Posts Tagged ‘sports camps’

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

Wayne County July 3rd & 4th Re-Cap

Saturday, July 5th, 2014

Starlight vs. Weequahic Boys 8th Grade Tennis

Owen B. showed great character to defeat his opponent 8-6. Jack S. won his match 8-4. Max K. lost 1 close singles match. Both doubles teams played well in defeat. Overall, the boys tennis team played a very strong match and displayed good sportsmanship. Final Score 3-2, L

Head Coach Jack Pritchard

Starlight vs. Chen-a-Wanda 6th grade Boys Basketball

The game started out with a Starlight basket to set the tone. By half  Chen-a-Wanda had stepped up their game to gain a 7-point lead. Both teams proved equally hungry for the win during the third quarter. Starlight upped the pressure and guarded Chen-a-Wanda in a full court press and trap which resulted to a 1 possession game heading down to the last 40 seconds. However, a missed opportunity for Starlight to convert a basket meant victory for Chen-a-Wanda when the final whistle blew. Final Score 37-31, L Head Coach Travis Cleveland

Top scorers: Justin H. 5, Justin G. 4, Elkin 6, Lucas C. 8, Jake B. 2, Chase M. 4, Teringer, 2

Starlight vs. Chen-a-Wanda 8th Grade Girls Tennis

Overall, it was a very well played, close match with Emily S. winning at 2 singles 8-0 and Alex I. fighting back to a close 9-7 loss in the first singles match. Jamie C. lost 8- 6 at 3 singles and played strong. At the double sport Starlight shined brightly at 2 doubles with Julie W. and Emily L.coming away with an 8- 5 victory. At the double, Bailey P. and Jessica V. fought hard in a defeat of 8-5.  Final Score 3-2, L Head Coach Craig Cooper

Starlight vs. Chestnut Lake 8th/9th Grade Girls Lacrosse

The crisp morning air and fresh dew were upon Camp Starlight as the 8th and 9th grade team faced off against Chestnut Lake. Starlight came out firing on all cylinders with early goals by Olivia R. and Cheesy G. Abby S. The team was a force to be reckoned with, allowing only a single goal and ending the game with 8 saves. The girls did a great job defensively and allowed a mere 9 shots on goal. The ladies from Starlight played with class and showed incredible sportsmanship in this dominating effort. When the day came to an end, Starlight had lit up the scoreboard with a final score of 17-1. Coaches: Daniela Delgado Devon Himelman Jason Robinson

Top scorers: Cheesy G. 3, Olivia R. 4, Jamie C. 2, Elle B. 2, Brook H.  1, Jess. V. 1, Marni K. 1, Sammy B. 1, Sydney P. 1, Hayley S. 1

Starlight vs. Westmont Girls 4th Grade Girls Basketball

The girls put up a good fight despite a 10-16 loss. Jordyn N. had two baskets and Jamie I. Charlotte C. and Giselle S. each had one basket.  Sloane. S. played great defense. Elle S. let the team in rebounds. Coaches  Erica Perchick Kendall Minta

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!

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.

A Respite from Technology

Tuesday, June 25th, 2013

We recently read an article on the American Camping Association website entitled Who Are Your Campers? The article included a rather interesting illustration of statistics about children today.  One of the pieces of data that most caught our eye was the statistic about children and media.  According to the illustration, children today spend, on average, 7.5 hours with media.  One of the key points of summer camp has always been the greatly reduced exposure to technology.  It’s recommended that children sleep 8-10 hours a night, which leaves 14-16 hours left in a day.  That means that approximately half a normal day for a child involves the use of media or technology of some kind.  Even schools are focusing on transitions to electronic based curriculums.  In contrast to the considerably less media exposure of previous generations, it’s easy to assume that summer camp must be practically culture shock to modern children who.

Although many camps offer activities, such as video and photography programs, the noticeably fewer technology options at summer camp leave campers with a considerable hole to fill.  This is where athletics come into play.  There is no shortage of sports at Camp Starlight, and campers quickly become very involved in both their intra and inter camp teams.  The lack of outside distraction allows them to focus on athletic performance.  Although it’s not about winning, per say, for the majority of campers, an astounding number of them voice pride in the improvement of their skills since last year or vocally share their objectives for this year with coaches and counselors over the first few days of camp.  They clearly come with goals, which suggests that, contrary to what one might assume, campers actually anticipate a break from media outlets and look forward to it enough to take the time to outline ways in which they hope to improve themselves during their summer camp experience.

