Hey, Tennis Enthusiasts!

Tennis records are being made all the time. For instance, this dog was able to fit six Tennis balls in its mouth at the same time! But there are many more records for the human Tennis players. One player of extreme notability is the German players, Steffi Graf from Germany.

Ranked at the top for a world record of 377 weeks—the longest period that any player (male or female) has held the number-one ranking since rankings were first issued—Steffi Graf stands out on a level that surpasses all other Tennis players.

What other records does she hold? Let’s find out:Well, Steffi is the only Tennis player to have won each Grand Slam tournament at least four times. She’s also the only player to win all four Grand Slam singles titles as well as the Olympic gold medal in the same year! Besides that, she won 107 singles titles and 22 Grand Slam singles titles putting her in third place of the WTA all-time list and second place of the Open Era.

Those are the highlights, but that only scratches the surface of all Steffi’s Tennis achievements. To keep going for just a little while, we can also credit her with six French Open singles titles, seven Wimbledon singles titles, four Australian Open titles, and five U.S. Open singles titles.

Steffi’s claim to fame also has to do with her style of gameplay. The versatile nature of her style spans across all elements of the game, from her footwork to her powerful forehand drive. Thanks to her athleticism and aggressive approach to the game played from the baseline, she’s been credited with the development of the modern style of gameplay that players adhere to today.

Enjoy playing Tennis when you get your chance to head off to summer camp or just whenever you hit the courts! Who knows where the next Steffi Graf could pop up! As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

Here is our last submission from our July ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest entries. The coronavirus has had a huge impact on everyone—camp included. And, though many kids were unable to attend camp this summer, we still wanted to hear from you. We asked to hear from kids who weren’t able to attend camp this season to record this very unusual time in our world.

This last submission for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest comes from Keely A. who was unable to attend Mountain Lakes Camp this year. Here’s her submission:


“After being afraid to go to camp for so many years, last year I went to camp for the first time! It was the greatest summer ever! I loved meeting new friends, my counselors, playing in the woods, and just having fun at camp. I was so excited to go back to camp this summer. I understand that we have to stay safe, but was really looking forward to camp. I can't wait to go next year and get back to playing with friends and having fun!”


Hey, Keely. Thanks for writing this. It sounds like you’re handling your disappointment well. You’re right that we all need to stay safe, but camp is supposed to be a really healthy influence in a kid’s life and help you grow. It’s really too bad that you had to miss out on what this year would have had to offer.

It will definitely help to look forward to next summer when you can actually go to camp and enjoy the fun and the friends that will be there with you! It’s sure to be a blast! To everyone else, you can check out Mountain Lakes Camp for yourself by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Closely resembling swordfighting, Fencing is an awesome, adventuresome activity that your camper could have the opportunity to engage in possibly during their summer camp stay or private courses. Fencing participants are dressed in padded gear which is loaded with sensors which are marking points scored by your opponent.

Despite the similarities to swordfighting, Fencing has an incredibly low injury rate when compared to other sports such as soccer or gymnastics. Participants are protected by a ton of padding and a full facemask. Also, the blades are not sharp and come to a blunt end. With no risk to injury of the eyes or face, the rare Fencing injuries are ones you would expect in any other sport.

A Thinker’s Sport
You’ll hear Fencing referred to as a physical game of Chess from time to time because of how much thought is involved in this active activity. Fencing will teach you to read subtle clues and react quickly to them. Benefiting both the brain and the body, Fencing is one sport where you need to perform mentally just as much as you do physically!

Sweatin’ to the Swordplay
Fencing gets the heart pumping! There’s a lot of back and forth involved along with lunges and quick recoveries. It builds lung capacity and gives you endurance. It’s also and exercise in strength training because holding the correct form, while holding your sword, and lunging, and striking, or avoiding a hit builds muscle and core strength.

Feels Good to Fence
Whether you win or lose, Fencing is fun! You can always look back at your performance and feel satisfied for doing the best you could! It’s easy to learn from your mistakes when you examine your game! And, like a team sport, kids are constantly practicing against and alongside each other, building friendships and bonding through a shared experience.

Look into your camp and see if they offer Fencing for your next season of summer camp! And look into taking a class if your interests are that high! Have fun with Fencing and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Basketball Fans!

We’ve made it this far into the revised and shortened NBA season and in less than two months—no later than October 13—only one team will have emerged as the NBA Champion for the 2019-2020 season. In order to celebrate this basketball season, we thought we would hold a little contest for all our summer camp families with basketball fans! All you need to do is send us who you think the NBA Champion is going to be.

Three winners will be randomly selected from all the entries that submitted the correct team for the NBA Champion and awarded our first prize, second prize, and third prize winnings.

Being basketball fans ourselves here at Everything Summer Camp, we offer some cool basketball-themed Designer Camp Trunks at our online store. So we thought we’d make the first place prize a Designer Trunk of your choice ($199.99 value).

Our second place winner will receive a $100 Gift Certificate to our camping gear shop while our third place winner will receive a $50 Gift Certificate.

Check out the rest of the rules:  

To enter you will need to submit the team you believe will be crowned the NBA Champion for the 2019-2020 NBA Season. Fill out the entry form completely and be sure to have a parent or guardian provide their permission on the entry form.

All entries must be received by August 22nd, 2020 no later than 11:59pm Central Standard Time ("CST"). The Contest will begin on Monday, August 17th, 2020 and end on Saturday, August 22nd, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CST (the "Contest Period"). No entry fee or purchase is necessary to enter the Contest.

The NBA Champion should be crowned no later than October 13th. The day after the championship series has been decided we will randomly draw the 3 winners from all entries that selected the correct NBA team to win the championship.

Check out the submission page for the contest by clicking right here. And visit our Official Rules page when you click here and get further details. Enjoy the rest of the season and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!


- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

It's time for another story from our July ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest submissions. The coronavirus has had a huge impact on everyone—camp included. And, though many kids were unable to attend, we still wanted your stories. We asked to hear from kids who weren’t able to attend camp this season to record this very unusual time in our world.

Our next submission for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest comes from Emma W. who wrote in to tell us about her trip to Camp Oneka. Here’s her submission:

“Hi. My name is Emma and I am 10 years old. I was excited to meet new camp friends and play some kickball for the red and white games this summer. Since I couldn’t go to camp I played with my brother a lot. I loved playing outside this summer and exploring in nature. Next year I am excited to spend my Friday nights at the campfire overlooking the lake and swimming all day!!!”

Hi, Emma. Thanks for writing in. What a bummer that you couldn’t attend Camp Oneka and play kickball for the red and white competitions like you had hoped. Good thing you and your brother had each other to play around with in the outdoors and to go exploring together. It’s not the same as summer camp, but it sounds like the two of you kept in the spirit of the season! Cool turtle!

Keep your eyes on the prize of next summer when you can actually go to camp with campfires and the swimming and all the new camp friends you’ll make! It’s sure to be a blast! To everyone else, you can check out Camp Oneka for yourself and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John