EVR 2 Week – Welcome to Session 3!

07/28/2015

On Sunday we opened session 3 with a bang at our opening campfire. The girls performed a variety of skits in their new yurt groups, set themselves goals to achieve during the session and we had a few very talented singers perform too! They then got an early night to prepare themselves for the excitement of Eval day! Yesterday all of the girls had a riding lesson evaluation so that we could see how they ride and what horse they are best suited to. We try to match each girl to one of our horses as best as we can, as we want them to progress as much as possible during the session. After their riding lesson the girls learnt how to groom and tack their horses and how the barn works here at East Valley Ranch. They will be spending a lot of time in the barn, and will be tacking their horses themselves so it’s important for them to learn how to do this early on! We also took a hayride down to the farm to go swimming in the river and to let everyone cool off, which was very welcome. Before dinner we played a big game of hand ball in the basement before having a trash bag fashion show where the girls dressed their counsellors up as ridiculous as they could! We had some very funny creations! Last night’s Evening programme was USB (Ultimate Sicko Ball) which is a camp favourite. The girls were split into four teams and fought a very strong game with the green team winning with 6 balls at one point, only to lose them all and finish with 0! In the end, the red team proved to be too strong and they were victorious.

This morning at breakfast the girls found out who their assigned horse is and they were all super excited. Today will be the first lesson with their assigned horse for them as they get to know each other’s personalities. We will also be learning about different horse breeds and colours in a ground lesson as well as playing soccer and swimming at waterfront. It is great to see the girls already making great friendships and settling in to life at EVR. This evening after dinner we will be playing a game of Geronimo with the whole camp so that everyone can really get to know each other well. The first photos of the session will be up soon, so take a look at smug mug!

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.