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By Camp America on 29/06/2016
I was lucky enough to spend the summer of 2012 at the International Gymnastics Camp in Pennsylvania as a General Counsellor. I had already heard so many stories from my friends about how amazing camp was...
Boy they weren’t wrong! The first day of camp felt like the first day of school all over again. You are in this huge room with all these new people who you are going to spend the next 10 weeks living and working with and there’s this excited/nervous atmosphere as everyone waits to see who their co-counsellors are going to be and what cabin they’re going to be in.
One of the best things about camp for me was the friendships I made. People told me before I went that there’s something special about camp friendships and I still never thought that I would form such close friendships in such a short amount of time. But it’s totally true; there really is something special about those friendships you make at camp! I got to know and work with the most amazing group of people, many of whom I’m still in touch with and it’s so hard to put into words just how much the experiences we shared together meant to me then and still mean to me now.
One of the other best things about camp for me was the kids and how you’d do the stupidest and most embarrassing things to make sure they were having the best time. One of my favourite groups of girls at camp was a group of 16-18 year olds who we had for 2 weeks. They quickly found out that they could (nicely) bully me into doing stupid things for their entertainment. They would start chants in the dining room until I drank vinegar/ Tabasco sauce or whatever they had chosen that day. They dressed me up in a giant bunny outfit which I had to wear to a disco in 100F heat and they took great pleasure in nominating me for a game which involved sitting in a kayak in the middle of the lake and every time they threw a ball at me I had to capsize myself in the murky/slimy water. Even though it ruined my taste for Tabasco sauce I loved every minute of looking after them and as much as we were there as counsellors to ensure the kids had the best possible time, those kids were such a big part of why I had such an amazing and unforgettable summer and they really did make all the early mornings and long days completely worthwhile!
I came back from camp with the fondest memories, an arm full of friendship bracelets, a new love for American cheesy pop music and with a new passion for the programme which I hadn’t had beforehand. I couldn’t wait to get back in the office to tell everyone what an incredible time I’d had and to help other people experience the Camp America programme for themselves.
IGC 2k12 forever!
Becky – International Gymnastics Camp (2012)
