Robin Hood’s So You Think You Can Dance performances went off without a hitch yesterday evening in the Chuck Illig Playhouse. The acts were varied in music selection, but not in quality! It was an outstanding show and all of the effort each group had put in was evident when they were on that stage! The Tumblers danced to a mash up number of several jungle themed songs. The Friars tapped into Woody’s roots and channeled Frankie Valli. The Bows went for more of a musical theater performance with a number from High School Musical. It was an exceptional night and everyone had a blast!

Our fields have been fortunately graced with some rainfall, and our campers with some much needed relaxation time this Sunday. After a seemingly unending bout of heat last week, our campers have finally been able to take a couple periods to decompress and relax with their groups. Some groups played board games, others danced zumba, and there was plenty of friendship bracelet making going on. Many groups opted for a period out and about in the rain and played games of soccer, football, gaga, and newcomb.

We have a busy week ahead with mountain trips going out, outpost stays being prepared, plenty of intercamp competitions, and beach day almost underway! Stay tuned for some highlights.

Sweet dreams from The Realm,

Emily

I came to Robin Hood in 1982 when the camp had 125 boys enrolled. Much has changed in the last thirty four years. When I first worked at riflery we had a small program with a few worn rifles. The campers would lie down on old mattresses and fire at paper targets. There were no bipods, red dot sights or colorful swinging targets.

In the past seven years I have worked to improve the riflery program and to make it more camper friendly.  The old mattresses have been replaced with modern foam mats.  We have over a dozen rifles sized for our Jr. Campers, including four pink laminate rifles with the latest red dot aiming sights.  We also have a dozen traditional target rifles for our more diligent shooters.  The rifle range now offers a variety of targets including two inch and three inch self-sealing swinging targets.  Our paper targets are equipped with stickers that change color when hit, making it possible to see the tiny .22 caliber holes from the shooting line.  Removable bipods help the younger shooters learn the basics of marksmanship without struggling to hold the target rifle steady.  Our traditional bolt action .22 rifles are augmented with some classic lever action and pump action guns.

We began an air pistol program six years ago as a way to keep the range open on rainy days.  The air pistols proved very popular with our Sr. Campers.,
so popular that we now offer air pistol shooting as part of the daily riflery program. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of my summer are the periods of riflery intensive. These special activity periods allow those campers most interested in riflery to have five days of dedicated hands-on training.  The intensive schedule permits me to offer shooting disciplines not available during the regular camp day.  “Intensive” is my favorite time in the first half of camp.
Rilfery is never busier than on Parents Visiting Day when the range is open to campers and visitors.  In the past few years I have seen many parents and grandparents make the short trip past the tennis courts to riflery to challenge their young campers to the spirited contest of “hit the swinging targets”.   Parents please note: your child likely has spent every rest hour in the past four weeks shooting at nickel-sized bullseyes.  He/she may be just a Jr. Campers, but our Jr. Campers are exceptionally good at riflery.

Overall, it has been and continues to be an absolute joy to run Camp Robin Hood’s riflery range.

Sweet dreams from The Realm,

Steve

Tomorrow is our two week anniversary here at The Realm. It has been amazing watching all the kids grow together and form a common bond with each other and CRH.  What started as 16 different groups is now 16 families. Your children have all tried new adventures and accomplished many things, all while reaching heights they never thought possible.  That to me is the best part of the “sauce” here – we like to call it our “secret sauce”….

A few highlights of today and last night –

This morning I announced an optional Junior Camp mountain trip at breakfast.  Twenty-six kids ran up to the head table with giant smiles. All our campers from Yeoman and Quill down have now climbed a mountain and so we were finally able to offer an optional hike. Our Saxons and Scribes have climbed three mountains, totaling 11,000 feet to qualify for the Mt. Katahdin trip next week. To me, that is what camp should be about – taking advantage of our surroundings. Back to the Junior Camp trip – when the vans pulled back in after 6 hours the doors flew open and the kids burst out and ran to join their groups – they needed to get right back to work Robin Hood style!

Last night DC and I took the junior campers to the Sanford Mainers Game at the stadium in which Babe Ruth played his last professional game. The kids met and asked the players questions before the game. Listening to the chatter in the seats was so much fun for me. They were sharing stories of home and talking like brothers and sisters. When we reached the camp sign every van and bus broke out singing the camp alma mater. It was so sweet to hear and watch.

