An Atlanta Winter

We’ve received another winter wonderland photo submission! Camper Anna Grace, an Atlanta resident, sent us a photo of her winterized hometown. How beautiful are those clouds? That sunset is pretty spectacular too! This photo reminds us of Twilight time after dinner, when you can play games and hang out on the hill with your friends before Evening Program.

What’s your favorite time of day at camp? Is it early in the morning, when the air is cool and you’ve got a day full of fun ahead? Or is it Free Swim, when you’re speeding down the water slide into the lake? Or maybe it’s whenever your favorite activity period is– Riflery? Pottery? Tennis? Whatever you choose to do on any given day at Rockbrook, you’re going to find yourself exploring new things, mastering new skills, and most importantly, having a ton of fun.

Summer Dancing

Today started out with unusually cool weather accompanied by a very slight drizzle off and on. Given the warmer, more ordinary summertime heat we’ve been experiencing lately, it was a nice change for camp. And that drizzle sure didn’t slow us down any! We were happily enjoying all of our regular activities. The drama class, which usually meets inside the Junior lodge, was playing a funny improv game called “Bus Stop.” Using just a couple of props, the girls take turns creating a bus stop scene with some crazy, unexpected character waiting for the bus. As the scene unfolds, the goal is to guess who the mystery character is in the scene. Inevitably, the game includes actors and audience members cracking up.

Down in the Lakeview Lodge, the Middler and Senior dance classes were rocking out practicing routines for the end of camp dance show. Led by the “two Lindseys” (Both dance counselors are named Lindsey this session), there are some technical moves in the choreography, making practice pretty important. The Junior classes spend more time playing games— Freeze Dance!! —and learning more basic dance moves.

Down at the riflery range the girls are really improving their skills. It seems like everyday at lunch, Leah and Molly the riflery instructors are announcing new girls who shot bullseyes. There’s been so much shooting down there, Richie had to replace the target hangers because they were completely shot up! It will be interesting to see the giant pile of shells leftover at the end of the summer.

For lunch today, Rick made us a Mediterranean feast with homemade hummus, freshly fried falafel, toasted pita bread, olives, feta cheese, tomato and cucumber salad. I heard several comments about the hummus being “really good,” probably because it had just the right amount of lemon and salt. There was some action at the peanut butter and jelly station and salad bars too, but not as much as you might think. For dinner, Rick and Alison teamed up for a special dessert: ice cream cake. They took some of the leftover, un-frosted birthday cake and layered in slabs of ice cream and even more chocolate cake. Chocolate frosting and a little icing decoration was added to make these works of art! When it was all over, not a crumb was left.

Tonight was also a dance night for the whole camp, this time with the boys up at High Rocks. It was quite an operation to get all 220 campers up the mountain (two shuttles using all of our vehicles, plus some borrowed from High Rocks), but we all made the trek to enjoy a square dance out on their 3 tennis courts. After the girls got over some initial jitters, they were soon having a surprising (to them at least!) amount of fun. It’s all very lighthearted and silly, with part of the fun being learning the moves, but also messing up by turning the wrong way or grabbing the wrong hand. After a short break for cookies and lemonade, we were back to the dancing— winding the clock, trapping a birdie in the cage, and lots of partners being swung. On the ride home several senior girls commented that they enjoyed the square dance even more than the “pop dance” we had last week. I’m not too surprised, but happy to hear another example of camp providing a new, and surprisingly enjoyable experience for our girls.

Tournaments and Halloween Dinner

This morning our tennis, archery and riflery “teams” traveled to Camp Carolina to challenge the boys in a tournament. This is a long tradition for both camps. We select 3 girls from each age group (Juniors, Middlers and Seniors) for each of these sports, and get together for a friendly competition between the genders. It’s fun to see us load up the buses because we bring our own equipment— our sharp shooting riflery team with their guns, the strong, steady archers with their bows, and our tennis girls carrying their rackets. Many of the girls wore their matching Rockbrook t-shirts to build up a little team spirit as well. Most of the girls are a little shy at this event, with the possible exception of some of the seniors. We can report several excellent showings and high scores, with a couple of bullseyes and aces in our column, but overall the Carolina boys won the title this session. It was a fun morning to show our stuff, and next year, we’ll have even more to bring!

Back at camp, the day’s muffins caused quite a stir.  Liz created yet another original flavor she decided to call the “Rockbrook Double Whammy.”  They were chocolate chip and sprinkles!  Sweet, colorful little cakes, fresh-baked and oh so good!

