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Wayne County Scores Update

Thursday, July 10th, 2014

Starlight vs. Westmont Boys Basketball, July 5

Starlight 8th grade boys had a great first game. Dylan T. led the team in scoring with 22 points. The boys forced turnovers after turnover, which allowed them to score a lot of fast break points. The team moved the ball very well and crafted a lot of open shots. The Starlight boys beat Westmont 58-46. The 8th grade boys are playing well as a team and looking forward to their next game.

Coaches: Dan Mutz and Kyle G.

Starlight vs. Island Lake Girls Tennis, July 6

The 5th grade girls had a smooth time capturing a 5-0 win over Island Lake. In the singles, Heather G., Emerson P. and Hannah S. clinched the match for starlight with straight set wins. The girls were backed up by strong performances in doubles by Hannah J., Hannah W., and Samantha S. and Danielle A. Congrats to Starlight lower inter girls, moving on to their next Wayne County game!

Coach: Craig Cooper and Alice Towney

Starlight vs. Island Lake Boys Tennis, July 8

It was a runaway victory for the talented 7th grade boys over Island Lake 5-0. The team was led by Abe W.  Cooper G. and Josh M. in singles all winning. Both doubles teams also came away with victories by 8-1, 8-1.

Head Coach: Craig Cooper

Starlight vs. Camp Weequahic Girls Tennis, July 8

The girls 9th grade/lower seniors had a dominating win over Weequahic in their first Wayne County match. Gabriella S. won handedly 8-0 with awesome shot making while Julia K. and Dani S contributed withconvincing wins 8-1 and 8-3, respectively. Madison K. and Allison M. dominated with their great new play in winning 8-3. Brooke H. and Amanda L. contributed with a strong 8-0 victory.

Coaches: Craig Cooper and Gabby Samkova

Starlight vs. Camp Wayne Girls Tennis, July 9

The 6th grade upper inter girls team won convincingly 5-0 led by Kylie M. Olivia S. and Emily C. Kylie fought back down 5-6 to force a tie break and win the breaker 7-5. Olivia won 8-0 and Emily defeated her opponent 8-3. Both doubles team carried out the winning ways 8-4 and 8-2 to clinch the match. Great communication between partners in doubled helped land the tam to victor. Congrats, moving forward!

Coaches: Amanda Gilberg and Dani Rothstein

Starlight vs. Chen-a-Wanda Softball

The upper senior started their Wayne County league white hot. The girls opened up their season against Chen-a-Wanda scoring an 17 impressive runs, while Chen-a-Wanda only put up 7. Sam B. had an amazing day on the mound pitching 6 complete innings. Arli M. also stepped up and made her first appearance on the mound pitching one inning. Hallie H. crushed the ball and went a solid 3 for 4 at the plate and Andie S. hit her first home run of the season. The girls played extremely well as a team and represented Camp Starlight well, even making friends with a particular Chen-a-Wanda player, exchanged shirts with her and have decided to cut a piece of each other’s shirts and place it in their scrapbook, showing true sportsmanship!

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Wayne County Update for July 6th

Wednesday, July 9th, 2014

Starlight vs. Island Lake Boys Tennis July 6

Young prodigy Sloan S. was steady off the ground in winning 8-5 at first singles. Jaden Y. won handedly 8-0 with Ben M. falling in defeat in a tough fought match 8-8 (2-7) in the breaker. Both doubles teams came away with wins Max G and Jake G. (8-3) while Jake P. and Blake S. won 8-4. Great sportsmanship was displayed by everyone throughout the matches. Great win for Camp Starlight.

Head Coach Craig Cooper

Starlight vs. Weequahic Boys Lacrosse July 6

The 8th and 9th grade boys opened their season.. Early scores by Josh B. and Jordan K. got Starlight off to a commanding lead. Ethan E. let his light shine bright ending his day with four goals. The unsung hero of the day was Zachary C. who in his debut collected an impressive 6 saves. Griffin S. was a force as well, scoring two goals and dominating the dace-off X. Weequahic attempted a comeback, but goals by Dylan G., Harris G.,  Jake M., Rowan K, and Ryan K. held off their side. This was a great start of the journey to the championship and we shall further improve. Stay tuned for more news from the blue and white lacrosse world!