All day the theater was rocking with groups practicing dance rountines for the big show Saturday night. Boys and girls put everything they had into  the routines, working as one unit towards a common goal.  Boys who have never seen a dance are now producing them — I promise that you all can see them on PVD weekend!

Whether climbing a mountain or dancing in front of 450 people, our campers accomplish feats most kids aren’t able to do at home.

This place is magical, as it has been since 1927. I cannot thank you enough for sharing your children with us.

Sweet dreams from The Realm,

Woody

The Saxons kept the flag safe through a perilous night and at the dawn’s early light, it was still flying over Camp Robin Hood. Job well done.

On July 4th eve, our whole camp assembled on the beach. Junior campers showered and cozied up in their pajamas to watch Camp Huckins’ fireworks across the lake. There were plenty of oohs & ahhs as the campers looked off into the heavens over Lake Ossipee.

In the morning, we entered a leisurely buffet breakfast from 8:30-9:00 and oh what a breakfast! Everything was there: eggs bennie, hash browns, scones in three flavors, donuts, fried eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage, fruit cups filled with yogurt & granola, fresh fruit, and the list goes on! It’s by far the best buffet in the Lakes region. Campers could sit anywhere with friends and relatives of all ages. The TPJ’s took over the Saxon table!

While breakfast was going on, a group of Archers and a few Squires left for a softball tournament at Camp Birchmont. They were eager to go and display their Robin Hood pride on this holiday morning.

Meanwhile back at camp, a truck rolled in with all our inflatable things for this afternoon’s fair. Bounce houses, a giant water slide, and a big obstacle course were set up for all to enjoy. The water slide was a hit and even earned the participation of a couple Brass members!

Our Saxons and Scribes set up booths for our carnival and our campers enjoyed everything from face painting to water balloon tossing to pie eating. They managed to include thumb wrestling, fortune telling, and our own Camp Robin Hood voting booth*. Last but not least, everyone — campers and staff — thoroughly enjoyed the ice cream from the ice cream truck that visited our fair.

Everyone had the chance to go for a swim in the lake to cool down from the New Hampshire heat. It was a perfect birthday celebration for America.

Sweet dreams from The Realm,

Chuck

*It was a Chuck Illig sweep.

After 34 years, the power of camp in general, and Robin Hood specifically, never ceases to amaze me. My focus in the first week, naturally, has been on our younger and newer campers on the boys’ side. Even in this short time I have seen incredible growth and progress, both individually and on a group basis. Many boys arrived on June 24th very apprehensive about this new and bewildering experience. Eight days in, they are fully integrated; not only having the time of their lives, but also becoming young men that we can all be proud of.

A couple of specific examples are worth mentioning:

I was privileged enough to spend the evening with the Squires on their camp-out at the outpost. It was all pretty routine stuff – set up the tents, get a fire going, cook delicious fajitas, play spud on the field, and back for a dessert of s’mores. By this time it was getting dark, and the mood mellowed out as a
beautiful starlit sky looked down on us. Then it was time for ‘campfire’. Now, at Robin Hood there is a distinct difference between ‘campfire’ and ‘Campfire’. A campfire is just a pile of burning sticks. ‘Campfire’ is when our campers and their group staff are given the opportunity to speak openly, and from the heart. Our younger campers often struggle with this alien concept –never having been given this unique chance to express their feelings. The rules are simple: one person speaks at a time, nobody judges or ridicules, but may show their empathy with a quiet click of the fingers. One by one these boys started to open up and talk about how special Robin Hood is to them; not just returners, but new campers who had been here a matter of days, spoke with a confidence and sincerity that defied their mere 9 or so years. I left with warm, fuzzy feeling of pride and satisfaction.

Then there was the Junior talent show. We witnessed about 20 acts – ranging from joke tellers, to jugglers, to singers, to dancers, to instrument players… and even a stilt walking unicorn! Would these kids have had the courage to get up in front of 300 people outside of camp? Maybe. Maybe not. But the main thing is they felt so comfortable and relaxed within our unique ethos, that being on stage wasn’t really a big deal, and that it was FUN!! It was a wonderful, and entertaining night.

One of my all-time favorite quotes:

“It isn’t about how well you dance. It isn’t about who you dance with. It’s all about feeling safe to dance.”

Doesn’t this sum up beautifully what we do here?

Good night! And sweet dreams!

Dick