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FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – “Jump and arch your back.” “Find the pace you can keep the whole time.” “Hold it under your chin.” “How many laps have you done?”
These are not statements that you normally hear at a Vacation Bible School, but at this year’s Runner’s Camp VBS here, things sounded much different than usual.
The Runner’s Camp took place each day from 8 a.m. to noon on Bujalski Field. It was organized by the Fort Huachuca Religious Support Office and was open to kids ages six to twelve.
The idea to do the Runner’s Camp came from Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Vincent Myers, garrison chaplain. Myers moved to Fort Huachuca about a year ago, and his previous installation had done the camp with much success, so he put forward the idea to try it here.
According to Roxanne Martinez, director of religious education, the idea was a success.
“The last couple of years at VBS, we had about 60 kids register,” she said. “For this, we had 106 kids register! It’s been great!”
Each day started off with the kids breaking into their small groups, divided by age and gender, with all the small groups doing a group Bible study and learning session. After the Bible lesson, the groups would all come together and do calisthenics and warm-up games before splitting off again for the day’s activities.
“Each day they are learning two events,” Martinez said. “Long jump, high jump, distance running, sprinting, shot put, javelin and discus, and hurdles. There is also a game event and a snack tent that they rotate through.”
In addition to the organized events, the kids were also allowed to run laps on their own before the start of every morning, with prizes given for the students who completed the most laps at the end of the week.
For the last 30 minutes of each day, the groups would once again all come together and sing a few songs and play a fun game.
Rob Craig, director of Runner’s Camp, came all the way from North Carolina to facilitate the camp here.
“We play a musical game of Gorilla, Man, Gun which is like Rock, Paper, Scissors,” he said. “We do it in elimination rounds, and we will go from 106 kids down to 2 in about seven minutes, and the winner gets a certificate for ice cream. They LOVE Gorilla, Man, Gun. I think we could have a whole Gorilla, Man, Gun camp! It is seriously that popular!”
On the final day of the camp parents were invited to come watch as the kids showed off their new skills during a Track & Field Day. Each student was allowed to decide which events they would compete in, and ribbons were given out to the top three competitors in each age group.
Martinez, looking at a group of kids running by, was enthusiastic about the success of the event.
“When do you see kids out running anymore?” she asked. “Nowadays kids tend to stay inside, and they’d rather play video games or whatever. Here, we have 100 kids out running for fun! It’s great!”
Chaplain (Maj.) Brandon Johnson, family life chaplain, also said he believed the event was a big success.
“I feel like it’s a good balance of kids learning the gospel and also getting a chance to experience some track and field stuff that they wouldn’t normally get to do,” he said. “It’s a good group of instructors and volunteers, and a good group of kids, all coming together for a really great purpose!”
(Editor’s note: View the entire photo album at 2024-06-03 Runner's Camp VBS | Flickr)
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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