Author: Brian Kooperman

There’s some great news out of BSC to report: It rained! Which means the heat finally broke (Friday’s weather was around 60 degrees), and we could all breathe a bit easier. However, it means we had to adjust our schedule around the rain, but that doesn’t mean we still didn’t have fun. Luckily, we did get our majors in in the morning, though, after a delicious breakfast that included everybody’s favorite: french toast sticks. Each major is building on the fundamental work the campers have put in throughout this first work, and more game-like drills were incorporated for Friday’s majors.

After lunch and an extended rest hour, which the campers (and certainly counselors) appreciated, we broke off into various activities. Each age group rotated throughout the indoor stations, avoiding the rain, while staying on their feet. At the ice rink, we had a free skate. Campers that don’t normally get on the ice had their fun, while the hockey majors got to impress their friends by zooming along the boards. Over at the lecture hall, campers filed in to catch up on some wild matches from the EuroCup, including Spain outlasting Switzerland on penalty kicks. Lastly, each age group had their turn in the basketball arena, playing some good ol’ fashioned dodgeball. It certainly was the most intense station of the three, and if you ask the campers, probably the most fun.

After a hearty dinner of tacos, pros and seniors had their choice of the Wolverine’s Den, the gym, or the basketball arena, where some wild games of knockout went down. Koop, meanwhile, was generous enough to invite all the rookies into his home down the street, where they gathered in front of the TV for Movie Night. Campers brought their blankets and pillows, snacked on some Chips Ahoy, and had a blast watching The Pacifier.

Overall, another successful day at BSC!

Today was another exciting day up at Bridgton Sports Camp! We were back to our regular schedule after our day of fun on Wednesday. Rookies woke up at 7:45 for breakfast, then came back to clean their rooms. The pros and seniors, meanwhile, woke up at 8:15 to do the same. Competition for each dorm’s cleanest bunk is heating up. If campers weren’t motivated to clean already, a weekly trip to a local ice cream joint will surely get them organized.

After our morning meal and cleaning period, we once again headed up to the fields and rink for majors. Each major has been making progress on the fundamentals, and today many of them dove into more game-like drills. Over at basketball, after some offensive skill work, the campers played some competitive three-on-three, with talking points being communication and movement. Our hockey majors, after skill work in the morning, returned to the ice in the afternoon for some 40-minute scrimmages, organized by age group. According to our hockey counselors, they got pretty intense! Lacrosse majors primarily worked on shooting with a couple of fun, competitive games, and the soccer majors worked on passing drills with some 3 vs 2 drills. Baseball major worked some scrimmages into their major period as well, in between rounds of groundball knockout.

After some Chicken Caesar Wraps for lunch and a rest hour, we had a fun afternoon of minors, including some lucky kids that got down to the lake to cool off. Before dinner, we had our first full-camp meeting, called lineup. At lineup, we go over the day’s events for each age group of campers, and what happened in each major, including some shoutouts for those who went above and beyond, whether athletically or off the field. After dinner, our seniors and pros got to free play up on the fields, while our rookies played an instant classic of handball, with one team winning 7-6 on a dramatic golden goal.

We finished the night with some campers in the Wolverine’s Den, and some back in our dorms, as we caught up on our card games and Game 5 of Bucks vs. Hawks. Overall, another successful day at BSC!

What a couple of days up here at Bridgton Sports Camp! Tuesday was our first full day of activities as camp truly gets underway. Our hockey majors put on the skates for the first time, split up into smaller groups by age to make sure each player gets enough individual attention. A quick shoutout is necessary for our hard-working hockey counselors, most of whom are on the ice for each of the six periods of the day to make sure things run smoothly.

The rest of our major sports also continued on Tuesday, building off their introductory sessions to start the week. It’s not easy to put in work and get better under a 90+ degree sun, but our campers certainly did. There was less talking and more hands-on instruction, a trend that will continue as camp progresses. So basketball majors, still on our outside courts for the first few days of camp, got to put in more skill work. Our lacrosse majors built off their solid fundamental work from day one, adding more movement to their drills. And our baseball and soccer majors did the same. From taking ground balls to working on dribbling, it was an active Tuesday up on the fields.

