Rockbrook Here I Come
Wow, we have an excited group of girls here right now! Today we opened our main session of camp and welcomed a full house of 198 girls to Rockbrook. Finally, after waiting all this time— months and months in most cases— camp is here. From the very first moments they drove into camp, you could hear squeals and laughter all over the hill, counselors cheering, and plenty of chatting as returning campers reunited and new campers were introduced to everyone. One car was decorated with paint to proclaim all this enthusiasm… “Rockbrook Camp Here I Come” and “Cool, Amazing, Magical, Perfect” and “I Go to Rockbrook Camp for Girls.” I think I-85 up from Atlanta got the message there! Girls and their families arrived most of the morning. Everyone checked in with the nurses and office folks, moved luggage to their cabins, made up their beds, and still had some time to explore camp a bit.
To really kick things off, the bell rang and called everyone to the dining hall for some of Rick’s homemade mac-n-cheese, fresh fruit, and salad for lunch. A little comfort food can do wonders for any “butterflies” that might be lingering. It didn’t take long for the singing to start. It was a little timid at first, but grew louder as everyone realized that louder is better when it comes to singing silly songs. And that’s true throughout the session; the singing grows and grows. Right after lunch we headed out to the main hill of camp for an assembly. We introduced all the head counselors and directors and learned the songs for each line (age group), but the highlight was an enthusiastic skit/song about camp hygiene sung by the directors. Sometimes we’re having so much fun at camp, we might forget to shower or brush our hair, for example, so a funny song can be a great reminder.
Next we all walked down past the lake to the gym to watch the counselors perform their activity skits. These short presentations of songs, skits, dances or even demonstrations are to help the campers learn about the different activities offered at Rockbrook. They are also great ways for the campers to meet all of the counselors in camp. We heard plenty of funny songs and saw some great acting. The climbers demonstrated a few moves on the climbing wall, and the paddlers integrated a boat, paddles, helmets and PFDs into their skit. Later after dinner, the campers will sign up for their first set of camp activities, so these skits are a great way to get them excited about what’s available.
The rest of the afternoon, each line took turns coming down to the lake to do their “swimming demonstrations.” This is where all the campers and counselors review the important safety protocols in place at the lake. They demonstrate their swimming ability and if sufficient receive their very own buddy tag for the tag board, and this year, a special green bracelet that qualifies them to go down the new water slide during free swim periods. The Rockbrook lake is fed by a mountain stream, so the water can be quite chilly. For most everyone, it’s “refreshing” to say the least, but with a little getting used to it, the girls love it.
Meanwhile, cabins were taking tours of the camp and having cabin meetings. All of this preparation will let us launch right into regular activities tomorrow. Horses, Kayaks, Clay, Rifles! We’ve got a lot planned.
Be sure to check out the online photo gallery. We post photos everyday that you can see after logging into your parent account.
Oh, and please comment on these blog posts. We love to hear what you think!
Good Goofy Fun
Going around camp today, visiting the different activity areas, you could tell that the girls have really settled in and begun to make camp “a place of their own.” That’s a phrase from the Rockbrook Camp mission statement. It’s an attempt to summarize one of the real values of a camp experience for young girls, and it’s part of the magic of why campers love their camp. The ingredients are simple: really good people who are eager to make friends, broad opportunities to be creative, sporty, and adventurous, and a caring environment where everyone can relax and be themselves. Combine these with the girls making their own activity selections, having plenty of free time to enjoy the wonderful natural beauty of Rockbrook, and simply enjoying time with their friends, and we have something special, something very different from home and school (where parents and teachers call most of the shots), and something truly their own. This is their camp and they love it.
Of course, at camp a big group of girls can get pretty goofy and really let their silly side come out. Singing crazy songs outrageously loud in the dining hall, dressing up in a costumes for dinner, and making up skits with cabin mates are quite ordinarily part of the fun around here. This photo of an evening program cabin skit shows a little of that. Each cabin group is given a topic and challenged to come up with a group skit that they’ll perform for the rest of the age group in their lodge. It can involve singing, dancing, acting and audience participation, but whatever it is, the funnier it is, the better. A lot of the fun is working together to create the skit, as well as performing it for your friends.
