Camp ROGA 2025 kicked off this week with a BANG! ZAP! POW! Each week at Camp ROGA is guided by a different theme.  

This week was Superhero Training Academy, featuring various Superhero-themed snacks, games, and other activities. Our Camp Coordinator, Shelly, has been hard at work since last November planning and prepping for Camp ROGA 2025, and our Camp ROGA staff take painstaking effort to ensure a summer of unforgettable moments for every camper.

Let’s revisit some of our favorite moments of Superhero Training Academy.

Our campers took to the skies on the rope swing (pictured is Maxi) to see what Spider-Man feels like as he swings through the air. In this activity, campers run up the Warp Wall and then grab a rope and swing down. Campers can get some serious airtime depending on how far up the wall they go. The pendulum effect of the rope had them swinging from one side of the gym to the other. Not to worry, though, as the floor beneath the rope was covered in cloud mats to ensure a soft landing for each little hero.

Campers got to put their new skills to the test playing Takedown The Super Villain. Pictured are Lucy, Ingrid, Lizzy, Sadie, and Flynn, pulling out all the stops to take down the dastardly Coach Jack. This pool noodle sword battle left Coach Jack and his Blackhearted ways begging for mercy. Coach Jack’s pleas did not seem to reach our ragtag heroes.

In Operation Clean Sweep, Villains had been littering debris throughout the city, and it was up to our heroes to keep the city safe. This activity has two teams, the heroes and the villains, competing to see who can keep their side of the city free of debris. The skies above the City were alight with a great consuming trash storm as blocks flew back and forth between opposing teams. The Villains got very into their parts, and many a menacing laugh was heard before a new cascade of blocks rained down on the unsuspecting heroes.    

Fresh off their battle on the streets, the heroes race back to headquarters only to find themselves falling into the villain’s trap! Here we see our heroes as they raced through a maze made up of villains, trying to get through before the villains’ trap could fall into place. In this game, the villains would link arms together in a circle while the heroes ran underneath their arms. When the Coaches would call out “Super Snare!” the villains would drop from their feet and let their trap fall into place. All heroes trapped would be ensnared by the ever-growing web of villainy, until there were only a few heroes left. This was a much-requested game throughout the week.

In the Splash and Clash showdown, our campers faced off in a race across Aqualand on a 100 ft slip and slide. Campers competed to see who could race across the slip and slide fastest, while avoiding the treacherous obstacles on their path to victory. Danielle (above) would ultimately claim victory (at least while I was watching), though many rematches would be had throughout the day. This activity was part of Camp ROGA’s weekly water day, where campers are given the opportunity to take to the ROGA lawn for an hour of water and fun.

One of the most important parts of the Superhero Training Academy was the development of our superhero arsenals. Campers had the opportunity to outfit themselves with various gadgets and gizmos to ensure they were prepared for the rigors of the week ahead. In this picture, we find ourselves in the middle of the testing phase of our shield development program. During this activity, Campers designed shields similar to those of Captain America, though the design was ultimately left in their hands. Part of our development process was to test which design philosophy made shields the most durable. The cardboard our shields were made from was surprisingly durable, enough to take several punches, so the campers decided to put them to the test. Multiple different ideas were put forward by the campers, from completely covering the shield with tissue paper to soften the blow, to riveting the shield with hard glue and paper, to just leaving it with no glue and only colorings. Ultimately, the riveting technique turned out to be the most durable, with too much glue softening the cardboard, and no glue resulting in a lack of reinforcement. Regardless of technique, though, putting our shields through their paces was a lot of fun!

Rounding out our arsenal was a piece of the kit all superheroes need: the mask. The ultimate concealer of identity and the first line of defense, all heroes turn to. Here we have pictured one of the designs our superheroes in training worked on, which was a scratcher mask. The kids had a lot of fun making these, and we saw a wide range of design philosophies. Cody, the camper sitting down third from the left, gave his mask a big scar, which was given to him by a dastardly villain. This activity also inspired another camper, Thomas, to go home and design his own mask, which resembled a spider. He used it to make himself a reimagined Spider-Man with many more proboscises and eyes.

Also suiting up are the healthy snacks provided by Camp ROGA every day. After a long day in the shield development department, our campers were hankering for a refueling, and our fruit shields provided just enough nutrition to get them back in the action. Made with Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, and yogurt-covered pretzels, there was something sweet for everyone. Also pictured are caped-up cheese strings, which our coaches loved making, and the campers loved tearing apart.  

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. With the week over, all capes are now folded, all masks are put away, and all shields are very badly dented and warped from too much testing. But never fear, and keep your eyes to the sky, Camp ROGA will be back next week with Ninja Warrior Week!