I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Monday is a long day. It feels like the boys have been here for weeks, not hours. Thinking all the way back to the campers’ arrival this morning is strange because so much has changed already. They’re becoming better athletes and forming new friendships after just one day.
From the arrival of the first boy, I knew that this was going to be a great year of Run Home Camp. Even while playing foursquare at the drop-off location while they waited for the rest of the kids to arrive, the boys supported and encouraged each other. Older campers helped the younger ones, and everyone was willing to help explain the rules to new players. On the way to the field, the returning campers eagerly explained to the rookies how much fun they were going to have this week. They also, of course, continued the tradition of chanting “almost there” as loud as they can for a good mile before we actually arrive.
After an all-star welcome with signs and cheering, the boys immediately jumped into baseball, throwing back and forth with their coach. Everyone did really well, but I want to take a second to brag on our veterans. We have four twelve-year-old boys who are at camp for the fourth time this year, and man, can they play. Seriously, they put some of our coaches to shame with how quickly and accurately they can throw a baseball. They’ve been good in the past, but this is a whole other level, and it’s only day one.
After lunch and some more instruction on throwing and catching, the campers started rotations at different batting stations. I think I saw every single boy get at least one hit at every single station, from the batting cage to on the field. Even the new kids who have little or no baseball experience excelled so much today. It’s amazing what a little instruction and a lot of encouragement can do.
This already seems like a lot of stuff, but at that point in the day, it was only around three in the afternoon. Told you Monday is long. After team meeting, the boys were excited to find out which bunk they were in. Dinner was great, but my personal favorite part of the day came after. Earlier, one of the boys challenged a staff member to a dance off. In the afternoon, all of the boys received new tennis shoes, and by some small miracle, this particular boy got shoes that light up. It was truly a camp first as we crowded around these two (in semi-darkness, of course, as to see the light-up sneakers) while they battled it out to see who the better dancer was. The boy, who’s only ten, won – seriously, he has some moves. It was awesome.
One thing that makes camp unique this year is how many kids know each other already. A bunch of the boys are brothers or friends. More than half of the kids are returning campers. Even beyond those connections, camp has already made us a family. It’s so awesome to see campers who have never met become so close to each other and the staff after just part of a day. The boys of 2018 are funny and smart and talented, and I can’t wait to see what they do tomorrow. I truly love being on their team.
