FROM RICHMOND TO KAIZEN - FRANK’S STORY ON CAMP
Through a series of unique connections, I had the opportunity to work at Camp Kaizen for the set-up and the first two camps. Whilst I am not one to turn down a new opportunity, the idea of working on a project in an area I knew very little about, with people I had never met was particularly daunting.
Frank in the infamous Kaizen 1999 Defender, on the way to the Buttermere Loop.
Journey + night 1
Post a 5 hour travel day, I was quickly thrown into the setup of the camp, starting with a 3-hour round trip to pick up all the gym equipment, followed by learning to put up the bell tents, one of which I was going to be sleeping in for the best part of the two weeks. My first sleep in this tent was rough, despite the UK heatwave I woke up multiple times in the night, each time putting on another layer of clothing to stop me from shivering.
The morning came and I was taken to be ‘initiated’ into the Kaizen team, via a plunge into the ice cold water. Walking over in the heat and jumping into the ice-cold water felt like a luxury, drying almost as fast as I’d got in. Over the course of my time, this luxury slowly disappeared as we were met with colder, wetter weather and much colder streams. This was now my shower and morning routine for all my time on camp.
Getting the training in with the Kaizen Team.
Camp 1 - executive camp
My role for the first camp was purely operations; behind the scenes and making sure that everything is up to the Camp Kaizen and the athletes’ standards. This demanded early mornings to get water boiled and breakfast ready for the early risers, as well as making sure we were fresh and ready for the day. The responsibility of this made me streamline my morning routine; plunge in the stream to freshen up and brush teeth, clothes on, then get to work. Most of our work occurred whilst the athletes were away, keeping them fuelled correctly depending on their next activity, and well fed so no one went hungry.
Food on camp was immense, with BBQs being prepped up to 4 hours prior just to cook all the food we had in store.
Luckily, I got to head on one of the hikes for this camp, definitely one of my highlights of the camp. It was the only physical discipline the camp offers I would consider myself unequipped for. With the warm weather still out and clear skies, we went up past the waterfall and had a view of the entire lakes, looking down at the bell tents that were just specks in the distance.
Another opportunity this camp gave was mental resilience. Sitting down in night one with all the campmates and having a direct discussion about our biggest challenges of the past 12 months. The topics ranged from sports injuries, to work-life balance to tough personal challenges. This chat really put life into new perspective, and the heavy hitting chat brought the campers and staff closer together, and sparked more conversation over the camp. On the final night, we heard from Louis Alexander, a young professional adventurer, and listened to his feats, and more importantly his why, as for these executives on camp it really resonated with their own challenge of getting out of strict work routines and having and escape.
Camp 2 - hybrid camp
Camp two was our Hybrid Camp, which brought in many competitive athletes from around the globe. The opportunity came for me to lead a run, the first time I had done this before. Having to lead this within 30 mins of the campers arriving on camp ramped up the pressure as it would be their first experience of camp life and their training. Following this I also got to run the infamous Buttermere loop, and the run to the Fellside sauna - 14km through all the mountains.
On the move during a 14KM run to the sauna.
Personal Learnings
Not only did this camp keep me fit and busy throughout my university summer holidays, but on reflection it has also made me mature as a person. I have taken away some key habits that are now implemented into my everyday life. Firstly, the daily cold water. Waking up and instantly being uncomfortable gave me a rush of energy which kept me going through the morning and feeling ready to go first thing. Going from having never dealt with intentionally getting into cold water, to simply waking myself up in the mornings back home with a 2 min cold shower has improved my productivity throughout the mornings.
More importantly, the camp changed my mentality. As a philosophy student, having deeper discussions with staff about the ‘Kaizen’ way of continuously improving resonated with me. The outcome of this, going into my final year as a student, has led me to base my dissertation on this topic.
Frank Hall