If you haven’t picked up on it yet, we talk about values quite a bit at camp. At camp, values are the glue that holds our community together. We all come to camp from different backgrounds with varied life experiences, but because we all agree that at Nebagamon we’ll live by the same code, we form a mutual bond based on agreed upon principles.
One way I like to think about many of our values is that they are driven by process. We believe that when we focus on the way we act, the outcomes will always be better. Of course we think friendship, for example, is important, so we place a lot of credence in values like kindness and empathy, to provide a roadmap for building friendships. As another example, we believe that kids grow when they overcome challenges, so we emphasize values like perseverance and grit to help them reach the outcome of overcoming those challenges.
We saw a couple of these process-driven values on display yesterday.
We hosted our friends from North Star Camp and Camp Menominee for the annual Northwoods Tennis Tournament. Competing all morning and into the afternoon, campers played in doubles and singles matches, and the competition was strong! We saw epic comebacks (one of our campers won his match after being down 0-3) and impressive shows of talent. Older campers who play competitively at home showed off their skills while younger campers, some new to the game, put their new know-how into action.
While we celebrate the results of competition at Camp Nebagamon– it’s obviously fun to win– what we care more about is the process, how we get there, how we play the game. Are we trying our best? Are we practicing good sportsmanship? Are we having fun? We know that when the focus is on respect, effort, and having a good time, it makes the experience all the more rewarding, regardless of the outcome.
It was evident during the tournament that our campers totally got the concept. In victory, our campers were humble. They shook their opponents hands and thanked them for a good match. In defeat, our campers lost with grace, knowing that they had given it their all.
Even the campers who just came to watch the match understood. One of the highlights of the morning was a group of Loggers who were cheering loudly (admittedly we could probably use some reminders on tennis etiquette) for two kids going head to head in a singles match… and neither of them were campers from Nebagamon! The two campers, one from Menominee and one from North Star both seemed taken aback when Nebagamon campers learned their names and provided genuine praise after almost every point… but that’s just who we are at Camp Nebagamon and how we live up to our values.
The values parade continued well into the evening. Last night we had our first camp talent show of the summer, or GTC (which stands for “Good Time Charlie”… I’m sure there’s a good origin story there). After the hosts of the talent show opened with a parody of “Alexander Hamilton” about our esteemed Associate Director, Louis Olive, we were treated to a range of acts. We saw an impressive keyboard performance, a cabin’s choreographed dance as well as a musical act featuring acoustic guitar, vocals, and a djembe. We even saw a Lumberjack performing a rendition of Smash Mouth’s “All Star”…on the kazoo! Regardless of who got up on stage, and no matter their act, they received a roaring ovation. At Camp Nebagamon we celebrate members of our community not just for their great performances, but for simply having the courage to get up on stage and perform. Once again, as much as we care about the outcome of a great performance, we harp on the process, emphasizing values like courage.
We couldn’t have been more proud of our campers yesterday for living up to all it means to be a member of our community.
Today has been a standard Nebagamon day! After breakfast (muffins), campers scurried off to cabin cleanup and then morning projects- the biggest draw this morning was Nashville Hot Chicken at MOCA. Following lunch (quesadillas), we had candy line, which means all of you parents should be receiving letters home for your campers soon, as they were required to turn one in in exchange for candy of their choice! This evening we’ll eat outside in the form of Village BBQ, followed by a Village Activity. Tomorrow morning, there will be NO WAKEUP BELL! Instead, we’ll have a Lazy Day. From 8 am to 9 am campers can make their way to the Rec Hall on their own time for omelettes made to order. Or, should they choose, they can sleep in… but the omelettes are pretty good!
All is well in the Northwoods
