Today was basically a nonstop party; it took me a second to realize that the boys played no actual baseball. We went to an Altoona Curve game, complete with an all-you-can-eat buffet for lunch, the campers being announced and running out onto the field with the players, and pep talks by a player, coach, and manager from the Curve in the dugout after the game. Later, the kids had a blast practicing their sliding skills (and cooling off) by playing slip-n-slide baseball with a blowup bat and ball, wet, soapy tarps, and blowup pools for the bases. I think they’ll sleep well tonight.
The theme for the day was encouragement, and the boys nailed it. In group huddle, they made bracelets that they quickly gave away to their coaches and fellow campers. At the Curve game, the boys cheered louder and longer than I thought possible; the pitcher that talked to us after the game said he could hear them all the way out on the mound.
What I find interesting about this is that if you say the word encouragement to a lot of these kids, they’re confused; they claim to not know what it means. However, they can actively do it incredibly well, which I think shines back on Run Home Camps as a whole. Before the kids even come, we talk about building a positive environment where we build each other up. By doing so, the campers seem to automatically fall into the pattern by default. It just goes to show what a couple of good role models can do for some boys who previously might not have had any.
