This summer, the Camp Starlight baseball program has benefited from the leadership of new Baseball Head Bob Gunnarsson. Although this is his rookie year at Camp Starlight, Bob has been coaching for over twenty years. He began his coaching career during his years as a student athlete at the University of Southern California and San Diego State University. He says he chose to become a coach because he has always worked well with young athletes. In fact, he has done many camps during his professional career. His favorite thing about coaching is ‘teaching concepts, keeping instruction and feedback positive, and helping young athletes develop quality technique.’

Although he grew up in Long Island, Coach Gunnarsson moved to Arizona as a teenager and currently resides in Phoenix. During the winter months, he teaches math and science, coaches (of course), and even works as a disc jockey. His hobbies include construction and all things artistic. He is also a voice over actor. Whatever he does, however, he gives 110%. “I’m a very fun, driven, and focused person of faith,” he says of himself.

When asked why he chose to work at camp, Coach Gunnarsson says that he wanted to bring quality baseball instruction to the camp experience. As to his reason for specifically choosing Camp Starlight, he says he couldn’t say no to such a quality camp with quality campers. In fact, of his Starlight experience, he says that he has never worked with so many polite students.

8th Grade Boys vs. Weequahic

Championship Game

The August 3 championship game was contested between Starlight and Weequahic.  Weequahic made the finals with a couple of fine wins over Tioga and Westmont, while the boys arrived there after shaving a 1-0 win against Wayne. Both teams looked strong, and certainly Weequahic had the better of the opening exchanges.

Dylan T.’s  in goal made an excellent finger tip save, pushing the ball onto the crossbar before gathering in the rebound to keep Starlight on level terms.  Starlight certainly had their chances and but for an excellent keeper in the Weequahic goal, they may have found themselves ahead at half-time.  Both teams cancelled each other out and at the half it remained scoreless.

The second half saw Starlight take the initiative early on and some fine play down the wings from Ari K. and Kessler forced the Weequahic keeper into action.  Spencer W. and Owen B. in the middle of the field were solid but had a rough time against a couple of very good Weequahic players.  Starlight continued to search for the opening and eventually this came courtesy of a cross from Ari K. on the right hand side.  A whipped ball found a Starlight player in the six yard area who was able to get a quick shot off which nestled in the bottom corner.

For the final 8 minutes Weequahic attacked looking for the equalizer, but Rowan K., Zachary C., Zachary K., Spencer G. and Danny S. made the necessary tackles to keep their opponents off the score sheet.  Zachary C. in particular was very busy all game not allowing Weequahic’s players any time or space.

This was an excellent result against a very good team and Starlight’s 8th graders should be very proud of themselves on retaining their title.

5th Grade Girls vs. Wayne

Championship Game

The girls were on the road for their championship game against Wayne August 3 and this one would go to overtime.

Starlight took the early lead courtesy of a free-kick from the edge of the 18-yard area that Jordyn P. dispatched into the top of the net.  Wayne were level within 5 minutes following a long range effort of their own that found its way into the bottom corner of the goal.  Starlight had the better of the chances but struggled to find the net, and while Wayne made a number of attacking moves, the back line of Samantha S., Zoe S., Danielle A. and Elizabeth E. did well to limit their opponents chances throughout the game.  In midfield a combination of Tova G., Samantha B., Brooke G., Brooke H. and Julia H. worked hard to progress the ball forward and link up with Granowitz in the forward position.  In goal Samantha S. was quick to the ball when required.

The game continued in a similar vein to the first half, and aside from a couple of half chances that the Wayne keeper saved, over-time arrived with the scores even.  Starlight started the brighter of the two teams, and from the kick-off Jordyn P. ran the ball from half-field and found the back of the net from just inside the 18-yard area.  Soon after Tova G. hit the bottom corner to give Starlight the benefit of a two-goal lead which they held until the end.

A fine team performance saw the girls go one step further than in 2013 where they ended up the season as beaten finalists.
6th Grade Girls vs. Lohikan

The 6th graders entertained Lohikan on Alumni Field August 3 in their semi-final clash.  Champions in 2013, the girls started strong looking for the win that would see a return to the championship game in 2014. Ashleigh S. in goal had very little to do all game, while Starlight’s defense (Chloe W., Ryan G., Kylie M. and Marlie K. were able to relax a little as the midfield of Brooke E., Alexandra S., Daryn C., Danielle S. and Sarah S. made some great forward runs towards the Lohikan 18-yard area.  With Samara S. up top keeping Lohikan’s goalkeeper busy, it was not long before the goals started to fly in.  Up 4-0 at the half, the girls doubled the score by the end of the game to run out winners 8-0.

A solid performance and now the girls are just one game away from retaining their title.

The Juniors had fun being “Frozen” for Winter Wonderland Day 2014!

When you think of ice cream, your favorite flavor probably comes to mind. Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry–or maybe you like rocky road or mint chocolate chip. One of the last things you might think of is science. The campers at Maker’s Space got to find out the science behind the delicious dessert and make some ice cream of their own. In a bowl, the girls mixed creamer, sugar, and vanilla extract. The girls poured the mixture into one side of the ice cream maker ball. In the other side of the ball, the girls added ice and rock salt. The girls took turns shaking, rolling and tossing the ball. The girls learned that adding salt to the ice causes the ice’s freezing point to be lowered. This is similar to adding salt on roads in the winter.  Lowering the ice’s freezing point allows the mixture to freeze into ice cream. The science project wouldn’t be complete without a taste test. The verdict: 2 thumbs up from campers.

