“I had the chance to learn the basics of lacrosse when I was at camp in eighth grade, and I absolutely loved it. When the summer was over, I started freshman year at a high school with 4,000 students and I only knew a handful of them. I heard my school was starting a lacrosse team, and I jumped at the chance to play again. I met some amazing people, and it absolutely helped to make the giant school seem a little smaller. When I got to college, I was ready to keep playing, but there wasn’t a team. Not satisfied with this, I banded together with a classmate and we started the Knox College Women’s Lacrosse team, still going strong! I have met some of my best friends because of lacrosse, and I am forever grateful that I first picked up a stick at Camp Eagle Ridge.”
– Bridget Dooley, camper and alumni staff member
“When I was at Camp Eagle Ridge I had the opportunity to learn how to play lacrosse and i loved it. I later joined the University of Iowa women’s lacrosse team and played for two years until I blew my knee out. I never would have thought to join Iowa’s club team if i hadn’t first experienced lacrosse at CER!”
– Mel Izral, camper 2004-2008
“I never really even heard of rugby before getting a chance to play it at CER. When I went to college I joined an intercollegiate team and made a ton of friends that I have stayed connected with over the years. To this day, a love and understanding of this unique sport has connected me with people all over the world and it all started at CER.”
– Amanda Brown, camper & staff 1996-2010
“I was first introduced to ballroom dancing at Camp Eagle Ridge. Because every Friday night was a dance, every once in a while there would be an optional dance class during the week to teach the campers how to do a little more than just the Electric Slide. I remember learning the basic for two dances there: the tango and the waltz.
The best thing about it at the time was a running joke through camp: “be a gentleman.” It wasn’t so much a joke as it was a super important life lesson masked with laughter and good friends. Of course, being a gentlemen meant knowing how to dance, and occasionally a counselor would remind us of that.
Five years after my last year at Camp Eagle Ridge, a friend of mine in college asked me to come with him to ballroom dance club at Indiana University. Given that I enjoyed it before, and that it never hurts to be a gentleman, I figured that I would give it a shot. To make a long story short, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and three years later I am still dancing today. “
– Derek Riebau, camper 2001-2006
“Because of Camp Eagle Ridge I learned what true compassion is and because of it am now not only able to take care of someone as an EMT, but also be able to hold their hand, listen, and help them through a scary moment.”
– Dani Hoff, camper 2005-2006
