Term 3: Night Team Comp, Sunday Fun Day, & Compound Night!
July 11, 2023
On Saturday evening, all of camp gathered to watch our older boys play in the night team competition basketball game. The game between the Rough Riders and Texas Rangers was electric. The Riders, led by Ayden Green, started off hot, making their first 6 shots. But the Rangers, led by Jax Sloan, cut the lead to 10 at half. The second half was a barn burner. The Rangers started full court pressing and hitting threes, pulling within 1 with 3 minutes left. However, Rough Riders Graham Reynolds’s and Elliot Hyde led the Riders to victory with a final score of 40-33.
Sundays at camp are the best! Think: R&R with extra time to sleep in, classic Sunday meals like Krispy Cream Donuts and grilled chicken pasta salad (and our famous butter bars!), our Baseline church-style service, and plenty of Balcones Beach and Lake Ted hangs.
First, at Baseline, Jose Avila shared his own personal story of how rejoicing (our theme) has played a role in his life as a first generation college student from Mission, TX. Initially, he never considered college until his friend’s dad encouraged him to apply to the University of A&M, where he was admitted and later attended. He was then recruited by the prestigious organization Teach for America, where he went on to serve as a teacher in low-income communities. Today, he serves as a director at the Idea Charter School where he helps children from the Rio Grande Basin get into college. The decision that changed Jose’s life - his choice to attend college - fuels his passion to change the lives of other children. As a result, his department celebrates a 100% student recruitment success rate. After Baseline, we had a camp-wide Beach party! Activities included: enjoying our brand new slip-n-slide in action, shaving cream wars, kayaking, jumping off of the Blob, playing on our Chaos water toy, going down the water slide, taking off of the rope swing, and even enjoying an ice cream social!
On Sunday evening, boys and girls celebrated Compound Night where they enjoy age-specific programming with their fellow peer campers! First, a summary of boys camp activities. B compound (the youngest boys) was all about water – water guns, water balloons, pouring Igloos on the counselors, and most importantly, a 50-foot slip-and-slide! The boys also enjoyed some sweet treats afterwards. E compound (middle school boys) held a series of competitions. The first was a mix of archery, tag, and capture the flag. Next, the boys threw javelins to hit certain targets. Then, the boys competed in an agility and team-building circuit. The cumulative points allowed each cabin to auction for specialty camp items such as nutella milkshakes, breakfast in bed, and our famous pazookie pies!
C Compound (the youngest girls) traveled around the world for compound night. Once the campers made their own passports, the girls went from country to country tasting different delicacies and crafting various culturally-specific art projects at each stop. From candy sushi in Japan to paper flowers in Mexico, the girls had a memorable night of international fun. Our D Compounders (middle school girls) began their night with a scavenger hunt to find their surprise final destination. Along the way, they collected clues like paper popcorn bags, sparkly champagne flutes, and an assortment of sodas. Their final clue led them all to a “drive-in” movie theater, with a vintage popcorn machine and assorted candies. The girls settled in for a nostalgic evening at the movies after their sprint around camp! Meanwhile, the Scampers/LTs had a night at the casino. The boys and girls played various card games, Apples to Apples, and sipped on sparkling cider and Dr. Pepper.