Twenty-four campers attended J-Camp, which ended on Wednesday; only four were boys.
“We’re outrageously outnumbered, and that’s OK!” said Scott Dalton, a student at Montgomery Bell Academy.
“I really thought there would be more [boys],” said Lee-Anna West, who attends home school in Nashville. “I have a lot of guy friends, and I usually get along really well with guys in general, so I was a little disappointed that there weren’t many here.”
“As long as I have another guy with me it’s all good,” said Able Shi, who attends Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School, “but we need more guys at this camp.”
Campers said that J-Camp was fun but intense. When asked what he initially expected from the camp, MBA student Karthik Sastry replied, “Hardcore journalism!”
“I didn’t think I would have to use this much brainpower,” said Mark Gonzalez, from Nashville.
J-Campers attended classes in writing, photography, design, advertising and video editing, but the sessions were not the only things the guys were excited about.
“The food here isn’t like regular camp food,” Gonzalez said of the camp meals, which included pizza, lasagna, sub sandwiches and a baked-potato bar. Campers were able to eat in the Dining Center once; the other meals were served exclusively to them in one of the camp classrooms.
“If you wanna be obese, come to this camp,” Shi said.
In addition to feasting on junk food, Shi and Gonzalez had the opportunity to experience dormitory life while boarding in Sewell Hall.
On Tuesday night, Shi and Gonzalez sat in front of their dorm-lobby TV along with dozens of basketball campers and college students and watched the Dallas Mavericks edge the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
The college students had pulled out all the couches, and there were still two rows of guys standing behind them. In the last 10 minutes of the game, the number of spectators tripled.
“It’s nice getting to hang out with the college guys in the dorms,” said Shi, “but the bathrooms are disgusting.”
Despite the low levels of testosterone in class sessions, the guys said they really enjoyed the experience. They got a taste of what college life will be like, and found it is much different than what they are accustomed to.
“I’m really gonna miss the flexibility of this camp,” said Gonzalez. “It’s nice to be able to choose and go to sessions that interest you most.”
“I’m gonna miss Dr. Mac,” said Shi. “He’s my bro.”