Top scorers: Ethan E. 4, Josh B. 2, Griffin S. 2, Jordan K. 1, Dylan G. 1. Harris G. 1, Jake M. 1, Rowan K. 1,

Ryan K. 1

Coaches: Jason Robinson Ben Finger Daniela Delgado Devon Himelman

Final Score 14-9

Starlight vs. Chen-a-Wanda Hockey July 6

The game was an all-around team effort in which a lot of players had plenty of playing time and opportunities to score. Ryan G. had three goals and four assists. Charlie G had 5 goals. Tyler G. had one goal. Ben A. had 3 goals. Luke B. had one goal and Jake C. had two goals. DT C. had a shutoff with three saves. The rest of the team contributes as well to the team. This team is unstoppable and will continue their pursuit to win the title.

Coaches: Jacob Haaker Cory Aberle

Final Score 15-0 (by mercy rule)

Starlight vs. Lavi Hockey July 6

After being down 2-1 early in the first period Starlight came back with four unanswered goals. With solid defense plays from Jared B. Josh W. Jason S. Noah T. and Jeremy W. Starlight was able to maintain the lead until the third period. Lavi went up 6-5, but with an offense that scores at will, Justin G. tipped in a shot from Jackson S. to force overtime. Early in overtime Jeremy W. found himself in the right spot to score the game winning goal off a rebound from Max K.

Top scorers: Jackson S. 3 goals and 2 assists, Justin G. 2 goals and 1 assist, Max K, 1 goal and 2 assists, Jeremy W. 1 goal and 1 assists. Jason S. 1 assist

Coaches: Wade Liska Elliot Martin

Final Score 7-6

Starlight vs. Camp Tioga 5th grade boys basketball July 6

The game started off with a bucket from David H who had a stellar game leading the team with 12 points and 7 rebounds. The team also had key contributions from Jared F. on the defensive end with three steals, Max G. with 8 points all in the third quarter to help build a 15-point lead. Blake P. also played well off the bench with 6 points. Tyler H. points and assists. In the end, Starlight totaled 40 points to Camp Tioga’s 19 points. It was a great games for the Starlight boys and the injured Jake L. who helped coach.

Head Coach Travis Cleveland

Starlight vs. Camp Wayne

Starlight came up short losing to Camp Wayne 37-32. Starlight was down one after the first half, but came out strong in the second half. Abe W. had 12 points and 8 rebounds. David M. added 4 points off the bench and played amazing defense, Aaron R. had 5 points and had 2 assists. Cooper G. had 4 points and 2 blocked shots. Drew B. had 5 points and a big 3 pointer to cut the lead close in the second half. Benjamin B. had 3 points. The team played well and fought hard until the very end of the game.

Head Coach Dan Mutz

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Which Field is Which?

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014

Intense League Action on Alumni Field

Alumni. Elite. Varsity. Main. Clinic. To veteran Starlighters, these are well known terms. Of course, these are the names of the Starlight athletic fields. For those who are new to Starlight, however, figuring out which field is which can be a bit tricky—especially with the latest addition to the Starlight athletic facilities, Elite Field. So here’s a breakdown of the Starlight athletic fields and just what sport(s) we play on them.

Alumni Field: Alumni Field is Camp Starlight’s main soccer field (or collection

Mid Game on Main Field

of fields, rather). We do a lot of other things on Alumni Field too. Sometimes we hold evening activities there. We’ve also had our anniversary party on Alumni Field and, of course, plenty of SFL action takes place there.

Main Field: Main Field is the home of Starlight Baseball. Starlighters hit plenty

of homeruns on the Main Field.

Clinic Field: The Clinic Field is so called because it’s in front of the clinic. Clinic Field is a multi-purpose field on which everything

Arrival Day on Clinic Field

from soccer to decathlon activities are played. Clinic Field is also a special place at camp because it’s where all of the campers first step off the buses on arrival day.