Dinner was out of this world… for a couple of reasons.  First the food was absolutely delicious.  We had mounds of homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli.  The potatoes were so creamy and the chicken seasoned just perfectly, the girls kept coming back for more and more.  In case you haven’t noticed Rockbrook girls like to get dressed up in costumes, but not just costumes you find on a shelf in a store.  They like to create costumes, and tonight was an excellent example of that as everyone came to dinner for “Halloween.”  This is really a lot of fun because the cabins work on their costumes together, mixing and matching different “elements” to achieve a certain effect.  That’s why you shouldn’t be surprised if you see something you sent with your daughter being worn by someone else.  Tonight we had zombie brides, cats, Egyptian princess, witches and so many other unfathomable characters.  You’ll have to check out the photo gallery to see how all this creativity turned out.  Awesome stuff!

Kayakers, Potters & Sharp Shooters

The riflery instructor Paige has been announcing a lot of names lately of girls joining the “Bullseye Club.” Being able to shoot a bullseye in riflery is not easy. It really does take a great deal of practice to learn how to sight the rifles and remain steady while shooting. Each rifle can have its own quirks to consider as well. That’s why the girls will tell you about their favorite gun, all of which, by the way, have names like Othello, Captain Jack, and the Fresh Prince.

In pottery, Katie and Will, our dynamic lead ceramics instructors, are inspiring the campers to create some really cool pieces. In addition to simple tiles pressed with nature patterns, they’ve been making mugs from clay slabs, adding complex designs, a handle, and colorful glazes. We’ve also seen amazing sculptures of animals and trees, and plenty of pots being thrown on the wheel. We’re beginning to fire all of this session’s pieces in the kilns, so it won’t be long before we can see how all the pottery turns out.

Today was also a day of tie dyeing in “Hodge Podge.” This happens about once a week around here. We bring out the gloves, rubber bands, and squirt bottles of dye, and pre-soak the shirts in a mild solution of urea (which helps dissolve more dye in water and keep the shirts wet longer). Armed with multiple colors of dye, the girls love twisting, tying, and folding the shirts. You’ll be amazed when you see how they turn out.

The kitchen treated us to “International Day” today, with each meal inspired by a different ethnic cuisine. Breakfast was probably the most unusual— a traditional Tico (Costa Rican) breakfast of scrambled eggs, black beans and rice, sliced avocado, slabs of mild white cheese, salsa and fresh berries. For lunch, we switched to Mediterranean food and had homemade hummus, falafel, pita bread, olives, feta cheese, tomato and cucumber salad. And at dinner, out came steak fajitas (with grilled onions and peppers), beans, tortillas, fresh guacamole, chips, cheese and salsa. This was a great day to eat at camp!

Clyde, Kelsey and Tara took an advanced kayaking trip to the Nantahala river today as well. They packed a lunch and headed to the river for the whole day with a small group of seniors. The Nantahala has a few technical rapids but also a several gentler sections making the trip a nice mix of action and time to talk. Clyde is great about telling girls about the river and coaching them as they approach each rapid. Back at camp, the girls were excited to report clean runs through the last big rapid, the Nantahala Falls, with only one swimmer at the very end. That’s a great accomplishment!

Second Session Final Day

The final full day of a camp session is always a mix of emotions, partly the business of packing and finishing projects, but also a chance for savoring time with friends and enjoying being at Rockbrook. The morning is filled with several special events for the girls. This is the day, for example, when the girls receive their pottery pieces after being fired. It’s the first time they get to see how the glazing has turned out, whether the colors worked as they expected, and as you can see, there was great success.

Also this morning, we took our riflery, archery and tennis “teams” over to Camp Carolina to challenge them in tournament. The activity instructors at Rockbrook selected several girls from each age group to go and compete. It’s a lighthearted affair that finishes up with a quick dip in the lake. This year the girls gave a good showing in tennis and riflery, and won the archery competition! The older girls put on a little combat face paint to add a little intimidation to the mix. Looks like it worked…

Meanwhile, down at the horseback riding center, Cara and her staff present the session’s “Horse Show.” This is a chance for our riders to perform for the rest of the camp. Everyone dresses up, horses and campers alike. We saw so many jumps, riding in formation, and complex patterns among several riders. It’s really a festive atmosphere, complete with popsicles for everyone toward the end.

