Discovery on the Doublecreek Channel!

The theme at Doublecreek this week is “Shark Week.”  Forty years ago the specter of sharks as the ultimate feeding machine was forever etched in our psyche with the release of the movie “Jaws.”  The pulsating theme and the climactic duel between the shark and three men manning the doomed fishing boat, the “Orca,” became a cultural phenomenon.  Sharks have always frightened us, but “Jaws” made some people afraid to swim in a lake, much less the ocean.

Sharks are now so ingrained in the public imagination, cable channels devote an entire week to them.  Every summer the Discovery Channel airs “Shark Week.”  Well, Doublecreek has it’s own version of “Shark Week” which is about having fun with sharks – not dispensing information about the silent killers.

Allow me to digress a moment.  Why does the Discovery Channel devote a week to sharks?  I guess it’s for the ratings.  They will show sharks one week and then the next week could be about Alaskan Bush People or Airplane Repossession – whatever people will watch.  Programming evolves or stays the same based on the interests of the viewing public.

The programming at Doublecreek is always evolving.  Take a look at the photos of the campers fifteen years ago.  There was no rockwall, no paintball field, no waterslide, no indoor/outdoor soccer field, no 4-square cage, no gaga ball pit, no gun safety, and no miniature golf.  Go back thirty years and you will see only one flag pole in the middle of the circle drive and archery targets but no covered shed where campers could sit.  We had Sing-Song at the Big Shed.  We didn’t have the Dance Barn – we had a tent.  I could go on and on about the physical changes to the campus, but there are other changes.  Soccer was played sparingly – today it is played 2-3 periods during the day.  Doublecreek has caught up to the rest of the world.  Games such as freeze tag, tether ball, and horse shoes have all but disappeared.  They have been replaced by Lava Lake, Rolly Polly Bowling, and Knockout, among others. Some of the games should strange, but campers know what they are and how to play them.  Some games are the same – 4-square and Blooperball are the same after 30-odd years.

Another thing that hasn’t changed is that Doublecreek is a place of discovery.  You find out many things about yourself.  You can discover that rockwalls can be scaled, waterslides can be fun, and horses are not scary.  Some discoveries made at Doublecreek are significant, others are subtle.  It was through Doublecreek that I realized I wanted to go into education.  That is a common trait among counselors, beginning with Aunt Trudy.  I counted over three dozen counselors who became teachers or who are studying to be teachers while working at Doublecreek.  There are many counselors who became doctors, lawyers, business owners, and law enforcement officers.  Did they discover their life’s work going through a summer at Doublecreek?  Who knows?

One discovery I’ve seen at Doublecreek is that if a camper comes to Doublecreek, it’s because they will have an opportunity to ride horses, swim, play soccer, dance, play paintball, scale a climbing tower, or participate in countless other activities.  If a camper returns year after year, there are other factors at work.  I believe it has to do with a caring and energetic staff.

Discovery is a fluid process at Doublecreek.  We may not learn very much about sharks, but as campers and counselors go through a day, then a week, and maybe several weeks together, they can discover many things about each other, but most importantly, they discover more about themselves.

 -- Joe Ray

Here's the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/133718895