek.

We have challenges at the rockwall.  Again, keeping campers safe while allowing campers to push themselves to reach new heights (literally), is a challenge for both campers and counselors.

It is always a source of satisfaction to see campers succeed at things they are not comfortable with at first or just making the attempt.  It is not always important to succeed – it is important to just try!

So, back to the Great DC Race – unlike the movie version which is full of contrived, challenges, Doublecreek campers and counselors take on very real challenges every day.  This is one of the important core values of Camp Doublecreek!  If you offer children the opportunity to meet challenges, you are giving them the chance to build character.

-- Joe Ray

DC Great Challenge 1

DC Great Challenge

Preparing for the 1st Day of Camp

Horseback Riding Lessons at Camp Doublecreek

Horseback riding lessons: This program has a limited enrollment available on a first-come, first-served basis and has an additional fee of $30.00 a week. This program features western-seat equitation. Students will receive daily 25 minutes of horsemanship instruction along with 25 minutes of riding instruction. The horsemanship portion of this class includes learning about the behavior of horses, breeds, colors, grooming, tack, common illnesses, and other pertinent information.

http://www.campdoublecreek.com

DC Rap Video -- Get Ready for Camp!!

We're so excited that camp starts next week!  Get ready!!!