Each year, I am amused by a simple fact: our counselors crave trips to Wal-Mart and Sonic. On their nights off, these trips become almost treasured experiences. In their hometowns, they rarely frequent a Wal-Mart, but here, it is a thing.
Why?
I asked one of them.
“Sometimes, you just have to get off-property. Getting into a car and interacting with the ‘real world’ is soothing. It helps us unwind.”
Think about it. I know that Susie Ma’am and I adore our children (now 24, 24, 22 and 19), but there were times when we needed a break. Many of you have commented how hard it has been to shelter in place with your favorite people (your children). Now increase the number of children from 1-4 to 8-11 . . . and make them someone else’s children.
It is not hard to see how Wal-Mart could become an important respite.
Until this summer.
This summer, no one leaves.
[Note: I recognize that those sentences sounded like the start of a movie trailer read by a deeply resonant voice, “They thought it was a normal summer at camp . . . but they did not know they could never leave!”]
In case you are wondering if this is a real thing, it is. Our entire staff has committed to staying on property to keep us safe and to keep our community safe. We want to create a “camp bubble” that is healthy and virus-free. As a result, we have just one person that goes into town to pick up medical prescriptions. Another member of our office team can run certain errands that need to be done locally, and she does so under very strict rules.
Let’s just put it this way. Amazon Prime is doing fine at Camp Champions. Rather than go to Wal-Mart, our staff orders what they need and it is delivered.
I simply share this so that you know how committed our staff is here. We have always asked more of our staff than most camps. For example, they all agree to eschew drinking for the entire summer – even on their days off.
But this summer, the commitment level has reached a new high.
We have just one more week in this bubble. I hope we all savor it!
Steve Sir
