I wish I still had pics of when I was in camp ... gee, did they HAVE cameras back then?  hmmmm  Well ...

Go, Go Galatians!!  You see ... This is a sports camp.  Every camper is assigned to either the Romans (red) or the Galatians (blue).  In the beginning, this wasn't as big a deal as it is nowadays!  My brother, for example, was a Roman while I was a Galatian. (hmmm prophetic?)  Today, they keep families on the same team and it gets kinda crazy sometimes.  (phsbum  is a Roman as was her cousin last year)  The campers compete in EVERYTHING from bunk neatness to water skiing to building character (as determined by fellow cabin members & counselors).  The point is life skillsand friendships that can last a lifetime.  Another neat thing is, the motto of the camp has always been the same:  I'm third. (Jesus is first, others second.)  It's one thing to say it, another thing to teach it and practice it. 

The first week of camp consists of learning and practicing the various activities, many of which are new to the campers.  By the second week, however, competition begins.  It is structured so that the competition is both individual but more importantly a team thing and ALWAYS friendly.  Last year, for example, my daughter slipped on the rock climb and kinda froze.  One of the other campers, climbed back down to encourage her and help her to finish the climb. 

As the end of the 2 weeks approaches, there are 3 major events: the wrestling match (a big team event), the swim meet, and the track meet.  Every camper particiaptes in every activity (unless, of course, there is some medical reason for excluding them)  The wrestling match is just for boys (at least 30 years ago it was) but the girls make enough noise to loose their voices!  The swim and track meets are huge team events.  Generally, the competition is so close that no one but Jim really knows the winning team until it is announced the final day of camp with parents and families in attendence.  It is a wonderful  ... (understatement) experience ... a life-changing experience in a positive sense. 

Last year, there was a camper in Janna's cabin whose parents had been killed 3 months earlier in a car accident.  Since that time, the 14 yr old girl had been passed around among the relatives because she became a discipline problem.  She attempted suicide on 2 occasions prior to coming to camp which was kinda a last resort effort by an aunt.  Although she was difficult, the other girls made an effort to embrace her and include her ... She is back this summer, still a bit "strange", but clearly there by choice and not by persuation! 

The first year, 1968, I suppose there may have been 20 of us at the most on staff.  We rode up to the camp (Then called Camp Fairfield in Boswell, PA) in the back of a yellow flatbed pickup truck.  Naturally, we had a blast singing and laughing, joking around... a healthy bunch of teenagers the youngest of whom were high school juniors, like me, and the oldest College seniors. 

Steve, Paul, Ken, Rich, Amy, Anne,  ... hmmmm funny, I can remember the names of the guys, but not as many of the girls!    Many of the counselors went on to become ordained pastors etc. 

We would go up on Saturday, the day before camp openned so that we could get situated in our cabins.  Sunday about 2 the campers would begin to arrive.  So much excitement in the air!  It is so hard to capture the anticipation, the nervous excitement, even the romance (and I don't mean between boys and girls) on the place ... nestled beside a small lake in the Laurel Mountains of Pennsylvania, night sky so clear that stars looked like spotlights, foggy mornings with enough dew on the grass to soak sneakers, songs sung that glued themselves to your heart and mind so that 30+ years later they are as fresh, profound or silly, as they were then, and smiling faces ... smiling faces.  I don't ever remember a camper being sent home for either homesickness or disciplinary reasons.  There have been a few accidents along the way, but never anything life-threatening. 

Gee ... I hope you can sense some of my enthusiasm for this place and the staff.  Any of you parents looking for a GREAT place for your kids for next summer ...   (gee, maybe I should ask for a commission?   )  I can't recommend it more highly!  Don't let money stop you, either.  There are scholarships available!