Today was an all-timer and might just have been the best day yet!
We started early with our run, stretch, and customary 50 burpees, then loaded up at breakfast for a huge day. First came a three-hour mountain bike ride through the beautiful pine and maple forests around Bethel. Our experts went big, intermediates found their flow, and beginners built confidence with every lap. There were only a couple of crashes, just enough to create a few good stories!
After refueling with grilled cheese and tomato soup, campers rotated through three signature ELITEAM activities: Partner Yoga, Cooking, and Paintball Biathlon.
Partner Yoga challenged their teamwork, trust, balance, and flexibility. The poses were not easy, but the campers worked together, persevered, and conquered some impressive positions.
In Cooking, teams of two learned sports-nutrition basics while measuring, mixing, and baking healthy banana bread. We sampled the results after dinner, and judging by the smiles, it was a delicious success!
Then it was time to run and shoot in Paintball Biathlon. After learning how to sight in their targets, campers completed a two-minute hill sprint before trying to hit five targets. The campers used some newly learned breathing skills to calm the nerves and slow the heartbeat. To the coaches’ surprise, many of them were absolute sharpshooters!
We cooled off with an epic 100-yard Slip-N-Slide packed with soapy speed, spectacular wipeouts, and nonstop laughter. Then came a Grit Training challenge they will not soon forget.
The coaches hard-boiled eight eggs out of a dozen and left four raw. One by one, campers chose an egg without knowing which kind they had and confidently smashed it against their foreheads. There was plenty of nervous giggling, followed by even louder laughter when a few campers ended up with raw egg dripping down their faces! Those who got the raw eggs earned their badge of honor!
Thanks to a nearby hose and plenty of soap, everyone cleaned up quickly. More importantly, every camper walked away a little more confident and a little more willing to take a risk. That is what ELITEAM is all about!
What are the two things you learned cooking banana bread?
- Lyla B: I learned that coconut flour was a thing and the ingredients in banana bread.
- Minna G: I learned to work with new people and how to communicate better.
- Charlie R: I learned that oat flour is healthier than regular flour and more about healthy fats.
- Lilly W: I learned how the coconut sugar was made and also learned that steak has fat that is not good for you.
- Nora S: I learned to make sure that the person you are working with are working together for teamwork.
- Hazel R: I learned that steak has bad fats in it. Also coconut sugar is healthier than normal sugar.
- Amelie L: I learned about different nutrition facts and different variants for flour and sugar.
- Heidi D: Bananas are high in Potassium and coconut sugar doesn’t give you as big of a sugar spike.
What was the best thing and toughest thing about Mt Biking?
- Lyla B: Best is there were nice, wide trails that were great for cruising, worst was there were up hills and tree roots that were tiring.
- Minna G: The best thing was going fast and the hardest was going up the hills.
- Charlie R: The best was going fast downhill and the toughest was navigating roots uphill.
- Lilly W: The best was that going down hill fast was fun and the toughest is the second uphill.
- Nora S: The downhill was super fun and so were the people I was biking with. The hardest part was going down then straight up.
- Hazel R: The best thing was the downhill and the toughest thing was the second uphill that was all gravel and your legs were burning.
- Amelie L: The best thing about mountain biking was the thrill, it was so exhilarating and fun. The toughest thing was the turns, they were hard to control.
- Heidi D: The best was the smooth, dirt downhills and the toughest was the steep gravel berms going downhill.
What was important to do to shoot well in Biathlon?
- Lyla B: You had to be in a good, comfortable position for shooting and you have to have the safety off.
- Minna G: Focus on breathing was important, it helped my lock in and aim.
- Charlie R: It was important to adjust your arm based on your last shot and breathing helped too.
- Lilly W: It’s important to breath, it helps steady your body.
- Nora S: To breath and focus.
- Hazel R: Breath deep before your hat to shoot and in between breaths or the gun would be moving around too much to aim well.
- Amelie L: Breathing, you have to breath deep to keep your focus.
- Heidi D: Kneel so the gun was balanced on my knee. This keeps it stable so I could shoot straight.
What was going through your mind while playing the egg game right before you smashed it?
- Lyla B: I knew the egg was boiled because no light passed through it but I was scared it would hurt when I smashed it.
- Minna G: I was hoping it was going to be raw to because I thought it would be more fun and could use the hose again.
- Charlie R: I was hoping I wouldn’t have to wash egg out of my hair.
- Lilly W: I was nervous to see what I was going to get. I had the raw egg and shared it with Minna.
- Nora S: I shook it and knew it was raw so scared and felt adrenaline.
- Hazel R: I was thinking/hoping that it wouldn’t be raw (it wasn’t)
- Amelie L: I was scared that there was gonna be a big splat but also excited to see what it was.
- Heidi D: I was so scared but it turned out to not to be raw so I was happy.
