YOKE hosted our annual fall camp over the course of two weekends in October. With 2024 being an Olympic year, our theme was Olympic Camp and each weekend featured Olympic style competitions for students and YOKE Folk. Both weekends featured some beautiful weather and the dramatic colors of the Smoky Mountains provided a picturesque backdrop for 340 students and YOKE Folk.
Olympic Camp even featured our very own Olympian! New board member Tavis Bailey came to UT to compete in track and field and threw discus for Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He even jumped into a game of ultimate frisbee, which, though it seems like an unfair advantage, he assured us is a completely different skill set.
“The energy in the building was over the top!” said Tavis. “It was really fun to meet and spend some time with the kids and the YOKE Folk.” Tavis also enjoyed seeing some of the staff shine in their element. “Madjoel is a top-notch camp leader,” he continued. “Seeing him in action was really fun.”
Fall camp was also a first-time experience for YOKE’s newest staff member, Josh Adams. “The biggest surprise for me was just how YOKE Folk and students interacted with each other,” he recalled. “The leaders jumped into all the activities and acted like big kids themselves.”
Josh was also moved by the community that he experienced at camp with kids and YOKE Folk from all around the area. “There was on kid who really wanted to kayak but didn’t have a YOKE Folk to go with, so he asked me to join him,” said Josh. “To me camp was an illustration of the power of relationships.”
Check out videos from camp on our YouTube channel, and visit our Facebook page for all the photos. Thanks so much to everyone who donated to help make camp possible. We’re glad to have you on the team!
