I can’t believe the summer is almost over. Everybody says it goes by quick, so I should enjoy every minute of it. That’s really true most of the time at camp. Camp has flown by. I cant believe its almost over. At camp, there’s always something different coming up. Sometimes I know what it is, and sometimes it’s a surprise. I guess it’s good to not always know everything in advance.

We had a lot of intercamps this year. It’s a lot different than playing on a team at home, where it’s the same people all the time, and everybody is talking about wins and losses. We always have different teams for intercamps. It’s much better to win, but if we lose nobody yells.

It was pretty cool that we did a lot of different sports all summer. Baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, gymnastics, fitness and probably more that I can’t remember. We had a gaga competition too.
They definitely don’t have teams for that at home.

I tried stuff I never tried before. Some of them were a little scary at first, but I saw other people doing them, and the counselors were really good about teaching new things. I never knew how much fun rock climbing could be. And there were other kids who had never gone mountain biking or done gymnastics or waterskied or were kind of scared of swimming. Probably everybody I know tried at least one new thing this summer.

I also didn’t know if I would be any good in the play and dance show. I guess I was pretty good. People laughed and clapped at the right times, so that was fun.
Okay, I can’t forget the trips. Different people went to the Rangeley Lakes, state parks like Camden and Baxter, and even Acadia National Park. I would definitely like the job of the person who goes to all those places and figures out which is the best one for each group. I didn’t know much about Maine before camp, but it’s an amazing state.

Ummm… we had campfires. We learned about camp traditions. And we had great food! I thought I would be homesick, but I wasn’t. Well, once. But I don’t even remember why now.

School is starting in less than a month! Only 10 months until camp starts again! Yay!

As we spend the day packing our duffels, we reflect back on the amazing summer just gone by. The programs, activities, friends, sports, shows, trips and more. The special times in our cabins with our cabin-mates and counselors. The new things we tried. The new experiences we encountered.

It was an amazing season at Camp laurel. One for the record-books.

We can’t thank our staff enough for their dedication, commitment, hard work and the enthusiasm.

We can thank our campers enough for sharing themselves and letting themselves have an absolute ball.

And we can’t thank our camp families enough for continuing to have the confidence and faith in all of us at Camp Laurel.

We can’t wait to see everyone next June.

We are going into our Final Day of College Days 2013 and it’s been nothing short of spectacular.  After a phenomenal beak with the Cessna Aircraft pulling banners over Echo Lake, it all started.  Clemson and Wake Forest.  Wake Forest and Clemson.  We’ve been immersed in activity, program, sport and fun for four days.  Tomorrow, it all comes to a close.

What’ve we done?  Lets see:  Arena Soccer, Capture The Flag, Bucket Brigade, Basketball, Slam Dunk, Softball, Chess, Climbing, Soccer, Tennis, Fishing, Hockey, Gaga, Dance, Sail Regatta, Swim Meet, Track Meet, Captains Coming, Wacky Relays, Float, Plaque, Song, Cheer, Grad Exercise and more.  Our incredible Super Seniors have led us through almost five days of this event and they were exemplary.

What was your favorite part?  Silent Dinner?  Rope Burn? Fight Song Competition?  Keith Says?

We loved it…and will be ready Wednesday afternoon to get back into one Laurel family for the last three days of camp.  Where has the summer gone??

As we enter the last full week of regular program at camp, spirits are high and alive. The weather has been nothing short of magnificent and we are on a tidal wave of last of program and special events. After a full week of A and B Days, we had a great, relaxing S day mid week of bumpertubing, movies and ACFL Madness. The Acadians and Apaches even had their own drive-in move on the upper fields.

We’re gearing up for the Sports Night Championships under-the-lights tonight and our annual Tailgate Party. The Dance Show is tonight and we cannot wait!! More than 150 camper participants. The Fieldhouse will be rockin’. The last camping trips are returning tomorrow afternoon from Rangeley, Camden, Acadia and Grafton Notch.

Our girls competed today and did remarkably well at the annual Mataoka Gym Meet. And….chants of “Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, We Want College Days” can be heard all over camp.

Over the next day or two, College Days will kick off and we’ll be immersed in five days of sports, activities, events, song and sheer, tug of wars, relays and spectacle. It will be an awesome week!

The pace is pretty frenetic as we enter Week #6 of the summer. We’re well into Second Rotation programming and all departments look strong. Campers have acquired and honed skills all over the map from the athletic fields to the waterfront, adventure course to the metals studio, equestrian center to the fitness center.

Our Bec and Bago campers returned from extended trips to Boston, Montreal, Sunday River and the White Mountains of New Hampshire with over-the-top reports.

Lake Swim prep culminated this week with the annual Echo Lake Swim and 6th period specials are a hit all over camp.

