Author: Brian Kooperman

LAZY BONES SUNDAY

A tradition at BSC is our Lazy Bones Sunday. Campers are thrilled to have a sleep in till 9. Not everyone takes advantage of this extra hour. There are plenty of rookies and some pros down at the gaga pit, but they know to keep the cheering down to a low roar so not to wake the other campers.

On Lazy Bones we take a break from our typical schedules of majors and minors. This morning Koop opened the rink for free skating. Anyone that wanted to skate could. Soccer, lax, baseball, and basketball majors now have a great respect for our hockey guys. They make skating look so effortless.

There was a tryout for a 13 and under soccer inter camp, and the 15 and unders had a practice for the big game tonight.

Lunch was cold cuts. In addition to turkey and ham we had tuna & egg salad. There were choices between rolls. flat bread and wraps. I was amazed at how creative some of the sandwiches were.

After rest hour we had a full afternoon of laser tag, slip n slide, and soccer. Does any of this sound like a lazy bones Sunday?

The high point of the day had to be the 15 and under basketball game. Camper dressed in white to show their solidarity. It was a white out and the gym was on fire. It was a really close game, but we prevailed and won. Final score 41-36

WHAT A GREAT DAY!

Last nights rain gave us bright blue skies and zero humidity today. Quite a pleasant change from yesterday.

This morning I was up on the fields for majors. Baseball players got a lot of instruction from Coach Mike on batting. They headed over to the batting cages and really worked on their swings. The boys were really letting them rip. “HUM Baby!” They ended the period with some home run derby.

We have a standing invitation to watch the 12 and under hockey majors. They had a scrimmage and coach said they are finishing the play well. Which I believe means they are scoring. There was a lot of puck passing up and down the ice. I will be there tomorrow to watch!

The lake was the place to be this afternoon. With fresh worms on the hook….10 fish were caught. This could be a new record. Canoe’s were out along with tubing, wake boarding, and skiing.

Our Thursday cookout was the perfect ending to a spectacular day.

This evening we had BSC leagues. Ultimate frisbee, cricket and dodge ball were played. If that’s not enough sports for one day we had a sign up for intramural basketball. We now have 5 teams competing. Coach Aren is not only an awesome coach but extremely creative. To be competing are: The Somerset County Spider Pigs, Webster-Univ. Gorlocks, Free Range Hens, Thunder Ducks, and last but not least the Farmington Beavers.

Majors, Minors & Movies

It was a typical day at BSC until this evening when rain delayed our evening activities. Baseball majors hustled during their drills this morning, pitching hard and fast and catching tons of balls. In Hockey, campers worked on their independent scoring skills with a few rounds of break away drills. One camper impressed with a record 3 for 3 breakaway goals. Well done! In Basketball, coaches and campers focused on ball handing, which any serious player will tell you is an essential skill for all b-ball enthusiasts.

In our minors today, flag football, golf, canoeing, and fishing were eventful activities. A fun but furious game of flag football was so close coaches thought it would end in a tie but one camper pulled out some thrilling moves for his team to win. In golf, the coach was super impressed with the BSC boys’ aim, alignment, and swing. In canoeing, staff were amazed at campers’ abilities to hold their balance and rhythm on the somewhat choppy waters on Long Lake today. Finally, our boys had some luck while fishing today, catching 10 fish in total. One camper in particular caught 4 of the 10 fish including a big bass just over a foot long! Wow!

We didn’t let the rain get us down though. Koop turned the Humanities Center into our very own BSC movie theatre. It gave us a chance to rest our minds and muscles, and enjoy some downtime with our new friends. All in all, it was a really great day!

Session 2 is up and running, folks. Campers are settled in and we were raring to go this morning when Majors started. Ice Hockey coaches congratulated campers on their hard work at practice today and made note of campers who showed maturity and integrity when faced with a challenge. Well done!

Golfers had a beautiful day at the driving range today, showing excellent form and hitting a ton of balls. Campers who were in the Archery area today started the session of with a bang – 2 campers ending their mini tournament with a tie and one camper hit the bulls eye not once, but twice! Amazing!

In Weight Training & Fitness campers impressed the Coach with their ‘never give up attitude’. In particular, one camper held himself to high expectations with their sprints, going full speed every time, right until the end of practice. Keep up the good work!

Down on the waterfront, the sunny day made for excellent swimming and water skiing conditions. How lucky are we that we have access to beautiful Long Lake each and every day?

Finally, at dinner time lineup we had our fist Joke of the Day. Rookies and Pros impressed us with their timing and delivery so they were able to line up first for one of our favourite meals – pizza! It was great to see so many campers making healthy choices too, with the line up for the salad bar going steady. It was a great way to justify cookies for desert!

Color War!!

Koop had a surprise for us this morning! After breakfast and clean-up, we thought our Majors were rain-delayed BUT…. little did we know, a special guest was there (via video) to make an announcement. As we gathered in the BA Humanities Centre to supposedly watch a movie, suddenly there was Hulk Hogan, the most infamous wrestler of all time, up on the screen to break Color War!

Our 2 Color War teams are the NHL camps, LA Kings (purple) and the NBA champs, the San Antonio Spurs (silver). Immediately after the big announcement we were divided into teams and the war began. We headed off to our Major sports for the ‘best of’ skill competitions. Here, tenacity and focus payed off in points.

After lunch, Color War was dominated by 2 big events. We held an amazing BSC 13+ Basketball game – Spurs vs. Kings. As the sea of purple and silver fans cheered on their teammates loudly and proudly, coaches/counsellors looked on to award points for enthusiasm. It was a close game, but ultimately the Spurs hustled just a little bit harder to snatch up the win.

