Water Mania!!!

Howdy Circle F Family,

Well, the campers are definitely into the camp groove now. Today was another awesome day and it seems that all of the first day jitters are gone. We started the morning by passing out the camp t-shirt and by taking camp photos. Each camper had an individual picture taken with a horse. The pictures will be for sale at check-out. We also took cabin photos. These pictures will be sent to your homes next week with check-out information. The bunk photos will also be posted to the picture gallery.

Today was a normal day of activities. Today I will tell you about our Rock Wall/Zip Line program. The Rock Wall is many of the campers favorite activity. The Rock Wall is over 32 feet high. The campers use a safety harness, helmet and closed toed shoes when climbing. Our staff has been trained by Triple Eagle Experiences, a Florida based rock wall builder. The head counselor for Rock Wall is Matt Berg. This is Matt's third summer at Circle F and his first as Department Head. Matt runs a tight ship and has made many improvements to the activity area this summer. The most popular part of the Rock Wall program is climbing the wall and doing the zip line. Campers climb 32 feet into the air being supported by our ropes and our trained staff. Once to the top campers are attached tethers while they wait to be attached to our zip line. The step off of the zip line and go about 100 yards at about 25 mph. The rock wall takes physical and mental strength. While it may look easy to step off of the tower and to trust that the rope and cable will hold you, once you are up there you quickly find that it can be terrifying. Our counselors are trained in ways to help campers overcome their fears and to help the campers make a positive "step" forward. The Rock Wall and Zip Line can give campers experience in overcoming fears, trying new things, encouraging others, trusting others and many other life long skills. And, of course, it is a lot of fun. Many people think that the rock wall program is just climbing the rock wall and doing the zip line. However, at the Rock Wall they also do initiative games that teach campers life skills. Some activities include: the spider web (where campers pass other campers through a man made huge spider web without touching the sides), the human knot (where campers form a knot then untangle themselves) and the trust fall (where a camper falls backwards into the arms of fellow campers and staff). These activities teach team work, trust, communication and other life long skills.

In staff training we talk about camp being like a Milk Dud. On the outside of a Milk Dud is a thin layer of chocolate. That chocolate represents the activities that are fun and safe. The chocolate is good, but, the best part of the the Mike Dude is the chewy caramel center. The caramel represents the deeper, life long skills that can be learned at camp. Our goal at Circle F is to offer a Milk Dud Program. Our Rock Wall program is a great example of an activity that is safe and fun, but also it going to teach skills that can be used for the rest of their lives.

The next part of this blog is an edited version from an earlier blog:

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. Sometimes, 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) The only time that you can call in are during meal times are at 8:10AM, 12:30PM and 5:45PM
2) Please keep calls short (2 mins. or less)
3) We only have one phone line so it can be very, very difficult to get through (160 campers x 2 parents = busy phone line) (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
7) Meals last about 25 to 30 minuets
8) If you are unable to get through to your camper please do not get mad at Diana or me. We try to get through as many phone calls as possible each meal, but, we can only field so many. We are nice people, and I promise you camp is fun and your children are safe. We are more than happy to check-in on your campers for you if you prefer not to call. We highly encourage letter writing, packages and faxes.

Fantastic Wishes,
Roger and the gang