I was on the phone with a camp parent earlier this week working out a plan for his camper’s session.

At the end of the call, he said, “I appreciate the help, you guys are pros.”

And that reminded me: some of the most professional people I know spend their summers in shorts and tennis shoes.

Watching the work, effort, thought, and energy go into a summer at Champions is inspiring.

It happens because the people here are some of the best at what they do.

What this team is most excited for

We think about this moment all year long, so when I asked they were quick to answer:

• Alex, our Girls Camp Director, loves watching campers try things for the first time. Sometimes that is at an activity area, or it might be getting on stage during a special event, but it is always awesome when they stand a little bit taller afterward.

• Shelby, our Head of Program Team, is bracing for Tiny Cat Tuesday, specifically to be “attacked by minis” and go home with both wrists full of friendship bracelets.

• Ali, our Camper Growth Director, watches for one specific moment every summer: when a new camper stops being nervous and starts feeling like they belong. She loves watching the friendships that form between returning campers and first-timers, looking forward to that every year.

• JB, our Director of Program Areas, wants to watch a camper face something they’re afraid of and push through it. He also wants to celebrate the community we bring together and help every camper practice being strong. JB’s been doing that very thing for a long time.

• Phyllis, our Director of Parent Experience, is looking forward to getting to know every new camper, the smiles, the laughter, the conga lines in the Fillin’ Station, and dance nights. In that order.

• James is our Assistant Director on the Boys Side of camp. He wants to make sure every camper and counselor has an absolute blast and grows during their time at camp. That’s the whole job in just one sentence.

• Cass, our Office Manager, loves the moment a first-time camper’s nerves give way. She also loves watching long-time camp friends find each other again after a full year apart. She called it “the fruition of all our hard work being enjoyed,” and that’s a great way to put it.

• Scott, our Office Team Lead, described it as a burst of energy. The feeling when camp begins, and the whole property fills up with people who are there for it. He said it makes all the work feel truly fulfilling.

What about me?

And finally, what am I excited for? Almost too much for one post, but will give it a try.

We are about to start staff training, which is one of my favorite times during the year. That’s because I get to see a group of young people who have made an unusual level of commitment to be excellent for a summer:

• They commit not to drinking alcohol from the time they arrive at camp to the time they leave for the summer (including off time)
• They commit to maintaining a tech-free environment and being role models for building real, in-person friendships
• They commit to being a part of a two week training period (the longest of any camp we know of) so they can be prepared for every aspect of the job

I love the commitment to excellence. And I love watching them fall in love with it, too.

After training we’ll start camp for real, and that’s when I’m excited to watch every camper (1) find something they’re already good at, (2) find something that genuinely challenges them, and (3) find something they have never tried before.

That is a powerful combination that allows campers to build confidence, practice patience, celebrate wins for themselves and others, and experience something new they get to tell a story about.

At the end of the summer last year, I wrote about how camp is a magic mirror.

I’m so excited to hang that mirror back on the wall and watch each camper and staff member look into to see how strong they have become.

Erec Sir