Author: Brian Kooperman

Week two has begun! Campers were rested and ready to go this morning. Early in the day, we sent 12-and-under and 15-and-under basketball teams off to play in a 3v3 Tournament at a local camp, and the Bridgton Sports Camp guys returned with a Championship Trophy in the 12-and-under Division!

In majors today, I had a chance to see the baseball players—who were being timed running sprints (Coach Mike keeps records of their progress over the course of the session) and they were also working in stations practicing some hitting and fielding.

Our basketball players were in the middle of a 4v4v4 Cut-Throat Drill that forced them to make good defensive plays to stay on the court for the next series.

The lake was once again the place to be this afternoon—and it sounded like there were some exciting results for our fishermen today!

After dinner, the Bridgton Sports League continued—it has been fun to wander around campus in the evenings catching different league games. Teams (The Lobsters, Water Buffalos, Humpback Whales, Loch Ness Monsters, Holy Mackerels and Box Turtles) are competing in anything from flag football, tennis, dodgeball, cricket, baseball, handball to ultimate Frisbee. Finally, our seniors are looking forward to attending a social tonight!

This is a favorite day at camp—Sea Dogs Game Day!

After a little sleep-in and late breakfast, campers reported to their majors where they worked out for two periods with their coaches. Once they had finished their quesadillas and ice cream sandwiches at lunch, Koop shared with them the afternoon and evening trip details to The Portland Sea Dogs Baseball Game.

Buses arrived at camp at 2:30pm and the boys (dressed in their Bridgton Sports Camp shirts) enthusiastically headed out! They stopped for a pizza picnic, enjoyed a great game, and caught an amazing fireworks display after the game at the stadium.

I’m sure you will hear all about the day’s events when campers make their weekly telephone calls home tomorrow night!

The boys will most definitely enjoy a sleep-in tomorrow and their first “Lazy Bones Sunday!”

It was a gorgeous day, and the warm temperatures led to lots of water breaks and some very popular free swims!

Coach Warde reported that it was a creative start to hockey practice today as the players did part 2 of iron man with stick-handling in one third, passing with multiple pucks in one third and 3v3 with the wrong hand in the final third. Stations today consisted of: 1v1 shadow, 1v1 gap control, 3v0 weave passing and shot and 2v2.

In the gym, Coach Whit has been wowed by the enthusiasm and teamwork the basketball majors are already displaying just a week in. A favorite drill so far is the Circle Drill where players are learning to perfect their dribbling skills by using both hands while working with two basketballs.

I had an opportunity to watch Street Hockey this afternoon, and noticed some impressive passes and exuberantly celebrated goals! The campers are really enjoying this new minor.

Our guest soccer coach, Coach Green, kept us entertained at line-up sharing some words of wisdom and finished off his motivational talk with an excellent joke that received a “tip-of-the-hat.” He was followed by several campers who also successfully avoided “the bucket,” by telling very funny jokes tonight.

As always, the dining staff provided some delicious meals for us today–the Philly Cheese Steak Bar at lunch was very popular, and this evening we feasted on an Italian dinner with stuffed shells, pastas and sauces. The dessert Italian Ice pops were just the cool treat that we all needed!

Camp is quiet tonight as everyone is relaxing and enjoying “Movie Night.”

Everyone enjoyed the opening campfire last night-especially the opportunity to spend time together as an entire camp under the peaceful Maine sky. All campers have recorded their goals for this season (on small pieces of wood) which will be shared with fellow campers at the closing campfire when these pieces of wood will be added to the fire. The ashes from the previous seasons are kept and added to the next year’s campfires. This symbol of continuity is a tradition that reminds our campers how all years and campers at Bridgton Sports Camp will always be “connected!”

In our activities today, the Majors had very productive sessions:

Soccer did some technical warm-up drills (working on volleying and touch). They focused on shooting and defense-in-transition during the practice before finishing with a fun shooting drill and a scrimmage.

Lacrosse spent time working on man-up, fast-break and 4v3 drills. They eventually worked into a full field 4v3 activity/scrimmage that kept all players hustling.

Basketball worked on passing and shooting drills for much of their practice time today. During the second half of the period, they held a spirited scrimmage where all players had a chance to showcase their refreshed passing and shooting skills!

Hockey opened with a passing series while goaltenders worked with Coach Jake. The four stations consisted of a stop-and-start 1v1 battle, Wolverine 2 puck drill, Union back-check Drill, and a 2v2 drill with Coach Tomi.

The lake looked perfect for canoeing and wakeboarding and waterskiing, and the warm temperatures made these activities even more enticing today. Koop was spotted playing basketball this afternoon—and I bet he joined the several campers planning to swim and cool off in the lake during “Choose-up!”

At lunch there were at least 6 different types of create-your-own sandwiches offered, and the salad bar offered local greens and tomatoes and home-made hummus with fresh veggies for dipping. This evening, we celebrated a successful day with our first dinner cook-out.