5^th Grade and Under Girls Softball v. Blue Ridge

Championship Game

Sami S. pitched a complete game with 9 strikeouts and added two hits help Camp Starlight’s 5^th grade girls softball team defeat Blue Ridge 12-2 to win the Wayne County championship. Hannah H., Zoe S., and Julia H. all made valuable contributions to the teams outstanding offensive performance with two hits and two RBIs each. Heather G., Jordan P., and Elizabeth E. all chipped in with RBI hits. To celebrate their victory in true Starlight tradition, the girls rushed the lake with coach Shelby.

Team Members: Elizabeth E., Heather G., Allison S., Olivia B., Lexi K., Jacqueline P., Sami S., Zoe S., Julia H., Ava M., Samantha B., Hannah J., Jordan P., Hannah W.

Coach: Shelby Romines.

5^th Grade Girls Tennis v. Weequahic

Championship Match

The 5^th grade and under girls secured another Wayne County championship for Starlight with a convincing victory of 4-1 over Camp Weequahic. Jordyn B. played well but fell 8-5. Heather G. and Emerson P. won the 2^nd and 3^rd singles contests. The doubles teams of Hannah J. & Hannah S. and Brooke G. & Samantha S. secured the victory and the championship for Camp Starlight. The girls rushed the lake in celebration. Congratulations to all of the 5^th grade and under girls!

Coaches: Amanda Gilberg and Dani Rubenstein

6^th Grade Girls Tennis v. Trail’s End

The 6^th grade girls tennis team earned their way to the Wayne County championship round with a solid victory over Trail’s End. Kylie M. won 8-1 at the 1^st singles contest  while Olivia S. won the 2^nd singles contest 8-0 with solid, consistent ground strokes. Emily C. made Starlight 3 for 3 in the singles contests and secured the victory for the team with an 8-2 victory. Jordyn C. & Jillian R. played strong but fell 8-6 in a hard fought match. Alex S. and Ashleigh S. brought the team back, however, with a convincing 8-2 victory. Congratulations to the team on moving onto the finals and good luck!

Coaches: Craig Cooper and Alice Towney

10/11th Grade Girls v. Poyntelle

The girls hosted Poyntelle today (August 1) and made quick work of reaching this year’s tournament final.  Starlight took a while to get going, blasting a number of chances high and wide of the goal.  However, once the first goal went in, it was one-way traffic for the remainder of the game in which Starlight ran out winners 9-0.

Jessica R. had very little to do in goal, while Marni C., Marlena G., Rebecca B., and Tori F. were rarely troubled at the back. Molly B., Lauren R., Brooke L., Arli M., and Samantha B. kept Poyntelle busy as did the forward line of Erica L., Julia G. and Alison E.  A good overall team performance and the girls now face Wayne in the final.

8th Grade Boys Soccer v. Lohikan

The boys hosted Lohikan at Alumni Field and, from the first whistle, took the game to the visitors.  Zach K. and Ari K. continually made incisive runs in to their opponent’s 18-yard area, and Starlight could have found themselves out of reach very early on in this game.  Spencer W. and Owen B. ensured good service to the outside midfielders, while a combination up top of Dylan H., Zach S., Austin W., Griffin M. and Zach R. ensured that Lohikan’s defenders were kept busy all game.  Rowan K., Zach C., and Jordan C. at the back had a few worrying moments but did more than enough to ensure Lohikan’s chances were very limited throughout.  Once  Starlight found the net, they couldn’t be caught and goal after goal soon followed.  The final score was 11-0 in Starlight’s favor, and now they face Weequahic in the championship game.

10/11th Grade Boys vs Tioga

Championship Game

The 10/11’s faced Tioga in the championship game last night under the lights on Alumni Field.  The game started at a frenetic pace and within four minutes Starlight were up courtesy of a fine long range effort from Josh L.  Tioga soon found themselves on level terms following a mix-up at the back, which allowed the Tioga forward to capitalize with an easy tap-in.  Fortunately, Starlight was in no mood to be charitable and constant pressure soon paid off when a Tioga player was adjudged to have handled in the box.  Josh L. calmly slotted the penalty away to re-establish a one goal lead.  Jake S. was next to hit the mark with yet another goal from distance, and this was followed by a scrambled effort, which just about made it over the line and afforded Starlight a 4-1 half-time lead.

The second half saw some improvement in terms of the way Starlight moved the ball around, and although it was a long-time coming, Josh L. found the target once more with a fine strike from 30 yards, which nestled into the bottom corner of the goal.  Tioga certainly threatened at times, but Harrison S. cleared up, playing some nice balls out of the back.  Brett R. was busy all game and made some crucial challenges in the center of the field, while out wide Max M., Chase S. and Sammy K. contributed well.  The midfield area was largely dominated by Starlight, in no small part due to Josh L.’s contribution, but also the likes of Jake S., Jared B., Noah G., and Matthew J.  Matthew J. and Jared B. were great runners and continually found their way past the last line of defense and into Tioga’s 18-yard area.  In the attacking third, Josh W., Justin B. and Jason S. all played well, while Jackson S. in goal started ahead of Jordan K. who came in the latter stages of the game.  Max K. and Garrett S. also had a part to play.  Overall, this was a great team performance.

Following a brief hiatus, the boys deservedly won a title that has been kept here at Starlight for much of the last 6 years.  The CA boys in particular have lost on just one occasion. This was a fitting way to end their soccer careers at Starlight under the lights on Alumni Field.