A Camper's Perspective

As we move into high gear getting ready for another great Summer at Meadowbrook, we would like to share a moment at Camp from a Camper's perspective.  This is an essay from a writing contest entered by one of our Meadowbrook Campers (we did change his name in the essay).  It very nicely captures the Meadowbrook Experience!

As I climbed the pole of the zip line my feet trembled.  I was at Meadowbrook Day Camp, my division head Steven who led the juniors division cheered me on. “You can do it Joe”, he shouted enthusiastically.  I knew I must keep going. The height of the pole made the climbing part tough. When I got to the top I didn’t know what to do. From way up there everything seemed small. Steven yelled “Doing well so far!” The rock wall which usually seems bigger appeared smaller in the distance. I was so high I could almost touch the tops of the trees.

I started to go, then didn’t.  I sat down on the ledge but didn’t go off.  I felt scared to slide off the ledge.  I started to sweat and my heart was beating as fast as the speed of light. Finally I said “It is very high up here”. Steven reassured me that if I wanted to come down, I could be lowered. So I started going down.

When I got to the bottom, Steven suggested I go on the mini zip line to get the feeling of what it would feel like. Even though I was nervous, I agreed to try that. So when Group 37 was at fishing, I went to the mini zip line with Steven. I got a harness on and I went up the stairs to get to the platform of the mini zip line. I was connected to a long rope that a person who works at the bottom of the small zip line would hold and guide me like a dog on a leash. The miniature zip line was close to the ground so I wasn’t nervous. The feeling was a little weird but it was also nice at the same time. The next thing I knew, I said I wanted to go faster then I said, “faster again!”  Finally, I decided to go on my own without the rope.  I made a deal with Steven, if I went on the main zip line alone so would he.  He agreed to my deal.

It was the day I was to go on the main zip line all by myself. When it was time, I slowly put my left hand and right foot on the ladder and then I moved my opposite foot and hand on. When I got to the top I almost regretted this but I knew I had to have courage. I wanted to succeed and I did not want my fear to overtake me.  I wanted all my work to pay off. When I got in position, I waited a few minutes and kept thinking “you can do it”.  The owner of the camp, Jed, who I didn’t see come by said “Go Joe!” My commitment and determination to doing this allowed me to finally jump off and I zipped. By having courage and determination I learned that I really enjoyed it!!

I decided it was a fun thing to do. I could feel the wind in my face as I flew through the air.  Not only did I overcome my fear but also learned I can do anything I put my mind to.  In order to achieve my goal of doing the zip line, I had to demonstrate several of Jackie Robinson’s Nine Values.  I had to have courage to face my fear of the height and speed of the zip line. I also had to have determination to keep trying and not give up on my goal of doing it. Lastly, I had to have a commitment to success.