And that’s why we shook things up, amidst some more extreme heat, on Wednesday. The first half of the day was normal as any. Our campers continued in their majors in the morning, and had one minor period after lunch. So whether it’s canoeing, arts and crafts, flag football, or archery, campers are starting to get the full range of BSC activities in Session One. But around two o’clock, we split up into our age groups for some classic summer activities. Campers had some extended time in the lake, swimming and breaking in our inflatable slide. Up on the field, there was some good old fashioned wiffle-ball, equipped with a slip n’ slide leading to home plate. But campers were probably most excited by the ice-cream truck we brought to campus in between activities! The hot sun isn’t so bad when you have a lake to jump into and Dippin’ Dots to enjoy. Thankfully, this record-setting heat wave looks to be breaking sometime Thursday as we get back into the 70’s. I’m sure the campers won’t mind.

Of course, we’ve also continued to use the Wolverine’s Den at night for snacks, games, and to catch up on the world of professional sports, which is quite active right now. So, for one reason or another, camp has been abuzz the last two days, as we look forward to continuing what’s been a great start to Session One.

What a start to camp! Monday was the first full day for Session One of BSC, and campers and counselors got into the action right away. After some delicious breakfast, including chocolate chip pancakes and bacon, we headed to our major sports to kick off a summer of hard work and fun. But not before applying some sunscreen and chugging some water with the weather being nearly 90 degrees on Day One!

Our hockey players moved their equipment up to the rink and learned the rules of the ice, and our basketball majors had a great first session on the new outdoor courts. Of course, our lacrosse, soccer, and baseball majors also put in some valuable work and got familiar with their coaches on Bridgton’s great fields.

After majors, campers took care of some housekeeping before the session really gets rolling. Each age group headed down to the lake for some much-needed time in the water, taking their swim tests to ensure a fun summer of swimming. As campers and staff can now confirm, it doesn’t get much better than jumping in one of Maine’s gorgeous lakes to escape the summer heat. We also met at the lecture hall to go over the ground-rules of BSC, and to hand out schedules for the campers. The wait is over!

The afternoon brought more of the same, with campers finishing any unpacking they hadn’t done after lunch. But the real highlight of the day might have been Bridgton Sports League, an intramural league of sorts, where campers are divided into teams and compete during the session in games like Gaga ball (a rookie favorite), Spikeball, Kickball, Dodgeball, and so on. At the end of the three weeks, we’ll have the playoffs and crown a champion, with a sweet prize for the victors. So the season is still young, but if a competitive opening night is any indication, it’s going to be a good one.

To end the night, campers wound down with some time getting to know each other. There were card games in the dorms. Some campers went to the Wolverine’s den, had a night-time snack, and played some ping-pong and board games while Game One of the Stanley Cup was shown on TV. The seniors got to watch the Hockey game, and some of the Suns-Clippers NBA Playoff game outside their dorm on a projector screen, enjoying the finally-cool weather.

Overall, we had a great start to the summer, and can’t wait to see what comes next!

BSC Parents,

We are ready!  I just spent the last hour walking around camp.  Everything is in its place but camp is quiet.  I started thinking about what a long year it has been for all of us.  None of us would have expected to live through a pandemic but the great news is we are close to the other side and I personally feel great about camp this summer!  We have been in staff training for the past week and everyone is ready to go.  I can’t believe that tomorrow, camp will be alive with campers running/playing/having fun…..the way it should be!

A few reminders:
If you are taking the bus please pack a lunch/drinks (we will not stop) and again bare with us as we conduct the covid tests and pack the bus

If you are driving just follow the signs when you arrive at camp.  It’s different than most summers as we will test prior to driving up to the dorms

If flying, please wear your mask in the airport & on the plane.

During camp I will try and send these mass updates every once in a while and we will also post photos & camp blog in CampMinder and here daily.

