Archives for July 2019

I already miss the camp boys so much.  It’s so quiet once they leave.  I keep expecting someone to start singing or ask me for sunflower seeds.  Once the week is over, it almost feels like it didn’t even happen.  Everything goes back to normal so quickly.

The campers were so ready for the official red versus blue game this morning.  They packed up their stuff in record time.  No one argued when we put sunscreen on them; they even formed a line instead of running all around like they usually do.  They were raring to go.

The final game on Friday is one of the only games of baseball with all of the rules intact that the boys play all week, and it’s official.  Starting lineups are announced, the anthem is sung, umpires call balls and strikes, and the kids stay at the same position for the whole game.  There are always a few hiccups as we begin – a new camper not knowing that foul balls can be strikes, for example.  The campers got into the swing of things pretty quickly.  Both teams scored in the first inning.

They played five innings in total, full of great hits and plays on the field.  A home run fence was set up about halfway out into left field this year, and there were a handful of boys that were determined to get one.  They got really close; there were multiple doubles where the ball bounced over the fence.  It looked like the game was going to end in a tie or blue was going to win when one camper hit a line drive into left field, but another boy made a fantastic play at second to end the game, breaking the camp conspiracy that the blue team always wins.

I was so impressed by how quickly most of the boys moved on from the results of the game.  Blue team was disappointed for a second, red team cheered “we won” once, and that was basically it.  The camper with the last hit of the game was upset that he didn’t score for his team, and I saw many other kids from both teams go over to him and remind him that it was about having fun and playing their best, both of which he did.

Unlike a little league game, Run Home Camp really isn’t about winning.  It’s about growing.  At the awards ceremony after lunch, almost every coach talked about how their campers have improved their baseball skills over the past week or over their years at camp.  Each boy received a photo album of pictures of themselves and staff throughout the week, a hardball signed by their coach, and a soft-toss baseball like the ones we use during camp so they can keep practicing at home.

What I always love about awards is when the coaches talk about how their kids act off the field.  They share that the boys are kind and generous and think about the needs of others.  It’s amazing to think about how far the kids have come in this aspect throughout their week of camp as well.  They’ve made new friends, learned about things like honesty and integrity, and grown as people.  One boy’s note to his coach sums it up: “Thanks for helping me be a better baseball player and a better kid.”  With fifteen of the campers eligible to return next year, I can’t wait to see how much they’ve grown – in height, as athletes, and as people.

I can’t believe the last full day of camp is already over.  Every year I get tricked by the slowness of Monday and forget how quickly the rest of the week goes by.  Half a day isn’t enough time left with these kids.

Maybe one of the reasons I feel like today went by in a blink is that I missed a lot of it.  Between buying and wrapping presents and decorating for the birthday party, I wasn’t at the field a lot today.  From the little I did see and what I’ve heard from the coaches and campers, tomorrow’s game is going to be a great one.  I can’t wait to watch it.

I was feeling a little bad about not being around for a large part of today until I started thinking what I was around for.  I had good conversations with some boys at breakfast, helped with Miss Patti’s object lesson during Morning Huddle, and played many rounds of Ships and Sailors and Up Down.  A couple staff members taught everyone those games a few days ago, and now every time there’s a free five minutes the boys want to play.  I even saw a few of the kids organizing a round of Up Down themselves today when the rest of the campers and coaches were taking a drink break.

What struck me about these moments was not the length of them, but the quality.  Campers did and said things today that I will remember forever, and most of these instances were just a few seconds or minutes long.  It doesn’t take a long time for the boys to make an impact on me, and I think that’s true the other way around as well.  There are lots of moments that happen during camp that on their own might not seem like much, but added together add up to something really important.  We never know what moment of camp is going to stick with any individual camper as they go back to their lives at home.

