Its Wednesday here at Camp Timberlake and its clear to see that campers new and old are truly settling in and beginning to make camp their own. There is just such a positive and upbeat vibe around camp as everyone is making friends and finding their niche at this wonderful and beautiful place.

Today started out with a hearty breakfast of French Toast and bacon, a true crowd favorite, and the eagerness to scarf down as much food as possible even started a fierce eating competition at one of the Stomper’s Knob tables. The unofficial record for French Toast sticks eaten was 14, and if that is actually the case, Stomper’s Knob may need to start planning a field trip to Paris. After breakfast, Counselor Rusty led the camp in the beloved morning yell, where he lamented our country’s defeat in the World Cup, but challenged our campers to “Avenge their loss” by putting all they had into their day at camp. The message was received loud and clear as everyone sprang from the yell to chapel, where counselor Danny delivered an outstanding message that emphasized the immense weight of human sin, yet the incredibly glorious news of Jesus’ triumph on the cross.

Following chapel, the campers headed up to cabin cleanup and then it was time for activities. There some outstanding performances all around camp during the first two periods. In guitar, Braden B learned two songs on his second attempt ever picking up the instrument! Not only was that feat fantastic for Braden, but his success was also able to encourage some of the other campers who were not yet grasping the difficult concepts. In pottery, the campers were working on finishing up their ocarinas, and Matt B, Bobby G, and Nick L all produced standout final products. Over at Lake Doris, Mauricio S excelled in his swimming class by mastering a technique known as streamlining, a skill in which a swimmer dives into the water and remains submerged as long as he can  in order to minimize water resistance that comes with choppy strokes.

After morning activities, everyone was ready for lunch, and the kitchen staff came through again with their ever-popular dish, mini-corn-dogs. The food prompted the now famous “Thank You Kitchen!” chant from the grateful and stuffed campers. The results of cabin cleanup were also revealed at lunch, and there were a few surprises. Little Piney recovered from consecutive last place finishes to muster a very respectable tie for second, while perennial favorites Tomahawk tumbled to 4th. But it was all about Big Slaty, which won yet again, and its campers responded by taking off their shirts and waving them around their heads like helicopters. The best time, (at least to the counselors), rest time, came after lunch and then everyone headed out for some free time. After a great free time, which included an always anticipated free swim, it was time for afternoon activities where there was a lot of action at the paintball and airsoft course. Nash K and Sam C took aim at the competition, literally, and took down their fellow classmates with some pinpoint shooting.

Meanwhile, up on Spencer’s Green, team sports counselor Robbie and soccer counselor Brandon put their heads together to create a never-before-seen-game that combines the best qualities of soccer, football, and ultimate frisbee. It was called… Wonderball! The new sport  was an instant success as campers took to it with gusto, kicking, throwing, and heading a soccer ball in an all out attempt to get it into one of two soccer goals. Blake C and Clayton H had the highlights of the day, both scoring awe-inspiring diving header goals that left the goalkeepers flailing at air. There was action happening outside of camp as well with a fly-fishing trip to the Davidson River. The group had a great time and Tucker H really showed his quality as a fly-fisherman. After the trip returned and afternoon activities were over, it was time for dinner. The campers dined on some burrito casserole, and towards the end of the meal, anticipation started building for the evening activity, which turned out to be Battleball!

Tonights version of Battleball, Timberlake’s version of dodgeball, was a heated competition between the Seminoles and Iroquois with the upper-cabins facing off against each other and the lower-cabins doing the same. The first lower-cabin game was a convincing Iroquois victory and the first upper-cabin game turned into a lopsided Seminole victory. The drama really started in the second and final lower-cabin dual. The Seminoles were getting crushed, seemingly out of hope, and down to their last man, young Sam R. It must have been 10 Iroquois staring down Sam, but the Little Piney camper refused to go down. He hit one, then two, then three opponents, and the crowd started to take note. He then dodged, ducked, dipped, dived and dodged his way through an onslaught of throws and somehow, someway, made it down to a 1 on 1 showdown as the crowd responded to his every move with ground-shaking roars. Unfortunately for Sam, that was the end of the road as the last Iroquois soldier remaining caught his desperation throw. Regardless of the result, the Seminole Greybeard campers mobbed their little hero, and lifted him up on their shoulders in a truly touching moment between campers young and old. The Seminole upper cabins nabbed the final game and then it was time for the main event, the Greybearders vs. the counselors! It was a humbling experience for the campers of Greybeard as not even Nick L’s cannon of an arm could save them from a lopsided defeat at the hands of the pumped up counselors. (Yes, we do get really excited  by hitting some high-schoolers with dodgeballs, nobody’s really sure why.) After the competition, it was off to a relaxing evening in the cabins to rest up for what is sure to be another spectacular day tomorrow! Thats all I have for you tonight, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next few days.

Brandon Chase

Little Piney Counselor

Tweet: WOW! What an awesome night of battleball! Too bad for the Greybearders they couldn’t beat the counselors, but we do have some fired-up staff members!