Author: Jason Stone

Another beautiful summer day here at Bridgton Sports Camp! Today was a regular schedule that began with bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches for breakfast. After cleaning up their dorms, campers headed up to the fields and down to the waterfront for their first three periods of majors and minors. It’s been awesome to see how much each camper has improved in their respective sport since day one. We think you guys will see big improvements when they get home.

When lunch concluded, campers headed back to their dorms for rest hour before resuming their normal Monday schedule in the afternoon. At choose up, we had the first night of the BSL playoffs! In the opening round, the younger campers competed in games of newcomb while the older campers played kickball up on the turf. The competition was extremely high as every camper is vying for the coveted BSL trophy that I, myself have been fortunate enough to win.

In the evening, I spoke to a few campers about what they are looking forward to most during their last week of camp.  Here is what they collectively thought:

With only one week left in the session, campers are excited for the numerous events that will be taking place over that time period here at BSC. After talking to some of them, the campers say they are looking forward to funtown splashtown, color war, the final banquet and campfire, the last couple days of their majors, being in a higher age group next summer, and seeing their parents.

Until next time,

Ethan

Today was our last lazy bones Sunday of the session. Campers were able to sleep in before heading up to the dining hall where donuts were being served for breakfast. After breakfast, we had a brief lineup and from there, campers and counselors of all ages competed in a camper v. counselor soccer game! Anyone could come watch or play in the game that was held on the turf field. It was great to see the campers testing out the new skills they’ve learned in soccer major against the older guys!

Due to the schedule being modified a couple times this past week, today’s afternoon consisted of periods four and five from the Tuesday schedule. We did this so that campers could have the opportunity to go to periods that they may have missed such as wake-boarding and waterskiing.

From period five, the whole camp gathered for another lineup as tonight was the last night of the BSL regular season. The rookies competed in handball while the older campers took part in a game of cricket. The competition was extremely high as the playoffs are right around the corner. Then, after dinner, all campers received their phones for the evening activity tonight as they do every Sunday.

Campers are still anticipating trip day on Tuesday as well as the start of color war which is soon to come!

Until next time,

Ethan

In the past week here at BSC, we’ve had a ton of intercamp competitions from soccer to baseball to dodgeball to street hockey and many more. All our campers showed great sportsmanship in their games against other camps while also maintaining a competitive edge.

Although the weather wasn’t always in our favor over the past few days, we modified the schedule to make sure that every camper could still get better at their sports. This was achieved by having major periods followed by short minor periods as well as other activities to break up the daily routine.

We also had the Sea Dogs game and casino night this week that went very smoothly thanks to all the hard-working counselors and admin. For five hours on Friday afternoon, a group of counselors turned the Wolverine Den into a casino for campers to enjoy.

Looking ahead, tomorrow is the last lazy bones Sunday of the session. On Tuesday, rookies and professionals will be heading to Funtown Splashtown while the seniors will go on a white-water rafting trip and the CITs travel to Fenway Park for a Red Sox game. Color war is also coming up as we will break it on (can’t remember if its Tuesday or Wednesday). The final banquet and campfire will take place on Friday evening, which is always one of the most special moments in all of camp.

As Koop always says, the days are long but the weeks fly by.

Until next time,

Ethan

Today was a great day here at BSC as the weather was perfect! After a short morning shower, it was sunny and in the 70s for the rest of the day. In the morning, campers went to their second and third period majors and minors as we had an hour late wake up. At lunch, we were treated to chicken parmesan and cookies for dessert by the BSC kitchen staff. There were three intercamp events that took place throughout the day including a basketball tournament at Indian Acres, a baseball game at Micah, and dodgeball at Wigwam.

After rest hour, we had a normal schedule on a beautiful afternoon as campers went to their 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th period majors and minors. At dinner, it was announced that tonight would be casino night! Casino night is when we set up the Wolverine Den as a casino and put out games such as black jack, poker, and a ring toss. Campers are given fake money that they can play with and those with the most money at the end of the night win prizes. The night was once again a success! Pictures from the event will be posted on the website soon.

With just one week of camp left (!!), campers can’t wait for color war!

Until next time,

Ethan

Today we had our campers go to their majors from 9-10:30. After that, we had a scavenger hunt where campers got in their BSL teams and went around the camp looking for items to collect in a backpack. The top teams won games for BSL with the playoffs right around the corner. The scavenger hunt lasted until lunch where we had grilled cheese sandwiches!