Today is also the day when we present the camp musical, this year Annie. Weeks of work go into this performance— casting, rehearsals, practicing the songs, learning lines, building scenery, designing costumes and making it all come together. With more than 50 people involved, this is a real challenge! We invite parents of the main cast members to attend the performance and the entire camp packs the gym to see it as well. There’s so much talent, it’s really impressive. If you didn’t get to see it, don’t worry because we taped it so it can be included in the DVD yearbook.

The Spirit Fire closes the day. Since Rockbrook’s very first year, this has been a very special time at camp everyone looks forward to. It’s when everyone dresses in their uniform and gather’s around the fire ring on Vesper Rock for a program of songs, tributes, memories, and recognitions. It’s a time for appreciating each other and the good times we’ve spent together these past few weeks. It’s an opportunity to reflect on what camp has meant to each person over the years, and perhaps to express those feelings to the whole group by coming to the front to speak. Without fail there are tears of joy as girls hug and talk about their love for each other and for Rockbrook. The Spirit Fire is a time when it’s so clear how important camp is to these girls, how they have grown here and learned to be their best selves, to realize they can do so much, and be so good. It’s absolutely remarkable.

The final day of camp provides so many concrete accomplishments. Throughout the weeks of camp, these Rockbrook girls create wonderful and amazing things… They acquire surprising skills and talents… They find some of their very best friends… And, more than ever before, feel proud and confident about who they are.

Flashback to Flashdance

There are some really amazing friendship bracelets being made at camp this session. After mastering the basic techniques, the “Chevron” for example, the girls are quickly moving on to more advanced patterns. There are zig-zag patterns, box shapes, multiple layers, braids, loops, arrows and diamond shapes. Of course, part of the fun is selecting the colors of embroidery floss that make up the final bracelet. There are so many! Plus, with so many friends at camp, it’s easy to think of someone to receive your latest pattern. Friendship bracelets are always a part of camp. Someone is always making a bracelet, carrying around a half-finished one (a portable craft project!), or wearing one (usually many).

Down on the riflery range, we’re seeing true marksmanship as the girls practice shooting. Counselors Haley and Molly are running the girls through the drills and making sure all the safety protocols are followed. There are very specific commands everyone follows to insure nothing unexpected happens. “Ready on the range. Commence firing.” It’s a real accomplishment for the girls to become comfortable shooting. Most have never fired a gun before and are understandably nervous at first. But over time, they gain confidence and show a smiling sense of pride as they improve their scores. This is another great example of camp providing an experience that can’t easily be reproduced at home, and something that can mean so much to the girls.

Tonight’s evening program was an all-camp dance down in the gym, but not just an ordinary dance, an 80s dance party! Out came the scrunchies, the lycra, the baggy t-shirts worn off the shoulder, and lots and lots of really big hair. With all of the campers and counselors dressed up and dancing, it was quite the sight, proving that “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” There were conga lines, group dances, and of course, a great version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller to end the night. Lining everybody up, with our best zombie faces, the whole camp followed the classic choreography. It was a great way to end the evening.

Oh, I wanted to also mention the special dinner we had tonight. The kitchen crew made us a feast of traditional chicken (and vegetarian) tamales, homemade sauce, beans, rice, and salad. They began preparing everything two days ago, including the dough for the pastry desserts. So much work goes into rolling each tamale in its corn husk! Everything was absolutely delicious.

Riflery Activity for Girls

Being at summer camp lets you try activities that you can’t do at home.  Activity camps for girls are set up to teach these kind of traditional camp things.  Take riflery for example. With instruction, some coaching and explanation of how to shoot properly, girls can really learn a lot.  It’s fun to shoot, and then to retrieve your target and see your score.  At Rockbrook, getting a bullseye automatically puts you in the “bullseye club” and gets your name announced in the dining hall.  Riflery is another activity that you can really get into, and soon you’ll find yourself signing up for it everytime.

Kids Camp Riflery

Another fun activity for kids at camp is riflery. It’s one of those traditional camp things to do… to learn how to shoot a rifle and aim very carefully trying to hit a target. At Rockbrook, we shoot .22 caliber rifles, at first from a prone position (lying down, that is!), but later, for the more advanced and experienced, a sitting position. Girls can earn NRA ranks too— Pro-Marksman, Marksman, and so on. Like most things, as you practice a bit, you get better at it, and pretty soon you find you’re enjoying it more and more. Riflery at a kids camp? You bet!