JUNIOR CAMP 2015

I want to begin my Junior Camp Post by saying that I AM A TERRIBLE MC! I should have a written outline and follow it. In fact, instead of planning in advance, I was "working" on my outline as I was posting results with the help of Morgan and Tim DeWitt, and "thinking" of what needed to be said, not the best way to deliver specific thoughts that you want to make a point with. And then, all those plans went into hiding in the depths of my brain. So here is some of what I wanted to say, and didn't:

The success of this camp is all because of the help I have. Period. Starting with Tim DeWitt, who takes time out of his summer jobs just to help here, even this time when his son Conner was not around and doing other summer jobs. Thank you friend! I have learned a lot from you! Or without Ann Cowan, who is always there to lend a hand in anything you do at the club! Or this year without Anya, from whom I learned some new things. Or without Morgan, the new smiley face at the shop for this summer or Kelsi, a permanent figure here the last 4 years. And, without Mona, my right hand at the pro-shop and my great partner in business and at home! And of course, once more  without the families who entrust us with their kids... NO KIDS, NO JUNIOR CAMP! That simple! So thank you all for helping make this golf camp for juniors a success!

The above said, this was one camp in which even now, I have many flashbacks of great moments, and of stories told to me by those who helped, about what they were part of.... "I wish you had been there with your camera!" Trust me, me too! LOL! It is tough, even for those there, unless you have a video camera going on on each participant, to be there at THE EXACT MOMENT when someone does something extraordinary. That is why I always have a camera in hand, to see if I can catch that exact moment, which if I am lucky, it is 1 in 1,000!

Tim DeWitt told me of the face two of the younger ones did when they holed out a difficult chip shot (Cy Barker and Russ Fairchild); or, when Ann Cowan told me about 5 year old Cade Green connecting perfectly, his best drive ever, to win the little ones driving contest. Anya told me about a 7 year old girl who also connected with a driver that sailed over 100 yards and rolled a few more, and she went around yelling in excitement before trying again... and not being able to duplicate the feat.

I was also there when Jailly Sharp and Boston Stover hit their first ball up in the air and far. That would have been another "Kodak Moment", but again, I was the teacher, not the photographer at that exact moment. And how about a young 5 year old who hates losing, Dax Wilson. Well, Dax lost one of the races and was very upset, so I challenged him to a race, which I intended to win to show him he can't win then all anyway... but he beat me! There went my lesson!

In short, there is magic in these camps, and there is also "magic is gone" moments. But you learn to enjoy it all. 

In between sessions, there is always
time to be with friends.

This camp is not only about golf. It is about learning other skills, like being around other people, making lasting friendships, learning to compete and learning that in competing there is winning and losing... and learning the honesty to know the difference and learning to try better. Like I wrote in another post, quoting novelist Samuel Beckett: ever tried. ever failed. no matter. try again. fail again. fail better. You can give this thought many interpretations, and mostly good... you cannot ever fail in anything if you don't try something. And those who succeed, are those who get up after falling and try again and again. Golf, as a whole, can teach leadership as well.

All the above out of the way, I feel comfortable to share the results with you:

5-6 Year Olds, CHIPPING
1st Jack Redd     2nd Boston Stover     3rd Russ Fairchild

5-6 Year Olds, DRIVING
Boys: 1st Cade Green    2nd Jack Redd    3rd Jacob Stover
Girls: 1st Kennedy Cowan    2nd Jaily Sharp

5-6-7 Year Olds, PUTTING (everyone)

1st Russ Fairchild    2nd Boston Stover    T3rd Boone Barker and Megan Suter

WINNERS CHIPPING (AROUND THE GREEN)

5 Years Old: Bonne Barker

6-7 Years Old: Russ Fairchild (Chip-in)
8 Years Old: Hooper Stover
9-10 Years Old: Cy Barker

9-10 PITCHING-DRIVING BOYS
Pitching: 1st Mason Schmidt  2nd Cy Barker  3rd  Lake Hargrove
Driving: 1st Mason Schmidt  2nd Guy Garrison 3rd Cy Barker

9-10 PITCHING-DRIVING GIRLS
Pitching: 1st Rylee Jordan  2nd payton Broadbent
Driving: 1st Payton Broadbent  2nd Rylee Jordan

7 Year OLDS - DRIVING
Boys: 1st Hunter Mayfield  2nd Matt Duncan
Girls: 1st Kinlee Jordan  2nd Adison Carnes 3rd Lucy O'Hara

7 Year OLDS - PITCHING
Boys: 1st Max Duncan   2nd Hunter Mayfield
Girls: 1st Kinlee Jordan  2nd Adison Carnes 3rd Megan Suter

11 Year OLDS - CLOSEST TO PIN & LONG DRIVE
CTP: 1st Drake Hughes  2nd Cooper Cowan  3rd Carter Senger
LD: 1st   Drake Hughes  2nd  Lane Hargrove  3rd Cooper Cowan

12 Year OLDS - CLOSEST TO PIN & LONG DRIVE
CTP: 1st Aden Schmidt    2nd Travis Poole   3rd Grant Graham
LD: 1st   Travis Poole  2nd  Grant Graham  3rd Nick Nagle

13 Year OLDS - CLOSEST TO PIN & LONG DRIVE
CTP: 1st Cale Brooks  2nd Tate Trotter  3rd Caden Culver
LD: 1st Tate Trotter  2nd  Caden Culver  3rd Cale Brooks

11-13 Year OLDS - GIRLS CLOSEST TO PIN & LONG DRIVE
CTP: 1st Tory Garrison  2nd Loren Peffer  3rd Jordan Deason
LD: 1st   Jordan Deason  2nd  Tory Garrison  3rd Loren Peffer

8 Year OLDS - CLOSEST TO PIN & LONG DRIVE BOYS
CTP: 1st Austin Smith  2nd Morgan McIntyre  3rd Dillon Baker
LD: 1st Morgan McIntyre  2nd  Tyler Brooks  3rd Austin Smith

8 Year OLDS - CLOSEST TO PIN & LONG DRIVE GIRLS
CTP: 1st Zaryn Thomas  2nd Jacklin Stover
LD: 1st  Jacklin Stover  2nd  Zaryn Thomas

8 Year OLDS - PUTTING (Everyone)
1st Zaryn Thomas  2nd Morgan McIntyre  3rd Hooper Stover

9-10 Year OLDS - PUTTING (Everyone)
1st Grayson Wilcox  2nd Cy Barker  3rd Payton Broadbent

PLAYING 2 HOLES BOYS 
11 Years Old: 1st Drake Hughes  2nd Lane Hargrove  3rd Trenton McIntyre
12 Years Old: 1st Travis Poole  2nd Grant Graham  3rd Nick Nagle
13 Year Old: 1st Tate Trotter  2nd Cale Brooks  3rd Caden Culver