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

Retro Week -- The Good Ol' Days?

Retro means different things to different people.  For our youngest campers, their idea of retro is “Frozen.”  For some counselors, “High School Musical” qualifies as retro.  For me, “West Side Story” is retro.

Retro is often associated with the good ol' days.  At Doublecreek, we want to keep in touch with our roots and we are proud of our history.  But, do we want to go retro?  Let’s think about it.  Were the good ol' days better than now?

What did we do then that we don’t do now?  Well, we had a fishing period.  That’s right – a fishing period!  Originally, there was a small pond on the property with very small fish.  Uncle Carter said he saw some decent-looking bass in the pond.  I have to take his word for it.  When campers caught a fish, they could take it home.  Now that made for some fragrant bus rides!  Aunt Trudy fielded several calls from perplexed moms inquiring how to prepare a six-ounce fish.  We also had a garden; we hauled hay; we had horned-toad races; and when we had a trail ride, it was a real trail ride.  This all sounds quaint and idyllic

I should point out that in the early 70’s, we didn’t have a covered riding arena and the trees you see now were recently planted saplings.  We had one, that’s right, one water fountain.  If a week went by without a leak in the pool, Uncle Carter considered it a very good week.  I might as well say it – when Doublecreek opened, it was more suitable for lizards then campers.  All this didn’t really matter.  Despite the growing pains, Doublecreek was a very special place.  We learned early on that any activity could be fun.  Hauling hay doesn’t sound like a thrill a minute, but campers and counselors didn’t mind the heat and dust.  A dip in the pool cured that.

Until enrollment prohibited it, we had our own “fire drill.”  When the temperature reached 100+ degrees, Uncle Carter would put the flag at half-mast and everyone, except those at horseback, would jump in the pool.

Time has changed things.  Development has boxed us in.  The pond is gone; the garden is gone; horned toads have disappeared; there isn’t a hay field within miles of Doublecreek.

But, we now have a pool that rarely leaks with a waterslide, a rockwall, a paintball course, a miniature golf course, Gaga Ball pits, a covered 4-Square area, trees and grass everywhere, and we have a whole row of chilled (and filtered) water fountains.

So, do I long for the good ol' days?  Not really.  I remember those days fondly. But time moves on and so does Doublecreek.  Physically, Doublecreek has changed dramatically and will continue to change.  When I look at pictures of Doublecreek from the first summers, I’m amazed at how stark it looks.  When I look closer, I notice a common thread with recent pictures.  I see smiles, lots of smiles, on the faces of campers and counselors.  Over the course of 47 summers, Doublecreek has produced lots of smiles – whether they are riding or going down the waterslide, campers are smiling.

When I think of “Retro,” I think of fashion, music, types of entertainment and technology from the different periods of time at Doublecreek.  Fashion doesn’t matter and music doesn’t matter, it’s smiles that matter.  The smiles in photographs covering 47 summers will always be in style!

-- Joe Ray

Here's the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/223770443

Gotta Dance!

This week’s theme was “Dancing With the Counselors.” Counselors were selected in a semi-random manner and paired with a camper in a totally random fashion.  After the dancing partners were announced, they only had a brief amount of time to work up a routine, which they performed in front of the whole camp!

It’s always a pleasant surprise to watch counselors and campers perform together.  Considering they have had maybe, 30 minutes of practice time, the routines are highly entertaining! We often see campers watching their dancing partners and trying to imitate them.  Okay, so campers and counselors usually aren’t in sync, but this isn’t “Dancing With the Stars.”  We don’t have judges or scorecards, but by monitoring the cheering from the audience, it doesn't seem as though the crowd has an overwhelming favorite team anyway.

Costumes are important components of "Dancing with the Counselors".  Wigs are good – if the wig matches the concept - that’s a bonus.  Gaudy hats, coats, vests and bowties are common if you get your costumes off the Doublecreek costume rack.  More suitable costumes are supplied by the dancers themselves. Props help.  We’ve seen everything from tables, chairs, water guns, balloons, shaving cream, whipped cream, ladders...well, you get the idea. Oh, I forgot the goat, horse, and a long time ago, a pig.

