Football at Carson Beach

Over the past few weeks that I've been at Carson Beach, I've been really working on how to improve the athlete side of me. Catching footballs is one thing, and throwing them is a different game. I almost never catch the ball standing up, but for me, sitting down is a different story. Catching the football seems so much easier while sitting down (I don't know why but it just makes it easier for me!). Sometimes Joe or Preston would call "hands!" to Bridget and the best is when she has one hand holding her coffee while shielding herself with the other hand (sorry Bridget but it was funny). We have all learned that coffee is the one thing Bridget will not drop for the hands game. It is her morning priority! Recently however, Bridget has started to be able to catch with one hand, which is amazing, while I haven't progressed at all unfortunately, here's a picture of Preston with his hop game on point.

Now the 'hands' game at the beginning wasn't too bad the warnings were given before the person threw the ball in many cases would be Preston, however throughout the few weeks I've been at Carson things got a bit more extreme with Joe joining in. Now the warnings were given right before the ball hit you which was hilarious when the person receiving the ball couldn't catch it with the small amount of time given to them, but when they do catch it, it was amazing especially when the person receiving caught the ball with one hand which was what Bridget has been doing lately. In the end I'm still bad at catching, I still don't know how to throw a football correctly and the same goes for frisbee, but that's a different story.

Staff Day at Spectacle

Story time

This years staff day was one like none other. We started off with an initial plan that took a change in direction first thing in the morning. Then we attempted to try our back up and we still had to use an alternative plan. Thankfully our boss, Bruce, knows a thing or two about strategy.

Good play boys

We had some of our best laughs, experiences, and summer fulfillment together as a cohesive staff on Spectacle this past Monday. On our harbor trip in the morning we shared some amazing stories. Edward told us about his thrilling kayaking trip with the children at his site, Jahari shared his highs of his summer, and I shared the infamous "Save the Harbor/Save the Boxers" story. I felt like a bit of David, our harbor historian, rubbed off on me the way I'm able to share stories with groups now. I guess thats what a few years of AABH will do to one.

Photographer "A" at your service

Our annual All Access vs. No Access kickball game didn't happen but we still played football and frisbee amongst other activities. It was not a traditional staff day, but, we made the best of it. I also learned that I'm a decent photographer. Joe P. lent me a camera which I used to catch some photos throughout the day. I told him about my recent interest in photography and purchase of a Canon T5i DSLR camera. He gave me some pointers as I hope to start a new hobby, photography!

At the end of the day I walked away with nothing but smiles and a watermelon.

It was a good day.

-Ahmed

I... Am... Odell

Hey guys its Preston again! Let's get a few things straight. shall we? Yes, that was a catch. Yes, that was a touchdown. And yes, the kids do call me Odell. Now that we've gotten that out of the way: Tuesday's football game was honestly the most thrilling game of football that I have played in a while. Both teams weren't giving up an inch. But as we all know, there had to be a winner. 

Team Odell vs Team Joe; it was a hot day, but the kids came with their game faces ready to play. At first, it was a hard fought game. With neither team scoring in the first 20 minutes, the words "10 minutes left" echoed the beach as the camp counselor screamed at the top of her lungs. It was crunch time for both teams. With a quick score for Team Odell, Team Joe was now pressed for both time and points. With 4 minutes left to go, Jaylen from Team Odell quickly turned around and scooped a fumble all the way to the end zone. Now up two scores, Team Joe needed to turn it around, and needed to do it fast. 

As both teams huddled up for what was about to be the last play of the game, it was do or die: next score wins. Team Odell came too far to let Team Joe take the victory! I remember it since it was yesterday. The ball was in the air, and it felt like slow motion. Whose hands would it fall into? Mine, followed by two members of Team Joe. I looked up with one eye, while sand was in the other. The ball hit the ground. Incomplete pass. Team Odell took the win, but narrowly. The kids celebrated as they jumped and skipped to a well-deserved lunch break. I looked at Joe and said "that was an amazing game." We both laughed and started making sand castles. It's just the beginning of summer, and I hope for more football games like this one. This one will go down in the books for me. Until my next blog, Preston. 

Awesome People Create Awesome Memories

       Dexter Andrews
      Carson Beach 2015

    This was my first time working full time at Carson Beach in beautiful South Boston, where the city lies right behind the many Boston Harbor islands. It is definitely a beautiful site. The day started off with some games and fun from America Scores.  The icebreaker they performed was spectacular as the Save the Harbor/ Save The Bay crew got to meet and interact with other summer youth programs who also provide jobs for teens throughout the city of Boston. I had never played soccer before, so a lot of the games we had to play were extremely new to me. Competition was still at its highest.

 Bucket of baby clams caught along Carson Beach

     Later on in the afternoon, when the different camp groups began strolling in, fun turned into more fun and more fun turned into memories that both the kids and the adults will cherish forever. The Malden YMCA was on the shore so the Save The Harbor crew gathered the buckets and shovels, and strolled down to enjoy the search for clams!!!

Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a big football guy–– a football fanatic!! It seems that the kids knew that too. "Hey you! do you want to get a game of football" a group of kids asked me. My face lit up with excitement, "YEAH LETS GO!" I replied. All the children and I had a wonderful time playing beach football and cracking jokes.  The heat was slowing me down, which called for a little intermission, but the youngin's called for another game. Of course before that group departed, another game was necessary. They didn't want to leave Boston. In fact I'm convinced they fell in love.

Football Game w/ Malden YMCA

Looking back on the week as whole, the experience was unforgettable. The children were all amazing and brave enough to go outside their comfort zone to try something new and fun that they've never experienced before. As a guy wearing a blue shirt out there it feels good to be admired and called upon to spread light amongst the kids. I remember when I could fit into those same shoes, and I got the feeling they knew they had an unbelievable time. It's awesome. Every week I set a goal  for myself and this week the goal was make sure every camper was having fun and feeling happy. Whether it's cheering/motivating other kids to be good leaders or setting the bar for others to follow, if I did not obtain that goal I know I have failed at my job. Failure is ok, but it is not something one should make a habit. I personally don't settle with failure, but if it happens it happens and it's my job to also correct it and re-strategize on how to make things better the next time out.         

-Dex Andrews

"Sea you on the Harbor"