Why should kids have all the fun? Bring the whole family and experience camp like you wish you could have when you were a kid. The days are filled with activities including waterskiing/wakeboarding, ropes course, climbing wall, kayaking, tennis, archery, pickleball, group gaga games, pool play (with our 2 fantastic Schlitterbahn waterslides at 150 ft each!) and other lake activities. If any of this sounds too strenuous, you can choose to sit on the over-the-water gazebos, gaze at the view and watch your children kayak or water ski. Evenings will be celebrated with fun activities, live music and camp food like you’ve never had anywhere else!

For more information, please visit http://championsretreat.com/default.aspx/MenuItemID/271/MenuGroup/_Home.htm. We hope to see you at Family Camp!

Pool Play

Cake upside the head!A Family Camp Birthday Celebration!

Not this year.  Not this Super Bowl.

Who Dat rooting for the Saints?  It would be Team Champions!

Why?  I will give you two words: Drew Brees.

Drew was a camper at Champions for 8 years and was Bearer of the Torch (then called Favorite Camper) twice.  We still have former cabinmates talk about what a good athlete – and even better person – he was.

So despite the fact that we respect the Colts and Peyton Manning – Champions Nation will be rooting for New Orleans on Super Bowl Sunday!

Steve Sir

Interesting fact: Both Camp Champions and the New Orleans Saints were established in 1967.  Hmmmm

Over the Thanksgiving break, the Baskin Family was lucky enough to spend a week in the Virgin Islands.  Since we do not get to travel together during the summer, we always try to do something special some other time.  This year, Susie Ma’am’s mom and dad hosted a sailing trip (they are talented sailors).

I only tell you this so that you can understand the photo.  Our family hopes yours had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Steve Sir

At first, I did not really get it.

Over the last 3 months, I have really become a fan for several reasons.

First, our Camp Champions Fan Page has been adding members like crazy.  It is so much fun to keep in touch with the campers and families that we love in the non-summer months.

Second, we have started to use it to find our alumni.  We are looking through old yearbooks and reaching out to former campers from the early years (1967-1975 so far) in a hope to build our alumni community as well.  When Susie Ma’am and I bought the camp in 1995, we had essentially no alumni records and we have always longed to get in touch with former campers.  Whenever former campers visit camp, they love it – sometimes spending 1-2 hours looking through old yearbooks!  We want to share this excitement with even more people.

As a result, we have started to post old yearbooks on Facebook as well.  Well, actually, we have only done one so far.  If you get a chance, check it out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marble-Falls-TX/Camp-Champions/169523977814.  If you like it, please let us know so that we can add more pages.

Finally, I had my first “Facebook Birthday” this week and was so pleased to hear from campers, counselors, parents and even some high school friends. What a joy to connect with so many wonderful people!

Here is a quick picture for you from the birthday festivities.  I am usually pretty good at convincing myself that I am still a young pup, but this shot kinda made me see that I am getting up there.  Susie Ma’am decided to put ALL 45 CANDLES on the cake, broken into one set of Trojan Blue and one set of Spartan Red.  The effect was a pretty scary flame.  Check it out in the picture!

Until the next blog, I hope to hear from you on Facebook!

Steve Sir

We write, you read.  Then you can write us back and let us know what you think.  We will be making some cool announcements over the next few months, so you will want to keep your eyes on the blog.  Be sure to subscribe and you will not miss anything!

We all miss all of you so much.  As Shirls so often says, camp without you and the kids is just a lot of beautiful stuff, but it is not really camp.

With that in mind, we leave you with some of the beautiful stuff.

This is a great shot of the boys swim bay taken by Adam Long.

Steve Sir

I love the hangout moments of camp!

That’s better.

OK, we are now blogging at Camp Champions!  That means that we will be sharing cool stuff that is happening at camp (and there is a LOT of that) and just having some fun.

No big announcements today, but you will be hearing from us soon!

Until then, here are two pictures to make you smile!

Fenway, the camp dog. She is dressed for success!

Baskin children apparently unsure how to ride a boat

Steve Sir