First Time Camper? Check this out: A Beginner's Guide to Camp Foley

A Beginner’s Guide to Camp Foley

Welcome to Foley! As two long time campers (with a combined 10 years at Foley), we know that coming to camp for the first time can be pretty intimidating. So from some formerly terrified first year campers to another, here’s a guide to help ease your fears as much as we wish ours could’ve been. Prepare to make this summer incredible!

First off, the packing list. Now, it’s pretty extensive and has a great outline for all you’ll be needing, but let’s get into the specifics. While some things are definitely necessary to bring with you to camp (deodorant, shampoo, sun screen, etc.), other items are up for more personal preference, like swimsuits, for example. Although the Foley packing list says to only bring two swimsuits, this year we’ll be bringing three. We spend a lot of our day at the waterfront and prefer to avoid any situation where we might have to put on a cold, wet suit. If you're like us, these next 1-4 weeks you’ll be spending a lot of time around the water. Believe us, you'll want that 3rd suit! Next, your actual clothes. Bring some extra layers to put on during those cooler nights, and make sure to bring comfy clothes to wear around on the daily. Most importantly, bring clothes that you feel most comfortable in! To be honest, there will probably be 4-6 outfits that you’ll find yourself wearing almost every day. Make sure they’re ones you’re totally able to move around in, and make sure you don’t care about them too much (not all of our shirts have always survived). Pack some extra accessories, too! Personally, we always bring some sort of camera (to document all of the good times), letter-writing materials (send the Foley address to your friends and family so they can write you!), and friendship bracelet string. Above all, we bring tons of costumes. We can promise you that there will be more than enough opportunities to dress up in wild outfits- make sure to bring enough to stunt on everyone during all of Foley’s special events.

So the day finally arrives! You’re stepping out of the bus or car and into that blinding Minnesota sunshine. What should you expect? For starters, step out with an open mind. Be ready for new experiences. Let yourself be excited! In our opinion, it’s pretty impossible to not have a great time at camp, but making the most out of your time can really help you have the best time possible.

The first day is always a whirlwind of rules, introductions, campfire songs, and spaghetti. It can get to be overwhelming at times, especially if you’ve never been away from home for too long. It can also be really exciting! You get to meet all of the new people in your cabin (they won’t be new to you for too long, though), set up your bunk and unpack, and watch the crazy opening campfire skits. If you’re ever feeling too overwhelmed, talk to one of your counselors. They’re there to talk to you and help you through things- reach out to them!

On the first night, when you’re finally lying down in your bunk, surrounded by the people who are about to become your best friends, take a second to think about what you want to make sure to accomplish in the next few weeks. Set some goals for yourself to live up to. Try to do one thing everyday that scares you. Get out of your comfort zone, talk to as many people as possible, put yourself out there! If there’s any place on earth to take risks and be yourself, it’s definitely camp.

Now- the first morning! The day before, you will have picked your first out of three schedules that you’ll have during your time at camp. When choosing those five activities, here’s what we recommend:

1. Choose two things that you’ve never tried before.
2. Choose two activities you know you love.
3. And choose one activity that’s going to get you out of your comfort zone. 

If you’re not sure where one of your activities begins, don’t be afraid to ask someone. People at camp are some of the friendliest people you’ll probably ever meet, and no one expects you to know where everything is on your first day. So ask around!

The next few weeks will go by in a blur. Win as many canteens as possible, laugh as much as you can, and don’t bet that you’ll eat six pieces of Sodabread (believe us. It’s not worth it). Above all else, make sure to live in the moment. Enjoy the gorgeous nature surrounding you, enjoy the amazing time you have with the people around you, enjoy the little things that make camp what it is. Explore, be open, be curious!

Time spent at camp doesn’t match up to time spent at home. Days can feel as if they’ve gone by in a week, and weeks can feel like they’ve gone by in hours. At the end of your summer at Foley, it might feel as if it’s only been minutes since you first stepped out of that bus or car and into the sunshine. And you’re definitely going to leave already looking forward to what next year’s camp adventures have in store. So before you first walk out into your new home away from home, remember to make the most out of your time. We promise it’ll be worth it. Camp has been one of the most meaningful experiences in our lives, and we hope it’ll be the same for you. Can’t wait to see you this summer!

Faith and Grace :)

TBT - Evan Recalls "Barefooting" in 2005

Dan Lamm (left) as a counselor
in 2005.

This is one of those memories that I will never forget from camp. It is still as clear as it was the day it happened. I was in Dan Lamm’s, or as some of you may know him Dan the Man, skiing class back in 2005. We decided to break out the boom to try barefooting. I had no idea what I was doing and it did not help that it was a fairly windy day out.

Evan as a camper in 2005.

When it was my turn to go, I was a little nervous but figured I could get it done. If you have not seen someone barefoot off the boom before, you start out in a superman position holding on to the boom. You then swing your legs around to the front so you can barefoot of the side of the boat. As the boat started to drag me through the water, I realized this was not going to be that easy.

All of a sudden we were going pretty fast and I was still just being dragged in the superman position. I was not strong enough to pull my legs out in front of me, so there I was just being dragged by the side of the boat. Bouncing off every wave that we hit. But here is where the unthinkable happened.

Evan waterskiing in 2005. This is not the barefooting
incident. Thankfully.

