Adult Camp question

Going to camp soon? Have questions about camp? Post them here for those that have gone to answer.

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Revan
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Adult Camp question

Post by Revan »

Hey, all. I've often thought about saving up a nice chunk of change to go to Adult Camp sometime. I'm nineteen and I live on my own. I get along with people of all ages, but my concern is that I'll be the youngest one there and look/feel very out of place, like I'm just an ASA'er that's hanging out with the adults.

Advice? Thoughts? Comments?
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Re: Adult Camp question

Post by SpaceCanada »

I went to adult camp when I was 21 and was the youngest person on my team. The age gap didn't matter one bit! I got on with all of my team mates and we had a wonderful time. I learnt so much from the more experienced teammates, as they had so many stories and details and wonderful experiences to share. I am lucky enough to be returning to camp with many of the same teammates next month. I won't be the youngest one this time, as my husband will be coming too and he's eleven days younger than me. There will be one other person our age on our team but the rest will be older, not that it matters. It's going to be an incredible week!

If you don't mind the age gap, it's likely most of your team won't either. Everyone is there to have a great time. I found this even more so with adult groups, as they have to pay to go themselves. You never end up with someone at camp solely because their parents wanted them to go. Granted, on our last team we had a guy there who won his trip on the Price is Right (I think). Kinda cool. Certainly not your typical space nut but he knew how to have fun.
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Steve
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Re: Adult Camp question

Post by Steve »

I think you should not worry over the age. When I went adult camp, I was older than most at our camp two weeks ago. All of us came together as team having purpose & having a great time. I think everything would be fine for you!! :D
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p51
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Re: Adult Camp question

Post by p51 »

So, did you ever go?
Don't worry about the ages. I've seen age variations from the 20s to the 60s, and generally the age differences never came up much that I ever saw. The only thing I saw that showed the age differences were in regard to stamina. The 20-somethings were all "GO GO GO" and the older folks... weren't quite so much, for pretty obvious reasons. I was surprised to see how many younger adults attend. I'm in my 40s and I think I was just past the mid-range in ages and was able to relate to everyone.
The only time I got a comment about my age was this year, when someone on another team (who'd seen my Space Camp website) said she'd read about my other experiences and commented how full a life I'd had. I wasn't quite sure how to take that but I think it was a compliment that I'd done so much and wasn't completely decrepid yet. Another, last year, commented she was shocked that I'd seen the original "Spacecamp" movie in a theater in it's original run. She didn't realize I was a teen when that movie came out, as she hadn't been born yet at that time.
SpaceCanada wrote:You never end up with someone at camp solely because their parents wanted them to go.
True, but you do encounter people who's families or friends bought the experience as a gift for them. Each time I've gone, there was always at least one person who you knew wasn't into it the "110%" that many of the other adult campers were. That said, nobody is there against their will, it's just that some are into it more than others. I was the pilot of the orbiter last year with a commander who came there with two of her best friends, and she said after the mission was over that with all those switches and procedures, she came really close to saying it wasn't worth all the work and leaving. She said only my motivation kept her from doing that. So, being positive really does get others motivated at times. Eventually, everyone feeds of each other and if there's a general vibe of teamwork and mutual motivation, everyone will do what they need to do and have fun doing it.
Our ISS trainer this year told me that among adult groups, he sometimes encounters the, "don't tell me what to do, I'm a _______" types who think they know everything. I'd expect that the kid groups have plenty of these types, but the trainer told me that among people who really work as engineers and in the aerospace field, a few won't let you tell them anything and that they'll start flipping the switches they think are the right ones, regardless what the checklist says.
The primary problem with the adult camp is the timeframe. By the time your group is gelling into a cohesive team, it's over. You don't get any time to experience a group which has been together for a bit and understanding one another. I suspect the week-long adult program camps probably had better experiences on a person-by-person basis.
But, if you're lucky, you'll get a group where everyone is generally on the same page right from the start. I was lucky enough to be in a group just like that my first time at SC, last year.
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