Camp All-Star's Blog

All-Star Campers to College to Counselors! April 12, 2010

At Camp All-Star, we hear all throughout the off-season from parents of our campers about how wonderful their child’s summer experience has been at our camp. Recently, I’ve received several emails from parents saying that their daughter is “counting down the days” until her camp session begins! Another mom who just re-registered her child, said that the time at Camp All-Star is the “best part of her child’s entire year!” WOW!

We love to hear all the positive comments from our families because this is the reason Craig and I do what we do for a living!

The past few summers, we have had many former All-Star campers return as counselors which I find to be heartwarming and the best compliment! These staff members have been waiting until they are of counselor age to apply because they want current campers to have the same amazing experience and memories they all had during their summers at Camp All-Star. The staff say that they can’t imagine their summers without being at camp!

We believe that our incredible ratio of 3:1 (campers to counselors) is such a major part of creating that positive camp experience. The parents can be assured that their child is getting great supervision by qualified staff members, and the campers know they always have a staff member around they can count on. Our ratio also has totally minimized the risk for injury – and we’re a SPORTS camp!

The counselors really get an opportunity to get to know the campers both in their particular sport or activity as well as during time on trips and in the dorms.

Another great part of being a camper is that you make friends for life. Four summers ago, we had two girls from different parts of the country meet at camp. During a 2 week stay, they truly bonded and have kept in touch ever since. Recently, we were informed by both girls’ parents that they received acceptance to the same college and are going to be roommates – all because of meeting at Camp All-Star!

These type of stories are a real testament to what we have created. Every summer campers meet new friends, make new memories, and one day, could come back as All-Star counselors continuing the tradition.

Why Summer Camp? March 26, 2010

As a parent, I know that every child is different in their own way. My boys have totally opposite personalities, don’t look anything like each other, and have some very different interests. I love the fact that they aren’t “the same”, even though they are both boys! Yes, sports is the one major similarity that runs in their blood, but what can you expect!

As a camp owner, I have met over 4,000 campers since the inception of Camp All-Star. Our campers come from all over the world, however, it’s not just the cultural differences I notice the most, but the personalities of each child.

At camp, you don’t have the pressure of living up to what your parents want you to do or say or wear every day. You have an entire new group of friends that haven’t known you since you were in kindergarten. You have an opportunity to try new sports and activities that maybe you don’t have time for at home during the school year. I guess my point is that each camper can just BE A KID and experience life and memories that they may not be able to in their home town during the summer!

As an adult, I look back at my childhood in Texas and realize that I was a bit sheltered. I was very happy swimming in the pool all summer long during the long, hot weather, but I didn’t really know anything else. My friends were the same all throughout the years I was growing up.

Now, with years of camp ownership under my belt, I realize that I would have been SO much better prepared when I went to college 3 ½ hours away from my parents if I had experienced going away to summer camp! I had to gain my independence really quickly at age 18 in a very different type of environment. I always was an outgoing individual, so meeting new people wasn’t a problem for me. Yet, I didn’t have the experience or independence of being away from home like a summer camper does until I was away at college as a student!

Looking back, I truly wish that I could have gone to summer camp because I see the positive effects on hundreds of children each and every summer at All-Star. The friendships, sports and life skills, and  memories made are like no other. My husband is a true testament to that from his many years as a camper. He still tells us stories from his camp days…wayyyy back when!

I have seen so many wonderful children gain the all-important self-confidence, even in just a 2 week session at All-Star. Campers ages 8 – 16 years old become independent and better prepared for real life, all while having fun in the summer! They learn so many new things, meet other campers from different places, and find life-long friends at camp. And, thanks to all these technological advances, they can keep up with each other during the school year no matter where they live!

Now is the time to send your child to camp – when they are young and can learn to adapt to new situations BEFORE they become adults. I’ve seen the positive results thousands of times, first-hand, every summer…including in my own children! It’s the most rewarding feeling knowing that you had a role in such a major part of a child’s life.

 Have a wonderful weekend,

Cammi

The Creation of Camp All-Star March 19, 2010

As I sit down to write my first blog, I feel like Julie in the recent hit movie “Julie and Julia”, as a novice to this technological obsession. I’m officially heading into the blogging world of the 21^st century as a summer camp owner and mother. This new blog is directed at parents who are looking for insight into the camping world from a director’s perspective, and I hope you find this helpful.

A little background about myself…I’m a 41 year old mother of 2 boys ages 12 and soon-to-be 9 who married a man 14 years ago that loved summer camp! My husband attended an 8 week summer sports camp at the ripe old age of 7 and knew at a very young age that he someday wanted to own his own camp. Camp opened his eyes to a whole new world and made a positive lasting impact on his entire life and career.

Over 9 years ago, my husband decided that the time was right to start his own summer camp, specializing in sports, since he has been passionate about sports as long as he can remember. As he dropped the camp bomb idea on me, I was big and pregnant with our second child and immediately thought that the peaceful and relaxing summers I enjoyed so much would come to a complete halt forever! I wished him luck and decided that I would let him work his business magic without my help. After all, I was a full-time mother of a 3 year old and about to have another baby. How could I take care of other people’s children when I am 110% devoted to my own?

Well, let’s just say that everything changed that summer when my husband needed help coming up with a name for camp, a logo design, writing some copy for marketing materials, etc. Armed with a journalism and public relations degree in hand, and my University of Texas diploma staring down at me in our home office, I was immediately put to work helping to develop my husband’s dream. Maybe he brainwashed me while I was asleep to get me on board. Who knows!

The summer of 2001, with our new baby learning the ways of the world and our 3 year old trying to enjoy his summer in Maine at the lake, the creation of Camp All-Star became a labor of love for BOTH my husband and me. I will say now, years later, that those busy summer days when I thought I would be basking in the sun, turned into an outlet for my creative juices and sheer excitement into what we were beginning. As my 3 year old played with his blocks and Legos building an imaginary village, we in essence, were building our own “camp village” based on what we thought would work best for children who loved sports, just as my husband has for years.

I was the one (yes, I will take the credit for this!) who came up with the name, Camp All-Star. It seemed to encompass sports, and our idea that by coming here “everyone would be a star”. Does it seem a bit cheesy by saying it? Well, I guess in some ways. However, all campers should be treated as equals! That’s what we felt from day one, so this name seemed to be a perfect fit. Of course our logo had to include a star, and after many sketches on scratch paper, we sent our ideas off to an ad agency to clean things up and make it all look professional. The foundation of OUR business was starting to take shape.

Now let me just say that those first few years of camp are a blur to me. Maybe because I’m in my 40’s and my good ole memory isn’t the same as it was a decade ago. Or, it’s because my daily life during camp is, as I tell my friends, “a day at camp is like a week in any normal life.” So much goes on. Always things to remember. Looking at the campers faces and making sure they have fun. Keeping up with our amazing staff. Constant communication with parents. Oh, and yes, still being a wife and the all important, MOM!

I hope you (if you’re out there reading this) continue to read my Camp All-Star blog. This is a true labor of love to open up my story, our AWESOME camp, and the “behind the scenes” stories (I promise there are lots of good ones!) to the internet world! Here’s to a great week.
Cammi

Hello world! March 19, 2010

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!