In the course of a person’s life, inevitably there are a few moments that stand out and greatly alter and define the path that life takes, for better or worse. For me, looking back on the first 44 years of my life, there are a few that stand out: the day a youth basketball coach saw me at a bowling alley and told me I should try hoops because I was so tall which started a life-long love affair with the game, the most amazing first date in history in August 2000 with the girl that would become my wife and life partner, and the day in June 1996 when I happened to be hanging out with my best friend Trent Patterson and Camp Wildwood Director Mark Meyer called him to finalize his travel plans up to camp. Unbeknownst to me, Trent had been hired as a tennis counselor at Camp Wildwood, and in less than a week would be heading to Maine (WHAT!!??) for 9 long weeks to sleep in a cabin with 6 crazy boys and attempt to teach them how to play tennis. During their conversation finalizing travel plans, Mark happened to mention that they had a basketball coach drop out at the last minute, and asked Trent if he knew anyone that could coach basketball. With a quick “hold on a sec” Trent handed the phone to me and 15 minutes later I had agreed to coach basketball at Camp Wildwood during the summer of 1996. Did I mention that I did not even ask my parents if I could go? Ooops! Do you hear that? That is the sound of a life changing. Right moment, right place, right opportunity.
For those that don’t know me, my name is Eric Bullis, AKA “Bull” and I have been affiliated with Camp Wildwood in one way or another since 1996. This includes roles as the Greatest Basketball Coach in Wildwood history (Sorry Louis Kail), Director of Basketball, Coca Cola Boy, World’s Worst Group Leader (sad but true HAHA), Athletic Director, SR Camp Head Counselor, and many other informal titles not appropriate for this blog. Additionally, since 2016 I have been a camp parent to two sons who attend Wildwood. More on all of that later.
Less than a week after accepting the job on the phone, Trent and I hopped into his 1986 Toyota Corolla SR5 and made the long 1600 mile/3 day drive from Niceville, FL (yes I said Niceville) to Camp Wildwood in Bridgton, Maine. I can still remember the palpable excitement and nervousness as we pulled onto Swamp Road for the last half mile of the drive to camp. We pulled in, parked, and wandered into the gym looking for signs of life. We finally found Mark waiting for us in the office, and were greeted with a stern “Where have you guys been? I thought you had backed out!” Remember this was 1996, before cell phones were a required accessory and the internet/email was still in its infantile stages. Apparently we were the last 2 of the hired staff to make it in, only minutes prior to the dinner to kick off pre-camp. I did not have the greatest first impression of the guy that hired me, but that impression would not turn out to be accurate at all. Pre-camp was spent bonding over manual labor jobs, but at least it was much cooler in Maine than it was in Florida. Twenty five or more truckloads of mulch to spread all over camp? Yes. Pine cone pickup for hours in the grove? Yes. Meeting tons of great people, hanging out, and getting ready for the most amazing adventure of our lives? YES, YES, YES!
Headed into the summer of 1996, it had been an extremely rough year for me. I had broken up with my long-time girlfriend, quit college and moved back in with my parents, and started and got fired from 2 part time jobs. I was wandering aimlessly through life, had zero direction, and, at age 20, had no real hope for the future. Thankfully, Mark hired me, and that first summer forever altered the course of my life and set me on a course toward future success.
The first group that we had for basketball on Day 1 of camp was the 10 year olds, AKA The Mighty Hemlocks. As the group entered the gym, you could hear a boy shouting VERY loudly and I immediately wondered aloud “Who is heck is this kid?” Moments later in walked Louis Kail, the world’s loudest and tallest 10 year old. I was excited to see we actually had some size to work with in the younger groups. By the luck of the draw, of the 3 basketball coaches working that summer I was assigned to be the “head coach” of the Hemlocks. To be frank, at that time, Wildwood’s basketball program was not good, did not win many games, and was not very competitive. I decided on that very day, that this Hemlock group would be the group that we would use to change the entire culture of our basketball program and build around. Thankfully, led by Louis Kail’s tireless work ethic, competitiveness, drive, and unrelenting desire to dominate and be great, over the next 6 summers my vision for the program took shape and came to fruition. Basketball went from an afterthought to one of our most competitive sports, and that group of 10 year old campers from 1996 went on to become the most successful basketball group in camp history. This all culminated in a dominant run in the 2000 Cedar 15U tournament that ended up in a 25+ point blowout win in the finals over Camp Androscoggin. We were so good, that Mark Meyer even came to watch the finals and revel in our win. The kind and gentle semi-retired Mark that everyone knows today was not the same guy back then. He was EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE. I still vividly remember Mark pulling me aside before the finals and asking me what I thought our chances were, to which I replied “No one is beating us today, ZERO CHANCE.” Mark, ever the competitor but not a basketball guy then leaned in and whispered in my ear “If you get a chance, run Androscoggin out of the gym and don’t let up.” This victory was a huge team effort, and I would be remiss if I did not give shout outs to Danny Fox, Boo Boo Stein, Roger Ramirez, Mikey Stern, Josh Solow, and many others. I still cherish that run to this day, over 25 years into my coaching odyssey. Right moment, right place, right opportunity.
