A LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDER J ROBINSON
Maintaining Excellence At Camp Amid Change
Many people have asked over the years why our Intensive Camps have endured for 40 years when other camp systems have come and gone . During this time , I have endured the personal ups and downs and the hardships that we all experience as we move through life . Team setbacks , losing recruits , losing jobs , moving , divorce , financial problems ... the list goes on and on . The answer is really quite simple to articulate , but hard to do in practice .
In order to maintain stability , you have to concentrate on two things : focus and fundamentals . Both words are important . When you add them together — focus on the fundamentals — you have found the key . Fundamentals never change , and when you can just focus on them , good things will happen . They are truly the road to success .
We have all heard this message our entire lives , just in different ways . Focusing on what you can achieve is common sense , and its definition has always been the same : “ Keep your eye on the goal , don ’ t get sidetracked , and focus only on what you ’ re doing in any given moment .” We are constantly told that we need to focus on reaching a certain end result or goal , but that causes us to lose focus on the process of getting there . There are constantly forces at play in our lives — many of which are actually well-meaning — that try to pull us off course , but we ’ re not taught how to overcome them .
How have I learned to stay on course and not be distracted ? I learned to say NO at an early age . We have all heard “ Just say no ,” but it is difficult to actually do . The majority of people I have known in life just do not want to attempt to accomplish the same things as I do . This has nothing to do with right or wrong , or good or bad , it just means that we are all on different paths going different directions . As a result , my path requires me to stick to the course that I have chosen , and not be negatively influenced by those going in a different direction .
There have been four constants over the course of the 40 years of the Intensive Camps that have never changed because my fundamentals never change :
1 . The quest for excellence : We teach campers how to work hard towards their goals and be as great as they possibly can at any activity in life .
2 . The workload : There is no substitute for effort , so we have put the campers through four workouts a day every day during these 40 years .
3 . The time frame : The extended period of time that Intensive Campers spend with us ( 10 , 14 , or 28 days ) is essential in teaching them habits that stick .
4 . Me : My attention to detail and will to implement that detail at every camp is a constant . If there is a better way to do it , we will find it and implement it .
The Intensive Camp is a world all its own . A time and place cut off from the impact of the world for 66 days each summer where some come to teach and others come
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J speaks to the Intensive Camp athletes after each practice.