This afternoon we had our Wednesday “Cabin Day.” This is a special day when after a morning of regular activity time (where the girls follow their individual activity selections), each cabin group sticks together for some special group event. Today, cabin groups were hiking to Rockbrook Falls and Castle Rock, building campfires to make S’mores, playing games in the gym and on the landsports field, cooling of by playing in the creek, and even making smoothies with the help of the kitchen. The mini session senior cabins took a trip to Sliding Rock, had a picnic and capped everything off with a stop at Dolly’s for a sweet treat. Dinner was some of Rick’s homemade fried chicken and warm yeast rolls. Good stuff. On cabin day, there’s always a lot going on!
Oh! I forgot to mention the muffins today… White Chocolate Raspberry. They were awesome!
Summer 2011 Let’s Go!
Rockbrook Camp’s 90th summer has begun! Campers arrived today for the start of the 2011 summer’s first session. After all the anticipation, thinking about the fun of camp, planning, packing (and of course finishing up school!), it’s finally here. All of us look forward to this day, so it feels great to get things started.
As the campers arrived you could feel their excitement too. Driving up the driveway into camp, seeing the lake, the grassy hill and the stone lodges, it’s a homecoming for most of the girls. Add to that a great bunch of enthusiastic counselors to greet them and lots of smiling faces, and you’ve got a real welcome. So many friendly people in one place!
There are so many amazing improvements to surprise the girls at camp this summer. Right away, everyone noticed a cool new surprise at the lake (more about that later). They commented on the wonderful landscaping, cedar shake roof on the Goodwill cabin, and the fantastic tetherball court on the hill. The rocking chairs on the porch of the Hillside Lodge is now the place to be with their view of the mountains and Castle Rock, and down on the lower line, the new shower house is “glorious” as one camper put it! So many parents complemented us on how camp was looking, saying it’s never been more beautiful.
It’s always fun to see how quickly and easily the cabin groups form. The cabin counselors getting everyone involved right away— playing name games, offering a short hike to Rockbrook falls, trying out a friendship bracelet pattern, or just helping everyone move into their cabin. Cara Thompson and Audry Bolte our Riding Directors met all the campers interested in horseback riding and to show off a little bit, brought up two ponies (Cool Beans and Cloud Nine) for everyone to see.
After lunch, we had an assembly on the hill to learn some new songs and meet the different line heads this session. Sitting in the shade of the great walnut tree, blue skies and a nice breeze it was perfect. Next, we were off to the gym to enjoy skits performed by the counselors introducing the activities they teach. Later in the day there were tours of the activity areas, but these skits let the campers meet the counselors teaching each option. Signing, dancing, costumes, and plenty of silly acting… a real variety show!
The rest of the afternoon, we all headed to the lake in shifts for our swim tests (“demonstrations”). Sometimes the cold mountain water can be a little shocking, but for most of the girls that is just part of the fun. The entire lifeguard team was on hand, along with Sarah, Sofie and Mandy, making sure this ran smoothly and the campers felt comfortable during the process. Now there’s a whole board full of buddy tags!
This is just the first day, and we’re just now gearing up. Stay tuned to find out what’s been planned and to hear the daily news. It’s gonna be awesome!
Hide and Seek and Skits
Today for breakfast, Liz really hit a home run with her chocolate chip scones. Fresh from the oven, we gobbled them up along with the blueberries, yogurt, cereal and OJ Rick had out for us. This light breakfast made a nice change from the eggs bacon and grits we had yesterday. Since we’re talking about Liz’s baking, the muffins were again a unique combination— white chocolate, coconut muffins. They were sweet with just a hint of coconut in each bite. Of course, the girls had no trouble enjoying those either!
Saturday morning is like other mornings with the girls moving through their newest sets of activities. Down at archery, Mandy got a group of juniors all excited by adding balloons to the targets. There’s something about trying to shoot a smaller target like this; she two different girls get a bullseye. Whenever a camper shoots a bullseye at camp, she joins the “Bullseye Club” and is recognized at lunch when the archery counselor announces her name.
At the lake, in addition to the normal swimming classes, the paddlers were working on their kayaking and canoeing. They meet to gather their paddles and life jackets (PFDs) on the stone patio under the Middler Lodge and then select boats at the water’s edge. Practicing strokes on the lake, maybe paddling a course set up by the counselors, is a great way to prepare for a river trip out of camp. It’s also fun— maybe you’ve seen this in the photo gallery —to swamp your canoe intentionally, and then climb up on the turned up bottom of the boat. It’s not easy to balance two, or even three, people like that!
