When Camp Varsity Running Camp director, Bob Digby, stands up in front of all 142 campers, returning veterans know the first words out of his mouth.

“This is a special place,” Digby said, opening the week with the same words every year, but everyone knowing it rings true every time.

Known to the campers as, “Digger,” Digby has been on the Camp Varsity mountain since 1981, having been the CV Running Camp director for the past 16 years.

“[Camp Varsity] is the place that has made me, me,” Digby said. “It made me want to be a teacher and a coach. [Camp] teaches amazing morals and leadership skills.”

Although Digby is in charge, he attributes his staff of camp alumni with most of the work.

“[The people that make camp, Camp] are the staff and the counseling staff. I get to stand in front and take the credit, but they do the work,” Digby said.

Digby loves to see campers grow throughout the week and make new friends.

“[My favorite part is] watching kids from lots of different schools come together and have a blast, and then during the season you can see people from camp at meets,” Digby said. “We become a big family.”

First year camper, junior Laurie Serrell came to running camp to have a good time but also to learn something on the side.

“[I came to CV Running Camp] because my friends told me it was a lot of fun, and I wanted to learn how to be more of a leader on our team,” Serrell said. She was one of the four HHS cross country runners to attend camp.

Running however, is very different from running in Harrisonburg.

“[The terrain] is a lot hillier,” Serrell said. “You can’t run in a set loop, either. You have to go down and back.”

The country roads that campers run on are hilly, gravelly and offer little change of scenery from day to day. However, senior Julie Raab enjoys running at camp.

“It’s very pretty. You can see all the mountains,” Raab said. “[I like it] better than Harrisonburg because it’s so different and beautiful.”

Raab is a returning camper. This is her third year, and she loves every minute.

“[CV Running Camp] is a place to have fun, and it doesn’t matter how weird and silly you are because everybody is,” Raab said.

Junior Morgan Heckman has also been attending camp for three years. Her favorite part is all the new people she meets.

“[I love] getting to know people,” Heckman said. “This is the first year [at camp] I’ve actually gotten to do that since we were sharing a cabin with two other teams.”

Heckman comes to CV Running Camp for a few reasons.

“[First off], it’s the best week of the year,” Heckman said. “It’s also a great way to bond with my team and get stronger.”

HHS alum Liz Klemt was a camper for three years and just finished her fifth year as a counselor.

“[I keep coming back because] there’s no question in my mind; it’s a given,” Klemt said. “Once you come once, you don’t not come back.”

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