Author: Brian Kooperman

Session Two continued with another packed day on Tuesday. It was our first normally scheduled day of the session, with campers attending all five of their periods and choose-up in the afternoon.

After a classic breakfast of eggs and potatoes, campers headed to their majors for the second time. Over at the outdoor basketball courts, our hoopers continued their individual skill work, emphasizing footwork and ball security, before ending with some live 3-on-3 competitions. Our hockey majors got on the ice for the first time on Tuesday, with some intense edge work that got the boys sweating. Over on the fields, baseball majors continued their run/stretch/throw program before diving into some infield and outfield work, as they look to start working on hitting later this week. On the turf, soccer and lacrosse majors followed similar schedules, with our soccer players going through individual skill-work like their first touches and dribbling. Lacrosse majors worked on stickhandling and passing as well.

In the afternoon, we dove headfirst into all our minors for the first time at BSC. Everything from the ever-popular waterfront periods, like wakeboarding and waterskiing, to archery, was open. Flag football minors featured some intense competitions under the hot sun, and our golfing periods featured campers at the local driving range to hit balls off the tee. In the evening, campers were free to explore the campus within their age groups, either playing on the fields or putting in work in the weight room. The Wolverine’s Den was also open, where campers ate a nighttime snack while watching the beginning of the Bucks’ Finals-clinching victory. Overall, your typical, jam-packed day at BSC!

BSC Session Two is now officially underway! We had our first full day of camp on Monday, and despite some patches of rain, the kids were on their feet, and sure to need a good night’s rest. Our rookie division woke up at 7:45 this morning, followed by the pro and senior divisions half an hour later, as we headed up to the dining hall for a classic breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Before we got to our majors, though, the campers headed to their rooms to make them nice and clean. A clean room is no small task here at BSC, as the cleanest room in each dorm wins a trip to the local ice cream parlor at the end of the week.

We then had a morning full of majors, despite some light rain before noon. Our basketball session was held on our new outdoor courts, as we follow COVID protocols before ensuring none of our campers are COVID-positive. Hockey was also a bit different today; campers brought their bags up the hill to the rink before going through an off-ice workout session. Elsewhere on the field, soccer and lacrosse majors met each other, their counselors, and coaches for the session, before going through some individual skill work. Baseball too followed a similar pattern, introducing their run, stretch, and throw routine before ending with some fielding drills.

After lunch and rest time, we followed some stations in the afternoon. The campers rotated with their divisions, first taking the swim test that will allow them free reign in the lake this summer. Then, we went to the lecture hall to go over the rules of camp with Koop, and get their weekly schedules. Finally, we met on the field for our Bridgton Sports League (BSL) combine. BSL is essentially our intramural league, where all the campers are divided into teams to compete in minor sports such as handball, cricket, and dodgeball throughout the session.

At night, the campers had free play on the fields before heading with their divisions back to the dorms to wind down before sleep. We ate a small snack before bed-time, hung out and got to know each other a little more, before heading to sleep. Overall, a great start to Session Two!

It’s Color War!! On Wednesday morning, we broke Color War for the campers, featuring the most recent NBA and NHL champions, per tradition. So we have the Lakers, donned in yellow, and the Lightning in Blue, as the two sides for this year’s competition, with every camper assigned to one of the two teams. In addition to our counselor captains heading each side, we also have captains within each division to lead and motivate their teams. So after breakfast sandwiches in the AM, we started our first day of 2021, Session One Color War.

We still had our regular majors before lunch, though. They were just full of competition for Color War points, while still emphasizing the teaching points of the first 16 days of camp. So at the basketball court, campers still went through individual skill work, like shooting and ball-handling, but under the guise of competition. The last 40 minutes of the period was spent in an intense scrimmage between the Lightning and Lakers, with the winner receiving the majority of the points distribution. Hockey, Lacrosse, Baseball, and Soccer all followed similar patterns, with the start of each period consisting of skillwork competitions, and ending with our most competitive scrimmages of the session. It is Color War, after all.

