It has been brought to my attention that most of you would not really know what a day at Master Camp is like! The following is a humorous (but totally accurate!) look at one day among the karate masters at Camp Green Lane!
A Day in the Life of Master Camp
TWEET! TWEET!! "Get up, campers, get 'em up!" That is the dulcet sound of Whistle Bob and his thrice-damned whistle, which awakens you gently at 6:00AM each day. Bob and his whistle make the rounds of all the cabins, making sure that each and every cabin is favored with some up-close-and-personal whistle blowing and drill sergeant yells right outside their windows.
TWEET! TWEET!!! "I don't hear anything in there ladies!" Blearily I sit up, taking care not to crack my head on the ceiling since I'm in an upper bunk. Two of my cabin mates are trying to hide under their covers; they got in sometime around 2:00AM after hitting the nearby pub last night. Another cabin mate, who did not appreciate being awakened at 2:00AM, shoots them a glazed-over glare as she struggles to a sitting position.
TWEET!! TWEET!!! "Let me hear your voices, ladies!" "Good morning!" I call back. "Good morning!" Bob returns in his gravel voice, and moves on. Bob has quite possibly the most thankless job in camp, which is waking up stiff, tired people and getting them up, dressed, and ready to rumble earlier than most of us ever get out of bed. Most people have a sort of love/hate relationship with him, and crack jokes about him training for Camp by yelling at himself in a mirror! However, he seems to get a bit of a kick out of the whole thing, and although I don't know him, I'm told he's a genuinely nice guy. I'm not prepared to believe this at 6:00 in the morning, but it could be true!
I crawl carefully down from the upper bunk, which requires a bit of concentration and skill, not to mention flexibility. I reach for my gi, hanging across the rails of the bunkbed where I put it the night before. I braid my hair, brush my teeth, put contacts into my protesting morning eyes, and put on my socks and tennis shoes. I tie on my belt, find my ticket for this morning's training, and head out the door. It is now 6:15AM. I might be starting to wake up.
Outside, I go down the steps and head down the road to the tennis courts. They are already half full, with people emerging from the cabins up and down the road. I hand my ticket to one of the ticket-takers and walk out onto the courts, bowing and saying good morning to my sensei and others, then winding my way back to about mid-court. I chat with people near me and greet people I recognize from camps, tournaments, etc., while I do some gentle stretching and keep a close eye on the road. As soon as I see the Masters coming, I prepare myself for the session to start. Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone running at top speed onto the court from the back, sneaking in. Once the Masters are there, training has started, and anyone behind them is late. You don't want to be late, believe me. They've been known to throw you in the pool after training, fully clad, if you sleep in.
It's now 6:30AM. We line up, then kneel down and bow in. One of the instructors leads warmups. I can't see what they're doing because I'm in the middle of a pack of about 450 people, many of whom are taller than me. I pick someone tall standing near the front, and try to follow what they do. Warmups are over quickly, and Whistle Bob orders everyone to line up in twos for the run.
Despite a pulled back muscle and bruised, swollen foot that makes wearing shoes an adventure, I line up and head off with the others. I figure I'll give it the best I've got, and push myself. That's what camp is all about! Off we go, up the hill, down the road, past the parking lot, further down the road, turn around and run in place until the stragglers catch up and the lines re-form and off we go again, back down the road, turn right and head uphill past the cabins, then left and into the final downhill stetch to the Shoto Dome. I finish somewhere in the middle of the pack, and never had to slow to a walk, which I'm kind of proud of (and surprised by!). A tall cheerful girl does a high five with me and then we take off our shoes and socks and head in. Yesterday, we sang a verse and the chorus from "One" (from A Chorus Line) during the jog; she started it and couldn't get anyone to join her so finally I took pity and chipped in, and now we've bonded!
The Shoto Dome is one of the older outbuildings, used as a basketball court for most of the summer by kids' camps. The varnish on the floors is very old, the floorboards are also very old, and the floor gets a bit lumpy and sticky in the summer heat and humidity! The Dome is covered and has screen windows all along the sides, but no door, and is totally exposed to the weather (last year I got drenched as rain blew sideways in through the screening, and the floors were an inch deep in water!). The floor is really hard on people with tender feet, and after a couple of days, my feet are starting to feel it too.
