Camp Crestridge for Girls
Camp Crestridge for Girls (also known as Camp Crestridge, or simply CC) is a girls overnight "sleep-away" summer camp that is owned by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, and accredited by the American Camp Association, the ACA. Camp Crestridge, founded in 1955, is for girls grades 1-10. The camp is located in the Black Mountains of Ridgecrest, North Carolina, north of Asheville. Camp Crestridge hosts over 800 campers per year, in either two, four, six or eight-week sessions. Many area camps were founded and modeled after Camp Crestridge and Camp Ridgecrest. These include Camp Hollymont (Girls); Camp Merri-Mac (Girls) and Camp Timberlake (Boys); and Camp Ridgecrest's historical rival Camp Rockmont for Boys. Many of these Camp's traditions were copied exactly after the historical traditions of Camp Crestridge and Camp Ridgecrest. The camp is currently rated the number 2 camp(behind brother camp Camp Ridgecrest) in North Carolina by CampRatingz.com. 1
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Location
Camp Crestridge for Girls is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. This landscape lends to a traditional camping experience with creeks, waterfalls, forestland, and hiking/biking trails. Much of the surrounding area is protected land. Camp Crestridge is located just 20 minutes east of Asheville. Camp Crestridge’s brother camp Camp Ridgecrest for Boys is located across the highway on another mountain.
Staff
Camp Crestridge employs young ladies to work the whole summer at Camp Crestridge. They are skilled in their area of teaching, and hold certifications in the activities that require them. In the recent past counselors have come from the Ivy League, Duke, Wake Forest, William and Mary, UVA, Richmond, Baylor, SMU, Furman, Mercer, Vanderbilt, Union, Georgetown, Alabama, Belmont, Charleston Southern, Emory, Ole Miss, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, and UGA. Camp staff usually arrive for about a week before camp starts for Staff Week, and training/certification. Many of Crestridge counselors are generational campers and come from long lines of Crestridge Campers.
Council of Progress, the Challenge, and the Belle Test
Council of Progress (also known as "CP") is the heart of Camp Crestridge. Each Thursday evening, campers and staff assemble in the chapel to hear a talk on one of the four areas of growth emphasized by Camp Crestridge and symbolized in the Crestridge seal: spiritual, mental, physical, and social growth. CP is a special time during which campers and staff reflect on God's call in their lives, honor bands and ranks are distributed, and the camp song is sung by candlelight. After CP, campers return to their cabins and each camper has a time of one-on-one reflection with her counselor during CP Talks.
For CP, campers and staff dress in white shirts and green shorts and wear their honor bands. Honor bands are colored pieces of cloth sewn together to form a cape. A camper receives an honor band when she is in a village (age group) for the first time. The honor bands symbolize each village's verse. The honor band colors and village verses are, in order of village from youngest to oldest.
For CP, campers and staff dress in white shirts and green shorts and wear their honor bands. Honor bands are colored pieces of cloth sewn together to form a cape. A camper receives an honor band when she is in a village (age group) for the first time. The honor bands symbolize each village's verse. The honor band colors and village verses are, in order of village from youngest to oldest:
Chippewa - Green - Growth - Luke 2:52, "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
Chickasaw - Red - Courage - Psalm 27:14, "Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord."
Cheyenne - Yellow - Honor - Proverbs 21:21, "He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor."
Choctaw - Brown - Habakkuk 3:19, "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."
Cherokee - Blue - Truth - John 8:32, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
JET (Junior Counselors) - Purple
Staff (Counselors and other staff) - Gold
During CP, campers are given ranks based on their participation in the Challenge. Participation in the Challenge is voluntary, but most campers choose to earn ranks. The elements of the Challenge become progressively more difficult as a girl grows older, and as she spends more time in one village. If a camper spends two weeks in a village, she may earn a bar for her honor band to symbolize her rank. If she spends four weeks in a village (in one summer or two), she may earn a star. Campers who spend more than four weeks in a village during one or more summers can earn more bars and stars for each two weeks they spend in the village at camp.
Ranks are earned by memorizing Bible verses, memorizing the names of cabin members, helping out around camp, and, for older girls, organizing activities and being a good role model for younger girls.
The highest rank in the Council of Progress is that of Belle. In order to become a Belle candidate, a camper must complete the four-week Cherokee challenge, be evaluated and approved by the camp staff to be tapped out (made a candidate), and pass the Belle test.
The Belle test is similar to the Little Chief test at Camp Ridgecrest but it is a 12 hour test instead of an 18 hour one. When a camper is "tapped out" for Belle, she begins a 12-hour test. At the end of the 12 hours, if she has passed the test, then she is given the highest rank in Council of Progress, that of Belle
A Belle candidate must complete the following tasks to earn the rank of Belle:
- She is expected to light a fire with three matches and keep it burning for three hours.
- She must write a 1,000 word essay on the subject, "What Camp Crestridge means to me"
- She is to hike up Rattlesnake Mountain at sunrise.
- She must also do manual labor around camp until the silence ban is lifted.
All of the elements of the Belle test must be completed in complete silence. If a Belle candidate speaks or makes another sound during the Belle test, her test ends immediately. Belle candidates who do not complete the Belle test are given the rank of Trekker. Trekkers can be tapped out again the following summer.
Trekkers have light blue honor bands to symbolize perseverance.
Belles wear white to the Council of Progress and have white honor bands to symbolize purity.
Trivia
Camp Crestridge is one of the only camps in the nation to have a Board of Directors and an active Alumni Association.
The Crestridge Emblem is described in early Crestridge catalogs as follows. "The horseshoe stands for mutual sincere best wishes as the camper comes to find her piercing purpose (arrow) in life. As she does this, we believe that growth toward completion (circle) comes in spiritual, mental, physical, and social areas of life (points)."
Camp Walden in the movie the The Parent Trap (1998 film) (as Camp Inch of the 1961 version of the film Parent Trap) is actually based upon the author's experiences at Camp Crestridge for Girls. There is no isolatation cabin.
See also
- Camp Ridgecrest for Boys
- Lifeway Christian Resources
- Southern Baptist Convention