Runner's Camp 2011

Kate has been waiting to do Runner's Camp since we moved to Wake Forest. It's our church's version of VBS (for kids ages 6-12), but it looks a little different than a traditional VBS would. Runner's Camp is an outdoor day camp held two different weeks in the summer where the kids learn how to study the Bible and also how to do track and field events. They learn from track and field coaches who come in from all over the country.

And this year was the biggest one yet, with over 600 kids participating!

I volunteered to be an age-group leader this year (I had 10-yr-old girls), and Kate was in the 6-yr-old girls group. Because I was an AGL, the boys and Mollie got to go to "Mini-camp" (or "Mini-namp" as Hudson called it) which was held at North Wake's campus every day.

Here we are, me and my campers, ready to go bright and early!

Robin was also an AGL for the 10-yr-old girls. Each age group is divided into boys and girls groups, and then again into sub-groups so that each sub-group (A & B) will not have more than 12 kids. Each morning Robin and I did our teaching time separately, but then our group joined together for our daily rotations through the different track and field events.

I had a great time working with her!

This whole week is so well-done, down to every last detail. I really was blown away after getting to be a part of it. Here is Sara Beth, who helped with snacks and led worship with North Wake's worship pastor, Daniel Creswell. As you can see, she has her "happy spoon". Each group is supposed to make up a team name and cheer. Sara Beth has her own cheer that Kate thought was the coolest and memorized it by the end of the first day of camp.

If I heard it once, I heard it 1000 times!

It goes: "ARE YOU HAPPY?! Yeah, man...H-A-P-P-Y!!"

I also was assigned a youth helper for the week. The age groups are from ages 6-12, so anyone older than that can sign up to be a youth helper. Mine was Sam Grubb, and she was great!

The girls loved her and she was a lot of help to me.

Here's some of our "Green Girls"

(although the official team name they chose was the Green Gators, Robin and I wound up referring to them as the "Green Girls" all week long.

It just worked for us.)

One of the things I loved the most about being an AGL was getting to see Kate several different times throughout the morning. She and I were plenty busy with our own respective groups, but as we rotated throughout the stations each day, we had lots of opportunities to check in with each other. She did really well in mostly all the events. The running ones were her favorites, and she also enjoyed the jumping (both high and long).

Here she is doing a long jump (her camp best was 8'8"!)

The last 30 minutes of each day was spent with Daniel and Sara Beth. They wrote songs to help the kids memorize their memory verses, as well as a rap to help them remember the steps to studying God's word. Funny too, because they sent home a CD with each camper, and Josh is on there doing the rap with Daniel! Every time the kids listen to it, they say "Hey! That's Daddy!" I love to watch Kate sing along with it. She gets so into it and it's awesome.

They also get to play a game called "Gorilla, Man, Gun". Kate was determined each day to get farther in the round than she did the day before.

All because the winner got a gift certificate to Goodberry's for ice cream : )

Here is Kate's group (The Blue Whales) doing their cheer for the rest of the campers.

To wrap up the week of camp and showcase all they've learned, they had a track meet over at a local high school on Friday night.

Kate got to choose what track and field events she wanted to participate in,

and we were all there to cheer her on.

My boys love Graham Savage.

He has such a servant's heart (he's seen a great example of that in his mama, Blaire, who is a dear friend and is instrumental in putting on Runner's Camp each year. She writes the curriculum, which is AMAZING, and really pours her whole heart into this ministry year-round.) Hudson thinks the world of "Nam" (he helps out in his class every Sunday and Hudson sticks to him like glue). It really is sweet to watch. I told Blaire that I think they just 'get' each other, maybe because they are both the 3rd of 4 children in their families. Who knows? Whatever it is, it works.

Kate getting ready to compete in the long jump.

Then it was on to the high jump.

Racing in the 100M. (She's right in the middle, out in front.)

Girlfriend is fast. Seriously fast. Pretty sure it has something to do with those long legs.

They also do a sibling run, divided up by ages. Hudson opted out, which honestly surprised us. We expected him to be all over a chance to run as fast as he wants, but he didn't want any part of it. Carter, however, was totally into it. They said "On your marks, get set, GO!" and off he went! He was determined, head down and face set toward the finish line, running his race well. It was awesome. (He's on the far right.)

Rachel coaches the local high school cross-country team and has been involved in track and field since she was in high school. She taught the distance event at the camp, and helped with timing the events during the track meet.  My boys were glad, because that meant they could have some time to play with "Mr. Nuh-nin".

Mollie says "Sup."

Enjoying a rest between events, hanging with friends and family.

Kate was excited to get to help hold the finish line for one of the boy's races while she was waiting for her last event.

The track meet lasted a long time, well into the night. Kate had won the 800M at camp (2 laps around the track, equivalent to 1/2 mile) and wanted to compete in it at the track meet. What we didn't account for was doing it at 9:30pm after a full day of camp and a full afternoon/evening of competing in 4 other events/races. Big difference from doing it first thing in the morning, full of energy!

She was out of gas, and the only way she would run was if I ran around the track with her. Of course I did, encouraging her all the way, and she finished! It was really hard for her, but she persevered. That did a number on my heart, watching my girl struggle and press through pain and fatigue to finish strong. We were so proud for her, and thankful to see how God is at work in her! They'd been learning Hebrews 12:1-2 all week at camp, which says :

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

We were singing it as we ran and I loved every second of it. Love my girl so. It meant so much that Rachel ran some of it with us, and so did sweet Caroline Savage (Blaire's daughter).

So thankful for how they loved on my girl and cheered her on!

Our first Runner's Camp was absolutely awesome. We cannot WAIT for next year!!