Hey, Axe Fanatics!

Axemanship, also known as lumberjack sports, is a competitive sport that may be offered as an activity at your summer camp. It involves an assortment of skills and techniques which are related to forestry and logging. In fact, as you may have guessed, this sport originated from the logging industry and slowly transformed into a pastime for enjoyment. One of the leading names in Axemanship isn’t a man at all. Martha King is a world-famous, record-setting champion in a number of events.

Martha is reputed to be one of the best female axemen in the world; born to a family of loggers in 1971, she had a good start, competing in her first axemanship event at just 16! Her expertise is attributed to more than just her upraising, though. Her tireless work ethic and dedication to logging is bolstered by the countless hours she’s spent training in the gym and the woods. 

Setting multiple world records for speed as well as accuracy in a number of different events, Martha excels in events including the standing block chop, the single buck saw, and the springboard chop. She’s also won championships in lumberjack sports and is considered one of the best in the world.

With a completion time of 29.43 seconds the world record for standing block chop belongs to her! She’s also set records in the single buck saw and the springboard chop. In addition, she’s won several championships in lumberjack sports, including the Stihl Timbersports Series (the most prestigious competition in the sport). She’s been inducted into New England ‘Logger's Hall of Fame’. And she’s been inducted into the ‘the U.S. National Axe Throwing Federation' Hall of Fame! That’s a lot!

A true legend in the sport, Martha’s accomplishments have been inspirational for countless young women to try their hand at lumberjack sports. Is Axemanship something you have an interest in for the coming summer camp season? Confirm that it’s an activity your camp offers and have an axe-swinging good time! Thanks for reading, Camp Folks! And, as always, Happy Camping!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

With his crazy sense of humor, solid determination, and wild eccentricities, Matt is our Sales Director who forges our great relationships with summer camps all over the country. He’s played a vital role in helping kids get their camp trunks and camping gear on time, the growth of Everything Summer Camp, and the overall shaping of our company for almost 18 years.

Today we’re going to find out what Matt would do if he got to go to summer camp right now as an adult. He couldn’t settle on a single activity so he gave me his top three. Check out his list for camp activities right here:

Sailing
Matt’s never been sailing before, but he knows he definitely enjoy it. “I like the water,” he told me. Also, ever since a friend of Matt’s got certified for sailing and traveled to the Dominican, it really set the hook in Matt. “I think it’d be a fun hobby to learn!”

Trapshooting
Shooting trap has been a passion of Matt’s since he was pretty young—12, he thinks. It’s been a while since he’s had the time and opportunity to return to the sport. He even inherited his own clay pigeon throwing machine from his dad. Despite that, it’s been 10 years since he tried his hand. Last he saw, his skill level was pretty good. “I could hit 20/25,” he told me.

Guitar
Another lifelong interest of Matt’s is learning to play the guitar. He likes country music and would love to learn some classics from artists like Brooks & Dunn and Diamond Rio. He first tried learning it 20 years back, but didn’t get too far with it. A couple years ago, he made another attempt at learning the instrument. He picked up some basics and can now play most of the major chords.

What have you had the opportunity to do at summer camp? Do you share any of Matt’s interests? Let us know in the comments and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks. Happy camping! 

- John

Hey, Gen-u-ine Gymnasts!

Were you born for the balance beam? Made for mat routines? If so, you’re in luck! There’s a good chance you’ll have the opportunity to try some of your favorite Gymnastic events at summer camp. While you’ll always want to confirm that your camp offers a specific activity that you’re interested in, certain activities are so popular (such as Archery), you’d be hard-pressed to find a camp that DIDN’T offer it. Similarly, you’ll find Gymnastics offered at most camps.

Furthering your skills in the art of Gymnastics will benefit you greatly. Performing a sport as physically-demanding as gymnastics is a fantastic way for kids to improve their level of fitness including balance, coordination, flexibility, and strength. But the benefits of such an activity will also exceed your physical fitness. Check out how ELSE doing Gymnastics can benefit you:

Self-Confidence
Developing your skill level for certain Gymnastic events is a challenge to undertake! With practice and dedication, it’s exciting for campers to discover their progress over the course of their camp stay. Seeing themselves advance instills confidence in their abilities which results in campers feeling more confident in themselves.

Social Skills
Gymnastic events are often performed in a group setting. Kids wait in line for their turn to execute a certain event and then move onto the next. It’s a great setting for kids to talk about their progress, which event is their favorite, and just be silly with each other. It’s a great way for kids to develop their communication skills, work together, and make new friends.

