Being a student-athlete in the summer can be a jarringly boring time. Going from the busy nature of college, with classes, practice and game schedules – to a whole lot of nothing can be a really hard adjustment.
But this summer, I had Camp Quality. Meeting new people, hanging out with a great kid and expanding the game of lacrosse, all within one week, capped off my summer in an inspiring way.
Earlier this year, Bo Taylor, alumnus ‘21, also one of my lacrosse coaches, invited my teammates and me to a summer camp he worked at called Camp Quality, a national summer camp program for kids with cancer, with the motto “Letting Kids With Cancer be Kids Again.”
From the medical staff to the coordinators to the “blue shirts” that made sure camp ran smoothly, everyone was ready to help and make sure the kids had a good time. That’s what camp is all about, but seeing it all come together to create such a wonderful experience was special.
I will be honest, I had some reservations about going to camp. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to give my camper the best week possible, but those reservations and anxieties quickly dissipated the moment I got to camp. I felt welcomed and prepared for what was ahead.
My role at camp was as a companion, meaning I spent a week with a camper named Ethan. Despite having little to no experience with kids, the two of us had a blast hanging out together.
Ethan was an absolute joy to be around. He made friends with everyone in our cabin, along with anyone else who had the pleasure of interacting with him. Ethan was ready to try anything and everything he could; he was such an inspiration to me.
At camp, we enjoyed a large variety of summer activities like swimming, rock climbing, fishing and archery. One thing that made camp stellar, though, was the people I met there.
I recognized a few Albion alumni on staff who made sure I felt comfortable and welcomed into the camp community. Megan and Kaitlyn Piontkowsky, alumnae ‘23, Ronnie Puczkowski, alumnus ‘24 and Becca Ross, alumna ‘23, were all at camp with me and my lacrosse teammate and coach, giving Albion a pretty sizable presence at camp.
Everyone working and attending camp was warm, welcoming and ready to have a good time.
The star of the show, though, was Ethan.
One of the highlights of camp was playing lacrosse with him. I brought a couple of my sticks, as well as a smaller one for Ethan to keep. Both my teammate and coach also brought sticks, so at one point we had at least 10 kids all passing a ball around, which was very exciting to see. I love spreading love for the sport I play, and Ethan seemed to enjoy playing.
One moment that sticks out to me more than all the rest happened during lunch one day.
During meal time, two sets of campers and companions would draw cards to see which camper gets to dump water on their companion. One fateful day, Ethan won the draw and got to dump three big cups of water on me.
It was hot all week, so I didn’t mind, and seeing Ethan have a good time dumping water on me made my day.
Even though camp was a lot of fun, there were also moments set aside for reflection and remembrance.
Everyone spent one night around a campfire, remembering the campers who had died. This was hard for a lot of the campers and companions, and even though I was new to camp, I had a hard time with it too.
I have lost quite a few friends and family to cancer, and it is nights like that one around the campfire that make sure they aren’t forgotten.
Overall, working at this camp meant a lot to me. Like I said before, I was pretty nervous going in, but I’m so glad I got to share my coach’s experience with him. I also got a lot closer to my teammate Carson, the other current student to attend.
Other than making new relationships with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise, building upon my already established relationships with coach Bo and Carson was something I am equally happy about.
The week I spent at camp was easily the best part of my summer and possibly my year. Not only was getting to spend a week with amazing people a great change of pace for me, but watching Ethan make new friends and have a great time was amazing. I can’t wait to see him next summer.
Being an Albion student-athlete has brought me so many new opportunities and experiences, but outside of lacrosse, this is easily the best thing I have been a part of since becoming a Briton.
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