Hooray for the Holidays!!

What do Halloween, 4th of July, St. Patrick’s Day, and Valentine’s Day have in common other than being holidays? Give up? They’re holidays we celebrated this week at Doublecreek!

Since this is Holiday Week, it was decided to focus on a different holiday each day! We had a running narrative during Sing-Song about a man who hates holidays and thinks all holidays are a humbug. Gee, where did we get that idea?

Monday we had Halloween, I’m still fuzzy about why he thought Halloween was a humbug. I think it was because monsters scared him and he didn’t like candy. Neither of which I can relate to. But because of the Ghost of Holidays’ Past, “Emily”, convinced “Sam” that Halloween was a magical holiday that should be enjoyed.

Tuesday was the 4th of July. Emily took Sam back in time to meet George Washington and King George III! Since King George III really had mental issues and George III played his idiosyncrasies to the hilt, they ended up having duel! Take a guess who won.

Thursday was St. Patrick’s Day. Did you know Leprechauns invented Jenga?! Well, for Doublecreek’s purposes, that’s what happened. After the “Leprechauns” knocked down the Jenga tower then rebuilt it, we had “leprechauns” wake up Sam and do the Irish Jig! Sam decided St. Patrick’s Day is also fun and joined in the celebration.

Friday was Valentine’s Day. Emily had Sam relive painful memories of a Junior High School dance, which explained why he hated Valentine’s Day so much. Thanks to Emily, he was reunited with his long-lost love and after a beautiful dance he finally found true love. It was truly magical.

So, that’s our holiday week in a nutshell. We had something for everyone, you just have to be willing to put aside your inhibitions and join in. Like Sam in our narrative, we have many campers who are reluctant to join in, but with gentle consoling from our counselors, they discover that at Doublecreek -  every day is a holiday.

 -- Joe Ray

Doublecreek's Got Talent!!

This week was Doublecreek's Got Talent! While some of our talent is not ready for prime time, they're ready to perform at Sing-Song. Actually, Sing-Song is our Prime Time! We have one serious issue with Doublecreek's Got Talent. It's not finding talent, it's deciding which talent to use. If we let every camper perform that wants to perform, sing-song would start right after the pledge and we wouldn't end until we board the buses. Obviously, that isn't practical! Sometimes we audition. That seems like a reasonable plan except for one detail. You have to tell some campers they won't be able to perform. That's a tough one. So, we relied on a tried and true method. Drawing names from a bucket. Campers describe their talent to their group counselor and they are assigned a number. The number is drawn from the bucket and like magic, we have our talent show roster. And what a roster it was! Tell me -  have you ever seen a camper who could do tricks with his stomach?!? Well, we did!! Have you ever had someone burp the alphabet?!? Well, we did! Have you every watched a counselor drink a concoction that looked and smelled like something you should run from? Well, we did!! Now, the acts I just described were definitely out there, but we also had acts which could be classified as "normal". We had singers, gymnasts (really good gymnasts), dancers, stand up comedians, martial arts demonstrations, a three piece band, and on and on. If this were the Gong Show, the gong would have been silent! (Except for counselors who provided between-act entertainment) It's amazing to see campers who range in age from 7 to 14, who will get on stage and perform without any outward signs of nervousness. They're not shy, they didn't have to be coaxed; they just went on stage and had fun!

Our campers are what made this week terrific. The performers had fun and the audience had fun. The campers who performed didn't go onstage for money, or to win a contract. They had fun! When you're having fun, you feel good about yourself. Helping campers feel good about themselves has always been our goal. I'm not sure how many talent shows we've had at Doublecreek, but they always end the same way, with smiles and laughter!

- Joe Ray

It's Dancing with the Counselors Week!!

 This is the week I wish I was adept at video recording.  Of course, I’m not remotely capable of operating a video camera or whatever it is called.  Fortunately, we have several staff members who are talented enough to keep the action within the frame.  Why is this week the week for video recording?  This is Dancing with the Counselors Week!

We tell the campers it’s a competition, but don’t ask me about the criteria.  Wait . . . I’m ahead of myself, which isn’t unusual.  How do we select the contestants?  The key word for the selection process is random.  Counselors are selected at random; then they will tell the committee yea or nay.  Campers’ names are drawn from a bucket.  You can’t get more random than that. 

Now, back to the criteria – skill helps, but cute is better.  Also, glitter and costumes that don’t fit can sway the crowd.  The main criteria is, “does the crowd like the act?”  This makes judging almost impossible since all the acts receive loud and long ovations.  One other detail I forgot to mention is that initially each group consisted of two performers – one camper and one counselor, but we didn’t discourage campers from drafting their friends to perform.  One camper had lots of “friends” because we had about 20% of the camp on stage.  Did I mention the criteria for this contest was fuzzy?

The Dancing with the Counselors Week has a second component.  On Friday, all the groups perform a dance routine which their counselors put together.  All week, the individual contestants and whole groups spend their free time working on their routines.   Some groups have a routine complete with costumes and props.  Actually, the preparation for the routines on Friday is the most satisfactory part of the week.  The work that goes into a 45 – 60 second performance is as much fun as the performance itself.  That’s the wonder of Dancing with the Counselors – how much fun everyone has.  The performers, the audience and the parents on Friday all have a good time.  It doesn’t matter if the campers on stage are dancing in perfect time to the music or if they’re completely out of step.  If they’re smiling because they are having fun, that’s all that matters!

-- Joe Rays Dancing

DC Challenge 2018!

Forget the World Cup!  Forget the U.S. Open!  Forget the College World Series!  This week we experienced something even more amazing – it’s the DC Challenge!