Today was the birthday party, which is always a camp highlight.  We had a bounce house and obstacle course that the boys simply could not get enough of.  Every camper also received a gift – either a glove, cleats, warm up jacket, or Curve jersey, depending on how many years he had been at camp.  We sang happy birthday to everyone and ate cake and ice cream.  There was even a special evening reward that every single boy earned – roasting marshmallows.

All of these things were a lot of fun, but I wonder which moments the kids will still be talking about a month from now.  Maybe it will be racing their coach in the bouncy obstacle course or getting some sweet new cleats with red and blue laces.  Maybe something smaller will stick out to them – playing kids versus coaches keep away with the football, catching lightning bugs, talking with a coach, having a mini dance party while waiting for their turn in the showers.  It doesn’t always take something big to make an impact on someone’s life.  All it takes to show the kids we care about them is paying attention, listening, and being with them in whatever moments we’re around for.

Today was definitely the fastest day so far.  It feels like we just had breakfast, and now the day is over.  It probably went by so quickly because of all the fun activities we packed into today.

Up at the field, the boys practiced their base running skills, working to beat their own times.  One ridiculously fast camper rounded the bases in just over 13 seconds.  The baseball portion of the day finished up with another red versus blue practice game.  The campers learned about the roles of different positions on the field today, and they put what they heard into practice right away.  As much as I don’t want the week to end, I can’t wait to see how amazing the boys play in the official game on Friday.

Today was water day – the wettest water day in camp history, at least to my knowledge.  It started raining soon after we started practicing our sliding skills on the giant slip-n-slide, and the drizzle quickly turned into a torrential downpour.  No one seemed to mind much; we were planning on getting wet anyway.  It was the perfect time for the rain to come.  We barely even had to use the hose to spray the slip-n-slide; the rain kept it wet and extra slippery.  It even encouraged some coaches to participate that might not have if they had a way to stay dry, which the kids loved.

After showering and drying off, we all hopped on a bus and headed to a minor league baseball game, complete with an all-you-can-eat buffet beforehand.  Believe me, these boys can eat.  One camper ate his Curve game usual – a slice of cheese on a cookie.  Thankfully he also ate a burger this year.

A short shower set the game on a rain delay, but before too long the boys were heading out on the field.  The campers had their names announced with the players, got a ball signed by them, and stood with them for the national anthem.  Everyone was so excited, whether they did it last year or had never even been to ball game before.  One returner got to run out with the same pitcher he met last year.  Many campers got signatures from tons of Curve players as they waited by the dugout.  I saw one new camper with a baseball completely covered in autographs.

Signed baseballs weren’t the only things the boys brought home from the game.  Two campers got foul balls, and another caught a t-shirt.  These boys’ success inspired multiple other campers to position themselves wherever they thought they could catch something.  They quickly figured out that right-handed batters usually foul to one side and lefties to the other, which led to lots of changing seats and walking back and forth.  I don’t think they actually caught anything doing this, but they got close and seemed to have a lot of fun.

Today during Pregame Pep Talk, our speaker asked what the goal of baseball is.  I think he expected someone to say “winning,” but what some of the boys actually shouted out was “have fun.”  They do the same thing when asked what the rules at camp are.  I’m so glad that Run Home Camp is somewhere these kids can simply have fun without having to worry about things like when they’re going to eat next or if they’re going to be in the same house that night.  It seems like a simple thing, but being at a place where they feel that having fun is part of the rules obviously means so much to the boys.

The kids were able to find the fun in basically everything we did today – obviously at the Curve game and on the slip-n-slide, but also on the bus and eating meals and singing songs.  I love seeing them laugh and play and just be kids.  They’re entertained by the smallest things, like glow sticks on the bus ride home.  I think we have a lot to learn from these boys, and one of those things is how to just have a good time.  They aren’t worried what the other campers are thinking of them; they’re too busy dancing between innings or making up a song about the purple team on the van.  They’re too busy having fun.

