Hey, Football Fans!

As we draw away from the summer season, we’re typically left with some disappointment. One thing that always brightens the coming Autumn season, however, is the beginning of the football season! Born and raised Wisconsinites here at Everything Summer Camp, the Green Bay Packers are our favorite when it comes to the football team we root for.  So it should come as no surprise that when writing about a record setter in the world of the NFL, we would choose to highlight the Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers!

A Green Bay starter for the past 12 years (which happens to be his jersey number), Aaron has proven to be quite the capable quarterback. While most Packers fans were concerned to see the legendary Brett Favre leave the team, we had no idea what we were getting in his place: a two-time MVP, record breaking stud of the NFL.

Among a plethora of other records, his chief achievement gives him the title of ‘Most Productive Passer in NFL History’. Proving himself by his passer rating, Rodgers displays a strong lead over all other NFL quarterbacks when it comes to his passing success.  

Rodgers surpasses all other quarterbacks with such a high rating that it’s sure to put him in the hall of fame. His passer rating is so high, in fact, that up until last year, he had been the only quarterback in the history of the NFL whose passer rating climbed into the triple-digits (recently joined by Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks at 101.2). Though it used to be higher a number of years back at 106, he still holds an impressive lead at 102.4!

For his record-setting performance thus far in his career, Aaron Rodgers has become a lock as a future Hall of Famer which couldn’t make Packers fans more excited. Eager to see what the 2020 NFL season brings, we’re thrilled to sit back and enjoy the show. We hope our readers all over the country will enjoy the return of football and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans.

Our nation is being tested and folks from all over have been compelled to close their doors in the summer season in order to take the precautions deemed necessary to keep everyone safe. Unfortunately, this summer season has seen a good amount of camp closures and, along with them, a lot of glum faces. Just like all of you, everyone here at Everything Summer Camp is deeply saddened that there are so many camps closing their doors for the 2020 season and that so many campers don’t get to have their summer camp experience this season.

While some of you may have attended camp this season, others were not so fortunate. To those of you who didn’t get to go to camp this year, know that you’re not alone. Today, we’re featuring one of the many summer camps who were closed for their normal camp season this summer—Camp Wise. Here’s the message from their website: 

“It is with deep sadness that the Board and professional leadership of the Mandel JCC and Camp Wise have made the very painful and difficult decision to cancel our Camp Wise Summer 2020 season. After careful consideration and consultation with experts, it became increasingly clear that the risks to bringing our community together in-person this summer would be extraordinarily unique and challenging with no guarantee of the safety and well-being of anyone. Ultimately, the decision was made and founded upon one goal—to safeguard the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community…. In this unprecedented moment in time, we believe it is incumbent upon us to do what we ask our campers and staff to strive for every day each summer, which is to live by our Camp Wise values, even when it’s hard and involves sacrifice.”

Everything Summer Camp supports Camp Wise and we look forward to seeing their normal camp sessions return in 2021. We hope all you campers who had planned on a summer stay at Camp Wise are still able to get out into the wilderness for your own personal camping experience and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Sports Fans!

A popular enough sport that most summer camps across the country offer it in a rec. room or maybe in a gym, Ping Pong—also known as Table Tennis—is, rather obviously, the lawn game Tennis adapted for playing indoors on tabletop. Tennis, which was invented in 1873 France, only took about a decade to make its indoor transformation in Britain.  

The term Ping Pong is typically the one you’ll hear used by amateurs while formally trained players refer to the sport as Table Tennis. But the two names refer to the exact same game. The name ‘Ping-Pong’ was coined by the English firm J. Jaques and Son at the end of the 1800s and later became trademarked by the Parker Brothers board game company which popularized the name.

The game caught on quick in England. By 1901 tournaments were being held, bringing in more than 300 participants. It was a Japanese college professor who encountered Table Tennis during his visit and introduced the game to his students. Soon after, a British salesman named Edward Shires introduced the game throughout his travels to Vienna and Budapest. Table Tennis was suddenly gaining popularity the world over!

In roughly two decades, The Ping-Pong Association was formed and was quickly renamed as the more official-sounding Table Tennis Association. Interest in the game steadily grew for the next 30 years or so until around 1950 when it exploded with the invention of the sponge.

Also called ‘sandwich rubber’, the Japanese used this new material for their paddles which proved a much higher capacity for command over how you hit the ball. Putting spin on the ball was hardly a part of the game until this new material made it that much more possible.   

Whether you call it Ping Pong or Table Tennis, enjoy playing wherever a table is available. You can even play when you’re out camping with our awesome Backpack Ping Pong Set! Intended for play on a picnic table, check out our backpack set we offer by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

A handful of years ago, we talked about former summer camper and famous actor Zach Braff here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog. We looked into his time spent at Stage Door Manor in New York as well as his childhood and the path he took that led to his acting career. We covered a lot in his previous post, but there’s still a lot we could learn about this guy.  

Let’s dig a little deeper beyond the surface and learn a bit more about Braff. Check it out:

Braff’s Creek?
Did you know that Zach auditioned for the hit drama from the late 90’s ‘Dawson’s Creek’? The show would have likely kept the title we all know had Zach landed a role on it, but you never know the avalanche of changes that could have been spawned by a different casting job. Of course, Zach didn’t get the job and we know him for a multitude of other roles like J.D. on ‘Scrubs’!

Put One Foot a Few Extra Centimeters in Front of the Other
Zach’s right leg is actually a bit longer than his left. A condition that’s uncommon, but not unheard of, a slightly longer leg typically goes unreported or maybe even unnoticed unless it causes an issue. However, Zach was unfortunate enough to have suffered a herniated disc because of his slightly longer right leg.

We Don’t Want No Scrubs
Zach has gone on to play a number of other memorable roles, but his time on ‘Scrubs’ was very special to him. It seems there were just as many laughs behind the scenes as there were on the show itself. He’s held onto a number of friendships that he created with the cast and crew of the medical comedy-drama series. In fact, he’s best friends with Donald Faison in real life who played Turk, Zach’s best friend on the show!

For many people, ‘Scrubs’ is the role they remember most when they think of Zach, but he has since gone far beyond the TV show with starring roles in films and even directorial credit in his movie ‘Garden State’ which he shot in his home state of New Jersey. Check out his previous post by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

People from all over the country have closed their doors in the summer season to take the precautions deemed necessary to keep everyone safe throughout the coronavirus pandemic, but there have been some areas where people have been fortunate enough to not be impacted as heavily as others. Though many camps have had to close their doors for the 2020 summer season, there are still some holding sessions. Camp Winnamocka is one. 

Camp Winnamocka sits on 220 acres of Arkansan trails, lakes, jungle lagoons, and lots more. They’ve been going since mid-June for their camp season and just wrapped up their last session at the start of the month. To assure campers and parents alike that the campus was safe, the staff put out this message:

“The health and safety of our campers, camp families, and staff are the top priority every summer.  Due to the current health issues related to COVID-19 we will be implementing several procedural changes to help our families feel comfortable sending children to our programs…Camp Winnamocka opening and closing activities will look just a bit different this year, but this will enable us to limit contact with our facility.”

We’re happy to see that it’s been a successful summer camp session for all the happy Winnamocka campers who got their summer camp experience despite this year’s uncertain camp season.

We here at Everything Summer Camp are in full support of Camp Winnamocka and are so excited for their campers who got to have their summer session this year despite lots of questioning. We’re delighted to know that summer dreams have come true for some fortunate kids this season. May we all make it through these strange times more or less unscathed and set our sights on a less questionable summer next year. As always, thanks for reading.

- John