Quote:
Originally Posted by camp guy
I can speak directly to this point. My family owned and operated camp Wyanoke in Winter Harbor until 1975.
So, the question is: I live on the Lake for the summer, why do I have to go to summer camp?
The answer is because at the camp you get many more experiences than you do living at home. Sure, water is water, and you can swim when at home, but can you take Junior Life Saving classes, Senior Life Saving Classes, Small Boat Operator classes, etc., etc. Okay, you have a reasonable large lot, but can you find 17 other people your age to play baseball with, can you find 3 others to play tennis doubles with, do you have a sailboat, several sailboats so you can have races, canoes, rowboats, etc., etc. On a rainy day do you have a crafts shop to work in, do you have the ability to watch a movie on a regular basis, who is leading and teaching you about mountain climbing, etc., etc. What about the activities you might be exposed to such as horseback riding, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, track, archery, riflery, campcraft skills, edtc., etc.
When you live at home do you have the opportunity (!) to make your own bed, clean up after yourself and others, eat a table with 7 or 8 other men and boys and talk about the activities of the day, events happening around the country and world. At home, are you exposed to people from other lands and cultures?
The is no question that spending the summer at the Lake can be a lot of fun, but, there is also no question that being at a summer camp provides exposure to a lot of activities not normally available to someone living at home.
It is not for me to tell you which to do (although I am understandably prejudiced toward summer camp), and in a perfect world you might ought to do both.
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camp guy, I did say I had fun at camp but, here is my reasoning for preferring to stay at our camp. And PIG, I think you're right, time off as parents are needed sometimes.
Swimming:
I've been swimming since before I could crawl. And I went to YMCA in the winter months and earned Jr. and Senior lifesaving certificates. My problem was the "buddy check" system that the camp employed. Every few minutes the lifeguards would blow their whistles and whomever you were assigned to as a buddy had to clasp hands above the water till all swimmers were accounted for. I understand why they did it but on several occasions I was swimming underwater, didn't hear the whistle and therefore missed the "buddy check". Twice in a row and I had to sit on the dock for several minutes as a punishment. Eventually was banned from the water for a complete day.
Boating:
Been operating a motorboat, sailboat, kayak, and canoe, etc. since slightly after I learned to walk.
Sports and outdoor activities:
No, back at the cottage we didn't play baseball but with nearly a dozen cousins around we did play some hairy games of kick-the-can. But on a positive note the archery classes, rifle range, nature identification walks were definitely the high points about summer camp.
Mess hall:
At the cottage we kids usually ate together at an outdoor circular table with a huge lazy-susan in the middle which when spun at a certain velocity could land a dish of pork and bean directly into my cousins lap. At camp, all I remember is being dared to eat a whole stick of butter and spending the next day in the scollege (Camp Belknap's word for outhouse).
There is no denying that summer camp can be a fun, learning experience for all kids. And even today I occasionally send Belknap a contribution, so although the swimming experience wasn't pleasant I do credit Camp Belknap with my love of shooting and archery.