I don’t ever remember being this tired on day two of camp.  I know the coaches and other staff would agree with me, and I think a lot of the kids would too.  Many of them have been ready for bed since the middle of the afternoon.  It just shows how hard we’ve been playing these past two days.  Even with the heat and the sun as hot and bright as they are, today was a full day of baseball.  The boys practiced hitting in the batting cage and in the outfield, with pitching machines and coach’s pitch.  It was amazing to watch their batting stances and hitting skills improve as the day progressed.

Tuesday is team day, when the red and blue rosters are announced and the campers receive their uniforms.  Everyone was excited to see how the teams would be divided.  When one boy who has been on the red team for the past two years found out he’s on blue, he cheered, “Yes! Finally!”  Being split into teams allows the boys to do some new things, like play a simulated game.  Even though it was the first real baseball game of the week, the campers already look great.  Returners were hitting balls and making plays like they’ve been doing it their whole lives, and even some rookies that have never played before were able to catch on fast and play a great game.  I can think of two new campers in particular that had both some great hits and plays in the field today.

Our evening activities were brand new to camp: a scavenger hunt-type walk around the campground called orienteering and a golf-esque game called chicken toss.  It’s hard to say if more boys enjoyed throwing rubber chickens at frisbees or looking for clues on the paths in the woods they usually aren’t allowed to go on; both were pretty exciting.  The group I was with might have been more hyped for these activities than they were for the baseball part of today, which is saying a lot.

Even though the day was packed full of fun, from pictures in uniforms to hanging boards on the home run fence to learning how to properly run the bases, some kids had a tough time.  It might feel like we’ve been at camp forever, but this is only the second day.  It’s hard to adjust to something so new and different than their everyday lives.  Most of the boys aren’t used to being outside all day or sleeping in a bunkhouse with five or nine other kids.  One of the things I hope the boys learn from camp is that just because something is different doesn’t make it bad.  These kids already have so much craziness happening in their lives that they cling to anything that they deem normal.  Our hope is that the consistency of camp can become a new normal for them this week.  Sure, we do different activities each day, but our schedule remains pretty much the same – three meals plus snacks, baseball field from 9 to 3, huddles and showers before bed.  We hope to show the boys that there are people who will show up for them and care about them day after day, and there is a place where they can look forward to new things instead of worrying about them.

One of the best things about camp is that each day is a new day.  A camper didn’t get evening reward tonight?  He can start fresh tomorrow.  A camper isn’t sure he wants to stay?  He just has to make it to tomorrow.  When things seem overwhelming for the boys or the staff, we need to remember to step back and just take it one step at a time.  Whether this was someone’s favorite day of camp or least favorite, tomorrow is a new day.  We may still be a bit tired in the morning, but I’m sure we’ll be ready to face whatever tomorrow brings us.  Whether it’s fun or difficult, it’s just one day.  There’s always another new one coming.

With the arrival of the boys, Run Home Camp 2019 has officially started.  We say it every year, but it really seems like we’ve been at camp for more than one day.  The way everything becomes familiar so quickly over a long Monday always astounds me.

It’s interesting to observe the wide variety of emotions present as the campers arrive on day one.  Some return ecstatic to be back, while others are more hesitant, unsure of what they’ve gotten into.  It’s not long before everyone finds a friend from last year or school or makes a new friend as they play cornhole or a board game while we wait for all of the campers to show up.  Then it’s off to the field where the rest of the staff is waiting to welcome the boys to camp with signs and lots of cheering.

Our theme this year is Let’s Go, and the boys sure came ready to do just that.  On the ride over to camp, the van full of veteran campers discussed their favorite memories from past years and what they’re looking forward to this week.  The day was filled with baseball, of course, from catching fly balls in the outfield to hitting in the batting cage.  Even though it was a hot and sunny day, the boys played hard, showing how their skills have improved since last year or even just from morning to the afternoon.  The campers were still going all the way through dinner and beyond, playing camp games and card games into the evening.