What is the DC Challenge, you ask?  Well, I’m glad you asked!  DC Challenge is the DOUBLECREEK Challenge.  I know you’ve never seen anything like it and neither have we, because it’s different every year.

Think “The Amazing Race” combined with parts of “Minute-to-Win-It” and “Fear Factor,” and you have the DC Challenge.  Lots of skills are incorporated into this incredible event.  You have scooterboard races and the WARP wall.  What’s a WARP wall?  It’s a warped wall, Silly!  Then they do something with bean bags followed by the always thrilling “Fill the Bucket with Water” in a way that takes too long to explain.  Next, campers throw hula hoops over at a tree (or the world’s largest tree stump).

Now it gets really strange, I mean interesting!  At the pool, one camper swims and another chugs a Gatorade!  Then it is on to gun safety where campers shoot at spoons.  This is followed by a trip to horseback riding to tie a lead rope to the gate (who thought of that one?).  But wait!  There’s more!  Campers have a three-legged race at the Gaga Ball Pit and then throw balls into the trash!

Okay, try to visualize this next one!  One camper is on one side of a seven foot wall and another camper is on the other side.  One camper throws an apple over the wall while the other tries to catch it with a 5-gallon bucket.  Raise your hand if you’ve done that one.  Next up is the Shuffleboard Court where campers try to knock down bowling pins with a shuffleboard puck.  Do they do that on cruise ships?

When the team gets to Low Ropes, they have to pass through the ropes without touching a rope.  (I’m about thirty years and fifty pounds from being able to do that one!)  The team then has to balance on a log, then sprint to Archery where they shoot at a target. (This is the only standard activity in the whole course).

Then on to the Mud Pit where as many campers as possible must negotiate the Mud Slip-N-Slide in a minute.  They then have to find Starbursts in the Kickball Field. (I’m not sure if they eat them or not). 

Sprinting through the mister/sprinkler is the last part of the challenge.  When the final camper goes through the mister, time stops.  Oh, did I tell you that all this is against the clock?  The lowest time wins.

You have to see it to believe it.  I saw it and I still don’t believe it.  But, I really appreciate it.  It was wild and crazy and a whole lot of fun!  The DC Challenge incorporates basic skills and ones you don’t use every day.  When the groups finish the course, there is lots of laughter and “high-fives,” which is the whole reason behind the DOUBLECREEK CHALLENGE!

 -- Joe Ray

The Making of a Superhero

This was Superhero 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 very little about superheroes.  I was surprised to learn that by definition, you don’t need 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 with 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 be there when it happens. 

-- Joe Ray

Summer 2018 is Here!

Summer 2018 has begun and there’s only one problem...I’m not there.  There are times when my school schedule doesn’t align with Camp’s schedule.   I miss the way we do the pledge at Doublecreek by traditionally singing “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” but with new faces.

The beginning of summer at Doublecreek always blends the old and the new.  This year we will have a new surface to the basketball court, a new surface at the pool, and a new play structure in Central Park.  There’s lots of new paint and freshly mown play areas.  We have old counselors, (let’s use a different term -- we have returning counselors), mixed in with new counselors.  I always enjoy counselor training because I have a chance to catch up with what’s going on with our veteran staff and becoming acquainted with our new staff.

During this past off season I’ve spent time going through old pictures.  I noticed that except for hair styles and attire, campers and counselors who come to Doublecreek really don’t seem to look different from one year to the next.  Now, I don’t mean they look the same in a rigid manner.  But I see campers and staff enjoying themselves at Doublecreek.  Characteristics of great counselors don’t change from one generation to the next. What made a counselor great in the 70’s still applies today.  Campers still respond to counselors who show respect and love.  Campers have fun at Doublecreek.  Why? It is due to the counselors.  When you compare the Doublecreek campus on opening day 1971 to Doublecreek 2018, there’s no comparison.  When you compare the atmosphere of Doublecreek 1971 to the 2018 atmosphere, it’s identical!  Doublecreek has always been a magical place.  Starting with Uncle Carter and Aunt Trudy and continuing through Scott Kirtley and now Dan Neal, it’s a special place because of the campers and counselors who choose to spend their summer here. 

So, I have to miss the first eight days of camp.  I’ll survive somehow! It helps to know that until school’s out Doublecreek will be there.  That is something that makes me smile.

 -- Joe Ray

For the Kids (F.T.K.)

I have a bunch of calendars at home and school.  The calendars at home I may or may not remember to flip over at the appropriate time.  According to some calendars in my house, it’s still January.  Now school is a different story.  On the first day of each month, I ceremoniously change from one month to the next.  Why?  I suppose changing the calendar means there’s one less month to go before Doublecreek is here.  You notice I didn’t say “summer,” because in my universe, Doublecreek and summer are synonymous.

I’m looking over the school calendar for May.  It’s amazing how much is going on... I feel like kids, parents and teachers are pulled in many directions during this month.  On a side note, it is nice to have teacher appreciation during this month. 

Now, when the month is over, cue Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out for Summer!”  Tutorials are replaced with the laughter of campers, the loud singing camp songs and high fives from your favorite counselors.    May means summer is coming. 

For Camp Doublecreek, May means campers are coming. Doublecreek has morphed into hyper-drive to get ready for the summer.  During May, you’ll see cleaning, landscaping, building and planning (lots of planning) happening.  What’s behind all this activity?  F.T.K. is the motivation for all our improvements. To us, F.T.K. means “For the Kids.”

F.T.K. is the driving force behind what we do at Doublecreek: games played, procedures put in place, new activities adopted and improvements made.  The new staff we add to the Doublecreek Family because we see in their desire to give campers treasured and lasting memories.

Summer, the Doublecreek season, is right around the corner.  So get excited about the F.T.K. experiences for your camper because making terrific memories is what we do!

 Joe Ray