High School Leadership Training Program + Girls' Flag Football Game

Today on the Camp Balcones Springs blog, we’ll be talking about our Leadership Training, or “LT”, program for high school campers, and last Wednesday’s Camp Gameday theme night – including the epic Senior Camper Flag Football game!

Boy campers and girl campers who have finished the 10th grade participate in our LT program for their summer at camp. The LT program is part of our High School Programs Department and bridges the gap between the Senior Camper (Scamper) year and the last camp year on the Work Crew. LTs have a whole host of duties and special activities during each session. LTs run both the CBS Post Office – where we distribute all camper mail, packages, and emails – and the Oasis Snack Shack – where campers gather every afternoon after our rest period to get drinks and snacks before heading onto the second half of their daily activities.

At Oasis, the LT campers serve snacks and drinks to the rest of camp, helping campers move through the line smoothly, keeping the snack shack stocked, and cleaning up the Thicket Area, where Oasis is held, once the time is over. The LTs also update the Oasis Phunanza schedule which shows which special activities will be open that day during Phunanaza, the free period that happens after the final two activity class periods of the day.

In addition to their daily responsibilities, LTs also have the option to become lifeguard certified during their session and participate in team building exercises, take special workshops with visiting speakers and instructors, and help teach classes and coach Team Comp, shadowing counselors to help the LT campers learn what it would be like to return to Camp Balcones Springs one day as staff.

There are an astounding number of LTs this term (28 in total!), and this first week of camp, they participate in mentorship and counselor shadowing days and will begin lifeguard training this week! The LTs love DJing over the mic during Oasis, asking campers trivia, and having lots of fun in front of camp during snack time. Last week, the LTs held “Wizard Wednesday” and created a Harry Potter theme for their daily duties, wearing lightning bolts on their foreheads as they delivered mail and dished out snacks.

This session, the LTs will also be doing a communications program with staff member Ira! The program helps teenagers hone their social and communication skills using techniques from broadcast journalism. The high schoolers will use interviews, debates, and mock gameshow situations to learn how to open up a conversation when first meeting someone, how to better use their voices, and how to overcome objections in conversations and debates.

Last Wednesday, the Senior Camper girls, along with Lady Bird cabin, played in the epic Camp Gameday Flag Football game. The game started off with a bang as the Silver Spurs got the ball all the way down to the one-yardline on the first play. However, the Lonestars put together an incredible goal line stop. The ladies went back and forth, until the Silver Spurs, led by Ava Lalonde at quarterback, scored the first touchdown to take a 6-0 lead. However, the Lonestars immediately answered, tying it at 6-6 going into the half. The second half was all about defense, as Quincy Salinas Lonestars) and Paloma Duarte (Silver Spurs) both had interceptions. The Lonestars, quarterbacked by Alyssa Cuban, managed to get the ball with 2 minutes left and marched down the field, scoring to take the lead (12-6) with 1:36 seconds left. However, this proved to be too much time, as the Silver Spurs managed to score the game-tying touchdown with 20 seconds left. Then, the Silver Spurs and game MVP, Ava Lalonde, managed to run in the first extra point of the game. The Lonestars gave one last Hail Mary attempt, but it fell short, giving the Silver Spurs one of the most epic Camp Gameday victories we’ve ever seen! The victorious Spurs were coached by fellow Rough Rider and boy camper William Murchison (pictured below with his playbook and clipboard!).