I can’t wait for the campers to arrive tomorrow!
Thanks,
Koop

Thank you for your interest in Bridgton Sports Camp. We are currently preparing for what promises to be a rewarding 3 week experience. We’re confident that as we get closer to summer and we emerge from our current restrictions, camp becomes something to look forward to and an opportunity for the boys to get back to sports, socializing, and creating memories. Our commitment to parents is to always put your childs’ health, safety, and well-being as our first priority. We are working with the local health department and our camp nurses in preparing new health guidelines and protocols for athletics, dorm life, and meals.

In the meantime, please practice social distancing, stay healthy, and give us a call for an update, as the current situation is constantly evolving.

Today’s blog is written by 2 campers, so I hope you enjoy because they did a fantastic job!

Today at Bridgton Sports Camp, it was another hot, beautiful day, and Day 2 of Color War. At the beginning of the day, the Raptors had a strong lead of 40 points over the Blues, but the Blues weren’t giving up too easily. The first event camp-wide was the ice hockey game that any camp member could participate in. The game was a battle but in overtime, the Blues capitalized to take a 5-4 win over the Raptors with Markus scoring the final goal. Then the camp had a delicious lunch of the choice of a meatball sandwich or a steak and cheese sandwich. After lunch, everyone was split up into Seniors, Pros, and Rookies and were sent to do their events. The Seniors played basketball, flag football, and soccer. The Raptors won the basketball game, but the Blues fought back to win the flag football game with a whopping 49-14 finish. The Raptors took the soccer game with a 5-4 score. The Pros played kickball, Gaga, cricket, basketball, handball, and soccer. Since there are so many pros they were split in half, but they all participated in 3 games still. The Blues won kickball but the Raptors responded with a 4-0 win in Gaga and a win in soccer in sudden death. The Rookies played soccer, handball, and cricket. The Blues won a well-fought game in handball, with a 16-5 score. The Raptors took both games with a win in a penalty shootout. Tonight was the last night for BSL. The Willamette Bearcats took on the Wooster Fighting Scots in a game of handball. It was a well-fought battle, but the Bearcats Pros/Seniors managed to pull a 4-2 lead over the Fighting Scots, and the Rookies finished off the game to win the championship for the Willamette Bearcats. At the end of the day, the final score for Color War was Blues 341 to the Raptors 346. The Raptors may have won more games but the Blues showed a great deal of sportsmanship that helped them gain many more points.

Written By: Pierce/Willamette Bearcats
Edited By: Aidan
Support By: Keara who writes every wonderful blog other than this one

Tomorrow is the Whacked Up Relay Race, so wish the campers luck! GO BLUES! GO RAPTORS!
Thank you for taking the time to read the blog, and hopefully, your Thursday was awesome!

Tuesday Updates: Funtown Splashtown, White Water Rafting, and Red Sox Game

All the Pros, Rookies, and some Seniors went to Funtown Splashtown yesterday while the rest of the Seniors went White Water Rafting and the CITs went to a Red Sox Game.
It was a perfect day yesterday. It was very sunny and hot but all the campers had fun! In Funtown, the campers could go on different amusement park rides such as rollercoasters, drop tower, teacups and many more! In Splashtown, the campers could go down all kinds of water slides. There were slides made for tubes and others where they could race each other.

We also announced Color War while we were at there and we did that by having a security guard and manager talk to the whole group saying that everyone was not following the rules and things like that. The manager ended his speech by saying that the Color War is here.

Once everyone got back from their different trips, we had the dodgeball game, and the campers found out which team they were on which were either the Raptors or the Saint Louis Blues.

Wednesday: Color War Continued

We had late wake-up, and when the campers woke up they all were very excited to start Color War and to start winning!

After breakfast, the different divisions split up to play games such as Handball, Ultimate Frisbee, Kickball, and Flag Football. The Pros were in 2 different groups by their hall because there are so many Pros this session.

Then it was off to majors where they did different skill competitions or played different games. The hockey players did skating, shooting, and different relay races. The soccer players had a scrimmage, and the baseball majors played different games such as Ground Ball Knockout. The basketball and lacrosse majors also did different games and competitions.

After lunch and rest hour, we had the track and field events, the cook-off, and Jeopardy. The different track and field events are throwing a football and baseball, a cross country run, 100m race, and more! The cook-off is an event where every group is given a piece of cake and a banana and the campers could choose 4 more ingredients to make the best looking and tasting dish.

