As she gears up for the zip line, Tiger Lilly is visibly nervous. “It’s just like a big slide,” Wykeshia Jones, a Camp Sea Gull staff member, says as she steps up to the top, “This line can hold an elephant!”
Tiger Lilly giggled and began to relax. Her dad stood at the zip line beside her as she debated silently whether she wanted to take the step off the tower and into the air. “You can do this honey,” he encouraged. “It’s you and me. Ready? 3... 2… 1!”
With a laugh and a squeal, they headed down their lines at full speed. Tiger Lilly’s smile got bigger and bigger as she neared the water. Her fear had melted away and was now replaced with exhilaration.
JUST YOU AND ME
Spring Outing is a “just you and me” time where kids like Tiger Lilly are able to conquer their fears and have the time of their life with their dads. Whether they are digging for shark’s teeth, aiming a bow and arrow or just goofing around, Y Guides dads and kids are creating memories that will live on forever.
On the beautiful North Carolina coast in the town of Arapahoe, Camp Sea Gull and Seafarer offer a wide range of water and land activities that are intentionally programmed for the father and child together. “Each activity is designed to create lasting memories for kids and their dads,” notes Andrew ‘Golden Otter’ Crook, director of the Y Guides program. “We hope that they will hold on to these moments for the rest of their lives.”
First thing the next morning, Tiger Lilly ran to the zip line. With a big smile, you could see her fear was gone. There was no debating this time, she was ready to go. Together, her and her dad flew down the line and into the water, laughing together the whole way.
HOW HOWDY!