Fun
This sport is hard work, but it’s also exhilarating. Learning new skills and performing routines are accomplishments children can take pride in. It’s something that helps them feel more engaged in the summer camp experience and encourage getting into the camp spirit. Since having fun is the Number One goal of summer camp, you can be sure this is one incredibly fun activity!

Will your camper be enjoying Gymnastics in this year’s summer camp season? It will boost their confidence, social skills, physical fitness, and overall enjoyment of summer camp! Be sure to encourage your kid to give Gymnastics a try. Til next time, Camp Folks! Thanks for reading and, as always, Happy Camping!

- John

Hey, Sports Fans!

This time of year, we may be more inclined to find means of entertainment and challenging games indoors. The same way that Pool, Ping-Pong, and Darts originated from the outdoor sports Lawn Billiards, Tennis, and Archery, Air Hockey spawned from the sport—you guessed it—Ice Hockey. The game was moved indoors, shrunk down to tabletop size, and given a frictionless surface.

Air Hockey tables achieve a frictionless surface by means of thousands of tiny holes all pushing out air currents, creating a cushion of air on the tabletop.

Less than 100 Years of History
It was the early 1960s when three employees of Brunswick Billiards sought to create a miniature version of Hockey. The wanted it so the puck could ‘float’ across the table like gliding on ice. They hired an engineer named Bob Lumineux who designed them the perfect air hockey table, though it took him nearly ten years later in 1973.

New and Almost Extinct
Foosball and Ping-Pong were popular at the time which bode well for Air Hockey. It was an immediate hit when it came out. But despite that, it nearly went out of production in the coming decades. The 80’s and 90s saw the introduction and popularity boom of video games. This revolution of entertainment entered the scene and really created an uphill battle for Air Hockey to survive.

1974 Air Hockey Tournament Premiere
Against all odds, Air Hockey did survive thanks to its popularity and officiated tournaments from early on. Before Brunswick Billiards even received an official copyright permit for the game, Air Hockey saw its premiere tournament in 1974. With a whopping $5000 cash reward to the winner and a $1000 cash reward to second place!  

I highly recommend you play Air Hockey whenever you find the opportunity to. There's some chance of finding an Air Hockey table in the rec room of the summer camp you're headed to next season. It’s quite fun for a first timer as it is for any expert. Enjoy your time on the ‘ice’ and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!                                 

Staying hard at work with an assortment of responsibilities, Nate is our Manager of the Graphics Department—a role that keeps him rather busy developing new product ideas, keeping our apparel stocked, overseeing all product production, printer and other equipment maintenance, and a whole lot more than just that. But we’re not talking about work today! 

Today we’re going to find out what Nate would do if he got to go to summer camp right now as an adult. He couldn’t settle on any one camp activity so he gave me a laundry list of fun stuff he’d sign up for. Check out the busy schedule he made for himself: 

Tennis
In his freshman year of high school, Nate thought Tennis looked interesting. He eventually played with the team after school. He had a great time playing it and, while it didn’t stick, he’d be all too happy to give it another go.

Golf
Nate’s been sharpening his Golf skills for the past 10 years. He started out heading to a course here and there with friends, but somewhere along the way, he decided to get pretty serious about it. Play became obsession and, for quite some time now, Golf has been a weekly pastime.

Trapshooting
While he’s only gone a handful of times in his life, Nate found that he really enjoys the challenge of Trapshooting. He told me that if it wasn’t for Golf, he’d probably be obsessed with Trapshooting.

Fishing
Another favorite pastime Nate loves is Fishing. He’s typically catching Walleye or Bass. Nate’s kids enjoy going fishing as well. They’ll often go with his older brother; fishing is to Nate’s brother as Golf is to him!

Hiking
For a little over a year now, Nate and his family have been going on hikes together. It’s great to get out and enjoy some fresh air in the natural world away from chirping phones and flashing screens. They do go to local hotspots like Irvine Park, Peninsula State Park, and Big Falls County Park.

Cooking
Nate already does quite a bit of cooking, but he sees it as a life skill that can always been improved upon. He enjoys making meals for his family on his Blackstone Hibachi Grill. Even in the winter months here in Wisconsin, Nate will do some outdoor cooking at least once a week.

Computer Camp
Nate knows computers are another life skill—something that will be needed more and more as time goes on. He taught himself Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator in order to update our methods of creating personalized products in the Graphics Department.

Do you share any of Nate’s interests in summer camp activities? I know I do. And he could definitely cook something for me one of these days! See what kind of options are available to you at your camp and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John