Welcome Dance

Howdy Circle F Family,

Things are going Fantastic!!! The campers are having an absolute blast. Yesterday was the first day of activities. At the barn the campers were put through a skills test and then assigned to a ring. We have 3 rings at Circle F: yellow ring is for beginners, red ring is for intermediate and blue ring is for advanced. Now that the campers have been assigned to a ring and now have a horse (we have over 60) they will alternate between ring work (where they work on skills) and trail rides (where campers get to use their skills out on our 400 acres of trails). Campers who sign up for horseback riding get to ride everyday except for Sunday. It is definitely one of the most popular areas of camp.

For the first day of the Rock Wall/Zip Line, campers do an activity called the trust fall. The trust fall is done by standing on a platform about 3 or 4 feet in the air and free falling backward into the hands of fellow campers and counselors. You have to have absolute trust in your friends to catch you. This activity is mentally challenging and a lot of fun.

The evening activity was the First Timers Ice Cream Social and Opening Dance. The Ice Cream Social is for all of our first time campers. It is a chance for them to meet other first time campers and it is also a chance for us to teach them some of our traditions including our songs. After the Ice Cream social the First Year campers run through the welcome tunnel (which is made up of second + year campers) into the dance. This is to symbolize that they are now part of the Circle F Family. Then they dance.

Tuesday is picture day at Circle F. All of the campers get a Circle F T-Shirt (which looks awesome if I do say so myself) and then they get both cabin and individual pictures. The cabin photos will be posted later today. We will also be sending a printed copy of the cabin photo to the parents/guardians at home. The individual pictures will be for sale at check-out.

Tonight we have game show night. I will write more about that later.

Tomorrow we start allowing parents to call in at meal times. As I have said before, Diana and I are not big fans of having parents call campers. Often times it does a lot more harm than good. It happens almost every day: A camper, who seconds ago was laughing and singing with their new friends, is now crying and missing home even more because of a phone call. For a homesick camper a phone call from home is one of the worst things that can happen. Homesick campers need to realize that they are in charge of whether they have fun at camp or not. When parents call it opens the flood gates and it stunts their growth. Also, I think many children want to please their parents. One way they do this is by acting upset for a phone call home to show how much they miss you. If you really feel like it is important to call here are some things to remember:
1) Meal Times are at 8:10AM, 12:25PM and 5:45PM.
2) Please keep calls short (2 mins. or less)
3) We only have one phone line so it can be very difficult to get through (use redial button)
4) Please try to limit how many times you call so other parents can get through
5) The meals are very loud
6) The phone number to call is 863-676-4113

So now that I have convinced you not to call you campers at camper you are probably wondering what you should do to feel connected to your campers? WRITE. Letter writing is a lost art nowadays. This could possibly be the last time that you are unable to reach your child by phone. So pick up a pen or pencil and write a meaningful letter. Ask questions, give observations. Campers love mail at camp.

You can also fax. The fax number is 863-676-5263. Faxes go out at lunch everyday so there is no need to send more than one fax a day. We also do not need a cover letter on the faxes. Just make sure that the cabin number and or name is on the fax.

It is just about dinner time. I will talk to you y'all soon.

Fantastic Wishes,
Roger and the gang