Welcome to Camp
By Ellie W.
Welcome to camp! 2013
is going to be another great summer. For
new kids, make sure to check out Gaga, the #1 sport here at LLDC. It's a game where campers hit a ball with
their hands and try to make sure it doesn't touch their feet. Also, take a zip on the zipline and new
reverse zipline that is twice the
fun. The reverse zipline zips you back
across the lake, so you don't have to take the long walk after the regular
zipline.
It is hot, buggy, and usually sunny here, so don't forget to
wear lots of sunscreen and bug spray.
Make sure to drink lots of water and go in the pool or lake when you get
the chance. The pool and lake may not be
just for swimming, you can go on the water trampoline, jumping board, and dock
at the lake. At the pool, you can have
fun on the awesome red and blue water slides!
If you are feeling nervous about making friends, don't be. Here at LLDC, the old campers make all the
new campers feel welcome and never left out.
Enjoy your time at LLDC and remember our motto: The Best Summer, Every Summer!
Dive into a Conversation with LLDC Aquatics Director:
Samm Meddaugh
By Halle B.
There are a lot of things we need to learn to survive
in the world, and one of them is swimming.
Sam, the head lifeguard, has been working here for 12 years. She was always a swimmer and now she is a head
lifeguard. Sam is a very smart swimmer
and a great swim instructor; I learned most of my skills from here.
Being a
lifeguard is a hard job even in its name.
They risk their own lives for the lives of others. Sam has lots of responsibilities being the
head lifeguard like making sure the other lifeguards are doing their jobs and
to make sure the pools are working properly.
Sam saves lives when campers take the deep end test. She and the other life guards had an
orientation to help the lifeguards become a team; they're always together and
sharing each other's skills.
Same has
another job: she works in the office at
camp preparing the pools, getting out bags ready, and making sure every
elective has enough equipment to go around.
She does everything she can do for this camp. It is no
surprise that in the off-season Sam is still taking care of kids. She takes care of a boy and a girl who have
been very well-behaved for the past two years.
One time, Sam babysat for eight hours.
She loves her job as a nanny because it is something different every
day. Sam babysits Monday through Friday
in the off-season. I bet there are many
kids who would want her to be their nanny!
Sam is very
active and amazing when we think of it.
She is the head lifeguard and a very supportive individual.
YACHT OF NOT...
By Liam A.
Thursday at the pool, what is many
campers favorite activity, Yacht or Not
went down. Yacht or Not is a fast
paced immersive activity in which groups build a boat and race across the pool.
However staying afloat is half the battle. Groups only get 1 roll of duck tape
a crayon and a cardboard box; in addition, they even have limited time.
Andy
started this activity when he heard about another camp that enjoyed it. He
thought it was so interesting he started it at his own camp. Ever since then,
it has been exponentially increasing in favor. I talked with Spirit Sara about
this activity. After all she has been doing it for 6 years. Sara said that Yacht or Not was one of the easier
activities to organize. Yet, the hardest part is making sure everyone follows the
rules. In the past, people have tried ropes handles and paddles and other such
things that have since been banned.
For a different point of view, I talked to Steven, a group leader, who has been doing this activity for 3 years. The hardest part for him is finding jobs for all of the campers. Something that Steven and his campers enthusiastically repeated numerous times because it was in the water it made everything more interesting. Himanshu, a freshman, particularly seemed to love it. “… some kids like lacrosse, some like basketball, but everyone loves the pool!”, as Steven said himself.
Now
let’s talk strategy! Everyone knows the basics:
wax and duck tape the bottom of your boat with some duck tape on the
sides; there is a lot more to it. In previous years, the best strategy seemed
to be a raft or surf board which has been banned. Another frequent strategy is
ignoring hydro dynamics and just trying to stay afloat. Unfortunately, more and more groups are
crossing the pool making those vessels obsolete. This year, the specialists
introduced a new idea, a shallow bottomed boat completely covered in duck tape.
This seemed to work well…until its second run when James practically swam
across. In recent years, a new model has been spotted. Instead of just folding
the front flaps. Groups cut further along the seams allowing the entire front
half of the boat to be angled than angling the bottom up on the sides a little
bit forming a canoe shape. Which seems to work well. Next year, who knows what
new boats will be seen!
Yacht or Not is an engrossing activity
which gets hearts racing in campers from all divisions. Sara just wants kids to
take away sportsmanship, teamwork, and creativity. Every new camper brings new
ideas, concepts, and designs; who knows what you’ll spot next year.
App Day
By Sarah B.
Angry
Birds, Draw Something, Temple Run, and Fruit Ninja are just some of the most
popular apps that kids play on their iPods, iPads, etc. Everyone loves to play these games wherever
they go. The problem: campers shouldn't bring electronics to
camp People love their games, but camp
isn't really a place for electronics.
This is why App Day was created.
App Day was
when everyone's favorite apps came to life at LLDC. Everyone was able to participate at this
exciting event. Some of the most
exciting apps were used for App Day. One
of these apps was Temple Run. Campers
had to dodge obstacles while being chased by one of the L.I.T.s. If they got tagged, they're out.
Next, Fruit
Ninja was a fun way to cool off and get rid of fruit. Each camper got a turn to hit the fruit
(sponges and water balloons) with a bat.
Bombs were spiky balls. If a
camper hit a bomb or missed three fruits, then they're out.
Finally,
campers tried the always popular Angry Birds.
There were 6 levels where you could try to pop the “pigs” (balloons) to
win. Each level had a device you had to
use to strike down the pigs. A
slingshot, a lacrosse stick, and more were used.
App Day
made campers excited about playing outside while trying to win their favorite
apps in real life. App Day was a lot of
fun to campers and counselors: a great
success!
HOMECOMING
By Celeste Y.
WOW! Look at those gowns and suits. People are all dressed up for Homecoming. I don’t recognize most of them looking so good. Everyone from Turtles to Specialists to Lifeguards are looking great. We interviewed some people and we asked them questions such as what would it feel like for you win. Also, we asked were you in homecoming court in high school. Chloe from Sophomore Division said no. We asked Ray from Specialists what would it feel like to win. He said it would be like jumping into a pool of slushies. Everyone was looking forward to the big day.
INTERNATIONAL DAY
On Tuesday, July 2nd, Liberty
Lake celebrated International Day! We
learned about many different countries.
The Turtles learned about Brazil, Freshman studied China, Sophomores got to know
France, Juniors learned about Chile and Seniors studied Germany. We even got to taste some of the different
foods from these countries. We enjoyed
rice from China, fish and chips from England and Greek salad. We also had a Scavenger Hunt based on the
different countries! Some of the
questions were: What is Germany known
for? Germany is known for its food like
sauerbraten. Another question was: What
is the largest country in South America?
The answer is Brazil. It was an
International celebration and everyone had a great International time!
