Standing in Horseshoes

by McCall Dempsey on July 14

As I sat down to write this week’s newsletter, I kept coming back to one word: friendships.

The gifts of Green Cove are endless, but if there’s one thing that serves as our North Star, it’s the lifelong friendships formed here.

Last week, a dear friend of mine and longtime Green Cove counselor, Liddell, returned to tell a story at campfire. She is one of the most gifted storytellers—and humans—I know. After campfire, I texted our Green Cove group chat, “How lucky are we to be in the same friendship orbit as Liddell?” and shared photos from campfire. All I could think was how incredibly fortunate my daughter and every camper sitting around that campfire were to spend an evening basking in Liddell’s glow.

The beautiful part? Liddell wasn’t a Green Cove camper. She became part of our horseshoe when she arrived as a counselor years ago. Through the years, our friendships have continued to grow because we learned something special here: don’t stand in circles—stand in horseshoes. Leave room for one more.

This summer, I’ve watched those same horseshoes begin to grow for the next generation.

If you ask most Green Cove girls what they carry home long after camp ends, it isn’t a passed swim stroke or a hike to a summit.

It’s the people. The friendships.

Years ago, I heard a quote that has stayed with me ever since because it feels like it was written about Camp Green Cove.

"Horseshoes are better than circles. Leave space. Always leave space. Horseshoes of friends > Circles of friends. Life can be lonely. Stand in horseshoes."

— Glennon Doyle

Every summer, new campers arrive while returning campers step back into a place that already feels like home. And every summer, I watch the same quiet kind of magic unfold.

This year, I watched an older camper arrive knowing no one. Her cabin was filled with girls who had spent summers together for years. As the week unfolded, I watched her slowly—and then completely—find her place. She wasn’t left standing outside the circle, trying to earn her way in.

The horseshoe simply made room.

It wasn’t orchestrated by counselors. It wasn’t part of an activity. It was simply Green Cove girls being Green Cove girls.

As a camper, counselor, camp mom, and now someone lucky enough to help tell Green Cove’s story, I’ve watched my own horseshoe grow over decades. It has stretched across cabins, campfires, weddings, babies, hard seasons, celebrations, and countless years in between. That may be the greatest gift camp gives.

Yes, your daughter is learning independence. She is building confidence, resilience, and courage. But she is also finding something just as valuable—a place where she belongs, where there is always room for one more, and a sisterhood that will continue to make space for her long after the summer ends.

At Green Cove, we don’t stand in circles.

We stand in horseshoes.

About McCall Dempsey

My name is McCall Manning Dempsey — former camper, counselor, and now camp mom. In 1992, my parents put me on a plane headed to Camp Green Cove, and the rest is history. I fell in love with the people, the place, and the magic that makes Green Cove so special.

From 1992 to 1999, you could find me every summer surrounded by friends who would become lifelong family. Even now, my Green Cove girls still gather each year to reunite, retell camp stories, laugh until we cry, and catch up on life. We have walked through every season together — from campers in the early 1990s to moms now dropping our own daughters off to experience the same magic we did.

I later spent two summers on staff as a sailing counselor before my parents forced me to get “a real job.” Joke’s on them, because now I finally have my dream job: writing to you each week to share the happenings around camp and offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the joy, growth, and adventure your daughter is experiencing every day.

Camp Green Cove helped shape the person — and mother — I am today. The gift of camp reaches far beyond the swim docks and activity areas. It builds confidence, character, independence, resilience, and friendships that last a lifetime. If at any time you have questions or need anything, the camp staff is always here to help — and so am I. You can reach me anytime at greencovecommunications@gmail.com.

McCall Dempsey