19 June 2012

Posted: June 19 2012

And so ends our first full day here at the Friendly Confines. And what a great day it has been. The sun shone and the mercury moved effortlessly into the low 80s. Just a perfect day for being outside playing sports. Straight after raising the flag at 9.30 this morning we got into Pictures. The photographer came and took all the cabin and portrait pictures and then the boys were free to get into cabin activities. At 11.00 we had our first General. This is where the boys can go to any activity they want as they are all open and available. It came as no surprise that most of them headed for the waterfront to cool down and swim.
This afternoon we started our Final Four instructional activites. We have four instructional periods – this year they are named Kentucky; Kansas; Ohio State and Louisville – and it is here that the boys learn to play the sports in which they will compete throughout the summer. We believe in both instruction and competition here at CM and we align this with an honest appreciation of the way the game is played. The boys will learn how to win and how to lose; win with class and lose with dignity. This mindset can be taken out into the real world away from the courts and fields where winning and losing are an everyday reality. Of course we intend to win more than we lose, but it is as well to be prepared.
We had an extended shower and dip this evening as it was still very warm. At 8.15 we called everyone up to the canteen – the only red and white building in camp! – for the first canteen of the summer. Canteen is where every boy can get (if they want to) a ‘cold one or sweet one’ (a candy or a soda, or fruit if they prefer).
After that it was time for the NBA finals, or the cross-town Cubs/Sox game on the television. The boys had to be in one or the other of those two options and from what I could tell it looked like the Heat/Thunder was a much bigger draw.
Taps was at 10.00 and all is well as I write this, so safely rest.
Goodnight everybody.
As ever…WOODY!

Woody's Word,