Josh Church
Josh Church was at Birch Rock for nearly a decade from 1987 through 1994. He was Birch Rock's last 15 year old junior counselor (he was actually a CIT covering a cabin on his own) and one of the camp's youngest Head Counselors. Josh was a wizard on the waterfront and spent most of his time in the swim area. Josh was most well known for his efforts on stage and was a Campfire MC for many summers.
Contents
Life Before Birch Rock
Camper Years
Summers of 1987-1989
Counselor-in-Training Year: 1990
Due to a limited number of staff members, Josh was asked to head up Hilton A his CIT year, making him the last of the 15v year old counselors (even though he was a CIT). In 1990, the only swim staff was Waterfront Director Mike Mattson and Swim Instructor Josh Church. This was the last summer of a set of old and breaking apart battleship grey catwalks. Josh or Mike would be in the water fixing catwalks almost every period leaving the other to teach the swim groups solo. This often meant one counselor had to teach two or three different swim class groups at the same time, often culminating in lots of laps, treading water, and long distance swim endurance work. Josh did such a great job as a CIT and blending in with the staff that he was asked to return on staff in 1991.
Staff Years
Summers of 1991-1992
Josh spent much of his time on the waterfront. In the early years he leaned more towards sailing & canoeing but it wasn't long before he was being used full time at the swim area. Josh was the head of Hilton for a few summers and was known for his antics with the camp's youngest campers. Josh was also a keep contributer to Birch Rock's Biroca Blast newsletter during those summers. Josh and Justin Ingold would spend all night, overnight at the end of the summer finishing out the Biroca Blast with lots of coffee and loud music. Many remember the overnight spent in the Infirmary writing articles for the Biroca and the following morning when Josh and Justin were seen dancing about on the Infirmary deck to the music of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. The parents were visiting camp that day and many were full of smiles watching the craziness at the top of the hill.
Another fond memory of the craziness between Josh and Justin involved the two playing pranks on each other every morning. They would alternate on who's morning it was to get something creative in their morning cup of joe. For example, one morning Josh may add a little salt to Justin's coffee and the next morning Justin would add honey to Josh's cup and so on. The battle ended with Justin waking up early and boiling a cup of soy sauce and serving it to Josh as coffee. Josh surrendered quickly.
Summers of 1993-1994
In 1993, Josh moved into the Swordfish and became the camp's Head Counselor. He was one of the younger counselors on campus and commanded a highly experienced group. Josh worked closely with then Camp Director Brad Smith and his Program Director Mike Mattson in organizing more events off campus and purchasing new equipment for both the field and the waterfront.
The summer of 1994, marked the first official BRC pep-rally the night before a camp vs camp soccer game. The stump of the tree that sat in the middle of the old grove was layered with logs and set ablaze. The senior staff, in face paint and tribal-like clothing did a dance and began chanting around the fire shortly after lights out. Drums (pot and pans) were being banged and the campers were called to the grove. The soccer team was brought forward and blessed by Josh and Mike Mattson and shamans of weather and victory. The team captains were brought forward and praised for their leadership.
Josh's Summers at the Rock
| Year | Cabin | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Eagles Nest | Camper | with Counselor Ron Mattson |
| 1988 | Buzzards Roost | Camper | with Counselor Chris Cogswell |
| 1989 | Pete's Palace | Senior Campers | with counselor Joe Curry |
| 1990 | Hilton A | CIT | Sailing, Canoeing & Swimming |
| 1991 | Hilton A | Junior Counselor | Sailing & Swimming |
| 1992 | Hilton A | Counselor | Swimming |
| 1993 | Swordfish | Head Counselor | Program |
| 1994 | Cabin 8 | Head Counselor | Program |