Once rest hour was over, campers rotated through 6 different activities until dinner. The activities included swimming at the waterfront, going on the pontoon boat, playing corn hole at the ice rink, a spike ball tournament, gaga, and a slip and slide. Each rotation lasted about half an hour so that each age group could have ample time at each station. Then, we finished off the day with a cookout that consisted of sausages and hamburgers, and then free play until bedtime.

Camper Spotlight: Andrew

Andrew is a 10-year-old rookie from New Jersey in his second year of camp. His major is hockey but he also plays lacrosse. Andrew’s favorite parts about camp are the waterfront (waterskiing, fishing, and swimming), hockey, and lacrosse. In terms of what has changed at camp in the past year, Andrew says that there have definitely been changes but that some things have stayed consistent as well. He says that there are a lot of new campers and counselors and returning campers and counselors. Andrew adds that he likes the food this year better than last year. If he could change one thing, Andrew would make gaga a minor because it’s very popular among campers.

Today began with an hour late wake-up after the trip to the Sea Dogs game the night before. After having waffles and sausages for breakfast and cleaning up the dorms, campers went to their majors up until lunch and then back to their dorms for rest hour.

In the afternoon, we had a bit of a modified schedule due to the hot weather. There were 4 different stations that the campers cycled through until dinner time. The waterfront was one as well as the humanities center for a movie, the hockey rink for free skate, and watching the U16 soccer game against Wigwam. Each age group was able to participate in every activity.

After dinner, we had another night of BSL! All the campers competed with their teams in games from handball to newcomb to kickball to gaga. The playoffs are right around the corner as we approach casino night and the start of color war as well!

Counselor profile: Ben Nolan

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Middletown, CT but I moved to Prospect Heights, Illinois after I graduated high school.

How long have you been at BSC?

I was a camper for 3 years, a CIT for one, and now this is my 3^rd year as a counselor.

What keeps you coming back each year?

The friendships I have made in my time here is one. I also really enjoy the elite level that the counselors bring to the sports here at camp.

What are your sports?

I play lacrosse and ice hockey. I currently play Division III lacrosse at Carthage College in Wisconsin and also play in a club hockey league. I have been playing lacrosse for 7 years and ice hockey for 16 years.

If there is one thing you could change about camp, what would it be?

I would make it longer!

Yesterday started off as every other day here at Bridgton Sports Camp. Campers were woken up by their counselors at 7:45 before heading up to breakfast and then cleaning their rooms. The first three periods of the day went on as scheduled with each camper participating in their respective major as well as at least two minor periods. At 12:30, campers headed up to the dining hall for lunch. (Deli Day!!) Then back down to their dorms for rest hour before leaving for the Sea Dogs Game!

Every time we go to the game, we stop at a park just before the Sea Dogs stadium where campers and counselors have a chance to eat pizza before the game. Once at the game, the campers were able to go on the field and hold the flag while former Boston Bruins national anthem singer Rene Rancourt sang all 4 verses! After the anthem, we headed to our seats along the third base line and watched the game. Campers sat with their counselors and we cheered on the dogs. Unfortunately, the game ended in a 2-1 loss for the Dogs.

After the game ended, the whole camp stayed at the stadium for a fireworks display! This is a tradition as we go to the game every year around July 4 to see them. Once the fireworks ended, the campers and counselors headed to the buses to go back to BSC.

Many more exciting things to come this session, including Funtown Splashtown for the rookies and pros, white water rafting for the seniors, and a Red Sox game for the CITs.

Until next time,

Ethan

Hey Everyone – We’re happy to introduce to you our newest segment of the BSC PawPrints Blog. For the first time, this post you are about to read was written by one of our campers. With no counselor assistance, and just a little input from his friends, we give you our first ever camper guest host!

Camper Name: Brad — Major: Ice Hockey — Hometown: Boca Raton, FL

Hi guys, my name is Brad and I’m 13 years old. I’m from Boca Raton, Florida and this is my 3rd summer at BSC. I’ve been an ice hockey major all 3 years. It’s been an amazing time here, and I’m always excited to come back each year.

Today at camp, we started it off with a casual breakfast where the counselors announced some of the intercamp teams, like the flag football, basketball, and street hockey teams. Later on, we went on to clean our rooms, and do our daily inspection. My first period today was flag football, where I had lots of fun playing a scrimmage. After that, we went on to hockey major. At hockey, we worked on improving our skills, and played a little game afterwards.

