An Ode to 4-H Camp!

“I’m a super 4-Her! Betcha don’t know what I can do. Got 4 leaves and a motto too, got green pride runnin through and through”-the Best Camp Song Ever



Camp 2012

 

Hey Pennsylvania 4-H!

Bitter-sweet moments are, well, bitter-sweet. I am faced with one of these moments as we speak. On one hand, I am hours away from 4-H Camp! On the other, I know that it will be my last camp as a 4-H member. To someone who loves 4-H Camp as much as I do, the thought of the end can be tough to swallow. I know for a fact that I would not be where I am today if I never went to camp.

Being a first-time camp counselor so closely to attending my first state days is what caused me to fall in love with 4-H. I can clearly recall several pinnacle moments in my 4-H career, and one of those is me standing in the extension office as my county agent and my mom both talked me into being a CIT. Camp is where I first made that connection with my fellow 4-Hers, a connection that would send me down the 4-H path full steam ahead.

Camp 2013

Why do I love camp so much? Camp is a place where every kid can truly be themselves. All of the reputations and peer-influences from school are gone, and you can be yourself in the most wild and pure way. It never gets old watching a camper completely transform from the beginning to the end of camp. I love being a counselor because I get to play a part in making that transition happen.

So now I have a choice. I can let the thought of my last camp linger with me and let it bring me down… or I can hand over the reins proudly, step back, and watch the magic of camp happen one last time. I choose the second one. Now without further ado, its time to go sing songs about Reese’s peanut butter cups, gopher guts, and everything in between.

 


Till State Days,
 

Nate Repetz
2013/2014 PA 4-H State Council
President