On Wednesday afternoon, 12th August, the Year 8 students and teachers from Norwood Secondary College rolled through The Summit gates, eager to get stuck into an action-packed few days of adventure, challenge and plenty of fun. After settling into their accommodation, the group gathered in the Lodge to meet their coaching team and discover the mindset that would guide their camp journey.
Coach Spinks (Steph) welcomed everyone before introducing the Summit's Five Keys, the secret recipe for making the most of every challenge:
The Five Keys
- Have Fun
- Play All In
- Make Lots of Mistakes
- Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
- Don't Go Home Wondering 'What If'
From there, the group headed down to the Stage, where Jeff and Railie delivered an important Helmet and Harness briefing. Canada then introduced an epic goal-setting strategy designed to help students stretch their comfort zones and tackle challenges with purpose:
Target, what you know you can do
Stretch, what you think you can do
Super Stretch, what you think is impossible
Activities & Tribe Names
After an icebreaker initiative and morning tea, the students launched into their first activity rotations, taking on a huge variety of Summit challenges.
Groups 1 to 6 tackled:
- Leap of Faith
- Snowy River Challenge
- Giant Swing
- Rockwall
- Laser Skirmish
Groups 7 to 12 took on:
- Bush Challenge
- Abseil
- Flying Fox
- Inflatables
- High Wire
- Bag Blitz
After their first rotations, the teams created their Tribe Names and officially became crews. Students were also introduced to one of The Summit's favourite traditions, GMICs (Great Moments In Camp), giving them a chance to write down and celebrate the awesome moments, breakthroughs and memories happening throughout camp.
With dinner, brekkie and free-time areas explained, the students settled in for the night, ready for an even bigger Day Two.
Day Two — Intention & Monster Energy
Day Two began with a powerful session on Morning Intention, encouraging students to think about how they wanted to show up for themselves, their tribe and the challenges ahead.
The group explored the importance of focusing on what they could control, including the weather, the people around them and the activities, and the power that their words can have. Students then created their own intentions for the day before warming up with a quick game of Heads or Tails.
Then it was time for three action-packed rotations before lunch.
Even though the weather was mixed and a little chilly, the Norwood students didn't let it slow them down. They powered through, smashed goals, supported their tribes and continued to play all in.
After lunch, it was time for a Tribe Challenge to get the bodies moving before the afternoon's biggest challenge...
The Monster Course
After afternoon tea and a safety briefing, the countdown began and the teams launched into the famous Monster Course.
The first lap tested teamwork, strength and resilience as students tackled the course together. But then came the twist...
The winning team wasn't necessarily the fastest team.
Instead, students were challenged to use their Target, Stretch and Super Stretch mindset to improve their second-lap performance as much as possible.
The teams headed back to the start line for another lap, pushing through tired legs, big challenges and plenty of mud. It was an awesome display of determination and teamwork as everyone discovered just how much they could improve when they refused to give up.
After an enormous effort, it was time for showers, dinner and an evening activity before everyone headed to bed for a well-earned rest.
Final Day — Gratitude & Goodbyes
As the final day rolled around, Lucy led the students through a meaningful Gratitude session, encouraging them to stop and think about who and what they were grateful for.
With one final chance to "check back in" with themselves, the students then warmed up with a game of Jockeys before heading into their last two activity rotations.
As camp drew to a close, each Tribe was asked to vote for the person who best represented and embodied The Summit's Five Keys throughout camp.
These 12 legends were recognised with a Summit medal and cheered on by their peers, a fantastic way to celebrate the courage, encouragement and commitment they had shown throughout their camp journey.
And the Values Winners Are
- 🏅 Destiny Potoatos — Cooper
- 🏅 Purple Scar — Huddy
- 🏅 Sun-yey-sandwiches — Archie
- 🏅 Aqua Nation — Tegan
- 🏅 Greg — Ryder
- 🏅 Kit Kat Crew — Moiya
- 🏅 7/11 Pickle Pounder — Sophie
- 🏅 Marcus Pork — Jessie
- 🏅 Da Ducklings INC — Isaiah
- 🏅 Nachos — Cambell
- 🏅 Willlows Fan Club — TJ
- 🏅 Magic — Ario
Competition Results
🏆 Bush Challenge (fastest times)
- 17:43 – Da Ducklings INC
- 21:59 – Magic
- 22:32 – 7/11 Pickle Pounder
- 23:14 – Nachos
- 23:17 – Willlows Fan Club
- 27:28 – Marcus Pork
🔍 Snowy River Challenge (fastest times)
- 22:10 – Sun-yey-sandwiches
- 26:18 – Purple Scar
- 29:02 – Greg
- 29:22 – Aqua Nation
- 38:25 – Kit Kat Crew
- 38:33 – Destiny Potoatos
Monster Course — Improved by
- 14:03 – 7/11 Pickle Pounder
- 13:26 – Magic
- 13:25 – Marcus Pork
- 11:42 – Purple Scar
- 10:50 – Willlows Fan Club
- 10:10 – Da Ducklings INC
- 10:07 – Kit Kat Crew
- 9:15 – Destiny Potoatos
- 8:02 – Greg
- 6:54 – Aqua Nation
- 6:33 – Sun-yey-sandwiches
- 6:32 – Nachos
Thank You, Norwood!
On behalf of all your coaches, Spinks, Mim, Lucy, Simon, Sam, Canada, Monty, Ant, Will, Railie, Timmay, Stevie and Jeff, and the entire Summit team, thank you for an incredible few days.
You showed courage when things got challenging, supported your Tribes, celebrated each other's wins and embraced every opportunity to Have Fun, Play All In and Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable.
We're so proud of everything you achieved and the way you showed up for one another.
We wish you all the very best for the rest of the year, and remember...
Don't go home wondering 'What If'.
, The Summit Coaching Team
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