Shortly after hockey, I went to third period, tennis, which was extremely fun today. We played king of the court and also rallied a bit with each other and Gabe. During lunch which came after third period, everyone got ready for intercamp which included me in flag football, and also they announced the winners of room inspection for the week. The winners later in the day went on to get ice cream on the pontoon boat. I was included in that, and had loads of fun with my friends.

After lunch, I went to my flag football intercamp at Camp Wildwood. Our team didn’t do too well, but nevertheless, we had a great time playing! After we lost a close game, we went on to watch the basketball team’s final game, where there was amazing competition, but we came out with a win. They took 3rd place in the tournament.

Our 10 and under street hockey team was playing in the finals of their tournament, so we all went over to the rink to watch that. They played absolutely amazing. Jason played goalie and made some great saves. We came out with an 11-5 win, and took the championship.

After that we came back to camp, and choose-up was almost over so we headed straight to line-up where we did the joke of the day, announced today’s room inspection where someone pulled out and 11/10 with and amazingly clean room. After, we went to dinner where we ate a thanksgiving based dinner with turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, and mashed potatoes. For dessert we had this delicious chocolate cream pie. After dinner, most of us went to free time, while the room inspection winners went to get their ice cream (which was really good). The ice cream store was in town and we got to go with Jake and Jason on the pontoon boat to get there. Then I came back showered, and now I’m sitting here about to go to sleep! Thanks for reading! 

GOODNIGHT FROM BRIDGTON!!!

 

Lazy Bones Morning – Sunday Funday Style!

Welcome to our first Lazy Bones / Sunday Funday of the summer!

Lazy Bones Mornings work like this: Campers and staff get their day to sleep in. We have a buffet breakfast with Dunkin Donuts, cereal, fruit and yogurt from 9am – 10am. If campers wake up before 9, they can leave their dorms to play games including Gaga, Corn-Hole, Badminton, World Cup Soccer, and much more. Breakfast is not mandatory, and if campers want to sleep that extra hour, then they certainly can. We have a whistle at 10:20, and everyone makes their way to the lineup area to discuss the morning and the rest of the day.

From 10:30 until lunch, we have a variety of different activities that campers can go to. This Sunday, in addition to good old “free play”, campers were able to go compete in a Gaga Tournament, 3v3 basketball games, tennis games, or watch one of our favorite events of the summer: the camper/counselor lacrosse game! That game is always so fun because the campers and counselors play together on the two teams.  This year counselors Ben and Ben and their team took home the victory!

Following the morning’s activities, came lunch and then rest hour. We needed to rest up for our afternoon surprise…

Starting at 2:30, we had our carnival. We’ve done this every year, and it is always an amazing time. We bring in dunk tanks, water slides, bounce houses, basketball games, and a few other games to play. We took a ton of pictures, so head over to your CampMinder login and check them out!

In addition to the carnival, we had our first home inter-camp game of the summer, a 12 and under kickball game against Camp Micah on the baseball field. Campers who did not play had the option to go watch and cheer on our team. We lost, but it was a hard fought battle. We have a bunch more inter-camp games coming up over the next week, so stay tuned for more updates.

As the afternoon came to a close, and dinner ended, it was time for phone calls. We passed out phones right from dinner. We hope everyone enjoyed speaking to or facetiming with your children last night. If you need anything, you know where to find us.

Until Next Time…….

Definitely a hot day yesterday, but we were okay! We made sure that every camper was putting on sunscreen and drinking a ton of water. Although it was hot, this didn’t stop any of the campers from getting better at their respective majors. From 10:30 until lunch, campers were giving it their all despite the heat.

Saturday’s at Lacrosse are known as “suit-up Saturdays”. The coaches get involved in all the drills and scrimmages. At soccer, everyone got the chance to watch some of the World Cup before ending the period with a game. All in all, it was a great morning for majors with everyone working hard.

After lunch and rest hour, it was a regular afternoon as minor periods went on as scheduled. We had campers firing bullseyes on the archery range, others getting up on water-skis for the first time, and practices for teams that will be participating in inter-camp games in the coming days.

During choose up, the waterfront was a popular choice among campers to cool off after a hard day’s work.

At night, campers had a bit of time for free play before our first (scheduled) movie night. Justice League and Jumanji were put on in the humanities center for campers to relax and watch a film after a day of running around under the Maine sun.

The weather looks great in the coming days as we prepare for a trip to the Sea Dogs game on Tuesday, July 3.

Until next time,

Ethan