Leaders pull out all the stops for recognition. Did Clothier cross the line?

Good Samaritans or Glory Hounds?

"I've never seen leaders get this anxious this early," noted Tessa Emenheiser, former Run Camp Team Leader of the Year and chair of this season's Team Leader Awards Committee.

With 36 Run Camp 'captains' striving to earn this year's honors, Emenheiser has noticed some of the "not-so-subtle" efforts by Team Leaders to impress judges. "You expect to see Tracy Cropsy there a half-hour early every week," noted Emenheiser. "That's standard. But Ron Martin putting on his team members' yak trax? That's over the top."

Many Team Leaders have complained about what they're calling "self-serving antics" of Sheila Clothier, a three-time runner-up for Team Leader of the Year. Last Saturday, her team was photographed pushing a stranded motorist in an act of "goodwill."

"Give me a break," said Sandra Monroe, a half marathoner who will become a Team Leader during Snow Busters. "Didn't it seem a little fishy that a photographer just happened to be there? And, I'm not saying it was engineered or fake, but is there really a schmuck dumb enough to get his car stuck in four inches of snow?"

Emenheiser has cautioned Team Leaders not to sacrifice the interests of their teams just to win an award.

Stand By, Campers. We might be moving next week!

"We'll do it. We'll smile about it. But must we do it HERE?"


Brutal wind chills and slippery roads over the past two weeks, along with evidence that the dreaded “Michigan malaise” could settle in any day, has Borgess Run Camp organizers re-thinking their January 29 plans.

Currently scheduled for the WMU College of Engineering, next Saturday’s run in all likelihood will be moved to East Little York, Texas. Research shows that the Houston suburb’s conditions on January 29 more closely resemble Kalamazoo’s early May weather than those in any other American city.

Camp organizers said they would decide by Wednesday whether to move the camp. They will announce any changes to team leaders Thursday morning. “We know campers will have to make travel arrangements, so we want to give them at least two-days notice,” said Steve Blum, Camp Travel Planner. Blum warned that those who plan to drive to East Little York should leave by Thursday noon.

Although Michigan weather conditions look “stable to miserable” over the next 10 days, organizers take into account that four of the five largest snow storms over the past century have occurred between January 25 and January 28. “Not saying that scares us,” commented Blum. “Just saying.”

Historically, when camp is moved in late January, organizers conduct a contest to give away three or four round-trip airfares to campers. When camp was relocated to Hilton Head in 2005, winners of an essay contest entitled “I’m so pitiful” received the airline tickets. The essay allowed campers to highlight previous frostbite experiences, training injuries and the like. Blum said there may not be enough time for an essay contest this year, but a drawing might be possible.

Run Camp's Most Cherished Traditions Threatened

What will become of The Blessing of the Rodents?


When organizers of the Kalamazoo Marathon changed the 'traditional' date of the Borgess Run for the Health of It, little did they realize how much havoc they would wreak at Run Camp.

"Our entire schedule is a mess," lamented Sandra Shaw, Vice President of Camp Values. "How do you plan The Blessing of the Rodents when campers don't even arrive until after Groundhog Day? I'm not sure we'll be able to keep some of our finest traditional events."

Of greatest concern, reports Shaw, is the always exciting Rattlesnake Roundup, held annually in the parking lot of the YMCA, as campers delight in capturing hundreds of the slithering creatures. "Move that back two weeks, and with the warmer temperatures, you've got some pretty lively reptiles."

Lost in the shuffle, too, said Shaw, was the Rob Lillie Look Alike Contest. A heavy favorite to defend his crown, Rob Lillie "hasn't even started training yet. I think we owe him the courtesy of adequate preparation time."

On a positive note, Shaw said her team was able to organize the ever-popular Name That Goldfish Contest, which is also open to children and grandchildren of campers. The entry deadline is January 17.

"Give us a couple years, and we'll be back on track," said Shaw.

Vajgrt: This has GOT to stop!

Campers Listen To Another Long Lecture


A small group of Borgess Run Campers, led by Camp Coach Mary Vajgrt, insist they’ve had enough “learnin’” and have called for an end to clinics, classes, in-services, programs and lectures at camp.

“We don’t have to take this,” shouted Vajgrt to those assembled around the bagels, gogurt and fruit after Saturday’s run. “What is this, ‘sit-around camp’?”

Although Vajgrt herself had led sessions on stretching, core strength and injury prevention, and had taken part in programs on gait analysis, speed work, good form running and triathalon training, she said she was feeling other campers’ pain. “I’ll admit, I’ve been part of the problem, but enough is enough."

There were reports that Vajgrt was egged on by Team Leader Sheila Clothier, whose entire team boycotted the December in-services on shoe wear, running in cold temperatures and “Finding A Good Running Surface -- How Hard Can It Be?”

Said Clothier, “those particular clinics didn’t bother me so much, but we felt we had to make some type of statement about the “We-Put-Our-Pants-On-One-Leg-At-A-Time” demonstration.

Camp organizer Blaine Lam, defending the necessity to “provide every possible learning opportunity to our campers,” promised that next Saturday’s clinic on hydration “won’t be as dry as the others.”