Coach Dani Glass reflects on a packed and successful first day of Ultimate Peace Training Camp 2013.
The sounds of Galaxy Quest and evening free time out at the fields is just barely drowned out by the noise of that glorious air-conditioner above my head. After an evening of teaching and running “Frisbee Knockout,” it is nice to sit inside in the quiet for a few spare minutes while I type out these words. In a few minutes I’ll return to the field for our group “Goodnight,” during which the CIT on my team, Yara, will be singing to relax us all. She tends to be quieter than others, so I’m very excited to see her step out and have the eyes of the camp upon her. We have just finished an evening full of stations of Frisbee games, including “Texas,” in which a group of players stand in a circle and everyone simultaneously throws a Frisbee across the circle, hoping for catches. We played “Frisbee Bowling, ran obstacle courses, and played small games against coaches. I’m excited to talk to the other station leaders to see how successful their domains were. In a society where basketball is played relatively infrequently, the game of “Knockout” was a bit difficult for campers to understand, but with the help and facilitation of other staff members, we were able to communicate the rules and competitive nature while the campers played. Most groups came to understand after a few run-throughs, and it seemed as though they enjoyed it. I can’t say it was the most success with a game I’ve ever had at camp, but I also think it was nice for the campers to try a new game.
Preparation Day #1 is in the books, and the UP staff, coaches, and CITs have spent an amazing day getting ready to welcome the buses of campers on Tuesday morning. We were interested in getting the perspective of a first-time UP coach, so these initial impressions come from Joey Shapiro.
To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. I applied to participate as a coach at the Ultimate Peace Training Camp almost on a whim and was a little surprised when I got in. Excited, of course, but surprised. (I mean, building peace in the Middle East by teaching kids to play Ultimate? Sounded right up my alley.) I had clicked through reams of posted photos and watched video clips and interviews from the previous years of camp, read about the stated mission of the organization, and tried to piece together what participation entailed. Continue reading