Camp Staff Training

As Team Ready's roots are directly tied to the experiences shared as camp staff alumni, it was only natural that members take time to give assistance back to the current camp staff that is charged with carrying on those traditions.   During the early years of Team Ready's existence, members would often look for "excuses" to go back to camp to reminisce and interact with the current camp staff.  Astute Camp Directors began to recognize this wealth of experience and soon enlisted their services to the benefit of the camp.

This cooperative effort between current staff and alumni is most prevalent at the pre-camp staff training weekends.  To allow the camp staff to concentrate on developing their programs and relationship, the camp alumni takes the burden of cooking meals and cleaning dishes for the approximate 100 people in attendance.  This also helps to remind all of the work ethic needed to be a successful staff member, and that even the highest level of management can be involved in the dirty work.

Spring 2004 at Tesomas Scout Camp

Winter 2005 at Hanna Venture Base

In addition to preparing some of the best meals the staff may experience all summer long, alumni make themselves available between meals to pass along knowledge from previous year's successful experiences.  Discussions often include program development, business sources, and facilities management.  Many times, a select alumni is asked to provide a motivational speech to the large group, so they may better understand the fine traditions that Tesomas and the whole Crystal Lake Scout Reservation has been built upon.

To further benefit the current camp seasons, the group of camp alumni that make up Team Ready also undertake annual service projects as part of these training weekends.  In addition to random minor maintenance tasks, major projects have included a gateway to the COPE course, the HVB portable climbing wall, the entrance to the HVB waterfront, a storage room for council training equipment, indoor climbing wall signs & equipment storage, HVB staff bunk beds, and most recently - the Koskelin Welcome Center.

Many more training weekend pictures are scattered throughout

the Team Ready public and member photo galleries.