Think back to your favorite summer camp memories. Now, how many of those memories take place on the fields and courts of TEC? Playing an intense game of European Handball during Olympics, competing in an out-of-camp tournament, or even laughing with your friends during a wacky relay; there’s just no denying it, sharing these moments with camp friends is a huge part of the Trail’s End Camp experience!
Trail’s End is an all-around camp with a strong sports program. For us, sports take on a number of different forms, from team sports, including basketball, soccer, hockey and baseball, to individual sports, like gymnastics, golf, tennis, outdoor adventure, water skiing and more. We want our campers active, and through our combined structured and elective-based program everyone gets the chance to take part in a wide variety of athletic activities.
To celebrate this, and in honor of May being National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, we’ve decided to have a chat with some of our returning athletic directors: Mo, Baseball Director; Dani, Gymnastics Director; Becci, Movement Director; and Carson, former Hockey Director!
Attitude Over Aptitude
We can’t talk about sports at TEC without bringing up our motto: “attitude over aptitude.” We asked our returning directors what this means to them. Simply put, Dani describes attitude over aptitude as “enjoying a sport even if you’re not a sporty person.” You might not consider yourself the most athletic person outside of camp, but at TEC you’re encouraged to “try something new and be proud of yourself for taking the next step at your own pace.” Trail’s End offers an incredibly supportive environment as you try something you never had the courage to do before.
Even avid athletes can find something in this motto! Carson sees it as “putting your best out there, no matter the circumstances.” Becci adds, “this vision is transferable into everyday life, not just in sports. Striving to achieve a present, positive and willing attitude to reach success for both yourself and others around you!”
Mo believes “having the right attitude will help you and those around you to be better, work harder, and have a goal in mind.” Our sports program allows even the most skilled player to be challenged and encourages them, during both electives and our specialty camps, to bring their game to the next level.
The Best Part of Coaching at TEC
It’s obvious campers have tons of fun while playing at camp, but who knew our athletic staff were having just as much fun coaching them?! We asked Becci, Carson, Dani and Mo about the best part of coaching their sports at TEC.
“My favorite part of being Movement Director at TEC is observing the campers letting go and being themselves. Viewing the campers relax into meditation in yoga, to being creative and working as a team in dance, to calling imaginative cheers in the pavilion or “Zumba-ing” their hearts away in aerobics. They manage to put aside all outside issues and focus on having a good time!” – Becci
“My favorite part of coaching hockey was the people and relationships you could build through the sport.” – Carson
“For me, it’s getting to see all the campers, from Lower Rangers to Girls Varsity, coming to gymnastics, having fun and trying something new each period!” – Dani
“It’s getting to know each group and each kid individually. Every group and every kid is different, with different abilities. Baseball is supposed to be fun, and I try to bring that to camp. When I coach in other places it is more serious with a winning goal in mind. At camp, I want the kids to improve and have fun at the same time. Seeing kids that couldn’t hit the ball actually hitting in a game and seeing their faces is priceless. That’s what I love about camp.” – Mo
A Summer Full of Sports Moments
Remember those memories from previous summers we discussed? Well, our returning directors have their own favorite sports memories they’d love to share!
“My favorite moment as Movement Director is when the Buddies performed at a dance competition last summer. They were given a very fun but difficult dance, with limited time to rehearse. The girls used every spare minute they had to practice their movement together, and when they performed they blew me away. They came to the stage with energy, smiles and complete unity. Although they didn’t win, for me they won the whole competition!” – Becci
“My favorite memory from coaching was in a Lower Cavaliers game when we traveled to another camp. They shined and played great together, cheered one another on and pushed each other to do their best. Every boy scored in that game. One boy actually refused to get off the court, begging ‘I just want to be able to get him (the last boy to score) a goal.’ They cheered for every one of our goals, and even for the other team’s goals. Days like that made me proud to be at TEC.” – Carson
“My favorite moment was taking campers that have never performed in front of anyone before to a meet and seeing how excited they were when they placed in the Top 5 as a team!” – Dani
“I remember once after practice a camper came up to me and said ‘I never used to like baseball, but now I do. Thank you, Coach Mo.’ That really made my summer! Another moment was when a camper struck out and we lost the game. The camper was crying and the rest of the team came and gave him a hug, telling him that it was ok and lifting his spirits. That was awesome to be a part of.” – Mo
In this coming summer, there are many more memories to be made as we run around camp, trying new things, keeping it moving, and having fun with our camp friends. Who knows how many new favorite sports moments we’ll be making this summer?