Fast forward to 2019, and although I had spent almost 20 super successful years in Corporate America, something was missing in my life. I had grown increasingly more dissatisfied with chasing the next raise, next title, next promotion, and next step on the corporate ladder. Deep down, something was stirring in my soul. As my sons were having another amazing summer at Wildwood, I was secretly living vicariously through them reading the daily diary and looking at the daily photos. The stirring in my soul was only getting louder. Having grown up as an Air Force brat, I never really had a “hometown” or a “home.” After 6 summers at Wildwood (1996-2001), Wildwood became my home. And in mid 2019, home was calling me, and I decided to answer that call. After months of discussion and planning with my wife Naomi, we decided we would (strategically) blow up our lives. The decision was made. I would quit Corporate America and get a job teaching Health and PE and coaching middle school basketball, my wife would re-enter the workforce after taking 8 years off to raise our boys, and we would make a conscious decision to live every day to its fullest and truly enjoy life. Following that stir in my soul and pursuing my 2 biggest passions in life (helping mentor youth into becoming the best versions of themselves and coaching basketball,) became the second best decision of my life (after marrying my wife Naomi of course). Luckily enough for me, Louis, Teddy, and Obie welcomed me back to Camp Wildwood in the “Summer of COVID” in 2020 as Director of Basketball and SR Camp Head Counselor, and I will be forever grateful to them for finding a place for me to come back and spend 2 months every summer living the dream and helping show all of our boys The Wildwood Way.
Oh yeah, about the blog title, “10 for 2.” There is a saying in the sleepaway camp industry that everyone who attends camp as a camper or works as a staffer spends 10 months out of the year waiting for the 2 months they get to spend at camp. For me, a truer phrase has never existed. I actually spent close to 20 YEARS reliving, remembering, and reveling in the 6 summers I was lucky enough to be “10 for 2.” Now that I am back at camp, I look forward to many more years of being a “10 for 2” guy at the greatest place on earth: Camp Wildwood.
To close, I want to highlight some people that I met at camp that have made a deep and lasting impression on my life.
Louis Kail (My “first son”, The World’s Greatest Apple Dunker, and the single best competitor and leader I have coached in 25+ years in basketball. From age 10 to now, I could not be prouder of the husband, father, mentor, and Camp Director you have become)
Mark Meyer (The Man that made it all possible for me, and for that I am eternally grateful)
Peter Meyer (Where can I send you my 1999 Boston trip receipts?)
Obie (One of my best friends to this day. “HATS!!!” “I get that a lot!” You are also the single biggest reason I returned to work at Camp Wildwood. Asking me every time we chatted for almost 20 years when I was going to quit my job and come back to camp FINALLY paid off. HAHA!)
Dave McCarthy (RIP my friend, the best hockey coach in CW history and the KING OF RAIDS! I hope to see you again one day)
Fightin’ Frank Campbell (The heart and soul of camp, you were missed last summer my old friend. Camp isn’t camp without YOU!)
Teddy (“A” team scoreboard operator and all around great guy)
Brian McCarthy (Simply put, you are “that dude”, “How’s your boy Debritz?” “Oh Oh Oh, Ronane’s fired!” I will continue to look after Jack as if he is one of my own)
Kevin Rogers (Get in the BOX!!! Where can I get another black Hilti t-shirt?)
David Ross (AKA Martini, one of the best GL to ever do it!)
Mishkin (A true Wildwood legend and the best beard in the game!)
Sherman (My coaching partner in crime and the OG GOAT goatee!)
Nathan Gardner (My first year bunk co-counselor and the best WF director I have ever seen. Also the best campfire writer in history)
To all who read this, I apologize if this blog was a bit long, but I will never apologize for the love and passion I have for Camp Wildwood and what it has meant to me, my wife, and my 2 sons. I am not sure where my life would have ended up and what path it might have taken had I not been sitting on Trent Patterson’s couch on that fateful day in June 1996, but I am 100% sure it would not have been filled with nearly as much love, laughter, and good times as it has been since that day.
Right moment, right place, right opportunity.
Wildwood Way.
Forever.
Eric Bullis, Camp Wildwood 1996-2001, and 2020-???????
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