Today was awesome. I capped off the third and last coaches training session and was very happy about how they went. All the coaches and CITs are now here which is fabulous. The panel discussion was powerful, and everyone is amped for the arrival of the kids tomorrow.

When I slid into the Mohadoun at shortly after 7am this morning, David was already there busily typing away. I joined him, getting an immediate amperage gain from some of the amazing coffee David had already brewed. He knows how to keep people happy. Get up early and make coffee. Good move. I got some work done sitting with David and Bob before moving into the main HQ office to attempt some printing. Why is it that all technology has improved immensely over the last 20 years, with some unreal exceptions like fax machines and printers? Does ANYONE look at ANY printer and say, “I feel like that’s a stable piece of tech?” Sigh. Anyway… the printer won this round but managed to give up a few color copies before jamming for good.

I continued my work with the other machine, and managed to scan all the drills the coaches had come up with the previous day for their homework. They came up with some great stuff! By the end of the scan project it was time to get out and run the second coaching sessions.

Out on the field the coaches cleated up and Nadav led them through a warm up routine. I then facilitated a discussion about what other things could be done during warmups and then broke the coaches into two groups for open discussions led by Zolo and Josh W covering Zone O and Zone D. After 20 minutes the groups flipped and they covered the other topic.

It’s important to note we had wind and a bunch of clouds during the day. It was… perfectly wonderful weather. The only downside is that it’s not going to hold.

After the Zone discussions, we had a short conversation about HStack and then the coaches had to get to the auditorium for some more training led by Nancy and David. We ran through some very important rules, talked some more about the day, and then transitioned into time with our coaches teams. I had a great time working wit Idan and Sarah on our plans for the day. It was excited to get things down on paper for our plans.

Back in the dining hall we had a great lunch followed by some semi-optional pool time. Us returners could stay at Manof, something I did, working through the afternoon on coaching materials and getting more items planned out for the week. The work was worth it and by 5:30 I was fully ready for the last training sessions.

In the auditorium I ran the coaches through a few last important points followed by group discussions where the coaching groups shared their plans with each other for the upcoming days. I capped the indoor part of the session with some more reminders and then we transitioned outside for some more time working on our coaching plans for the next few days. The weather was cool, the ideas were wonderful, and a great amount was accomplished.

Back in the dining hall we all filled up on an amazing falafel dinner and talked about the day. It’s so much fun to be in the dining hall with so many wonderful people. It gets even more amazing when the kids arrive.

We then had a bit of free time before grouping back up in the auditorium for some more training. David talked about some important points and then we had a panel discussion of CITs who were on the US tour. It was truly inspiring to hear them talk about their stories. The prompts were fascinating, especially when they talked about if they thought there would eventually be peace in the Middle East. Some of the best quotes of the evening:

I aim to make peace in my every day life.

We already have peace. Right here.

I want you to go back to the US and spread Ultimate Peace out.

You don’t need to live in a conflict zone to benefit from Ultimate Peace.

We then worked through our first sing-through of the camp song, followed by some more music outside, the plan being to use it as an end-of the evening chill down track. It was awesome, especially singing the camp song outside in the warm, humid evening. Wonderful.

We then made out way back to the Mohadoun where people socialized, completed last-minute tasks, and relaxed. I ran a meeting with my coaching team, followed by a meeting with all the head coaches. We covered some great ground, had lively discussions, and most importantly it seems as though everyone feels prepared for the days to come.

Sleep calls.