Category: Uncategorized

It’s hard to believe this, but today was already our last Lazy Bones Sunday of the session! Campers and counselors had the chance to sleep in as breakfast was held at the dining hall from 9-10 before a brief lineup at 10:30.

After lineup, we held a camper v. counselor lacrosse game up on the turf field! From hockey players to lacrosse players, anyone who wanted to play put on gear. Unfortunately (for the campers), the counselors ended up winning the game by a score of 5-4. That being said, it was great to see campers using what they’ve learned in major against the counselors who taught them those skills!

In the afternoon, the three age groups rotated between three different activities. The activities were swimming at the waterfront, a slip and slide on the fields, and handball and kickball up on the fields as well.

At night, we had another night of the regular season of BSL. The rookie teams played four square above the tennis courts while the professionals and seniors played kickball, newcomb, and handball.

Anticipation is in the air here at BSC as the BSL playoffs and color war are right around the corner!

Until next time,

Ethan

Friday was the last trip day of the summer here at BSC!

After eating breakfast, the rookie and professional age groups went to Funtown Splashtown for the day. While there, campers were in different groups with 2 counselors in each group. The groups had to stay together and explore the park.

When we got to the park, we had lunch. Our amazing dining hall staff packed us sandwiches, chips, fruit and some other good stuff. When everyone finished eating, campers and their groups were free to roam the park until 3:30 which was their next check-in time. After checking in at 3:30 and then again at 5:30, campers and counselors were given meal tickets where they could choose from a cheese pizza, hamburger, chicken fingers, or a salad.

Once dinner ended, we headed back on the buses for the trip back to BSC. Overall, it was another successful trip to Funtown Splashtown!

While the professionals and rookies enjoyed their day at the amusement park, the senior campers woke up at 5:30am to go white-water rafting. This trip is sort of a right of passage here at camp. Only the seniors get to go rafting. It’s an amazing experience for them. Not only is it a great time, it is also a tremendous opportunity for them to bind with one another and reflect back on the summer and their years at camp. Some of them will be CIT’s next summer, while the rest still have one more summer as a camper.

Still many more exciting events to come as color war will start sometime this week!

Until next time,

Ethan

A bit of a humid day here at BSC. Thankfully though, the rain stayed away for the majority of the day so we were able to run a normal schedule.

The CITs went to Boston today to go to a Red Sox game! Unfortunately, the Red Sox ended up losing the game but the guys on the trip said they had a lot of fun! It was most of their first times being in Fenway as well as a fist for some to explore the city of Boston.

After dinner, we announced to campers that it was casino night! Casino night is where we turn the Wolverine Den into a casino. The campers bet fake money on games such as black jack, poker, war, and rock-paper-scissors. All the campers and counselors get dressed up for the night and everyone has a lot of fun. You can see pictures from casino night on Camp Minder.

Tomorrow, the seniors will be heading on a white-water rafting trip while the professionals and rookies will go to Funtown Splashtown. All the campers are excited as both of these destinations are always a big hit!

Until next time,

Ethan

The rain stayed away as it turned out to be a great day here in Bridgton, Maine!

Today we had a ton of intercamp going on throughout the afternoon from two basketball games to a street hockey game as well. The first basketball game took place in the gym against Wigwam. The boys fought hard but ended up losing by a score of 57-55 in the end. The second game also happened here at BSC against Wildwood. Lastly, the street hockey intercamp game took place at Wigwam. Again, our guys fought hard and were able to pull out a 3-2 victory!

At choose up, the whole camp participated in another night of BSL. The rookies played handball on the lacrosse field while the professionals and seniors played ultimate frisbee in the baseball outfield.

After dinner, we had another social for rising 8^th and 9^th graders. Campers once again skated around the ice with girls from an all-girls camp while music played in the background.

Trip day is right around the corner at BSC!

Until next time,

Ethan

Partly cloudy here but still a great full day at camp. After breakfast, campers went to their majors and minors throughout the day.

This afternoon I got the chance to be on the ice rink and skate with both the younger and older campers for the first time this summer. While everyone skated by me, it was awesome to see how much time and effort our hockey players put in each and every day. Campers who are hockey majors get on the ice at least two times a day. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. They also have the opportunity to be on the ice during choose up which is an hour-long period right before dinner. During choose up they can get some one-on-one time with our coaches and work on specific skills they want to improve.

I was incredibly impressed with how much work they put in on the ice today. As I mentioned before, it was my first period on the ice this year and I was absolutely exhausted by the end. These campers deserve a ton of credit for the work they put in. And that goes for all of our campers in the other 4 majors as well!

After dinner, the professional age group had a social at the ice rink! Boys and girls skated around in circles while music played. Social’s are always fun to watch and the kids always have a blast.

We are hoping that the rain stays away in the coming days and Mother Nature gives us some of that beautiful Maine weather!

Until next time,

Ethan

Today was our first lazy bones Sunday of the session! Campers and counselors were able to sleep in after an exhausting week of running around. The dining hall opened for breakfast at 9 where donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts were served.

In the morning, campers had free play until lunch. The wolverine den, fields, gaga, and basketball gym were all open.

After lunch and rest hour, due to some rain, we modified the schedule a bit. All three age groups rotated between three different activities throughout the afternoon. The activities were karaoke in the humanities center, free skate in the ice rink, and a carnival in the gym. The carnival consisted of a bouncy house boxing ring, a mini obstacle course, laser tag and a life-sized foosball game. The life-sized foosball game was definitely the biggest hit. Campers held onto a rope where, in different rows, they were only able to move left and right while also trying to kick a dodgeball into the opposing team’s net. Karaoke was also popular as campers displayed their “singing” skills. Overall, the afternoon was a huge success.

