Camp News
Reunion Show in Asheville
November 15th, 2010
Yates, Marisa and the girls made the short trek over to Frank and Elizabeth Tindall’s home in Asheville on Sunday, November, 14, where they hosted the Falling Creek Reunion and Camp Movies.
The boys were very excited to see Nathan Newquist, Program Director, and Simon Wilson, Head of the Riding Program, who both came over from camp to see everyone. LuLu, the Tindall’s labrador, was also very excited to greet everyone, just like she does during the summer.
Falling Creek Camp Reunion and Movie Show at the Tindall’s in Asheville, NC on 11-14-10It was a wonderful opportunity to bring together so many camp friends from the area and give them the chance to see the new camp movie and share stories. Jim Parham, who has been a senior staff member at FCC and key Mountain Bike instructor for the past five summers, brought his son Sidney to come for the reunion.
Sidney, who is returning to Main camp for his 6th summer, shared stories about the “Solo” trip he participated in this past summer at FCC. He said that the 48 hours he spent by himself in the woods helped him to learn more about himself and now decide to do many new things. He cited joining the cross country team for the first time this fall as an example.
Scott Hilderbran shared that he really enjoyed his special time with his dad at the BAM Father/Son Weekend this past May. Many thanks to these boys for sharing their personal thoughts on what camp has meant to them.
It was great to see Virginia, Alex and Catherine Anderson at the show. Virginia is a Henderson County school teacher who helps keep the Program Office running during the summer. Alex is returning to the Main Camp session for his fifth summer.
Ellison, Yates, Matt, Joey, Ben & Frank at the Falling Creek Camp Reunion and Movie Show on 11-14-10Coming in the door during the event were Ellison and Matt Smith, Joey Brown and Ben Szurek. These boys met at camp and share a growing passion for paddling. These boys and their dads have been paddling almost every weekend this fall. No exception today as Ellison took them all to the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, for some big water paddling fun. They said they didn’t want to miss this big event.
Matt and Ben show off their Boat tie down skills on their trip to the US Whitewater Center on 11-14-10It’s a true testament to the fact that not only have their friendships developed at camp, but they are all in different grades and schools (Joey – 9th, Ben – 8th and Matt – 7th). This is a great example of the fact that the boys get to participate in activities based on their skill level, not necessarily age. Joey and Matt have participated in the HUCK Adventure at FCC and really enjoyed this big experience. They are planning to sign up for the HUCK again this summer.
Many thanks to the Tindall’s for hosting the Reunion and Camp Movies in their home!
0 Comments"Houston, we have a reunion & movie show"
November 9th, 2010
Yates made his way south to Houston, where Hal and Paula Mentz hosted the Falling Creek Reunion and camp movies on Monday, November 8. Their three sons, Henry, James and Phil have been campers at Falling Creek for years.
Henry was a Counselor-In-Training (C.I.T.) in 2010 and participated in the HUCK Paddling Adventure the past two summers. James and Phil are returning for their 6th and 5th summers.
Falling Creek Camp Reunion and Movie Show at the Mentz’s in Houston, TX on 11-8-10Laffy Herring, a native Houstonian and FCC camper in the 70’s and 80’s, brought his son, LaFayette to the reunion. LaFayette will be returning for his fourth summer.
Laffy’s cousin Fred and Hilary Herring Smith were long time Falling Creek and Camp Greystone campers. Hilary brought her sons, Paul and Henry tonight, and Paul will be going to June camp for his first Falling Creek Camp experience.
Carleton Riser, also an alumnus from the 70’s and 80’s, brought Robert, his oldest of three sons, to introduce him to the Falling Creek Camp community. Carleton is from New Orleans, but has called Houston home for years. He is currently Managing Director of Transwestern’s Real Estate Development & Investment Group.
Yates always enjoys reconnecting with FCC camp friends. He said, “we pick right up from where we left off more than 20 years ago.”
We want to thank Hal and Paula for their warm hospitality in welcoming this large group of families who came to reconnect and learn more about Falling Creek Camp.
0 CommentsWest Palm Beach Reunion
October 20th, 2010
Yates was thrilled to be able to reconnect with the Skelly family in West Palm Beach as they hosted the Falling Creek Camp Reunion and Movies on Tuesday, October 19.
