Grit Factor

Psychologist Angela Duckworth describes the term grit using words and phrases such as perseverance, passion, stamina, dedication, courage, resolve, sticking to it, working hard towards a goal. If you’re looking for ways to instill more grit opportunities in life, summer camp has it in spades. Listen to the Sunshine Parenting Podcast Ep. 85: Grit is Grown Outside the Comfort Zone, hosted by Happy Campers author Audrey Monke, for more about why grit is something people want and need:

LIT Clemens Summersgill describes his Woodsman experience last summer:

As a camper, I hated trying new things. I remember finding a couple activities that fell within my comfort zone and sticking with them. In my first week at camp I found that I enjoyed archery, and since then archery has always been my first choice when sign-ups come around every Sunday. As a result of this, I got pretty good at archery but never really tried new activities. However, things changed during my LIT year, when I started pursuing woodsman. Woodsman tests encompass nearly all aspects of camp, from the waterfront, to the archery range, to the archery range, to the challenge course. As I started completing tests, I realized all the activities I had been missing out on. The one that stood out the most to me was the challenge course and climbing tower, which had daunted me since junior year. To pass my test, I had to reach the top of the tower three separate times using three different pathways. Up until then, I had never made it more than five feet off the ground. However, as I started climbing up the tower, going from handhold to handhold, I began to gain more confidence. Before I knew it I had reached the top of the tower. Climbing is probably the one activity at camp that still gives me anxiety, but the truth is that that just makes it all the more rewarding once you finally reach the top. Camp has taught me that the challenging things are often the best, and lead to an abundance of personal growth.

LIT Charlie White describes persevering through the challenges of overnight camping and rolling with the punches:

When Oscar Correll and I set out on the rapids of the Androscoggin river, I considered myself a canoeing veteran. With 5 canoe trips under my belt and a successful run of the very same rapids the year before, I felt invulnerable. This feeling of supremacy over the rapids was quickly and thoroughly shattered two minutes into our run when our canoe struck a rock and capsized. Oscar and I bailed out at the last minute, losing a croc on the way overboard. We floated down the rapids in our life jackets, bumping up against rocks and struggling to avoid rougher patches. The canoe almost didn’t make it, striking another rock and flipping upright again. It had, however, taken on enough water that it was completely submerged and identifiable due only to a set of drybags bobbing at the surface. In the end, we managed to fish most of our loose belongings out of the water and recover the canoe. When we made it to the campsite, my pockets were full of water, all my stuff was soaked, and I had hit my butt on an unbelievable number of rocks. It was probably the best day I had ever had on a trip. Although I was glad we had flipped in the end, the reality of a wet sleeping bag still needed to be faced. I was just about ready to complain when the words of former counselor and trip leader Russell Maccarter flashed through my head. “IT. BUILDS. CHARACTER!” Those three words had become the unofficial motto of the tripping program, and it was regular practice respond to any and all whining by reminding the whiner of it. I decided the motto was correct, and chose to hold the complaining for later. The tripping program has been a central part of my William Lawrence experience since my middler year. Many of my best friends at camper were made on the waters of the Andro, the ridgeline of the Presidentials, or the slopes of the tri-pyramids. The LIT trip this year provided an awesome chance to become more involved in planning and leading a trip. Through my time, I have grown to consider myself an avid hiker and outdoorsman. With this self-identification has come what I think of as the tripping attitude; no complaining unless absolutely necessary, rolling with the punches, and staying resourceful. Looking at not just trips but life in general with this attitude in mind has been greatly beneficial. The safety and structure at Camp allows campers to explore, discover, take risks and even fail. Grit thrives at Camp! When children are given the chance to overcome obstacles and challenges, they learn that they are capable of strength and growth. Written by Sharon Paul Alumni Camper and Staff Parent and Current Board of Trustee Secretary