Outdoor Adventure Lays The Groundwork for Lifelong Exercise

By Alex Kvanli
March 10, 2020 (comments)

Going on a wilderness adventure is physically demanding by nature. It also may be a much-needed springboard for a lifetime of physical activity, especially for kids who don’t enjoy competitive sports. With kids spending more time than ever sitting down and consuming electronic media, a new skillset – the ability to take overnight trips into the wilderness – could be the catalyst needed to get them off their seats and spark newfound strength they’ll carry for life, even if they don’t plan on camping ever again.

Take A Break From Organized Youth Sports This Summer

By Alex Kvanli
February 11, 2020 (comments)

I love to play sports. I’ve participated in, coached, watched, and learned about sports my whole life. I even have a degree in physical education. I’m not denying the beneficial role of sports in our lives. Many of us believe that sports play an integral role in developing fundamental values in our children such as teamwork, commitment, and effort. They build character and keep kids out of trouble. Certainly, participating in sports has its merits. It’s easy to glorify sports and professional athletes. They dominate the media. Athletes are constantly in the limelight and one who has made it to...

CVBB - New Hoops, New Game

By Paul Thompson-Nelson
June 28, 2019 (comments)

As campers started to pour into camp throughout the first day, many couldn’t help but notice one surprising change to our beloved CV peninsula. That’s right, the wooden basketball hoops we knew and loved were gone! But have no fear, because four new hoops are here! Basketball has always been a prominent activity period game, and with our brand new gear, it looks like basketball is going to have an even larger number of participants this summer.

The 2nd Annual Youth Woodsmen Competition Begins

By Alex Kvanli
June 14, 2018 (comments)

The 2nd Annual Youth Woodsmen Competition kicked off today and hearts were racin’, muscles were pumpin’, and legs were stretchin’. The Woodsmen is a competition that dates back to the early 1950’s, when President John F. Kennedy said that “physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” President Kennedy’s famous words resonated with the whole nation, and as a result many of today’s mainstay fitness competitions emerged from this Golden Era of physical fitness. The Youth Woodsmen is a fitness competition between the...

Youth Woodsmen Mid-Season Update

By Alex Kvanli
July 12, 2017 (comments)

The Youth Woodsmen Competition kicked off a few weeks ago and it’s time for a mid-season update! The Woodsmen measures campers’ fitness levels when they arrive at camp and at the end of camp. Fitness tests included curl-ups, shuttle run, v-sit reach, half-mile run, pull-ups, and push-ups. The results of the first session are remarkable! Over a span of only 24 days, campers improved significantly in nearly every statistical category. Campers’ half-mile run times improved, on average, by over 20 seconds. One camper even improved his half-mile run time by 1 min 35 seconds! By the end of the session,...

CV Enters First Youth Woodsmen Competition

By Alex Kvanli
June 13, 2017 (comments)

CV entered its very first fitness competition! The 2017 Youth Woodsmen Competition kicked off today and for the first time ever, Camp Voyageur signed up! The Woodsmen is a competition that dates back to the early 1950’s, when President John F. Kennedy said that “physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” President Kennedy’s famous words resonated with the whole nation, and as a result many of today’s mainstay fitness competitions emerged from this Golden Era of physical fitness. The Youth Woodsmen is...

POSTURE! An Old School Habit We're Bringing Back

By Peter Grunawalt
September 22, 2016 (comments)

Were you ever yelled at as a child to have good posture at the dinner table? Or at your desk in school? While it hasn’t fallen off everyone’s radar, posture is certainly not an emphasized issue. Gone are the days of being chastised for not sitting up straight. But is posture really that important? Yes, it turns out. Poor posture in children is the greatest predictor of postural issues later in adulthood, manifesting as pain in the head, neck, back, hips and knees (Widhe, 2001). Poor posture is also compounding, meaning that if one link in the chain is out...