One second my swimsuit was on¸ the next it was gone. As soon as I realized that my swimsuit had come off, I let go of the boom. I must not have tied my suit tight enough because when I hit one wave at the wrong angle, the lake took my suit. There I sat in the water, with just a lifejacket. When I told Dan what had happened, we were both laughing and he tossed me my towel.

But it was not my towel. It belonged to the little fox girl who Dan had spotting for him in the boat. The towels looks very similar however I did not realize this until I was already in the boat wrapped up in the towel. Once we realized that I had the wrong towel, the little girl could not understand why she could not have her towel; English was not her first language. Me and Dan tried to explain, still laughing, why I could not take off the towel until we got back.

Evan as a counselor in 2012 with cabin Shingwako.

The whole time Dan, the rest of the campers in our group, and me were laughing about the incident. We eventually made it back, and I was able to get a new pair of shorts back at my cabin. That ended up being Dan’s favorite memory of the session when it came time for closing campfire, which I was pretty proud of at the time. I will never forget that day. It is just one of the many memories I have of camp, and they always brighten my day every time they pop into my head. Whitefish still has my swimsuit down there somewhere.

-Evan Oncay

Local Minnesota Teen Does Good!

Waterskiing at Foley
Summer 2012

Did you know that the most popular water sport at Camp Foley was invented by two teenagers from Minnesota?  That’s right!  In 1922, 18-year old Ralph Samuelson theorized that if it was possible to ski on snow, it should be possible to ski on water too.

Minnesota Water Ski Inventor Ralph Samuelson

Ralph convinced his brother Ben to pull him across Lake Pepin, Minnesota in a power boat with a clothes line.  Ralph started out by trying downhill snow skis, cross-country snow skis, and even wooden planks which he strapped to his ankles with a window sash.  Eventually Ralph learned that by leaning backwards to keep the front tips of the skis above the water, and by making sure Ben kept the boat running fast enough, he could ski across the lake.

Ralph with the seaplane
that pulled him at 80 mph!

Ralph and Ben began custom building skis specifically for the water from wood planks.  They learned that wider skis worked best, and before long they were holding public exhibitions in the summer on Lake Pepin to show off their new skills.  People began coming from to the lake from nearby communities to watch Ralph, who soon learned he could slalom around buoys on water skis too.  By the time Ralph added the first ski jump over a floating ramp to his exhibition, people were traveling to Lake Pepin each summer from miles around to see this fascinating new sport.

By 1937, Ralph was performing water ski exhibitions in Minnesota, Michigan, and Florida.  One of his most famous variations was to have himself pulled with a long rope by an airborne WW1 seaplane at 80mph.  Audiences loved it.  And by doing so Ralph became the world’s first speed skier.

This wild, new Minnesota activity caught on with vacation resorts across the country in the 1950’s, and soon Hollywood was including elaborate water ski “stunts” into their big budget, widescreen, color musicals into their teen beach/surf romantic comedies.

Elvis Presley water skiing in 1955

A water ski exhibition
for a resort in the 50's

Hollywood water ski
movie poster

Camp Foley began teaching water skiing in 1956 and joined the National Waterski Association in 1958.  The activity quickly became a camper-favorite, and we continue to expand and improve our classes, programs, and equipment – adding knee-boarding, barefoot skiing, and in 2004 wakeboarding too.  This year we made another impressive addition to the program with the purchase of a powerful 343-horse power Centurion ski boat.

Camp Foley's powerful new Ski Boat makes learning to ski even easier!

Foley Camper Wakesurfing like a pro!

Here at Foley, waterskiing instruction is open to boys and girls of all ages that have passed their swim test.  Our certified lifeguard waterskiing instructors teach campers all they need to know to learn the basic and expert tips to improve their skills. Campers can earn their Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced and Expert Camp Foley Ski Awards.

If you haven’t tried waterskiing at Foley yet, you should!  With a little help, you could be out there speeding across Whitefish Lake having fun in the sun.

For more info about waterskiing, check out the USA Water Ski Association, this cool History of Water Skiing link, or our Water Skiing at Camp Foley video.

Hey who's that guy?

Ryan (right), playing Hockey.

This month I had the chance to meet new to Foley camper, Ryan A. Ryan is from Maryland and has attended summer camps in his area previously, but this year will mark the first for coming to Camp Foley. I asked Ryan how he heard about Foley and his response was, “I found it on the internet.” Ryan has family that lives in Minnesota so he has seen the beautiful landscape before, and that is partly what drew him to begin looking for a camp in Minnesota. Ryan has had to the chance to visit Minnesota with family before, but he is excited for the chance to make this voyage on his own.

Maryland holds activities that he participates in which he is also excited about trying at Foley like sailing. I asked him what things he will try as a Foley First and he is excited for paintball. The competitiveness of paintball seems to be a popular topic with most of the campers that I talk with. We also talked about our new boat and the chance to try water skiing and wakeboarding. We got a little off subject and started talking about wake surfing behind a boat, that was a fun topic for me to venture off on.  Ryan also enjoys playing Hockey, as you can see from the picture above, he looks perfectly at home on the ice. My hope is for Ryan to try his hand at floor hockey during his first stay with us!

I can tell within the brief time I had to meet Ryan that he will be comfortable in the Camp Foley setting and I can’t wait to see how many new friends he will make. It’s exciting for me to know that kids from across the world will be coming to my new home at Camp Foley and I can’t wait for the opportunity to learn something new from each of them!

- Adam Ashley, Assistant Director