The afternoon’s activity was a giant, all-camp game of hide and seek we call “Counselor Hunt.” All the campers assemble in the gym while all the counselors take 15 minutes to hide somewhere in camp. Some dress in camouflage and paint their faces to hide in the woods, while others just have really good hiding spots. Each counselor is worth 100 points for every year they have attended camp, so several are worth quite a lot, like Michelle who earned a cabin 1000 points. When it’s time to start searching, each cabin runs around camp together looking, and when they find a counselor, they bring her back to the dining hall to claim her points. Keeping the whole cabin together and literally combing the entire camp is a real workout, but the girls are so excited when they discover a hiding counselor.
For tonight’s evening program, the different age groups went to their lodges for various skits. The Seniors did “bag skits” where the whole cabin makes up a skit using 5 random items they receive in a bag. The Middlers did a spoof on a pageant (“Miss ——–” contest) and the Juniors did “Commercials” for silly products. This was a night of crazy, silly dressing up all over camp with each cabin joining creative forces. Good camp fun.
Welcome Campers!
Welcome everyone to the start of the Second session and July Mini 1 session of Rockbrook! We’re very excited to have you join us in the “heart of a wooded mountain” for a few weeks this summer, whether like most of you, you are returning to RBC, or are new to camp this year. There are so many fun activities and events planned, excellent staff members and new friends to meet, and special trips available, there will definitely be a lot to experience. We’ll try to report highlights of all this action here on our blog, so subscribing to the RSS Feed is a great way to keep up with things at camp.
Opening day for campers is always a mix of excitement and nervousness. When the girls drive up into camp with their parents, meet a small group of Hi-Ups and then Sarah and Mandy, they can finally meet their counselor and some of the other campers who have already arrived. Camp is friendly the moment you arrive, with everyone helping to move trunks and staff members eager to answer questions. Add to that the unique organic smell of the forest and the cool, foggy morning and arriving at camp feels kind of magical. It doesn’t take long for girls to be dashing off to explore the stream, play tetherball or make a quick friendship bracelet.
Soon it’s time for lunch— today, make-your-own sandwiches, homemade potato salad, our regular super-stocked salad bar, and mixed berries— and after lunch, tours of camp and activity skits. Instead of pre-signing up for daily activities, or assigning activities according to cabin groups, at Rockbrook each girl designs her own schedule after learning about the options from skits performed by the staff members. Most of these skits include some kind of song and occasionally a dance number, but they are a great way to introduce what each activity is all about, to see which counselors are teaching which activity, and to stir up enthusiasm for the activities campers will have a chance to try. With more than 25 different activities, these skits can sometimes take a while (!), but they are a great way to kick off a camp sessions and the activity sign up process.
At dinner the Junior Line campers (who are girls having finished the first through the fourth grade) and their counselors decided spontaneously to dress up in all kinds of crazy costumes, not for any particular reason of occasion, but just because its fun. The costumes weren’t ordinary “princess” sorts of things or anything else easily recognizable, but instead highly eclectic, colorful combinations of hats, dresses, glasses, and wigs. It was very funny to look around the dining hall at dinner and see a chicken, Raggedy Ann, and so many wacky hair styles. I bet it was a little difficult to even eat! Be sure to check the photo gallery to see more of these great costumes.
Have you ever tried acting?
OK. So you’ve always thought it would be fun to act… perform a short scene, maybe create a character or personality, develop a story line. You’re a secret performer at heart. Sure, but the problem is, when do you do it? Who’s going to be watching? What will people think if suddenly you turn into a sweet old lady, or a glamorous Hollywood starlet, or a cranky bus driver?
That’s another fun thing about camp; there’s plenty of chances for acting. In addition to the Drama activity that meets most every day, you can join the group of girls producing the end-of-session musical (Did I mention singing too?). Also, some of the evening program activities provide opportunities to perform for your friends.
A great example of this is “Fractured Fairy Tales,” a fun game where each cabin of girls presents a skit combining more than one classic fairy tale. Can you imagine Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs in the same story? Needless to say, it can be pretty funny. Each cabin takes a turn performing its skit. With so many characters, everyone plays a part. It’s also fun to watch the other skits when its not your cabin’s turn.
Once you try acting at camp, it could become one of your favorite things to do!
