Posted by Jeb Brinkley | 12.15.2017 | Employment, Surf News, Teen Camps, WB Surf Camp News

WB Surf Camp’s Counselor of the Year, Mr. John Holsten!

John, a North Carolina native, grew up in the town of Wilson, North Carolina. Although he grew up approximately 100 miles inland from the beaches we surf, he has always been involved in water sports. Swimming for the Varsity Swim Team at Fike High School in Wilson, John came in 2nd at the state championships for the 100bk, twice. Building on his passion for the water, he taught himself how to surf at the age of 16. With a new found love of surfing, John graduated high school and moved to Wilmington, NC, to attend the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Though he chose not to pursue varsity swimming during college as he wanted to commit to his studies, he was able to swim for the club swim team and continue developing his skill as a surfer.

Summer 2017 was John’s first summer with us and he was one of the most helpful, energetic, and dependable counselors we had. He would always go out of his way to ask where he could help. He loved working with the campers and the campers loved learning from him. One of John’s campers describes him the best:

Being a counselor is very rewarding but also very exhausting. Despite this, John never complained and was always on the top of his game, in and out of the water. John went above and beyond and exceeded all of our expectations.

“John is very patient and funny. He is an awesome surfer, and a REALLY GOOD surf coach” – Camper from New Jersey

Our Staff

WB Surf Camp puts a tremendous amount of pride, time, and training into our staff. Our residential camp instructors hold many titles; surf instructor, counselor, lifeguard, educator, and mentor. We put countless hours into hiring, training, and support to make sure we have the best teams in the field. Our entire team is extremely solid, but some instructors go above and beyond, bringing more to the summer, and our campers, than we could ever teach them. Each year we highlight those select few by naming a Counselor of the Year from our overnight programs and an Instructor of the Year from our day programs. We are very proud of John and so very thankful to have him on our team. And the best part…. John will be back for Summer 2018!!!