The afternoon featured various competitions split up by age group, also for Color War points. For example, the rookie division competed in sports like handball and soccer, divided into their Color War teams, for points. The seniors and pros each had absolutely rollicking games of basketball at the arena, with much of their peers cheering them on from the bleachers. After the afternoon events had concluded, we headed to another full-camp lineup, where we recapped the entirety of the day’s events and points breakdown. After a cookout dinner of some burgers and dogs, with sides, the campers had free time to roam the fields, courts, and Wolverine’s Den to watch Game 4 of the NBA Finals before heading to bed.

We started our third and final week of Session One at BSC this Monday, under a cloudy sky that turned into sunshine by the end of the day. We had our usual morning, with our youngest campers rising at 7:45 AM, eating a breakfast of french toast and sausage, before heading back to their dorms to clean. The pro and senior divisions followed with the same routine half an hour later.

Majors were also in full effect, today. At the arena, our basketball majors focused on more individual, offensive skill work, before closing the period by focusing on some team defensive concepts. They did not scrimmage, but many of the drills were competitive, where we saw the tremendous progress made over these last two weeks come to light. And that was the theme of the day across majors. It’s surprising how two solid weeks of practice can improve your game, but maybe it shouldn’t be. At our full-camp lineup in the evening, our counselors stressed the improvement they’ve noticed over the past 15 days, and how it reflects not only on their coaching ability, but the campers’ work ethic. That includes our hockey majors, which were full of scrimmages today, in which the level of competition reached its peak, thus far. It also includes our baseball majors, who also held a full scrimmage today after both infield and outfield drills. Lacrosse majors have started to implement more game-like drills, playing 4-on-3 today after individual work concluded, and soccer followed similarly, practicing their advantage situations before ending with a scrimmage.

Minors were also competitive on Monday, after a restful, recharging day on Sunday. There were full-court, and 2-on-2 competitions at basketball periods, while flag football featured some outstanding individual efforts. The rookies concluded their tennis tournament under the hot sun, and later started the first round of Bridgton Sports League, which featured intense bouts at the GaGa ball and newcomb courts. And after their dinner of pasta and vegetables, the pro and senior divisions followed suit, before winding down our night by watching what turned into a thrilling MLB Home Run Derby.

With just four full days left, campers are starting to grasp that their camp experience is soon coming to an end. There’s an emphasis during this final week on making the most out of each day, and we certainly did that Monday.

It was our second Lazy Bones day of Session One on Sunday, and the kids got to sleep in until 10 AM! After waking up, they got to enjoy some donuts set up in the dining hall, buffet-style, followed by a morning of free play, spending a lot of time outside in some great weather, 70’s and partly cloudy.

After lunch, we held our version of All-Star Weekend up in the basketball arena. There was a skills challenge, a three-point contest, and although there was no dunk contest, we did have an all-star game. Many of the campers packed themselves in the bleachers to cheer on their peers, and were treated to an exciting, 2-point game after the individual competitions. We also had the waterfront open for much of the day, where campers were able to swim around and enjoy the inflatable slide. Before dinner, nearly the whole camp gathered in the lecture hall to watch the second half of the EuroCup Final, where Italy captured a thrilling victory.

Fittingly, we then had ravioli and meatballs for dinner. After eating, the whole camp gathered at lineup, where we then dispersed into our Bridgton Sports League activities, organized by age group. Following a night of soccer up on the fields, we returned to our dorms, caught some of the NBA Finals, and prepared for the third and final week of Session One!

Another great day at Bridgton Sports Camp on Friday!

