When I reflect on my five summers as a counselor at Sea Gull, a myriad of memories come back to me. From afternoons manning the gate at the Swim Lake to fishing with campers to those precious extra minutes of sleep on Sunday morning, my memories of Camp are vivid and fill me with a desire to go back. Unfortunately for many of us, the realities of school and work have made another summer at Camp a daydream.
The desire to go back to Camp and to re-experience the incredible friendships I built there is a huge reason why I chose to attend to Homecoming Weekend this fall. Some of my Camp friends I haven’t seen in years, others I see almost daily, but there is something unique that happens when we reunite at Camp. Even though it may have been four or five years since we have seen each other, when we meet at Camp it is like we never left.
Camp’s ability to build relationships that strong is a huge reason why I support Camp, and I want to be able to pass that experience on to the next generation. That’s why I’m racing in the William J. Adams IV Regatta on Homecoming Weekend. I was a Motorboating counselor, and as my Sailing friends will tell you, I am basically only good as ballast on a sailboat. Nonetheless, the opportunity to pass on the incredible experiences I had over my five summers at Camp is more than reason enough to figure out what tacking and jibing are.
Whether you have been away from Camp for two years or twenty, I encourage everyone to come to Homecoming Weekend to rekindle old friendships and build new ones. And rest assured that if you enter the Regatta you don’t have to worry about coming in last, I’ve got that on lock!
-Hill Winstead
Camp Sea Gull Staff Member
2008-2012