Varsity Field: Varsity Field was previously the sole Lacrosse Field. Now it’s

Varsity Field is Now Ground Zero for Girls Lacrosse

exclusively the Girls Lacrosse Field.

Elite Field: Last, but certainly not least, we’re proud to debut Elite Field this summer. Elite Field will add an additional field to our ever growing and extremely popular Lacrosse program. Right next to Elite Field is also our new flag football field.

And that’s which field is which!

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Camp Starlight Basketball

Friday, July 26th, 2013

Camp Starlight Basketball is having a landmark year.  Several of our teams have either won or are playing in championships of the Wayne County Camp League.  So we sat down with Head of Basketball Diego McCoy to talk about the program.

Diego credits the success of the basketball program to his three year plan.  “I work off a three year plan,” he says.  “I spend the first two summers implementing my system and getting to know the campers.  By the third year, I should having winning teams, and this year it’s happening.” Diego’s three year plan was also part of his strategy in implementing more advanced drills for Upper Camp this summer.  “This is my third year at Camp Starlight.  I know the kids now.”

Diego came into his third summer feeling it was important to establish a style of play that would extend beyond camp in helping campers be better players.  Diego says it’s important for players to understand the discipline of the game as well improve their skills.  He also wanted to see players have even more fun.  Diego has worked hard to make the Camp Starlight Basketball program, as a cohesive whole, reflect his motto: “Play hard.  Play together.  Play to get better.” In fact, his teams come together to recite their motto at the beginning and end of each game.  He’s very proud to see campers excited about the coming to basketball to learn and not just mess around without working on their skills.

As proud as he is to finally see his three year plan coming together, he says his proudest moment as a Program Head so far this summer was StarCamp.  Diego ran the Basketball StarCamp this year, and he was very happy see campers really participating in advanced drills and really improving their skills.  For him, seeing campers finally get some of the skills they hadn’t been able to get during regular basketball sessions made all of his and their hard work worthwhile.

The Basketball staff has been wonderful as well, according to Diego, especially considering that this is the 1st summer for all five of the Basketball Specialists.  In particular, Diego says his Girls staff has really stepped up.  “In the beginning, they were nervous that they were in over their heads.  But they’re not afraid to ask questions, and I love that.  They’re also on time, and they push the girls to be better.”  Diego says the summer has been challenging for his Boys Camp Specialists.  Boys Basketball is extremely popular and attracts high numbers of campers.  He says the Specialists weren’t prepared for the immense popularity of Camp Starlight Basketball at the beginning of the summer, but that they’ve adjusted nicely.

Diego himself played basketball at West Virginia State University before playingprofessionally in Argentina, Mozambique, and Australia.  Currently, he calls Washington D.C. home, where he works for 1 on 1 Basketball coordinating after school programs, private parties, and basketball leagues.  He hopes to bring away new and lasting friendships from his Camp Starlight career.  Congratulations, Camp Starlight Basketball, on an amazing summer!

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Camp Starlight Gymnastics

Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

All one has to do to see why campers are quite literally flipping for Camp Starlight gymnastics is walk into the Gymnastics Center at the Carriage House.  What you’ll see is a positive, constructive environment that is fun while still encouraging hard work and perseverance, which all paid off when the Camp Starlight Gymnastics program hit its stride last week with both Upper and Lower Camp team victories as well as 1st place Individual All Around at its meet.  The victories, of course, were right on track for the goals new Head of Gymnastics Kelly Gurney set for the program coming into the summer.  “I really wanted to get our gymnasts to the next level.” Kelly says.

But Kelly isn’t merely preoccupied with improving the skills of campers who are enthusiastic aboutgymnastics.  She set a goal for every camper to master at least one skill by the end of the summer.  She believes the campers not only have the talent and drive, but have been set up for success with a tremendous facility. “Our [Camp Starlight’s] gym is the best I have seen for a non-specialized camp.  It’s even top of the line for a gymnastics camp,” Kelly says.  And Kelly knows gymnastics.