Tim Skelly and Yates met at FCC in 1978 while taking the swim test in the upper lake and have been great friends ever since. Inge and Tim’s son, Tommy, will be returning to Falling Creek for his 6th summer and enjoys camp as much as his dad and Uncle Piper did.
Falling Creek Camp Reunion and Movies show at the Skelly’s in West Palm Beach, FL on 10-19-10Yates also had the chance to reconnect with Paul Raymond, a 7-year camper, who has applied to be a Counselor-In-Training (C.I.T.) this coming summer. Paul loves camp, but especially any paddling trip he can sign up for. He plans to return to be a part of the HUCK paddling trip for his third time. We’re excited that Paul will be able to pass along his paddling expertise to the campers in his role as a C.I.T. this summer.
Mariano Garcia came to this FCC reunion with his son Andres, who has been a Falling Creek camper for several years. They have also been a part of the “Becoming A Man” (BAM) Father/Son Weekend at FCC, a special opportunity for older boys and their dads.
Yates and Tim really enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with FCC alumnus Stuart Kirwan, a long-time Falling Creek camper from Louisville, back when they were counselors. Stuart is an attorney and he and his wife live in the Palm Beach area.
These folks, and the other returning campers who came to the show, were all excellent hosts to the new families that came to learn more about Falling Creek Camp. We all send the Skelly’s a “Thank You” for hosting the big FCC event at their home.
0 CommentsFCC Families Adventure Race In Virginia
October 19th, 2010
After the New Orleans movie show, Yates drove back Friday and picked his two oldest daughters up at school and joined with their good friends the Smith’s from Asheville. The group traveled north to Buchanan, VA, to participate in the Odyssey Adventure Race on Saturday, October 16.
(l to r) Ellison, Matt, Yates, Brooke, Lucy & Annie after the Odyssey Adventure Race in Buchanan, VA on 10-16-10The two families received a “Hall Pass” from the rest of their crew to create two teams; “Hall Pass One” included Annie Pharr(14), Brooke Smith(14) and Ellison Smith(dad), and “Hall Pass Two” included Matt Smith(12), Lucy Pharr(12) and Yates.
Matt, a veteran Falling Creek camper, will be returning to Main camp for his fourth summer. He also participated in the big HUCK paddling trip that Falling Creek offers just after Main camp.
Yates was glad to see Michael Egues at the race. His sons, Jack and Michael have been coming to Falling Creek Camp for 6 and 7 years. Michael was part of the “On Your Left” team that competed in the 24-hour Adventure Race.
You can see more info on the Odyssey Adventure Racing web site.
The teams are given maps and coordinates at the start of the race. Each group has to work together to plot these coordinates on the maps and then find checkpoints out in the wilderness by following the directions on how to get there.
It involves whitewater canoeing, trekking and mountain biking. Many times bushwhacking is required to find the remote points.
There are mandatory checkpoints that all teams must find to remain official and there are several optional ones to give teams incentive to decide whether they can acquire them, gain more points, and still return in time to the finish before the cut-off.
All teams finished their race and Annie, Brooke and Ellison (“Team Hall Pass One”) finished 1st in the 3-person co-ed division and 3rd overall with 31 teams competing. Yates, Lucy and Matt (“Hall Pass Two”) finshed 4th in the Co-ed 3-person team division. This is quite impressive given that there is no consideration for age and it was Brooke, Annie, Matt and Lucy’s first ever adventure race. Needless to say, the two dads were very proud of their families!
0 CommentsHoliday Huck Reunion
January 11th, 2010
During the summer of 2009 Falling Creek ran a high adventure paddling program called HUCK. (HUCK means running a waterfall). With the recent break from school several members of HUCK got together to paddle, tell tales, and relive the trip from this past summer.
This mini reunion consisted of Ben Williams and Doug Koziol representing the staff, and Will and Joey who were both Falling Creek campers and HUCK paddlers.
The crew met in the parking lot of Hooker Falls in DuPont State Forest and suited up for a wonderful day of paddling on a great section of river. The adventure was focused more on staying warm and dry than paddling hard whitewater, as 6 inches of snow covered the forest. Once suited up we looked more like space explorers than kayakers, and the looks from the parking lot confirmed it!
Putting on allowed us to test our snow kayaking skills as it involved sliding on the snow before hitting the water at mach 3! Doug shows us how it is done in the photo above!
