Bairnsdale SC Year 7 Camp Blog

On a lovely Wednesday, the 7th of February a group of awesome people from Bairnsdale Secondary College arrived at The Summit. They came in for the experience of a lifetime. It was going to be an action-packed 3 days full of new adventures.

Firstly you all got into your accommodation that you would be resting in at night after long days of growth and excitement. You then were introduced to your 9 coaches who guided you along your camp experience. Your coaches were: Spinks, Logan, Sam, Odile, Sara, Aron, Sophie, Zoe, and Anthoney. You then were introduced to our Summit Five Keys that would make camp go from good to GREAT!

The Five Keys were:

1.    Have Fun

2.    Play All In

3.    Make Lots of Mistakes

4.    Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

5.    Don’t Go Home Wondering What If

Your excitement to get into it was epic so without much more we got down into the park to play a game of 50 Up. Wow! What an effort, we got to 131. Just before we got started we shared with you a strategy consisting of setting 3 goals that would help you get the most out of camp. These goals were to be used when feeling uncertain about a particular activity. The 3 goals are as follows:

TARGET: Something you know you can do. (not nervous at all)

STRETCH: Something you think you can do but are not 100% sure. (nerves setting in)

SUPER-STRETCH: Something you think would be impossible for you to do. (Really nervous)

We then got split up into our activity groups and began our first activities for camp!

All our activities for your experience here at The Summit were as follows:

Giant Swing, testing what it will take to let go of our fear and trust the process, letting go of “what if…”. Great work Hunter on being the most enthusiastic rope captain!

Laser Tag, dodging and weaving through our laser war zone striving to eliminate the opposition. Great work Ruby on your laser dodging skills!

Sky Bridge, traversing across the lake on nothing but a bridge, using every bit of concentration and focus on your technique, only to realize that it is usually our belief that determines if we successfully make it across. Great work everyone on conquering the bridge and moving forward within the struggle!

Bush Challenge, racing through as a team completing obstacles, and testing your physical and mental skills. Great work Isabella on working as a team!

Leap of Faith, challenging our ability to trust not only ourselves but the entire process, and to take a leap into the unknown regardless of what was holding us back. Great job Tom on trusting like a champion

The Cave, moving through an epic small underground tunnel with no light to give hope and no sounds to comfort, challenging our fear of the unknown, and realizing the difference between perception and reality.

Summit Window, climbing up an 18-meter tower and scaling a ladder, sometimes when you push through your fear you will experience an incredible sense of freedom! Letting go was the key.

Day 2 was already underway! We started the day off with some breakfast followed by Logan talking to us about setting a morning intention. We focus on who it is we want to be for the day regardless of external factors. (supportive, kind, team player). We then got into a big game of Pirates to get our bodies moving and put on our best impression of a Pirate! What a huge day we had planned for you! 3 activities for the morning, lunch, and then some tribe challenges. However, the day wasn’t over yet… Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more competitive we had a huge water balloon fight!

To conclude what was already an epic day you all participated in the Monster Course! Running through a mud run obstacle course linked with the team to achieve not only the best time but also a closer connection to your fellow peers and teammates. After the first lap we followed it up with a surprise, we told you we were going to do it twice! It was awesome to watch every single person push themselves even when they were uncomfortable. That’s how it’s done!

Day 3 was just on the horizon! Some of us are sad to be leaving but also glad to be sleeping in our own beds. We began with some breakfast followed by a gratitude session with Spinks. This encouraged us to use gratitude as a tool to instantly FEEL joy and happiness when reflecting on the often unappreciated things we have in life. “Gratitude affects your attitude and in turn, affects your altitude”. After playing an epic game of Jockeys we finished off camp with your last two activities. You then got a chance to vote for someone in your group who stood up and stood out throughout the 3 days, the person in the team who best demonstrated the 5 keys. Just when you thought camp was over we all witnessed our WW2 army tank crush a car! And it was none other than your team's values winner that got to have a first-class seat inside the tank as it got to work.

Thank You Bairnsdale Secondary College for playing all in and achieving what was once thought impossible!

Keep Unleashing Your Greatness