The Auburn University graduate was a three time national bar champion, three time national beam champion, and NCAA All Around champion.  Prior to joining Camp Starlight, coached three gymnasts to the TOPS National Team as well as many other students to multiple regional and national championships.  During the winter, she coaches gymnastics in Southern California.  When she’s not in the gym, she can be found surfing or conducting yoga and natural healing sessions.

The campers and facilities aren’t the only aspects of Camp Starlight that Kelly is pleased about, though.  She also loves her staff and believes they are a big part of the success of the Camp Starlight Gymnastics program “Rachel is highly technical and kind.  Maxine is the dreamer with a big heart.  The kids love both.”  Congratulations to Kelly, her staff, and all of the Starlight campers who’ve made 2013 another successful one for Camp Starlight gymnastics.

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Camp Starlight Soccer

Sunday, July 21st, 2013

For the past several summers, some of Camp Starlight’s most successful Wayne County athletic teams have been a product of our Soccer Program, headed by Matt Whatley.  Part of the reason soccer scores so highly with many of our campers, no doubt, is the fact that “Whatley” as he is affectionately known to campers, has been in charge of Camp Starlight Soccer since 2006 and has become very familiar with campers’ strengths as well as aspects of the game in which their skills could be improved.  With such an in depth knowledge of campers, Whatley is able to guide his staff in developing and applying effective coaching methods.  With nearly eight summers under his belt, Whatley sets high standards for his staff as well as campers.  “My primary goal coming into this summer,” he says, “was to get everyone involved in soccer as much as possible and improve upon our Wayne County record from last year.”

When asked about his proudest moment as a Program Head so far this summer, he mentions the 8th grade boys Wayne County match against Camp Wayne.  “They (Wayne) had a very strong team.  But our guys played excellent.  The game went into penalty kicks, and we lost by one goal during penalty kicks.  It was heartbreaking, but the guys really played a great game and held up against the other team really well.”  Whatley also says that in his eighth summer, he’s enjoying see his staff develop their coaching skills.

Whatley himself play for a nationally ranked college team and coached three more to national rankings.  But he asserts that of all of his career highs, the most significant to him are the 43 Wayne County Championship titles he’s won during his Camp Starlight career.  “The campers here are great!” Whatley says.  “They have a lot of pride in Camp Starlight and play with a lot of heart when they represent the camp.”

Here is to Continuing success for the Camp Starlight Soccer Program for the remainder of the 2013 season.

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The Visiting Day Dust Has Settled

Tuesday, July 16th, 2013

Another great and truly pleasurable Visiting Day has come and gone.  Thank you, everyone!  Inevitably, some of your goodbyes were a little wet.  That always happens.  But something else that always happens is: camp begins again.  For one day, the action stops for families to be reunited for a fun afternoon.  Then, goodbyes (for a few more weeks) are said, parents and grandparents drive away, and activities start again.  In fact, since Visiting Day we’ve enjoyed a show, Upper Camp took on two evenings of amazing challenges, many of our girls competed in the Camp Starlight Dance Competition, several Wayne County games have been played, and—oh yeah, as part of the daily regular camp program, campers have been enjoying tennis, baseball, softball, boating, swimming, cooking, soccer, basketball, flag football, circus, magic, sports broadcasting, digital photography, fitness, dance, fishing, outdoor adventure, gymnastics, creative writing, arts & crafts, ceramics, woodworking, and the list seems nearly endless these days…In other words, what we’re trying to tell you is, don’t worry that the children are still crying.  They’re fine.  In fact, they’re better than fine because once the dust from Visiting Day settles, campers begin to focus what’s still ahead during the next few weeks—and for good reason.  Some of the best parts of camp happen over the next few weeks.