After entering the water, the river offered up some great rapids like Diagonal Slide, Many Different Ways, and the infamous Hooker Falls. Each of these rapids requires different paddling skills. Joey and Will showed theirs by expertly navigating each challenge with grace and poise.
Hooker Falls is the keystone rapid of this run with its striking backdrop and 15-foot plunge into Cascade Lake, it makes for amazing pictures and paddling.
0 CommentsAwesome Asheville Attendance
November 20th, 2009
On Sunday Frank and Elizabeth Tindall hosted the Falling Creek Camp movies at their home in Asheville. It was a great time to reconnect with the existing campers from the area, and the new families interested in camp had a chance to meet a large group of staff and alumni who came to support FCC.
Asheville, North Carolina
Gordon and Laurie Strayhorn directors and owners of Camp Illahee for girls in Brevard, showed their camp movie at the Tindall’s right before our FCC movie show. Gordon and Laurie are alumni of Falling Creek. They met here in 1983 while Gordon was the program director and Laurie was on the paddling staff.
Other alumni included David Brown, who came with his son Joey, a veteran camper who will return for his fifth summer in 2010. David and his brother Bucky were the heads of the paddling program when Yates and Goody were campers in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
Joey has followed his father’s and uncle’s footsteps in becoming a great paddler, having the opportunity to experience the HUCK Paddling Adventure this past summer. Check out this incredible trip by watching the trip movie on our website.
Ellison Smith, who served as a camp doctor, brought his son Matt who will be returning to camp this summer. Matt has signed up to be a part of the 2010 HUCK Adventure, as well.
Phil and Jessica Hoffmann drove over from Brevard where they own and operate Looking Glass Outfitters. Phil is a former FCC camper, staff member and director.
There was a banner group of top Falling Creek staff (Staff Bios) in attendance including the entire Pharr family, Jim Goodrum, Nathan Newquist, Ben Williams, Robert Kirby, Natasha Johnson, Jim and Nancy Kurtts and Steve Longenecker. Jim is returning to FCC for his 41st summer and Steve for his 32nd summer. Courtney Long helped SFL present Lil Red the Screech Owl, who is the newest addition to the FCC Birds Of Prey Family, for the families to meet. Jim, Mary Ellen and Sydney Parham, drove an hour and a half to be at the show!
What an amazing way to finish our Falling Creek Camp Movies Fall tour. We are so thankful that we had a chance to visit almost 40 cities where we were able to reconnect with many of the current campers, staff and alumni and introduce our awesome camp community to the new families who came to learn more about camp. We want to especially thank all of our family representatives for serving as such wonderful ambassadors of Falling Creek and opening their doors to host these fun camp gatherings.
Please keep in touch with our regular news updates and visits to your area when we are interviewing staff.
Know of an awesome young man in your neighborhood or church who is in college now and would be a super role model on our staff? Please let us know how we can meet him.
Our Falling Creek crew sends Happy Thanksgiving wishes to you all!
0 CommentsThe Green River Race
November 11th, 2009
In football you have the Super Bowl, in baseball you have the World Series, and in Hockey you have the Stanley Cup. In the world of whitewater paddling, you have the Green Race.
The uniqueness of the Green Race lays in history of the event. It was started by friends and it has continued to be run by friends and supported by volunteers. For the racers it is a chance to showcase the river that they love so much, and for a chance to win the small handmade glass trophy.
Andrew Holcombe
Sporting events create their own feel and excitement, and for some the event seems to start weeks ahead of time. For me the changing of the leaves, the cool mornings, and the line of eleven-foot-plus kayaks on top of car roof racks driving on I-26 between Saluda, NC, and Hendersonville, NC, means it is once again time for the annual Green River Narrows Race.
Andrew Holcombe
The Narrows of the Green is a world class stretch of whitewater tucked away on the Henderson and Polk County line. With Falling Creek’s proximity to the Green river, it seems that each year several campers, counselors, and alumni show up to watch the race… and a few brave souls that compete.
Along the banks of the Green River on Saturday, I ran into Mel Ringler (counselor), Asa Walker (camper), Corey Hopkins (counselor), Andrew Smith (counselor), James Boyd (camper and counselor), Adam Secrest (counselor), Polk Deters and his son Scout (camper and counselor), Michael Welch (camper), Steve McGrady (camper), Brent Denys and his father (camper), Sean Thompson(camper), Charles Jordan (counselor), Annie Martin (counselor), and Andrew Holcombe (Huck counselor).
