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 It
was round number one for Heinrich Sam and Teresa Wallace, but I was on
round number two. I had such a great experience my first time, I made
the journey again with team BFC to help give back to the sport! Camp
Grady Spruce is located on and around Posse Kingdom Lake outside of
Dallas. The camp is made up of three smaller camps determined by the
camper age and gender. Inside each camp, the kids have the opportunity
to participate in many activities like, horseback riding, archery,
sailing, hiking waterskiing, and so on. But once a year when
Barefootcentral.com comes, the kids have the opportunity to learn
barefooting. To get the kids pumped up to try, we put on a show of
different barefooting acts. The kids and staff always love this. After
the show, the kids are extremely excited to hit the water!
Day one we arrive after a long road trip into Posse Kingdom Lake. We are
greeted by Mike Bateman, the director of the Barefooting clinics, who is
also a member of the camp’s board. Mike, who the kids call “Marv,” is
always very appreciative and enthusiastic about us coming. Marv wasted
no time. He had Heinrich and I in a boat teaching in a matter of
minutes. Meanwhile, Chuck and Teresa went back to the cabin to rest up
for the show we would be putting on for 100 plus kids that evening.
That evening around 6, the four of us did a barefoot ski show. Nothing
too hard, but enough to get the kids pumped up to try barefooting
CLICK HERE to see video of show
After the show Marv brought all of us on shore and
gave the kids a chance to ask us questions. This is the time all those
hard falls paid off for us barefooters! Naturally, the kids were shocked
on just how you can ski on your feet! And then on top of that, how we
can do tricks. But after the basic questions were asked, Marv opened the
floor up for autographs—and trust me, we couldn’t sign fast enough!
After the fun and fame
was over, Marv took us all out for some pizza. We all talked about the
show, and the best spot where we signed autographs—foreheads, arms,
backs, and t-shirts. We filled up on pizzas, knowing tomorrow would be a
long day. Marv took us back to where we would be staying, which was a
luxurious 5-star camper cabin loaded with 2 baths, 2 bunks, 5 beds, all
with an upstairs view of the lake! We couldn’t have had it any better!
As we settled in, Chuck was a little cranky after the long day, so we
had to be quiet so he could get his sleep. We soon found out why, Marv
had us up at 5:30 a,m. to start teaching the staff/counselors of the
camp. I went with the boys and Teresa went with the girls, while Chuck
and Heinrich went to Frontier camp. I don’t know how Teresa’s day went,
but the boys and I had a blast! They loved watching each other fall and
crash. Sean, a staff member who was there last year, had picked his game
up, and he was able to do a little show off skiing for the rest of the
staff.
After Teresa and I were
done, we headed to Frontier camp to meet Chuck and the rest of the
campers to get ready for our next show. The wind was pumping at 8 in the
morning and the lake was white capping right where we were going to ski.
I was pumped! Yeah right….Chuck was debating on whether he was going to
ski! Let’s just say the show was not as good as the first. Even though
it wasn’t great, the kids enjoyed every bit of it! As he did in the
first show, Marv opened the floor for questions and autographs. That was
a big hit again. Heinrich and I were getting pictures taken with girls,
which made Chuck very jealous! But we all had a good time.
After the show, we rested
up for the after noon because we had lots of teaching to do. After the
kids watched the shows, they naturally wanted to try! Despite the water
conditions, each kid gave it their best shot. For most, the swing was
necessary for success. Just getting the kids in suits and getting their
feet wet helped them feel what it is like. Some kids were able to go on
the boom and do great. Afterwards, we gave the kids posters and
stickers. All the kids put the stickers on their water bottles, which
every kid had. It was nice to see that we showed them how fun
barefooting is!
All the kids deserve a pat on the back for their hard work and their non
stop effort. They didn’t give up! Good job, Guys, or should I say
“ya’ll”? Thanks to all of you campers and staff for making my second
trip to camp Grady Spruce another great trip. And thanks to my sponsors
Barefootcentral.com, Eagle Sports, US Gear, and Sanger. And, of course,
a big thank you to Chuck Gleason fore giving me the opportunity to help
improve the sport, which we all love.
Keep your toes up!
CAM
Chris Morrison
Team BarefootCentral.com
Click Here to see all the photos taken at Camp
Grady Spruce
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