The Senior and All Camp shows, MTV Night, divisional trips, the Anniversary Party, Carnival, Olympics, Banquet, and did we mention Olympics?  Oh, how about just one more time: Olympics.  We have to mention a few times because the buzz starts early and the anticipation grows for several weeks before the big break.  In fact, one of the saddest aspects of the last few weeks of camp is that they pass every bit as quickly—sometimes it seems even more so—as the first few weeks leading up to Visiting Day, and we know that all too soon, we’ll all be saying goodbye for another ten months.  But…

Let’s not jump too far ahead ourselves.  For now, parents, we hope the Visiting Day dust has settled for you as well, and that you’re as focused on having a few more great weeks of summer as we are.  That you enjoy the photos, blogs, and Facebook posts.  And that you get the pleasure of enjoying lots of great camp stories in just a few weeks.

Thanks once again for a great Visiting Day 2013!

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Checking in at the Camp Starlight Lacrosse Field

Sunday, July 14th, 2013

Few realize that lacrosse, which is finally hitting its stride among youth sports in America, is actually the oldest sport in America.  In fact, it’s believed to have been invented by Native Americans.  For the past decade, though, lacrosse has been number one on the list of fastest growing high school sports in America, and the lacrosse program at Camp Starlight has very much mirrored that trend.  Just a few short summers ago, lacrosse was a sport enjoyed primarily by Upper Camp boys at Starlight.  Within the past few years, however, it has exploded in popularity and is now very enthusiastically enjoyed by Upper and Lower Camp as well as boys and girls alike.  In fact, some of Camp Starlight’s most powerful teams are Girls Camp teams.  We talked to Starlight’s new Head of Lacrosse, Georgia State University Head Coach Billy McCullough, about the program, and he had some really positive things to say about his staff and the program.

Billy came into the summer hoping to improve the skills of his specialists as young coaches and turn campers onto a great sport.  So far things on right on track.  In fact, if he had to pick just one word to describe how things are going at lacrosse this summer, it’s “great”—as in “great games, great kids, and building some great friendships.”

In particular, Billy is proud of the amount of growth he is seeing in the skills of the younger campers, to which he credits the assistance of his great staff and instructors.  In fact, he can’t help but brag about them.  “Taylor is the best! A great instructor and learner with a positive attitude everyday.  And Jordan has done a wonderful job with the boys.  He’s a great young coach with a bright future.”

Billy himself is a very enthusiastic former football player.  In fact, he played four years of college football at his alma mater, Valdosta State University in Georgia.  After college, he coached youth, high school, and college football and lacrosse before transitioning full time into his current head coaching role at Georgia State.

As for looking ahead, Billy says he hopes to take away great memories from the summer and for each camper to take his or her experiences home and apply the skills they learned here at camp.

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Camp Starlight Tennis

Friday, July 12th, 2013

With Wimbledon just behind us, tennis has been a big focus in the world of sports as of late.  Here at Camp Starlight, tennis is a big deal too.  Everyday, our courts are busy from sun-up to sundown.  Campers can also be spotted trying to improve their game during free time, such as shower hour and, recently, many of our more passionate tennis players got to spend two days focusing on their skills during the Tennis StarCamp.  With so much enthusiasm about tennis here at Camp Starlight, we decided to check in with Starlight Tennis Director Gary Donnelley to talk tennis, and he was eager to brag about the immense popularity that tennis enjoys here at Camp Starlight.

Gary estimates that “at least 20% of campers are putting in a lot of time and effort to improve their tennis game this year.”  Those are some serious numbers for Gary, who says that his goals coming into this summerwere to attract and maintain large numbers of campers to Option and Super 6th.  So far, the numbers are exceeding his expectations.

Gary credits a good deal of the success of the Tennis program this summer to his amazing staff, whom he says is very high energy and vocal, both effective qualities in good tennis coaching.  And Gary knows good coaching.  He’s a former professional player and Wimbledon finalist who has spent the past twenty-two years as a coach.  Back in his home state of Arizona, he owns a tennis camp that he runs during the winter months.

Even though we’re still in the first half of the summer, Gary says his proudest moment as a Program Head so far this summer was seeing the Senior Boys win their first match.  As focused on the details of seeing individual campers and divisions succeed, he’s also very focused on the big picture.  He says that he ultimately hopes to take away many of the same things at the end of this summer that he took away from last summer;  to continue having a great time while building the program and positioning both Boys and Girls Tennis to springboard into next year.

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