Wednesday was a wild one—in the best way possible! Despite feeling the burn from Tuesday’s leg workout, our campers dug deep and delivered on a day packed with energy, adventure, and non-stop action. From mountain biking to muffins, archery to agility drills, it was a full-throttle kind of day… and yes, there were a lot of tired legs (and coaches!) by the end of it.
Morning: Mountain Biking Mayhem
We kicked things off with a 2.5-hour mountain biking session that took everyone for a ride—literally!
The Expert group travelled to shred some epic singletrack trails. These flowy loops were full of challenge and reward, with smiles stretching as wide as the handlebars. Only one crash and it was a doozy by Will – just a few scratches but a lot of pride from walking away unscathed.
The Intermediates and beginners stayed closer to home, cruising the Bethel Village trails just outside our door of campus. The terrain may have been local, but the fun was world-class! There were a few tumbles (okay, more than a few…), but no injuries—just great stories and proud moments. Shoutout to Camper Ian, new to biking, who took on every fall (32 total!) with a grin and Coach Doug cheering him on one-on-one!
Afternoon: Cook, Blade, Aim!
After lunch, it was time to switch gears and fire up our creativity and coordination.
In the kitchen, we whipped up Shred-It-Up Muffins—a healthy snack packed with shredded carrots and apples. Delicious and nutritious!
Over in the gym, campers laced up rollerblades and zoomed through cones and gates. A few brave souls even hit the Terrain Park!
Meanwhile, we learned the basics of archery before combining it with a quick-footed run-and-shoot biathlon. Even the instructor was impressed by the ELITEAMers running in tired, but being able to focus and shoot with precision.
Burpees, Dodgeball & Journaling
To close out the day, we crushed 200 burpees (yes—TWO. HUNDRED!), then dashed out to the field for a classic game of dodgeball. Let’s just say… the campers had a lot of dodgeball energy to burn off, and the coaches might be icing their egos tonight!
As the day wound down, the campers pulled out their journals to reflect and write about their adventures. Every face I saw was a mix of exhaustion and joy—the kind that only comes from a day well-lived and well-played.
Up Next: The Legendary Sandpit Slalom!
Tomorrow brings one of camp’s most iconic events: the Sandpit Slalom—head-to-head racing down the dunes. It’s going to be epic. Stay tuned!
Scroll down to check out some camper-written blogs from today!
What did you learn while cooking muffins?
- Sarina M: I learned that you can still work well to make things possible with someone you’ve never met before. I also learned that the order of things matter, don’t rush something you’re not ready for.
- Emily D: Don’t crack the egg too hard on a plastic bowl to crack it. Don’t get your hands too close to the grater.
- Nora S: I learned you should also follow instructions clearly.
- Lilly W-E: I learned that when you put carrots and apples in a paper towel there is a lot of juice that comes out.
- Charlie R: Don’t forget to add the sugar and following the instructions is important.
- Blake L: I learned to squeeze out the carrot and apple juice before putting it in the mix. I also learned to measure and not eyeball it.
- Lena A: I learned to work with another person to get things done efficiently and well. I also learned to measure and adjust as you go along to get the best results.
What was super fun about mountain biking?
- Sarina M: It was so much fun to go downhill and remember how to calm myself down. Even if my front tire popped and I had to walk back.
- Emily D: The downhills are amazing, the other was riding the berms.
- Nora S: It was really fun when I was on a new trail that I have never been on.
- Lilly W-E: It was a lot more fun going down the berms, they were probably the biggest I have gone down.
- Charlie R: Going down a long curvy trail after a long uphill!
- Blake L: Biking downhill around the rocks and trees was fun and so was navigating the trails. However, going uphill was really hard.
- Lena A: One thing that was super fun was when we went down all the downhill sections, Another was going over the rocks and roots because it was a fun challenge.
What is important to do when Archery shooting?
- Sarina M: It’s very important to be relaxed and aim.
- Emily D: One important thing is focusing on aiming. The second is to pull it back far enough so it can hit the target.
- Nora S: It is important to always have one foot over the line and have one foot out. And to never have your arrow pointing at someone.
- Lilly W-E: Keep your feet squared when you’re shooting and to pull it way back.
- Charlie R: Correcting your bow based on your last shot.
- Blake L: It’s important to breathe and stay calm. Also to not shoot your neighbor!
- Lena A: One thing that was important to do for archery was always point the arrow at the target and nothing else and to focus to make sure you hit the target accurately.
