Nestled in the middle of NO WHERE just 22 miles from the Arkansas state line I left my kid, 1 friend, 1 tent and a tote of running clothes in a camp ground on the banks of the North Fork river at running camp.
The information we read was ALL true:
Their are 2 ways out of camp - Up a Hill and Up a Hill (and they don't just have little hills in southern MO - they are BIG and LONG)
The camp is disciplined and you follow the rules or you pay the price - PUSH-UPS
You protect, help, and run (morning & night) with the team you are assigned to on the first day of camp and NO ONE within your team wins, Coach Bill Dixon's idea's are a little "old fashion," and he believes in Group Discipline - as he states, Someone in your group won't cut it in life, the rest of you will have to pay for their mistakes, so if one of my groups doesn't cut it the rest will get disciplined. it's about TEAMWORK!
These group of young ladies MADE IT and together formed a TEAM bond in just 4 days!
They ran each morning and night together, performed in the talent show together, conquered 2 nights worth of storms (high winds & lots of rain), floated down the river together....and encouraged one another when the hills were long, the temperature was hot, and the run wasn't even close to being over!
Good Work Ladies....you are learning more then just running skills - you are learning "life skills." As Joe Bill Dixon says, this camp is a laboratory for life....and high school sports go broader then just teaching them the skills for the game - it's to produce better citizens for the future!