However, we had to adjust to another drizzly day in Maine, which meant not every major, particularly our outdoor sports, followed typical procedure. After a late wakeup, letting the campers rest for 45 minutes longer than usual, our hockey and basketball campers had their normal mornings. The rink held scrimmages for the morning periods, while the basketball majors continued their skill work followed by their longest scrimmage of the session yet, a whole 32 minutes. Meanwhile, at baseball, the kids did their usual base-running warm-up, followed by some soft-toss hitting. Then, the rain started coming down and baseball majors gathered in the dugout for some trivia to end the period. Soccer majors followed a similar path, gathering on the field before the rain. Then, they headed down to the lecture hall to watch the quarterfinal match of the Eurocup, between France and Switzerland. Finally, lacrosse majors also gathered inside to watch some film of top-level college games, including Duke and Notre Dame’s men’s programs. Just because you can’t get on the field doesn’t mean you can’t get better.

The main event of the day, though, came in the afternoon: Casino Night! The campers put on their very best outfits and gathered in the lecture hall for a variety of casino/carnival games. There was everything from blackjack to ring toss to poker, in which campers competed for prizes. Our big winners, and the corresponding prizes, will be announced on Saturday morning! We also held some free skate on the ice before dinner, and some free-play up on the fields as the sun made its first appearance of the day.

Overall, another successful day as we’re about to mark two weeks of Session One. How time flies!

Wednesday, July 7th was a special day at Bridgton Sports Camp, and not just because campers continued to improve in their sports, although that happened too.

Per usual, the morning was spent in our major sports. Our hockey majors spent more time on skating work and mixed in some stick-handling drills. Elsewhere, though, the theme of the day was competition. Baseball majors continued their work through coach-led scrimmages, while basketball majors squeezed in a full 32-minute scrimmage, where the energy was higher. Besides finishing with a full-fledged scrimmage, soccer majors continued with advantage situations, such as 3-on-2s, and the lacrosse period followed suit.

The main event of the day, though, came in the afternoon After an extended rest hour to get the boys recharged, it was Carnival Day! Not only that, but our sister camp, Kents Hill made the hour drive from their campus to share the fun. The fields and basketball court were full of inflatable attractions for the afternoon, including waterslides, obstacle courses, and competitive games. In addition, the ice rink was also open for some free-skate. Campers and counselors alike were thrilled to let loose for some purely fun activities after working hard in their sports all week. And after a cookout dinner of burgers, dogs, and sides, we gathered on the fields to watch a belated fireworks celebration a few nights after Independence Day. Kents Hill then boarded their buses and headed out, and we said goodbye after a long day of excitement.

What a great way to celebrate the halfway point of Session One! We can’t believe how it’s flying by.

The second Tuesday of session 1, was a classic BSC day. The sun was hot once again, but it wasn’t a scorcher like we had the first week, with the temperature in the low 80’s during the hottest parts of the day.

After everyone’s favorite breakfast of french toast sticks, we had our usual assortment of majors. Hockey majors continued with their focus on refining skating techniques with some edge work, followed by the usual afternoon of scrimmages divided by age group. Baseball had quite a competitive session, with a lengthy coach-pitch scrimmage leading into some ground-ball knockout at the end of the period. The baseball counselors are complimentary of the effort and competitive spirit their campers are putting in each day. Over at soccer, the majors worked on their individual skills, combining shooting, passing, and dribbling, before involving the goalies for some all-around work. The last half of the period featured a scrimmage, ending in a tense penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in full-time. Our basketball majors continued with their individual skill work, with a focus on paint offense. Footwork around the basket and finishing were major teaching points of the day. Eventually they finished with the first 5-on-5 major scrimmage of the session, started to transfer their skill work to live action. And finally, lacrosse had a day of 3-on-2 situations, before focusing on some position-specific skills. All in all, a productive day up on the fields, court, and rink.

The rookie and pro divisions continued their respective singles tournaments up on the tennis tournaments, with some particularly thrilling match-ups in the rookie division ending in tiebreakers. We ended the night with a day of free play up on the fields, including a few exciting rounds of World Cup soccer. Lastly, the pros and seniors gathered in their dorms or the Wolverine’s Den to catch the beginning of Game One of the NBA Finals between the Bucks and Suns. Another successful summer day up in Bridgton, Maine!