After a dinner of ravioli, meatballs and garlic bread, campers received their phones for the evening before bedtime.

Many exciting events to come this week here at BSC as Thursday/Friday are our big trip days. The professionals and rookies will head to Funtown Splashtown, the seniors will go rafting and the CITs will depart for Boston to see a Red Sox game.

Until next time,

Ethan

 

Great day here at BSC! Another beautiful day with temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

In the morning, campers went to their majors for almost two hours. Campers were giving it their all during the major periods which is always nice to see because it means they are improving at their sport. Koop briefly talked about it at lunch when he mentioned the same thing. He said he went around to every major in the morning and saw how focused everyone was at getting better. That is what sports camp is all about.

In the afternoon, at around 3 o’clock, campers and counselors loaded the buses to head to the SeaDogs game! Before the game, we always go to a park that is right next to the field where we stop and eat pizza. After pizza, the buses drove us to Hadlock Field, home of the Portland SeaDogs. The whole camp was able to go out onto the field while the rookie and professional campers and counselors held the flag during the National Anthem. We then headed to our seats along the third base line.

At the game, there are different rules for different age groups. The rookies and pros must stay with their counselors at all times when going to get food or merchandise while the senior campers can go on their own. However, seniors must check in with their counselor every 30 minutes.

After the game ended with a SeaDogs defeat (L) we stayed for a firework show! Nothing like seeing a baseball game and fireworks after a week of hard work! When the show ended, everyone loaded the buses to go back to BSC after a successful trip day.

Until next time,

Ethan

Busy day here at BSC as we had two different teams participating in intercamp sports. The first team was the 15U soccer team that left just after breakfast for a tournament at Wigwam. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to go to the tournament but the campers fought hard and won the tournament which is always great to see! They brought home a pretty cool trophy that you can see on CampMinder.

The other intercamp game took place in the afternoon at Micah. Myself and another counselor drove campers to Micah to play in a 15U ultimate frisbee game. At the beginning of the game, our guys started off slow, but we finally found our groove towards the end of the first half. Once everyone started communicating and playing as a team, things turned around. Although many of the campers on the team had never played competitive frisbee before, they worked hard to tie up the score and eventually take the lead at one point. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to hold on at the end but I was really proud of how everyone played. Everyone gave it their all and, after the game, each camper was satisfied with how they performed on the field.

At night, we had our first movie night! Usually movie nights are on Saturdays but due to the fact that the Sea Dogs game is tomorrow night, we moved it to tonight. The rookies went down to Koop’s house and watched Mighty Ducks, while the professionals and seniors watched 21 at the humanities center.

Another great day at BSC as campers anticipate the Sea Dogs game tomorrow night!

Until next time,

Ethan

Another absolutely gorgeous day here in Bridgton, Maine. The temperature stayed in the upper 70s and lower 80s throughout the day. Today was as perfect a day as we will ever get at summer camp.

Today, I spent a lot of time at the waterfront spotting on the wakeboarding boat, to helping out with fishing on the pontoon boat, and lifeguarding. On the wakeboarding boat, it was awesome to see a ton of the campers get up on the wakeboard, waterski, and kneeboard for the first time. Oftentimes, campers will have to try a couple times before they get up but it’s always great to see them persevere. This is one of the many lessons that we try to get across to the campers at BSC. When life knocks you down, get right back up. Koop has a saying that goes, “what would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” One of my favorite parts about camp is seeing a camper try something until they succeed because they know that regardless of what happens, as long as they gave it their all, there is no way they can fail.

Tonight was also our first cookout of the session! Campers and counselors enjoyed sausages, hot dogs and hamburgers while sitting outside around the lineup area.  After dinner, campers had free time until heading back to their dorms for the night.

Our first trip day is coming up as we will be going to the Portland Sea Dogs game on Saturday evening. Go Dogs!

 

Until next time,

Ethan

An absolutely exquisite day up here in Bridgton, Maine. Today was our first full day of activities as campers went to their five scheduled periods until dinner time. Majors were in full force as campers are now accustomed to the coach’s routines.

The temperature stayed in the upper 70s throughout the day making it the perfect weather to play sports in. After dinner, we had another night of BSL where campers played kickball, cricket, and handball. We have some great weather coming up the next few days.

Today was only the third full day of camp. As Koop always says, “the days are long but the weeks fly by.” I always try to appreciate my time here at BSC anytime I can because before I know it, camp will be over. Tonight, we had the opening campfire where a few campers spoke about our five core principles at BSC: sportsmanship, teamwork, friendship, kindness, and loyalty. These concepts are what we, as a staff, try to preach to the campers. If campers exhibit these qualities in life and in sports, regardless of the outcome, they will succeed. After the campers spoke, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak as well. As mentioned before, I enjoy taking time to appreciate my surroundings. When I got up to speak, I encouraged all the campers to do the same. They are only here three weeks out of 52 so they should make the most out of their brief time at BSC.

Counselor Profile: Drew Rosen

Where are you from and how old are you?

I am from New York, New York and I am 18-years-old.

How long have you been at BSC?

I have been at BSC for eight years. I was a camper for five years, a CIT for one year, and I have now been a counselor for two years.

What keeps you coming back each year?

What keeps me coming back is all of the great relationships I’ve made over the past eight years at Bridgton. I feel that now, as a counselor, I’ve made friendships that will last a lifetime and have made a positive impact on the younger generation of campers.

What are your sports?

My main sport is soccer. I will be playing Division I at St. John’s University in Queens next year.

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

I wish there was an easier way to stay in contact with the campers and counselors year-round rather than just the three weeks we have here at camp.