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The water balloon fights have ended at Windsor Center. At least for now.

Jalen Hester and a few dozen other summer campers have gone back to school. They didn’t want to. They’ll tell you that. If they could, they’d stay at summer camp forever.

But school started today. And they had to leave behind the summer camp discussions about girls, basketball, dodgeball and the need for another Starburst, the candy currency of many a Windsor Center kid.

But oh, they had fun. They spent the summer swimming, climbing firetrucks, going to the circus and drenching camp Director Adrian Lipscomb with water balloons the size of softballs.

Or “Mr. Adrian.” That’s what the kids call him.

For $60 a week, kids ages 5 to 12 came to Windsor Center, one of Greensboro’s 13 summer camps, and played combat Ninja, turned plastic plates into whales and debated in the front lobby who’s the better quarterback — Donovan McNabb or Tom Brady.

It went on for nine weeks. Until Aug. 14, the last day of summer camp, a day of building ice cream sundaes, playing kickball and watching Jalen hurl water balloons and yell, “Mr. Adrian, I’m gonna smash your head!’’

Kid chaos. Loud and raucous. But Mr. Adrian got used to it. So did Erica Chadwick. She’s “Miss Erica.’’ She runs Windsor Center, and she’s seen many of the same faces, summer after summer.

She has her share of stories. Just ask. She’ll tell you about Maurice.

The boy just screamed. Screamed to talk. Screamed to cry. Screamed so much Chadwick slid his sleeping bag into her office during nap time and told his mother, “You know, honey, your baby is so hard to get along with.’’

After three summers, though, Maurice got better. He still got loud. But when he did, he’d see Chadwick’s eyes squint, lower his voice and say, “Oh, Miss Erica, I get so excited. Is this better?’’

Some of the kids came in scared, even belligerent. And some stayed that way.

But some grew and learned patience and respect, teamwork and sportsmanship.

Like Maurice. And Chris Everett. He plays tight end for Western Carolina. He’s a big guy, a sophomore who stands 6-feet-4, 225 pounds. But once upon a time, he was just another scared summer camper.

At Windsor Center, Chris found his talent, and according to his dad, he found himself.

The same goes for Sharod Williams, a fatherless son. He started going to Windsor’s summer camp at age 7. He’s now 17, and he’s a camp volunteer.

He knows what the Windsor Center did for him. It was there his uncle became his father and showed him how to hit a baseball, throw a punch, stay in shape and even talk to girls.

His uncle was James Brown. Sharod called him “J.B.’’

Every time J.B. heard about a teen tragedy, he’d get on his nephew and yell: “That could’ve been you! But I got you doing this!’’

J.B. knew of what he spoke. When he was 14, he got shot. After that, he needed a wheelchair to get around. And every time they went to Windsor, a few blocks away from Sharod’s house, Sharod always pushed his uncle.

Every time.

J.B. died a few years back. Sharod misses him every day. Today, he plays baseball for Dudley High and a local AAU team. He’s a catcher.

And every summer, he volunteers for Miss Erica.

Every chance he gets.

“This is like home for me, man,’’ Sharod said on the last day of summer camp, a day of hugs and good byes. “This is where I first started meeting friends. This is where my uncle always took me. This is where I grew up.’’
 

Contact Jeri Rowe at 373-7374 or jeri.rowe@news-record.com.