We have another stretch then one of the Masters teaches class. With over 400 people in such a small area, you have to be very aware of your body and very aware of your neighbors. Some drills are very tricky and challenging, especially shifting drills and those with kicks. I get stepped on a couple of times and bumped a bit, which is a bit unnerving, particularly since I don't know any of the people around me and don't know their extension, their control, etc. In this sense it's a mental challenge as much as a physical one, and I'm exhausted and soaked in sweat by the end of class and relieved when we are done!
At 8:00AM the morning training is over, and we head back to the cabins. I'm the second one in, so I quickly undress and grab one of the two shower stalls to hose off. This feels wonderful, even though I know that I'll be overheated warm and sticky again soon, since I'm not used to such heat and humidity. This is when I slow down mentally and physically, and take inventory. Physically, I'm tired and sore, my knee has swollen up again. It will need ice. Overall though I'm hanging pretty tough. Mentally I'm tired but content, pleased with my efforts and happy about my overall attitude.
At 8:45AM Whistle Bob calls us in to breakfast, and we troop into the mess hall. This is filled with long tables set up end to end, with the Masters' table perpendicular across the front of the hall. Pitchers of juice, water, milk and iced tea are on the tables. Since it's breakfast, there are also cereal packets. I pick a spot with some people I met last year (I switch tables each meal so that I can socialize more) and gaze longingly at the drink pitchers. We stand until the Masters arrive and Sensei Okazaki gives us permission to sit. Pandemonium ensues. I grab a carton of Frosted Flakes and dig in, and drink about 4 glasses of orange juice and about 5 glasses of water. Soon our waiter brings the hot dishes -- hot cereal, eggs, sausage. People eat fast, we're all starving! As the meal winds down, announcements are made about cars that aren't parked in the right place, kids at the pool unsupervised, people in the boats without life jackets, future activities, etc. Sensei Okazaki stands up and dismisses us, and we empty out. It's 9:30AM.
Back at the cabin, I take something for my sore back, and struggle into my bunk. Within minutes, I'm out cold. There's an optional training at 11:00AM, but I won't be able to make that one today, I've got to keep ice on my knee and get that swelling down. I get a couple of hours of healing sleep, then get up and head to the mess hall at 12:20PM to help set up for lunch, since I'm serving that meal today. We get set up, then they let us eat ahead of time, give us our assignments, and let in the hungry hordes. After everyone leaves, we clean up and reset for the dinner crew.
It's now about 2:00PM and I grab a half hour or so of rest before Instructor Training starts at 3:00PM in the Shoto Dome. Some people have a break until 4:30PM, but others are also heading for their respective training facilities now. As we walk over to the Dome, we discuss who we think will teach, what subjects might be covered, what we've had before, and the program in general. Today's class consists of 2 basic katas, how to teach them, applications.
By the time it's over, there's a wall of people outside waiting to be admitted for the 4:30PM training. We file out as they come in, and stand in line to get our Training booklets signed. Some of us go back into the Shoto Dome, others, including me, head across camp to the Okazaki Dome (we are assigned dojos for the afternoon session). We are late so we slip in the back to join class already in progress. Since the group is split, it's not quite so crowded as morning training, but it's not exactly roomy. We do the katas of the day then switch to some partner drills. At this point, I realize my feet are tired. In fact, they're burning. Once I think about this, of course, it gets worse! The last half hour or so of class is torture, but I try to show good spirit throughout and push as hard as I can, despite the fact that I've now been training for 3 straight hours and I'm not sure I've got a whole lot left. My feet are one giant hot spot just ready to blister. I'll have to tape them up tomorrow. I get through it, and I'm pretty pleased with my effort -- and pleased to be done for the day! I've been up for 12 hours, run for 2 miles or so, trained 4-1/2 hours of karate, and it's 6:00PM.
In the cabin I grab another shower then chat with my cabin mates while we wait for dinner (at 7:00PM). After dinner there will be a lecture by one of the masters. When it's over, we all switch to lower bunks, since half our cabin cleared out that day. We're all very happy about that -- they're much easier to get in and out of! We joke around and read until lights out at 10:00PM. As you might guess, this is heralded by Whistle Bob making the rounds and yelling at you until your cabin goes dark! I collapse onto the top of my sleeping bag and pass out to the sound of the rain starting on the roof.
We have just 8 hours until that whistle goes outside the cabin again, and we'll need every minute of it!
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