Another great day up at Bridgton Sports Camp! On our second Monday of the session, the weather was the nicest it’s been: not a cloud in the sky on the temperature in the mid-70s. We followed our regular schedule for the day, including all of our usual major sessions.

In the morning, hockey majors focused on skating drills and in-the-neutral-zone games, followed by another afternoon of competitive scrimmages. Over at soccer, the boys started with some passing drills and refining their first touch skills. Communication was another theme of the day, especially as it relates to passing, and after putting the goalies through the ringer, the major session finished with a scrimmage. Lacrosse, meanwhile, had a big day of 1 on 1 drills to kick off the second week, and the counselors ensured the boys went at each other hard. After 1v1s, the lacrosse major session finished with some 3 on 2’s slowly but surely working some more competition into their routine. Over on the diamond, the baseball majors started off with some tee work, perfecting the fundamentals of their swings. There were also some throwing and baserunning drills mixed in, before ending the session with some live pitching and hitting. At the basketball arena, skill work was the focus of the day, particularly ball-handling and passing, before ending with the first 1-on-1 drills of the session. At another full-camp lineup in the afternoon, our counselors remarked on how much progress the campers in each major have made in just a week!

After a delicious lunch of quesadillas, an afternoon of minors commenced, with the boys enjoying everything from tubing in Long Lake to the street hockey rink. The rookies also started their singles tournament on the tennis courts, with an exciting first day of action. To wind down the night, campers gathered around the lineup area for our first campfire. A Bridgton tradition, we went over our camp’s values and what to expect for the final two weeks, as well as having some longtime Bridgton-ites talk about what this camp means to them, before ending with some delicious s’mores. After all, no campfire is complete without roasting marshmallows.

Overall, a great start to week two of BSC, and our time here is starting to fly by!

A bit of gloomy weather continued at BSC on Saturday, but we followed our normal schedule and had a\ great day anyway. Following a classic breakfast of eggs and sausage, our hockey majors headed straight to the rink, while the rest of us headed back to the dorms to clean up. With just one day left in our weekly bunk inspection, campers are pouring their all into making their rooms as tidy as possible.

As we completed our first full week of majors, we’re starting to see tangible progress across the sports, thanks not only to our experienced counselors but to the consistent dedication of the campers. At baseball, the theme of the day was bunting. Not everyone’s favorite, but essential nonetheless, and the coaches rewarded the players with some competitive drills after. Over at the rink, the morning consisted of skating drills, followed by the usual afternoon scrimmages; the fellas were flying around on the ice! Soccer major on Saturday was full of competition; 1 on 1s, 2 on 2s, and so on, leading up to a complete scrimmage at the end. Meanwhile, the basketball majors have been upgraded to the indoor arena, and the boys took full advantage of the nicer facilities, starting with individual skill work, followed by some team defensive concepts and ending with 3 on 3 scrimmages. Lastly, the lacrosse majors worked in some competitive drills, focusing on crisp passing and stickhandling. All around, a solid day up on the fields.

After everyone’s favorite lunch, nuggets and fries, the afternoon was filled with campers participating in all their favorite minors, until choose-up. Choose-up is the last official period of our day, before dinner, when campers can go to almost any area of the camp to either just have fun, or put in extra work in their favorite sports. The basketball arena was once again packed, with campers and counselors joining in some excellent 5-on-5 runs. After choose-up and dinner, the rookies wound down in the Wolverine’s Den and the dorms, catching up on Game 6 of Bucks-Hawks. Meanwhile, the pros and seniors were free to continue playing and exercising, until heading back to their dorms a bit later in the night, in preparation for a July 4th-themed Lazy Sunday. Not a bad weekend!