Soccer... FIFA Street Style!

At camp we have a few staple Ranks that are held every day such as Basketball, Creative Arts, and Target Sports.  These are always so much fun, but what makes them even better is when counselors put a unique spin on these activities.  Today, D'Vario did just that by hosting Camp Rising Sun's first FIFA Street Soccer Rank!

The campers had such a blast helping him set up for the Rank and then playing in 2v2 and 3v3 games.  When they weren't playing, campers practiced their shooting on the side to prep for their next game. 

I have never seen such intense soccer playing before!  We tried to capture it from a different angle too, so defintiely check back for some pretty crazy videos of this great Rank!

Dancing for a Cause!

This morning, we were joined by some very special guests:  dancers and teachers from Cary Dance Productions (http://www.carydance.com/).

We knew that they were going to come into the Performing Arts Rank, but they surprised us with a $1000 check to We Build People, a community-wide effort to raise funds for and provide support to children, teens, and adults who would otherwise not be able to participate in YMCA programs.  They raised this money through a benefit dance performance, and we so appreciate their donation especially because it directly affects our campers.  Though many people are able to afford camp, there are a number who unfortunately cannot.  We Build People makes it possible for kids to get the same experience as their peers by providing scholarships for families so that they can afford camp.  For more information on We Build People, please visit http://www.ymcawebuildpeople.org/ or ask any counselor!

After this generous show of support, Cary Dance Productions stayed around for Performing Arts Rank where they taught a hip hop routine to Justin Bieber's song "Boyfriend" (a favorite at camp!).  The kids absolutely LOVED it!  They even got to see a performance by a few of the dancers.  Thanks, Cary Dance Productions, for a great Rank!

Namaste

Today in Yoga Rank, we learned how to breathe in and let all of our worries go through some great stretches and sequences.  The whole activity was so peaceful from start to finish.  Here are some pictures of Abbie and her new yoga friends!

Campers learned different poses, including the Tree pose.

 

Other poses that Abbie taught during Yoga Rank include the Mermaid, Downward Dog, and the Seal.  I learned a lot and can't wait to go back to Yoga Rank for some more peace and relaxation!

Just a reminder for tonight:  It's our very first FAMILY NIGHT! We would love for you to join us at 7:00pm at the Cary Family YMCA for some piratey fun, with games, crafts, and more!

Questions?  Contact me at Megan.Warren@YMCATriangle.Org.  See you soon!

Hitting the Target

Today I got to spend a lot of time down at Target Sports, a very popular Rank at Camp Rising Sun.  It was so cool seeing our campers shooting at targets, helping each other learn the skills, and passing off Ranks.  I can't wait to visit this Rank again!



Joe loves teaching campers about Target Sports!

Ask your campers about the activities they attended today - they may even have passed off Ranks, so check out those Rank books!

Kindergarten Rank!

Our youngest (and possibly cutest!) huddle, the FuManchus, is full of rising Kindergarteners. To get them into the swing of things at camp, as well as to prep them for Kindergarten, Camp One Head Counselor Leslie has invented the Kindergarten Rank! Check out these pictures from today's activities. The FuManchus worked hard to pass off skills in their Kindergarten Rank Book and got some help from our CILTs (Camper in Leadership Training). How precious!

Hockey Time!

In honor of last night's big hockey game for the Stanley Cup, counselors Sean, Riley, and Anthony led Hockey Rank! Campers learned how to "catch" the puck by settling it with their stick. Once they mastered that skill, they moved onto passing with other campers and the counselors.

My favorite part of this Rank was watching the kids take slap shots - even though it was a little intense!  Thank goodness the goalies were able to wear big hockey pads!





Our youngest kids from Camp One were able to get in on all the action with a friendly hockey scrimmage!

Ask your campers which Ranks they went to today! I see some Rank-ups coming soon!

RSDC Cheerleading Squad!

Ready, ok! Megan Warren spent all afternoon working on cheerleading skills with some of our campers. Thanks to her ability to teach, have patience, and dedicate one on one time for each child, campers were able to slowly perfect their techniques. Through paying attention to their arm placement, balance, and big smile, they were able to develop into some great cheerleaders. I can't wait to see what else they will learn this week with Megan's help!

Camp Carnival!

Ashley, with the help of some of our Camp 3 campers, put together a carnival for all of camp! During RANKS anyone was able to attend. Each visitor received tickets in order to play the games. If they won, they would receive prize tickets that in turn could be used not only for a prize...but cookies as well! Some of the games included a cake walk, toss the penny, and pie a counselor. One of my favorites was a contest to see who could blow the rubber ducky across the bucket first. The carnival definitely put a fun spin on camp this afternoon!

Practice Makes Perfect!

The morning started off with a hilarious visit from our friends who have been planning a trip to Wet and Wild all week. The pool was obviously a little crowded. However, when they decided to leave, they realized all of their stuff was missing! Keep your fingers crossed that they are able to find all of their belongings in lost and found before tomorrow. As the day continued, I was able to visit two amazing RANKS. One of our counselors Abbie has been leading yoga lessons for our campers in order to teach them fun ways to stay healthy and active. Also, it is a great environment for relaxing after a long hot day. The majority of them were extremely flexible! Maddie, another one of our counselors, has been offering one on one golf lessons to interested campers. After learning some new techniques, all of golf RANK incorporate fun games to play together in order to practice what they were taught. It was great to see that with our counselors help, campers were able to learn so many new skills that they can use, even after the summer sadly comes to an end.

Rising Sun Regiment

After a long hard (but fun) week of practicing, Marching Band RANK was ready to show all of camp exactly why they are so awesome. With their drill team flags, drums, and perfect march formation, they traveled throughout camp to entertain us all. Thanks Rising Sun Regiment!