Before dinner, the Pros and Seniors had their BSL Semifinals and the Rookies had their Semifinals after dinner.

Overall the past two days have been very busy but the campers are having a lot of fun! They are demonstrating great sportsmanship and respect to their opposing teams.

Thank you for taking the time to read the blog, and I hope everyone had a great couple of days!
KC

Tonight is the Senior Social! Today was also the last normal day with campers following their schedules because tomorrow is Funtown Splashtown and the rest of the week is Color War!

There was BSL in the morning, but many of the Seniors and Pros were missing because of the inter-camp tournaments. The tournaments were in street hockey and baseball. This also was the start of playoffs for BSL.

After BSL, the campers went to their first two periods. The hockey majors worked on stickhandling and played keep away. The soccer majors worked on finishing and scrimmaged at the end. There was a baseball minor and they played a mini baseball game where the bases were moved in closer to home plate. There was a street hockey and flag football minor, but there were not many campers because of the different inter-camp games, so they went into the gym and played basketball. There was a weight training minor as well.

Everyone had tacos for lunch since we will be missing Taco Tuesday! After lunch was the Rest Hour, and it started to pour so Rest Hour was extended until the rain stopped.
Once the rain was done, it was back to the normal third and fourth periods. In both hockey minors, the players scrimmaged. There was a camper who never played hockey before who stepped on the ice with gear on and tried it! He had a good time, and was smiling for the whole period! The rest of the campers had fun at their minors and tried something new in each one.

During Line-up, we found out about the inter-camp tournaments the campers participated in. The baseball team won the tournament! In the street hockey tournament, the campers brought home second place! All the campers were cheering when they found out because it was super exciting to hear how well they did!

For dinner, the campers had mashed potatoes and chicken with the usual salad and pasta bar. We celebrated a counselor’s birthday too!

After dinner, the Seniors got ready for their social. Everyone else had normal free time and snack time. At the social, the Seniors looked like they were having fun talking and hanging out with the girls and their friends.

Everyone is excited for tomorrow because of Funtown Splashtown and White Water Rafting! It will be a busy day!

Thank you for taking the time to read the blog, and wish the campers luck tomorrow and please wish the counselor a very happy birthday!

Stay tuned for updates on Wednesday!
KC

It was a very hot day out, and we also had the counselors vs campers lacrosse and softball games too! Not to mention, this was the day of the White Out basketball game against a local camp!

There were some campers who did wake up early for donuts this morning, but a majority of them slept in.

Everyone headed up to Line-up at 10:00, and the campers learned of the different activities they could do before lunch. There was a U15 street hockey tryout and a U16 baseball tryout. They also could go out on the ice for a free skate, go to Art’s and Crafts, and for the campers who hadn’t gone waterskiing or wakeboarding could go out and try it. Some campers even went fishing as well!

After lunch, we had our rest hour and then it was off to the lacrosse and softball games! All the campers either participated or watched the games. Both were exciting to watch because the campers were holding their own, and having so much fun playing against counselors. In the lacrosse game, we had a counselor dress up in full hockey goalie gear, and he was on the camper’s team and was stopping shots left and right. The counselors’ goalie was a camper who killed it! He played amazingly, and stopped so many hard shots! Even though the campers lost, they still tried their hardest and had fun. In the softball game, the campers played very well, but the counselors ended up on top. The campers did catch some hard balls, and pitch balls that made it more difficult for the counselors to hit, making it more challenging for the counselors.

For dinner, we had mac and cheese with chicken strips and the pasta and salad bars. The dessert was popsicles.

After dinner, we had the white-out game against another camp. Bridgton came and played their hearts out. We had an early lead in the game, but ultimately we lost by only a couple of points! The campers who were not playing cheered on their friends and just had fun!

All the campers got extended phone time after the basketball to call their parents or friends. They also had time before the game to call as well!

Today was a tough day for the campers, but they brought their A-game to every sport they played and it was great to watch!

Thank you for taking the time to read the blog, and I hope you had some donuts today as well!
KC