Our theme this year is “Every Win Counts,” and the campers stacked plenty of wins today. We began with our morning run, stretch, and 50 burpees, followed by a huge breakfast of powerful protein, confident carbs, and fabulous fats.
Then it was time for the legendary Sandpit Slalom, our annual test of agility, focus, courage, and risk-taking. After inspecting the course and completing three training runs, campers launched into two all-out timed attempts down the 100-foot vertical drop. There were crashes, rolls, stumbles, and shoes overflowing with sand, but every camper got back up and finished strong.
The energy was incredible as campers focused, breathed, exploded from the start, and cheered wildly for one another. The fastest racers advanced to thrilling head-to-head finals, and because perseverance is one of our Core Values, we finished with surprise hill sprints back up the sandpit!
After lunch, campers took on Physical Testing in a fun, supportive, low-pressure environment. They learned proper testing protocols and discovered more about their individual strengths and areas for growth. Naturally, we warmed up and cooled down with even more burpees!
The afternoon slowed down with collaging and vision-board creation, giving campers time to relax, dream big, and create some impressive masterpieces.
Then it was time to let loose at Neon Explosion and Dessert Night, complete with amazing costumes, an intense limbo contest, and our 2026 movie, Cool Runnings.
And one final plot twist: All of Bethel and the surrounding towns lost power around 2:00 p.m.! Thanks to Gould Academy’s emergency generators, everyone stayed safe and well-fed, and ELITEAM barely missed a beat. Another win counted!
Describe the sand pits and what is the key to going fast?
- Weston G: The sandpits are very technical, you have to be on top of the sand and know your line. Most of that stuff is the key to not getting stuck in the sand.
- Tommy P: The key is going fast in the sandpits is to totally send it down the hill. You have to have the mindset that falling won’t hurt because the faster you are going the more it would actually hurt.
- Lucas A: The sandpits were awesome because it allowed you to push yourself as hard as you can. The key to going fast was picturing your line and keeping it high.
- Ryker H: The sand pit is a short course that replicates a real race. The key to going fast is to keep your feet up so you don’t slide or hit rocks.
- Brayden B: Your power, agility and stability is key. Power is speed, agility for direction and stability to stay on your feet.
- Ollie B: The sand pits are very fun and it is like a bamboo pole in a big hill of sand. To go fast you need to have a high line.
- Will H: The key is a high line so you don’t crash.
Describe what doing yoga is?
- Weston G: Yoga is not hard but easy, we did lots of stretching and then more yoga with partners.
- Tommy P: Doing yoga is stretching out your body and calming down. I say this because after doing yoga you feel relaxed and your body feels good.
- Lucas A: Doing yoga is a way to calm yourself down and to stretch your body. It helps in any situation.
- Ryker H: Doing yoga is stretching and loosening your muscles to become flexible.
- Brayden B: Yoga is stretching and partner moves.
- Ollie B: Yoga is stretching and doing poses by yourself then with others for partner yoga.
- Will H: Doing yoga is stretching in a way so your bones can be better.
How has the food been at Camp? What’s been your favorite meal?
- Weston G: The food has been good at camp. Nothing specific has stood out when it comes to taste but I will tell you it’s better than school lunch.
- Tommy P: Food has been pretty good at camp. My favorite meal was pasta. This is because I just like most pastas and the sauce was good.
- Lucas A: The food has been pretty good! My favorite meal was probably stir fry with fortune cookies.
- Ryker H: The food has been good and my favorite has been good and my favorite was the french toast.
- Brayden B: Pretty good, I’ve enjoyed breakfast.
- Ollie B: The food is good, grilled cheese has been my favorite.
- Will H: The food has been ok, my favorite meals have been grilled cheese with the homemade chips.