It was another picture-perfect, Maine summer day at camp. The sun was shining and there was still a little breeze to keep everyone comfortable. We enjoyed french toast and hearty bowls of oatmeal, along with our regular breakfast items, this morning. The popsicles at the end of lunch were a big hit, but the highlight was the delicious strawberry shortcake dessert that followed our meal of meatloaf and potatoes and/or pasta and sauces with vegetables and loaves of warm bread.

I visited lots of minors today—and the boys were having a great time everywhere I looked. Some campers were getting very close to the target at the archery range (and the boards were back a good distance). Our volleyball games were competitive, and I was impressed with the long play between points. Down at the lake, the boys were tubing behind the boat and fishing from the end of the point. I did not see any fish being reeled-in, but I am sure there will still be lots of stories of great fishing success! And finally the lanyards and bead designs being created in Arts and Crafts were quite impressive (some lucky family members will most certainly be receiving some thoughtfully, hand-crafted gifts at the end of camp!)

This evening was a chance for the boys to have “Free-Play.” They were out on the fields organizing pick-up soccer and flag football games, and in the gym playing basketball, and gathered around the GaGa Pit cheering each other on!

We are closing out the night with our Opening Campfire—a favorite tradition at Bridgton Sports Camp! More on this special event in tomorrow’s post!

Today was a gorgeous day with a wonderful breeze and plenty of sunshine. After a breakfast of eggs, potatoes, ham, cream of wheat, fresh fruit, cereal and yogurt, the boys headed back to the dorms for clean-up. Last night there were many 10’s scored on the room inspections (the highest number achievable!), so hopefully this trend will continue! As many of the minors got underway, time was spent on learning the proper techniques and safety. Campers took swim tests at the waterfront and everyone was ready for a fun-filled day.

In our majors: Soccer players spent time working on proper kicking techniques, passing and finishing drills and ended the morning sessions with a scrimmage. Coach Whit is happy with the talent and determination he sees on the basketball court. And our hockey and lacrosse majors are quickly picking up the new drills. Our hockey majors spend the first 15-20 minutes of practice puck-handling and after the 2v0 Drill they worked in 4 stations: Quick feet, Cornell 8 Skate and Shoot, BA Shooting Drill, and Army 1v1 Battle Drill. Our goaltenders were receiving one-on-one coaching from our goaltender coach, Jake.

At lunch, we enjoyed “Taco Tuesday,” and this evening the activity was a continuation of BSC Leagues. What a great day at camp!

This morning the campers were up and ready for the day by 8:00am. After a filling breakfast, they reported to the Humanities Center where they gathered in the Lecture Hall to receive their activity schedules. The boys excitedly headed out to their first camp activities and their majors. The Lacrosse, Basketball and Baseball majors jumped right into drills. This afternoon our hockey players were all out on the ice doing power skating practice. Coach Warde saw great form and balance throughout the forward and backward skating drills.

On this warm July day, the campers all looked forward to the lake activities—canoeing, fishing and waterskiing and wakeboarding. (They also loved the cool ice-cream treats served at the end of lunch!) In the late afternoons, at the end of the days’ activities, we always have “Line-up.” This is an opportunity for our counselors to share special moments from the day, and the boys are cheered and applauded!

After dinner (chicken fingers, fries, pasta and upside-down pineapple cake) we began our BSL (Bridgton Sports League) competition. Camp is divided into 6 teams (including members from all three divisions) who compete throughout the session. Points are awarded for victories and for sportsmanship, and the winners get to put their names on a huge trophy. Tonight they played cricket, handball and ultimate Frisbee.

We had a great day welcoming campers. Late in the afternoon, the campers split into their three groups and played games. The Rookies (our youngest campers) played kickball, the Pro’s (our middle campers) played kickball and tested out the GaGa Pit, and our Seniors (our oldest campers) played handball. We had our first Line-up where campers were introduced to all of the counselors at camp and then enjoyed a dinner of pasta, turkey, mashed potatoes, a fresh salad bar and delicious cookies for dessert. Tonight we are holding dorm meetings, and the boys will have a chance to settle in and get a good night’s sleep!

Another full day of color war activities today. Campers competed hard
all morning, and then got a break from the sun while taking in a color
war hockey game. Afterwards, a free skate on the ice was open for
everyone to enjoy. We capped off the night with another wave of fired
up competition with the crowning of the 2016 Bridgton Sports League
champions, the Badgers! Enjoy the pictures from this full day!

No sweat shirts today!!!! Warm weather is here for the next several days. Regular activities today with the exception of an indoor soccer tournament. Indoors?? Yes, it was four on four. Players had to really use their skills. Again, we made it to the finals, then lost :((

Okay parents, the captains have been selected and the teams decided. This years color war teams will be the Cavaliers and Penguins. Know one seems to know how it will break though…… Stay tuned for tomorrows blog for all the details.