The Gorilla Rapid
The race is roughly a mile long and the winning time this year was 4:18 which was set by Andrew Holcombe and is the current course record. The course is made up of several class IV and V rapids, with Gorilla being the marquee rapid of the event.
Gorilla is a five-foot-wide flume that drops 18 vertical feet, truly a remarkable sight. Standing and watching paddlers come through the notch and soar off the horizon line of Gorilla every minute for well over three hours, can take one’s breath away.
- Ben Williams
0 CommentsThe Jez Wins Nationals
November 5th, 2009
Congratulations Jez!
Jez just finished competing in the Australian National Freestyle Kayak Championships last weekend, and won first place in C1. He also placed third in the OC1 and fifth in K1.
That now makes a total of six National Championships wins for Jez. Way to go!
Photo courtesy of Jez.
Jez is one of FCC’s top paddling instructors and plans to return for his fourth summer in 2010. Jez is the driving force behind the The Huck Trip, and he is one of the trip’s leaders.
If you’re a paddler, check out The Huck.
0 CommentsFCC in FL
October 23rd, 2009
Miami, FL
Yates made his way down to the southern tip of Florida on Sunday to show the camp movie at Betsy and Art Murphy’s home for the Miami area families. It was a beautiful day with the temperatures getting to a high in the low 70’s. Their sons, Teddy and Anderson will be returning to Main camp this summer.
Naples, FL
On Monday, Yates traveled to Naples to reconnect with a number of FCC families. Susan and Jeff Nunner hosted the show. Their son Alex will attend Main Camp this summer and Sam will attend the August Session. Also in Naples, Doug Newell, a Falling Creek alumnus from the early 70’s, came by to be a part of the fun and see the new DVD.
West Palm Beach, FL
Yates had the pleasure of driving back to the west coast of Florida on Tuesday to show the movies at Tim and Inge Skelly’s home in West Palm Beach. Their son Tommy will be coming back to June camp for his 5th summer. Tim and Yates were campers and counselors at camp for 12 years (1978-1989).
Mariano and Andres Garcia came by to provide their support. They were a part of the B.A.M. Father/Son Weekend at camp in late September.
Paul R. took time out of his busy schedule to come by as well. Paul is a junior in high school and will be returning to Main Camp for his 5th summer. Paul is also one of the stars of the new HUCK Paddling Trip video. If you have not seen this yet, take a look at the amazing accomplishments these boys have worked up to over the last couple of years paddling at Falling Creek.
On Wednesday, Yates trekked up to Tampa to connect with a good mixture of returning campers and families new to Falling Creek. Preston and Laura Farrior hosted the show. Their sons Gator and Wyatt are FCC campers and Gator will be returning to Main camp for his 6th summer.
Orlando, FL
Yates then drove to the middle of the state to connect with the families in the greater Orlando area. Lori and Robert Brand hosted the show for their first time. Their son Robert attended camp for the first time last summer and will return to the August 2-week session. Robert, Sr. went to Charlotte Country Day with Yates and was a star running back for the Buccaneers.
Dr. Floyd Livingston and his son Erickson attended the show. Floyd was the camp doctor during the first week of Main camp last summer and his wife Kathrynn was a nurse during all 4 weeks of Main camp. Erickson is coming back to Main camp for his 5th summer and both of the Livingston’s will be a part of the Falling Creek medical team again this summer.
We want to thank the Murphy’s, Nunner’s, Skelly’s, Farrior’s and Brand’s for all their hard work in organizing and hosting the Falling Creek Camp movies this past week in Florida.
0 CommentsAwesome Adventure Awaits!
October 8th, 2008
Want to take your paddling to the next level? The Huck is for you!
The Huck is an 8-day whitewater paddling adventure trip. It is for boys aged 13-17 and focuses on skill improvement, leadership, and character development.
The trip will be lead by Jez Blanchard, world champion paddler and Falling Creek paddle staff memeber, and features guest appearances by other professional paddlers on the Jackson Kayak team.
To read more about the trip, the requirements, or why it’s called The Huck go the the Huck Page.
0 Comments