Summer camp used to be thought of as an escape to fresh air and nature from urban jungles.  Perhaps it still is for some.  It seems, however, that it has just as much become a respite from technology and the emphasis on social media that has overtaken the lives of contemporary children.  Campers spend time at camp focusing on qualities of life that have taken a backseat to technology in recent years: the value of face-to-face communication, spending time outdoors being active, working toward personal goals in improving skills in sports or hobbies.  This is one way in which the motivation for coming to summer camp may have changed but the hoped for end result is still the same.  This also is what keeps summer camp a timeless option for filling children’s summers.

Key Staff Feature: Blayne Murphy

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

We are excited to start back up with our features on our Key Staff. During this segment, we will catch up with one of our popular key staff members and see what is keeping them busy in these winter months away from camp. We also see if we can get a “tip” to get our Starlighters ready for their activity during the long winter months. This month we are highlighting Starlight Baseball Director Blayne Murphy.

Coach Murphy is excited to be returning to Starlight for the Summer of 2013. Murphy had great success in his first season heading up the Camp Starlight Baseball program. His season boasts a First Place Boy’s 5th Grade team, as well as two Co-Champion titles in the 8th and 9th grade Boy’s Baseball divisions respectively.

To keep his mind occupied during his countdown until his return to Camp Starlight, Blayne is keeping himself busy coaching baseball at Hannibal-LaGrange University in Missouri. We asked Blayne about this year’s Trojans and he was excited to share. “We have a handful of impact transfers coming in, and are lucky to have a core group of returning Juniors and Seniors that should make us pretty tough this spring!” He even ventured to say that his team is good enough that, given the chance, they might take home a Wayne County Championship! He also is spending lots of time staying active at the gym and training with various baseball specific activities. He hopes the Starlighters out there with plans to return to the diamond this summer have been thinking about baseball in the “off season” too!  He left us with a few great pointers for our campers to stay ready for another great summer up on the Starlight Baseball Field.

Blayne suggests simple long tosses in the gym; he says, “It’s really important to keep your arm limber during the winter, try and spend 15 minutes every other day just to keep your arm trained and fit. This simple exercise will greatly accelerate an athlete’s ability to get ready quickly for the baseball season.” Another great way to stay in shape for baseball, is to participate in a winter sport, basketball and swimming are two excellent sports that will keep a young person active and keep their general condition ready for a baseball season. Finally, “Coach Murph” recommends spending at least one hour a week at an indoor batting cage facility to keep your hand-eye coordination trained and keep your baseball swing grooved and ready to go once the snow melts across the northeast.

We asked Coach Murphy for any last words for his Starlight baseball players and he said “I look forward to seeing you all again at Camp so we can get to work on winning more Wayne County Championships!”

Camp Starlight is 41-3 So Far in Wayne County Leagues!

Sunday, July 8th, 2012

Every once in a while, we have to take the opportunity to brag a bit and our campers’ performance in the Wayne County Camp Association leagues so far this season is DEFINITELY one of those instances.  As of this blog, our record is an unbelievable 41 wins and only 3 losses!  Of course, a significant amount of credit goes not only to all of our great athletes but our outstanding Program Heads and Specialists, who work with our campers everyday to improve their skills and help them learn to play competitively but friendly.  If you can’t already tell, we are very proud of our Athletics here at Camp Starlight, and are simply blown away by the results of the hard work that our campers put in to being the best they can be when representing Camp Starlight in athletic competitions and the dedication and passion that our staff brings to their roles here on camp.  Excellent job, everyone!  Here’s to continuing a great season!

Pitchers and Catchers Report !

Sunday, May 8th, 2011

I know, I know, it hardly seems like spring in most of the Starlight Nation, but baseball season is well underway, which got me thinking about our new Baseball Director Todd Abel.

Todd comes to Camp Starlight from Randolph Henry High School in Charlotte County, Virginia where he is in his third season as head coach. Prior to accepting the position at Randolph Henry, Todd served as assistant coach at his alma mater Lynchburg College. He began coaching after a distinguished playing career.

In college,  Todd was a four year letter winner.  In 2004, he was inducted into the Lynchburg College Athletic Hall of Fame for his on-field excellence. At the completion of Todd’s college eligibility, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers, and spent two seasons in their minor league system before a shoulder injury ended his professional playing career.

Todd is very excited about meeting all of the Starlight family and making Wayne County his summer home.

Kyle