I suppose you’ve figured it out.  The dancing is good, but it’s creativity that really drives the bus!  This year we had some couples that combined both – creativity and dancing. Some were heavy on creativity, light on the dancing.  But, all fifteen couples were heavy on having fun!  There were no mirror ball trophies handed out after this competition.  Some will say that we had no winners.  That’s not how we see it.  We had a fifteen-way tie for 1st place.  Besides, when everyone has a good time and there are smiles all around, why bother with a trophy?

Don't worry though, our counselors didn’t go home empty-handed.  Each contestant received a paper sunflower with candy attached.  Who says we don’t have tangible awards for excellence?

-- Joe Ray

Here's the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/222848002

The Cold Doesn’t Bother Us Anyway!

This was Prince & Princess Week at Camp Doublecreek.  In the past thirty years or so, most stories with a prince or princess in the center, have been movies or Disney musicals.  In these stories, you will typically have a protagonist and an antagonist.  For every Simba, you have a Scar; for every Penny, you have a Madame Medusa; for every Ariel, you have an Ursula; and for every Briar Rose, you have a Maleficent.

In celebrating Prince & Princess Week at Doublecreek, we ran into a big problem.  We really didn’t have an antagonist.  For our skits at Sing-Song, we created one – a mildly scary villain who kidnapped our lovely princess.  This villain was dispatched by a 5th grade camper wielding a bow and arrow with a rock on its tip.  It was true drama rivaling anything Shakespeare or Hugo could come up with.  Okay, maybe it would rival something Ed Wood would come up with.  If you are curious about Ed Wood, google “Plan Nine from Outer Space.”

But back to Camp Doublecreek -- we’re not a Disney movie.  Fortunately, we don’t have that kind of drama – no evil stepsister. When your finger gets pricked, you don’t fall into a deep sleep – our nurse is happy to put a band-aid on it and tell you how brave you are.  Some campers may equate our lifeguards to Ursula when they tell them “no running at the pool,” but, hey. . .safety before beauty!  We don’t have silverware singing “Be Our Guest,” in perfect harmony nor do we have Elsa singing “Let It Go" in perfect pitch.  But, we have countless campers and counselors singing all types of songs – not caring about how they sound, but enjoying being at Doublecreek.  One thing Doublecreek has in common with “Frozen” – the cold doesn’t bother us!  Ever!  Of course, we are not worried about having a frozen heart, either. 

-- Joe Ray


Here's the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/221896522

The Making of a Superhero

This week is Superheroes Week at Camp Doublecreek.  The word “superhero” dates back to at least 1917, which means we’re celebrating a 100th anniversary.  I’m not a superhero expert.  When researching this article, I took a superhero quiz.  I scored around sixteen --- so I know precious little about superheroes.  I was surprised to learn that by definition, you don’t have to have supernatural or superhuman powers to be called a superhero, although almost all superheroes today have extraordinary or superhuman powers.  It also helps to be rich.  The main purpose of superheroes is to fight crime or save the world from imminent destruction.

Remember you don’t have to have x-ray vision, superhuman strength or the ability to fly to be a superhero.  Superheroes don’t start their superhero careers conquering arch villains or forces of nature.  They start small and realize they can do greater things. 

I see superheroes begin by letting go of their parent’s hand and getting on a bus.  That has to be intimidating for them.  Some superhero careers begin by getting on a horse – the biggest animal they have ever been on or by shooting a bow and arrows – which isn’t as easy as it looks.  Some channel their inner superhero by taking their first strokes in the pool without someone helping them, by climbing a tower or going down a waterslide.  I’ve seen many fledgling superheroes discover the thrill of flight when they launch themselves from the top of a 40-foot tower and sail down a zipline. 

I’ve seen superhero movies which have elaborate set pieces which go on and on and on.  In reality, campers discover that they have the stuff of superheroes in the blink of an eye.  At Doublecreek we’re fortunate to there when it happens.  

-- Joe Ray

Here's the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/221032411