Time is really flying. Just one more week for us here at Wellspring Wisconsin – but that certainly doesn’t mean things are slowing down. Oh no. Just the opposite really.

On Tuesday night, campers took a field trip to the Platteville aquatic center and swam the night away. An excited and exhausted bunch told tales of cannonballs, water slide rides, and breath holding contests.

Wednesday’s activities were unconventional, to say the least. Campers were spotted building sand castles on the volleyball court, “crab walking” in Counselor Jackie’s “total body exhaustion class,” and even learning proper sword use in Tom’s Akido class. Check out the photos on parentcheckin.com for proof.

Last night, campers and staff circled around the fire on the Hug lawn for ceremony on an absolutely perfect evening. The sky was clear and the temperature comfortable as the sun set in Platteville. Hard to believe we were watching for tornados just last week! Fat free smores were followed by glow in the dark ultimate Frisbee.

This afternoon after culinary class, a crew of campers will take a trip to the local Piggly Wiggly to seek out healthy alternatives to their favorite and often high fat snacks. There is much to pack in here in our final week of camp!

A competitive spirit filled the UW- Platteville pool deck on Thursday afternoon as the campers prepared for the summer’s first swim meet. The 200 meter freestyle (that’s 8 laps!), 50 meter kick, and 100 meter backstroke were just a few of the afternoon’s main events.

The Strawberry Festival 5K is held annually here in Platteville to benefit breast cancer screening at the area’s hospital. On Saturday morning, campers participated in the 3.1-mile run/walk in town. All camper participants crossed the finish line, and for many it was their first organized race – they even have a strawberry pink t-shirt to prove it! Congratulations to all finishers!

After lunching on fat free pizza and breadsticks this afternoon, we waved good-bye to 9 brave campers and their counselors (all wearing sunscreen and donning brightly colored helmets), as they embarked on a 10 mile bike ride to what is known as the world’s largest “M.” Here’s a little history to go along with your blog reading enjoyment. The “M” is one of Platteville's most enduring landmarks. This very large letter was completed in 1937 by University of Wisconsin-Platteville students and is a symbol of the old School of Mines. It measures 214 feet wide by 241 feet tall and consists of some 400 tons of whitewashed stone. The lighting of the "M" is an annual tradition at UW-Platteville. Twice a year, the "M" is outlined with hundreds of smudge-pots lit by a torch carried by student runners from campus to the mound. The resulting display can be seen from 3 states. Steps lead up the side of the "M" so that one can climb to the top for a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside. Now, that’s no ordinary 13^th letter.

There was a chill in the air for a few days last week here at Wellspring Wisconsin. The sweatshirts and jackets came out as we circled around the fire for Friday night’s ceremony. Some of our campers and staff who are used to warmer climates were bundled up as if it were a winter night! Smores made with low fat graham crackers, chocolate syrup, and fire-roasted marshmallows were enjoyed by all.

This week in culinary class, there was all sorts of chopping, grilling, frying, blackening, and seasoning going on. Campers whipped up homemade fat free rice krispie treats, Southwest cheese dip with blackened peppers, egg scrambles with tomatoes and onions, and grilled mushroom and pineapple kabobs. Yes, they will go home with recipes!

After dinner on Saturday, campers participated in an outdoor 3-on-3 basketball tournament on what turned out to be a beautiful evening. The green, black, blue, and white teams played their hearts out in a fierce competition. The jump shots, dribbling skills, and defensive slides were impressive, to say the least. Ultimately, after a nail biter of a game, the white team was crowned the winner. Congratulations to all participants!

Yesterday afternoon’s main activity was a camper vs. staff kickball game. No one held back. The kickers gave it their all, campers and staff alike slid into bases to avoid the dreaded “you’re out!” and more than a few counselors were outkicked by their campers!

Constant movement has really been the theme at WWI the past few days. On a cool, but comfortable morning here in Platteville yesterday, campers lined up on the track and participated in a timed mile. For any non-runners out there, that's 4 full laps around! For some campers, this was their fourth attempt at the timed mile. It was a real treat to see how much faster they were able to run even after just a few weeks here! The campers impressed us all with their encouragement of one another through the event. It was not uncommon to see a tired finisher on the final 100 yard dash with 3 or 4 campers running along their side. Who needs an I-pod with motivational music when you have cheerleaders inspiring you along the way?

We held the summer's first camp dance last night, and the campers certainly brought their best moves to the dance floor (see the parent check-in website later this afternoon for photos!) Everyone was dressed to impress for the Hawaiian luau-themed social affair, and campers enjoyed a variety of diet sodas and fat free chocolate swirl ice cream as they mingled.

This morning, the "Step-Up Challenge" began. Teams Awesome, Amazing, and Fantastic are participating in a competition to see who can accumulate the most steps during the course of the day. The heat is on, and the stepping just won't stop. The winning team will make an outing to a music festival here in Platteville later this week - a great way to relax and celebrate their stepping accomplishments!

In other health-related news, the camp nurse reports excellent camper compliance with use of sunscreen, bug spray, and hydration. There have been close to zero incidents of sunburns or strange insect bites, and campers are remarkably well hydrated considering their level of activity.

We just finished up our first Family Workshop of the summer!!! Needless to say alot of our campers were excited to see their parents and their parents excited to see them!

The importance of support from home is crucial to the success of your long term weight controller (LTWC). It was encouraging to see the families this weekend come with open minds and lots of great questions. I look forward to the next workshop and the opportunity to spend time with more parents as they learn the Wellspring Plan and how to support their camper at home.

We couldn't have had a better key note this weekend as Dr. Kirshenbaum, the man who literally wrote the book, came up from Chicago to spend a few days with us. Dr. K will be joining us again for the August workshop, so if you missed this one make sure you are signed up for the next.

Saturday, July 11th marked our official half way point of the summer. I am excited to report that thus far, in the past four weeks, our campers as a whole have lost over 700lbs!!! That is roughly half the weight of a VW Beetle!!

Saturday, July 4th was a big day for us here at WWI. Not only did we celebrate our nation's Independence Day, but we also celebrated our camp wide Color War. Color War is a Wellspring tradition where we break the camp into to two teams, orange and blue, and they compete against each other throughout the day in a variety of games and activities. From water balloon tosses to shaving cream fights, rings tosses to relays, the whole camp was a buzz and festive.

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