In huddles this week, we’re talking about ways we can be an example to people around us.  Each day focuses on one area that the boys can be a good example to their friends, classmates, teammates, and anyone else they come in contact with.  Today we talked about how we act, discussing kindness and teamwork.

Even after just one day, I think the boys understand what being a good example means.  Over and over I heard returning campers reassuring the rookies of how much fun they’re going to have this week.  I feel like they are quickly realizing that if they do the baseball drill correctly or sing camp songs loudly or encourage one another, other boys will follow their example.  The more campers that step up and are kind and work together, the better camp will be.

As much as the campers are examples for each other, the people the boys are really looking to are the coaches.  I love the way that our coaches show the campers how to act by simply doing the right thing themselves.  The staff isn’t just observing what’s happening, but actively participating, whether that’s a baseball drill or waiting in line for a meal or wearing sunscreen.  In our day to day lives, it’s easy to forget that people are looking to us as examples of the right thing to do.  It becomes so much clearer during camp.  At our staff meeting tonight, one new coach commented on how much his rookie camper’s baseball skills have improved just by watching the coaches, especially the younger ones.  When guys just out of high school or college take a week out of their summer to pour into nine- to twelve-year-old boys, those kids almost don’t know how to react.  Many of our campers lack this kind of role model in their day to day life – someone young enough that they can relate to but old enough that they can look up to.  When the boys get attention and encouragement from people like this, it’s amazing how quickly they can improve in both baseball and their attitudes in general.  I’m so glad that we have the privilege of being examples for the boys of Run Home Camp, and I hope that they can take what they learn here and share it with others by how they act in the future.

It’s the third week of July; you know what that means.  It’s time for the best week of summer – or maybe even the whole year – for the campers and staff of Run Home Camp.  Beds are made, bags are packed, and the grass is cut.  Everything is ready for the seventeen camp boys of 2019 to arrive tomorrow morning.

As the staff reunited today for training and preparation, a lot of things were the same.  Many of the coaches and other volunteers are returners.  We met at the same place, drove over to the same camp together, and ate dinner at the same location as last year.  For those of us that have been here for several years, it feels like a normal thing, an annual tradition.

The eleven returning campers probably feel the same way.  I can imagine them excitedly recounting stories of past camps as they searched for their baseball gloves today or wondering if they’ll be on the blue team again or be switched to red this year.  Many of them are probably eager to reunite with camp friends and coaches that they only see once or twice a year.  It’s exciting, but it’s not new.

At the same time those eleven are looking forward to their favorite time of the year, six new boys are wondering what camp will be like.  This is most likely a very different experience than any they’ve ever had before.  Most of them have probably never been to a camp.  Some may have never even picked up a baseball.  Whether they’re nervous or excited, these boys realize that this week will be radically different than any they’ve ever had before.

It seems simple when I lay it out like this.  Returners, whether kid or adult, are looking forward to something the same; rookies, to something different.  Life, however, is never quite that simple.  At dinner tonight, I was thinking back to what we discussed a year ago as I sat in the same seat and came to the realization that so much has changed in my life in the past year.  This is true for many of the staff.  We’ve changed jobs, graduated from schools, moved houses.  Even though it’s mostly the same people, we’re different than we used to be.

The same is true for the camp kids.  We have no idea what they have experienced in the past year, whether good or bad.  Maybe they moved to a new foster home they really like, or maybe they had to leave behind friends at a school when they transferred.  Whatever it is, we can’t expect to only have six new campers this year.  All seventeen boys are coming back changed in some way.  If we expect Run Home Camp to be the same from year to year, we’re missing the point.  Each camp is different because each camp family is different.  Sure, we’re going to do many of the same activities.  There will still be a lot of baseball playing.  But if we don’t meet the boys where they’re at and love the 2019 versions of them, we’re not going to make the sort of impact that we’ve made in the past, and that is one part of camp that should never change.