2011 Camp Bluedog another Huge Success!!
This past weekend the shop closed and we held our fifth annual Camp Bluedog Mountain Bike Experience for Kids. And again, more than 50 young mountain bikers came out to Sugar Creek to ride, play, learn, laugh and teach for a weekend full of memories.
The weekend began with the weekend campers (8-15 year olds) rolling in on Friday night. The storm clouds rumbled as the mechanics did the bike check-overs and the kids met their cabin counselors. While the rain fell we watched a great mountain biking movie that got everyone excited. Right after breakfast on Saturday morning, the day campers (4.5-8 year olds) fired up camp with their arrival and then we were in full swing.
The rains had fallen lightly all night on Friday and Saturday brought some greasy trail conditions, but it didn’t stop anybody from having fun. Campers were sent to various stations throughout the day which included Ascending and Descending, The Skills Course, Bike Games, Trail Building, On and Off Road Rules, Stretching, and the highly acclaimed Free Period (which means swimming). After dinner, we all played some volleyball and then headed to the bonfire, and again Dallas made a towering inferno. We pounded s'mores like they were energy food and turned in.
Sunday brought hot, hot, hot temps, drier trails, and another day of fun. The fabled Epic Ride did not disappoint. Some of the kids rode farther than they had ever ridden and accomplished more on a bike than they thought possible. We rode “The Wall”, “The Gnar”, the brand new trail section that we ALL built the day before, “Pedal Faster Fool”, and the creek bed as a team and everybody finished strong.
Year five brought 28 new faces to camp and again with over 25 staff, we boasted better than a 1:3 ratio of staff to camper. Yep, our riding friends sure love to spend their weekends at camp just as much as the kids. Campers came from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois this year.
Camp Bluedog is the biggest Mountain Bike Camp in the Midwest, and next year we are looking to grow!
A million thanks to all of our continued supporters, our tireless friends, and mostly to the wonderful group of kids that came and spent the weekend with us. We learn so much from you all and you make us all feel like kids again.
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| Trail work with Brandon |
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| Teeter Totter Time |
