Camp Green Lane Blog Post July 9th

I learned how to row a canoe at camp many years ago.

Today, 10 girls learned how to throw a punch.

The second week of Girls’ Clinic kicked off today, and those 10 girls signed up for boxing because they were intrigued by the new selection on the list. Clinics like boxing are a product of counselor creativity and thinking outside the box.

In past summers, counselors have introduced sports passions like rugby and jiu jitsu during Clinic, offering lots of variety outside of the traditional sports we play at camp.

On a day when the annual Matt Paul basketball camp-within-a-camp filled the Dome with the sound of bouncing balls and squeaking sneakers in the morning, the sound of boxing gloves thudding against handheld pads came out of a corner on Senior Boys Lawn, right next to the Weight Room.

There, Samara, Alexis, Molly, Maya, Avery, Anna, Hanna, Ceci, Charlotte and Liv squared their shoulders, danced like butterflies and stung like little bees. They paid close attention to their footwork. They threw right crosses, left crosses, ran back and forth from a pole up the hill, then returned for two more strikes before ending the drill dodging a mock punch from the counselors running the gauntlet. Sophie, Meadow and Chiara cheered the girls on and there were high fives and fist bumps when they completed their rounds.

I caught up with Ceci afterwards. She said she picked boxing because she thought it sounded cool. She also said it was “new,” so she wanted to try it. And her counselor was running it, so she decided to pick it this week and she’s glad she did. “And the girls know how to defend themselves, too!” Hanna said with a big smile.

Basketball camp continues tomorrow for a second day, and Friday is lacrosse camp. Today, kids learned how to shoot foul shots and three-pointers. Others tested their mettle on the bikes or the ropes. Some kids probably learned how to row a canoe, too.

And in a shady corner of camp, 10 girls learned how to throw a punch.