This year’s Father-Son Weekend saw the largest enrollment ever, with 148 dads and 180 sons coming to Woodberry to stay in the dorms and participate in a full slate of clinics and activities.
The weather was spectacular, with sunny skies and a light breeze. During the warm Saturday afternoon, Woodberry’s swimming pool became a popular spot for kids to splash around before heading to their next session.
This was the fourteenth year of Father-Son Weekend. The camp launched in 2010, and in that opening year there were sixty-one dads who attended. That number has more than doubled, and the weekend has become increasingly popular with Woodberry alumni, with seventy-six enrolling this year.
There were also eleven Woodberry alums who worked the camp, as well as twelve current students.
The range of clinic offerings has grown over the years. This year, the choices included the alpine tower, art, baseball, basketball, canoeing, engineering, fishing, football, golf, lacrosse, science, soccer, squash, and tennis. Other activities included hiking the perimeter trail, dodgeball, pickleball, lawn games, s'mores at the fire pits, and the ever-popular outdoor pool.
“I felt this year went incredibly well,” said Joe Fischer, who runs the program along with Dodie Chavez ’85. “We had a great staff working all the clinics and the feedback we received was very positive. We introduced a squash clinic for the first time this summer, which was well received, and a number of guests took advantage of an informal pickleball session after dinner on Friday. We continuously try to improve the weekend by listening to the feedback we receive from our guests and through our own self evaluation. It didn't hurt that the weather was perfect.”