Friends of ASCCA: Windsor’s Time at Session 1!

By the time June 16 was around the corner, I was excitedly double-checking my packed suitcases for my session. This time I placed my stuff in little packing bags to be more organized for that Friday morning at the end of camp when I have about 15 minutes to pack everything back in my luggage before my parents arrive. Thankfully, the little bags I packed did help, and it took me only five minutes to put things back the way they were. Plus, when I first arrived and check-in was over, I was able to unpack and get to know my bunkmates faster.

As I got to know my fellow campers, we were told our schedule and the free choice activities for that first night. I chose canoeing; however, the wind was too strong, so instead of canoeing we joined the karaoke activity. I had fun listening to other campers sing their favorite songs while waiting for my turn to go.

When it was my turn to sing, I chose a song that reminded me of camp, “Meant to Be” by Steven Curtis Chapman, a Christian singer. The song is about the Bible verse Jeremiah 29:11 which is my favorite verse and favorite song. I enjoyed the first activity of the night, even though I originally planned to go canoeing.

When Monday morning came we took a look at our fun-filled schedule. In the morning we had Demo Farm and Zipline. At Demo Farm, my group and I met a baby pig, bunnies, and little chicks. It was the most adorable activity ever!

After Demo Farm, we went to our next activity, the Zipline, where each of us gets a turn to zip through the trees like an eagle soaring across the sky. I enjoyed the view of beautiful Lake Martin and watching campers experience the fun of the Zipline for the first time.

That afternoon we had the game room as a free choice and then a pool party. In the game room, my friend Lacy and I decided to go to the Wii room to play “Just Dance” and Wii bowling. On our first round of bowling, I got a turkey, which means I got three strikes in a row! We had so much fun that she and I did not realize how quickly the time flew by.

At the pool, I mostly sat on the steps because I could not swim, but I listened to the music that was playing the whole time we were there. After a while, a few friends and I decided to play a card game called Uno Flex, which my sister Megan sent to me in a “camp survival goodie box.” The rules were a little confusing to us, so we played regular Uno with it. After our long day of fun, we talked about our favorite part of our day as we got ready for bed that night.

Tuesday morning started with the big news that a couple of Little Italy Pizzeria employees were coming to teach us how to make pizza from scratch, and it was one of the signup activities we could choose. I was excited and asked my counselor to sign me up for it! In addition to the new sign-up activity, the schedule for the morning was tubing and the Bck4T.

After tubing, we went to the Bck4T to play games or watch a movie that was playing on the big screen. I chose to play some old-school classic games such as Dig Dug, Galaga, and Pac-man. I decided to watch part of the movie when I had some time left in the activity.

That afternoon we stayed in the dining hall for the pizza activity. It was so much fun watching those experts toss the dough in front of us! They also taught us how to toss dough ourselves!

After dinner was the talent show that we signed up for earlier in the day. The talent show was very fun, and some of the campers who participated were amazingly talented. One of them danced like a marionette while singing “I Have No Strings” from the movie Pinocchio. I did something similar as I hula danced to the opening scene of the movie Lilo and Stitch. To me, it was one of the best ways to end Tuesday night.

On Wednesday our activities were arts and crafts and pool. We also participated in the nature project after the rest period. In arts and crafts, my group and I made slap bracelets in honor of the battle of the decades which was our session’s theme this year. After making the bracelets we went to the pool activity. This time I decided to take swimming lessons. My group then went to the new location for the nature activity, where we learned how to take care of a plant and what to look for when it comes to basic plant needs.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with everyone getting ready for the Adam Hood concert that night. However, there was a surprise! The Red Clay Strays were performing that night as well! At both concerts, I was in the sensory room and had so much fun.

Thursday was the last full day of camp, and we had our last two activities, which were archery and fishing. In archery, we had three tries to get a bullseye. Our group had time for three rounds, and my counselor was very impressed with my archery skills, although I did not hit a bullseye. When archery was over, we went to the fishing activity. Instead of fishing, though, I tested my aim with the camp’s big slingshot situated nearby.

Later that day we started getting ready for the battle of the decade’s theme dance and award announcements. The songs at the dance were catchy. I later noticed the music was going in order of each decade starting from the 1950s to the 2020s. It was a lot of fun and another good way to finish Session 1!

For the best time at your session, do what I did. Have your suitcase as organized as possible to avoid being late. Get to know your bunkmates and counselor so you will be comfortable. Participate in as many activities and events as you can because you only have one week at Camp ASCCA. I hope you learn something new and have as much fun as I did at Camp ASCCA this summer.