EVR 2 Week – Low ropes and camouflage!

07/16/2015

Over the last few days the girls have been very busy enjoying a variety of different activities. On Tuesday evening they played Ultimate Sicko Ball which is a camp favourite and is similar to capture the flag but each team has 3 balls they need to defend. Everyone enjoyed themselves and lots of them wanted to play again! During the last couple of days all of the riding lessons have improved leaps and bounds and it is great to see the girls getting used to their horses. They have been improving their riding positions and adapting to their individual horse which is great to see. In their ground lessons the girls have been learning about the different parts of the horse with help from our trusty assistant Jack the horse- they each painted a different part of his body and he looked very different by the time they had finished! They also learned about vet care yesterday by helping Megs our barn manager with some of the horses who needed some attention.

Last night we took the girls on a hike up the side of the mountain into the beautiful woods that surround EVR. They seemed to enjoy the chance to explore some of their surroundings, especially as we played camouflage along the way! Camouflage is essentially a big game of hide and seek where everyone hides and one of the counsellors tries to see how many people they can spot. Lots of them are very good at camouflaging themselves! Yesterday afternoon we also did some team building by tackling our low ropes course. The girls got together in groups and helped ‘spot’ each other as they walked along the obstacles. The low ropes course is great at helping people learn to trust each other, as you need to put your faith into the people supporting you. I am pleased to say that every single one of them managed to safely cross all of the obstacles, so they did fantastically!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Lomauro

Nick Lomauro is a lifetime lover of camp (overnight and day), outdoor recreation, and value-based programs. Nick grew up in the YMCA and discovered his passion for working in youth development as a summer camp counselor. Full of curiosity, Nick graduated from Montclair State University with a degree in General Humanities. Immediately following graduation Nick set off to Spain to hike the 500 mile ancient pilgrimage trail, El Camino de Santiago. Nick then returned to his childhood YMCA in NJ, of over 20 thousand members, as the Director of Youth Development. In this role he designed, developed, and implemented day camp and teen programs. In 2015, Nick returned to Frost Valley and he is now the Director of Camp Wawayanda. This is Nick's 16th summer at Frost Valley.