Camp

I didn't attend a camp last year. The February birth of my son meant I didn't want to invest time or money in anything like that.

Which means that this year, I want to go to a camp.

We have a local camp I attended two years ago, back in the I-want-people-around-here-to-see-me phase. I learned a fair amount, and I suppose I could head back there. However, there's a perception issue. As I'm moving up in this association, I don't want to put myself in the position of guy-who-still-has-to-learn-from-the-top-dudes-in-the-association. It's not that I don't have any improvement to make--I do. But perception is reality, and as I'm becoming a local crew chief quite often, I'm not sure I want to put myself back in that position again.

So I recalled a camp I went to ten years ago. It was tied to a girls' AAU tournament that drew great players from all around the country. I remember knowing I was reffing some damn fine talent when I walked into a gym and passed Tara VanDerVeer walking out.

I received a LOT of good feedback that year, but in retrospect, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. So I'm curious as to what I'd get out of it if I returned.

The problem? It's $450. That's about a third of what I make officiating every year.

That's too much. I won't pay it. (Last time I went, I was on a scholarship.)

So I'm sort of poking around, looking for a cheaper place to go that won't necessitate a hotel but won't cost more than $175...$200 at the absolute most.

And I'm not optimistic. This may be a camp-free year.

(It will not, however, be without honest-to-goodness workouts. It's not just the reffing. It's that being a dad makes me want to live longer. Oh, and as the kid gets bigger, I need to develop some strength to carry the dude.)