(Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash)
REEDSBURG — Earlier this year, Camp Gray posted a video on its Facebook page showing last year’s staffers singing the “Camp Gray Song,” also known as “Where I Wanna Be” (also found on Bless Us for The Journey, a CD of Camp Gray music available at www.campgray.com/music).
It contains the lyrics “Camp Gray is the place where I wanna be . . . Oh Camp Gray, how I love ya!”
Every year, kids and kids-at-heart decide Camp Gray is where they want to be, and they keep coming back. A part of them grows up each time they’re at camp.
Some of them stay on the journey for several years — starting as the smallest campers to growing up and becoming leaders of new campers and starting the cycle all over again.
A look at camp this summer
Camp Gray is the Catholic summer camp and year-round retreat center of the Diocese of Madison.
According to its website, (www.campgray.com) for more than 60 years, in everything it does, Camp Gray incorporates the Catholic faith, encourages love of neighbor, and provides tons of fun.
With nine one-week sessions of summer camp for campers in second to 12th grade, countless retreats throughout the school year for middle school and high school students, and a festive Family Camp weekend each Labor Day weekend, there are many opportunities to enjoy its 225 acres of God’s beauty.
During this summer’s second session, June 15 to 20, another guest joined the fun — rain, and lots of it.
While parts of southcentral and southwest Wisconsin were dealing with tornadoes, campers were gently woken up in the middle of the night to head to storm shelters safely tucked away underground.
By the next day, all was well as campers “battened down the hatches, ate some cereal, and sang some songs.” Their new friend rain would return later in the week though.
Leaders in Training
Outside of the staff, the most experienced members of the Camp Gray family are the Leaders in Training or LIT. These are typically soon-to-be high school seniors who had been campers for several summers and are taking steps to be future staff members.
The LIT program is a three-week leadership development program. The LIT are challenged to step into a new role at camp: the role of a servant-leader. They learn behavior management skills, child development, appropriate discipline, how to lead games and songs, Camp Gray policies and procedures, and how to interact and grow with one another in positive, healthy ways.
For LIT coordinator Clara Rose, the best part is “working with these older kids who want to learn so much. They ask really great questions, and they were great servant leaders already even before the program started.”
Rose herself was a camper for seven years before being an LIT and now a staff member for the past five years.
On the Thursday after June 16’s stormy weather, the LITs got a chance to go bushwhacking — a hike in the woods off the main trails which involved muddy conditions and crossing a creek via tree branch as well as a chance to stop and play games and journal in the silence of the woods.
For the LITs, it was another step to become camp leaders, with the walk being led by camp assistant director Chris “Topher”Aderhold — decked out in airline pilot regalia for the bushwhacking journey he called “off the beaten path” and an “adventure.”
Later, as the LITs and Rose reflected together on the adventure, while enjoying ice cream from the camp store, some of them expressed a giddy nervousness at getting a chance to interact so closely with Aderhold, who up to this point had been a leader to them. During the hike, he was closer to being a colleague and friend.
Why they keep coming back
“I love how everything’s really positive and no one’s left out of the picture,” said Verona High School senior Christian Gross, who just wrapped up his 10th year at camp. “I’m looking forward to just learning how to teach kids to love God and become a leader.”
Sun Prairie High School senior Madison Defosse has been coming to camp for seven years. She keeps coming back for “the environment here. It’s the greatest thing ever, just a great sense of community and everyone is here for each other and you just learn to be a better person.”
“I know a lot of the little jokes and songs and skits of camp, so I’ll be familiar with those and just the way things work around here,” said 11-year camp veteran and Middleton High School senior Marie Lawton. “There are always new things to learn as well.”
Some of the LITs will join the ranks of the full-time and summer staff. These adults, having decided Camp Gray is still where they “wanna be,” work tirelessly for the campers. The work ranges from camp chaplain Fr. Garrett Kau serenading a packed dining hall with the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way,” to staff members having an attitude of “I’ll do it” when help is needed with a repair or other concern around the camp.
Red vs. blue vs. weather
Excitement filled the air on Thursday night for the weekly tradition of the Camp Gray Cassidy Games (this article simply can’t do the games justice without imagining the campers excitedly singing the Olympic theme at the very mention of the words “Cassidy Games”).
As the games for the evening got underway, the blue team — led by staffer and chief David Barleywine — had a 19 to eight point advantage over the red team — led by David’s brother Kevin, also a staffer.
The entire camp entered the Camp Gray-style amphitheater for the opening ceremonies, proudly wearing either red or blue, depending upon which side they’re on. The LITs were there too, split among the red and blue.
After the chiefs were introduced and the current scores were announced, the Cassidy Games got underway as the chiefs and the Settlers — the youngest campers, grades two to five — made their way to the tug of war area, extra muddy after the week’s storms. Blue came out the winner in a hard-fought battle, extending its lead over red.
Before the evening’s thunder and lightning joined the festivities, campers were able to get in two more events. Blue took another win in the Camp Gray favorite “panda ball,” played by the Trailblazers — campers grades six to eight — and the LIT.
Red gained some momentum back before the rain delay by winning Extinguish — played by the Pathfinders, grades eight to 10.
With a threat of storms coming, and thunder in the air, everyone headed to the safety of the indoors for the rest of the evening. The Cassidy Games finale would have to wait until Friday.
Moving faith and fun indoors
The rain doesn’t stop the evening’s faith and fun, however — rain or shine, Camp Gray is still where they “wanna be.”
Most campers head to their cabins with their leaders for games, devotions, faith sharing, and other activities to close out the evening.
The Pathfinders have their traditional bonfire and closing ceremony inside “St. Joe’s” hall, with the fireplace taking the place of an open flame.
Meantime, the LITs sneak into the kitchen for a tasty bonding activity — making cookies. This gave them a chance to work together and get a little closer to the behind-the-scenes inner workings of camp.
Taking camp with them
As the week comes to a close, the campers celebrated with Mass in the chapel. There, Father Kau asked the campers to “choose joy” and take the joy of camp home with them where they can share it with their family and friends.
“Hopefully it will bring joy to your hearts, and hopefully it will bring to joy to those you share,” Father Kau said during his homily.
The Cassidy Games came to a close with the blue team completing its hard-fought win over the red team after a well-competed Lake Jake Relay Race involving most of the campers.
The two chiefs and brothers met at the finish line, holding hands and kneeling in prayer and thanks as all the campers prayed and sang in celebration of the past week.
As the week wound down, campers got a final chance to jump in the pool, play volleyball, or relax in the new camp hammocks before it was time to go home.
The LITs stuck around for two more weeks, transitioning into potential camp leaders of the future, passing on their experiences to new groups in the upcoming years. After years of not wanting to leave on Friday, they finally got their wish and were able to stick around a little longer.
Although the campers never really leave Camp Gray, because they take the camp with them, the sign leaving camp is an appropriate “see you later,” saying, “Thanks. Drive Safe. Come Back Soon.”
They all will. For each of them Camp Gray is “where I wanna be.”