Ready, set, Yawgoog!

It's just over one week until we head of again to Camp Yawgoog for what I like to call "seven days away from reality". It doesn't have to be that way. Some Scoutmasters head down to the lodge every day to read the papers and chat about the outside world. If something really big happens, like a major blackout of the entire East Coast, someone will let me know, but usually, I just "skip" that week as far as anything outside Yawgoog goes. Sadly, this year, I will be missing most of the Olympics, which I really do look forward to, but that's why there's DVRs!

What comes of this for the boys is something different. It's a week away from TV, parents, scheduled activities, friends and , for some, work. But it's truly good for them. I enjoy watching the growth in each boy over the time we have them, but Summer Camp is a condensed version of that growth process. In one week I learn every boys name, their ability to plan and follow through, what makes them mad and what makes them laugh. By the end of the week, 30+/- boys go from being a random group of boys to a disciplined, focused and more confident team. New leaders get a crash course and will be much more ready to handle their respective responsibilities when we resume activities in September. Someone will conquer his fear of insects, another will experience his first week away from parents. Still others will learn to swim, use a pocketknife safely and others will just learn to get used to living in tight quarters with his peers, friends and otherwise, for seven days. but it's all good. I dread it every year, but I am always glad I went. Someone will meltdown sometime late Tuesday, but we'll fix it and by the last Sunday, all will return smelly and with smiles on their faces. I guarantee it!