Then we held a Mini World Cup on the top floor of the ice rink – with a four-on-four match ups for campers 12 and under. Playing under house rules, the matches were super fun and very entertaining. Sportsmanship was fair, but counsellors gave some notes at line up so that campers could keep this very important area in mind as Color War progresses and their athletic careers continue. Spurs were the victors for this event too, but when all was said and done, all tallies taken and points assigned (including skills, sporstmanship, and enthusiasm), the Kings are holding the lead as of today.

After a hard day’s work, tonight will be a bit more relaxed with free play (Gaga, Weight Training Fitness, etc.) and Ice-Cream Sunday night at the Wolverine’s Den.

We had a few friendly sporting competitions on the docket today, but our hardest battle and biggest win took place down on the waterfront during our Fishing minor. BSC went head to head against the evasive fish of Long Lake – they baited, the hooked, and the reeled in fish after fish, showing that patience and persistence pays off. Those fish were no match for our BSC men today!

In inter-camp tournament news, our 11u Soccer and Basketball teams brought speed and intensity to their games today. Each group of boys came home with boths wins and losses, helping them to cope with defeat, reflect on their game, and set goals and targets for next time. We say this a lot, but it must be said….our BSC crew were amazing sports as usual – kind and classy, just how we like it.

Majors went ahead as scheduled this morning. Campers listened attentively to coaches and followed their instructions carefully, ensuring that the 3rd and final week of BSC’s 1st Session was off to strong and solid start. It’s hard to believe that we have less than a week left of camp. After having learned so much, formed so many new friendships, and made tons of new memories – it’s going to be hard to say good-bye! Rest assured we’re going to make the most of the time we have left!

Lazy Bones & Big Events

Lazy Bones Sunday started off with a late wake-up as usual. After some extra sleep and a delicious breakfast, coaches held tryouts for the BSC u11 Basketball team, who are off to an inter-camp tournament tomorrow. We’ll be rooting for them!

In other under 11 news, our Baseball u11 team went head to head with a rival camp today. Making the most of home turf, they were rock stars on the baseball field, showing off their excellent catching skills and making some amazing players! BSC campers on and off the field were raving about how much fun they had. Combine that with a big win, and we can’t ask for more than that!

We had great options for activities all day, with lots of action happening down at the waterfront and on the lake, and also at the very popular Gaga pit! Campers were full of shout-outs for one another at line-up today, showing off some brotherly love for their fellow BSCers. All kinds of praise and compliments were handed out… thanks for helping someone improve their basketball skills, thanks to the fans in the stands during the baseball game today, props to a camper who has been really good at keeping hydrated, campers who gave ice-skating a try for the very first time, and others for their athletic skills, friendship, and sportsmanship. We have such an incredible group of boys here this session!

In what was a really exciting event today, lots of campers gathered together in their division to watch Germany beat Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final. It was a great game to watch and made for an enjoyable afternoon among friends!

Dedication & Celebration

Campers received numerous shout outs at line-up today, many connected to their intensity and dedication to health & fitness. They are making healthy choices at meal time every day and prioritizing weight & fitness training a part of their daily routine. Furthermore, several campers have raised the bar even higher by waking up extra early to get in extra sprints, sit-ups and pull-ups. The growth and improvement in these guys is truly remarkable.

Another beautiful day in Bridgton, the campers took advantage of the lake this morning, where our Canoeist were ‘tearing up the water’ and one of our smallest campers got up on the knee board on his very first try, thrilling all the onlookers.

In Lacrosse today, speed was a factor when making shots on goal, leading one camper to nail his target almost every time. He had such a successful day, he even created his own celebration move, called the ‘selfie celly’. The move was a sure fire hit, since a demo at line-up garnered lots of cheers from fellow BSCers. I have a feeling we’ll see that move again!

You Win Some, You Lose Some

It was a gorgeous day in Maine today, warm and sunny with a gentle breeze, making for excellent conditions on the lake. Campers were thrilled to enjoy the beauty of the day on the boat and along the shore swimming and canoeing.

In inter-camp action today, our 13u boys played a big game of Flag Football. According to BSC coaches, our campers played hard and fast (7 touchdowns!) for an amazing win, made even better since it was on our home turf. Later in the day, an amazing effort was made by our 11u Kickball team, bringing them a couple wins and a couple losses. Evidently, you can’t win them all – even though we’ve had a nice streak of victories lately. Ultimately, another proud day here at BSC!

In Basketball action, coaches described an intense practice during Major periods today, with lots of learning happening on and off the court.In Lacrosse, coaches switched things up with a game of lacrosse golf, a favorite among campers.

Finally, after several camper shout-outs we had the Joke of the Day – used this time to see which division would line up for dinner first. Pros may have had the winning joke, but we all lucked out with the food. Dinner was our classic cookout – burgers, hot dogs, past salad, potato salad, juicy watermelon, and refreshing lemonade. It was the perfect day for a picnic on the grass.

Over 1/2 way through 1st session, the time is flying by and we are loving every minute of it!

Another Terrific Tuesday

In sporting news today,our 12u and 15u Basketball teams played hard at an inter-camp 3-on-3 tournament, but left without a win in spite of their best efforts. In keeping with our reputation of being excellent sports, we came home proud of our effort and complimentary of our opponents.

In Weight Training & Fitness, campers competed against one another to see who could hold a plank for the longest period of time. In Lacrosse, BSC athletes had an hour long scrimmage with both Major and Minor campers, making for an excellent bout on the fields.

In Arts & Crafts news, several attempts at our decorated rocket launch finally paid of during line-up. As fellow campers looked on, the snazzy rocked flew high into the sky, with a big landing in the back field.