From Davis Cup Tennis to Record Your Fastball to Rocket Launches, Extreme Spin Classes and more, everybody loved their special late afternoon “try it “ programs. Rehearsals for the big Acadia and Apache musical Mulan are in final stages for Friday’s afternoon matinee performances.

As we enter the last 10 days of camp, its so great to see cabin and group relationships so strong. Friends, cabinmates counselors, cousins, camp sisters, camp brothers: everyone’s immersed in the Laurel spirit.

Last Fridays all-camp campfire was spectacular. The songs, stories and even alumni musings from United States Naval Academy’s Ben Berkey (Super Senior 2007) were amazing.

We look forward to what is sure to be a fantastic and memorable next 10 days of camp!

What could bad?  At camp, we get up with our friends ….throw on some shorts and a t-shirt….go to breakfast where we have choices of what we want to eat, clean up our cabins for a  few minutes, get together with out friends and counselors at morning Cove and head to program.  We swim, ski, play ball, have a theatre rehearsal, waterski, ride a horse and have a mid-morning fruit break.  We may than have a tennis lesson, lacrosse team practice or learn how to stand-up paddle-board. After another activity, say climbing, fitness or crafts, we have some lunch outside with our friends, cousins, brothers, sisters, camp brother or sisters, and enjoy our meal overlooking a lake that’s 9 miles around.  We take a 50 minute rest hour because we’re tired from all this activity, and then head out to more afternoon program.  We may take a zip line ride over camp, play some hockey, take out a catamaran, play in a soccer intercamp or
create a masterpiece in ceramics.

Its almost time for dinner.  We have a choice or of a 14 item salad bar, pasta bar, main course and its all kid food, but pretty healthy and really good.   Evenings activities are always awesome.  Leagues, campfires, shows, Sports Night, egg drop, sunset cruises, talent nights and more.  Then its probably one of the best times of the day, hanging out with your fiends and counselors again as you review what happened during the day, grab a snack and head to cabins for come chill time before lights out.

We love camp.  We love our friends.  We love the activities.  And it’s a great place to be.  What’s bad about camp?  Absolutely nothing.

It’s been an amazing first four weeks of camp and we now enter the second phase of camp 2013.  Visiting Day this past weekend was fantastic — great times, great weather and great families coming from all over the United States.   We were so thrilled to receive so many wonderful comments about our staff – the backbone of our camp.  What a thrill it was for parents to see everything in action and for campers to show off their summer home.

Program is back in full swing with sports, activities, intercamps, trips, arts, waterfront, riding and more.  Extended trips to Montreal, Boston and Sunday River departed yesterday and early reports are that everyone is having a blast.   The younger campers love having camp to themselves for a few days….but they miss their camp brother and sisters and wished them a great bon voyage before they headed out. Rehearsals are well underway for the Acadian and Apache Musical:  Mulan. It should be a phenomenal show!

There’s so much more to look forward to…we can hardly wait.  Tonight is the Acadia Video premier and Apache ASN.  Baxter and Sequoia were at the waterpark today for all the thrills and spills of Funtown/Splashtown.  We can’t wait for the next three weeks of  summer together.

So, do you have any plans for Saturday? Just kidding — we know you do. But at camp we like to downplay the approach of Visiting Day. Even though everyone at camp knows that it’s on Saturday, we don’t talk about it until Friday night. The emotions it stirs up won’t surprise you because you see them on Saturday: calm, anxiety, laughter, excitement, surprise. With more than fifty visiting days under our belt, we know how to prepare the children for your arrival and reintegrate them into camp after you leave. On Friday, we mention the schedule and the procedures at the evening Cove, and let our staff take it from there. Once Saturday dawns, it’s a calm and wonderful day. After you leave, we get the campers back into their camp lives with the always-popular pizza dinner on Saturday night and then normal program on Sunday. In this way, we let everyone enjoy Visiting Day without creating any unnecessary apprehension.

We encourage you to get to camp by 9:00 on Saturday morning as the gates open at 9:30. At that time, you can go children’s cabins, see the kids, and meet their counselors and Campus Leaders. During the day, see them participate in their favorite activities, all of which are open to them so they can demonstrate their accomplishments and introduce you to their program counselors. Enjoy lunch, either the buffet at the Dining Hall or the barbecue at the Field House. Go for a swim or play some tennis. Some parents chose to take their children out of camp; if you opt to do so, you can bring them back to camp by 4:00 or drop them at the Augusta Civic Center at 5:00. If you decide to stay in camp, you can take advantage of all the special Visiting Day events, then leave your children with their counselors when you head home.

As always, if you have any special needs or concerns, let us know. We look forward to a fun day on Saturday, rain, shine, or both.