About Us
Our Camp Staff
The teachers, coaches, and university and high school student/athletes that make up our staff are the heart of our camp program.
Many of our staff are former campers. Most return for multiple summers, working their way from junior counselor to counselor. This creates the wonderful sense of community, continuity, and tradition that sets our program apart.
All our counselors and senior staff are CPR and First Aid certified.
Our entire staff, from JCITs to Directors, are extremely motivated and dedicated to create and maintain a fun, safe, educational, supportive, and positive camp environment.
There is one staff member for every 6 or 7 children in our program.
Steve and Heather Buddie
Meet the Owners
Parents of Molly (22) and Luke (20), Steve is a former Stanford All-American wrestler and coach. He has directed camps throughout the Bay Area for over 25 years and now directs Decathlon year-round.
Heather was an All-American soccer player, also at Stanford. She has served as a longtime teacher in the Palo Alto Unified School District, and is now in the process of becoming a licensed counselor.
They bring to Decathlon over 50 years of combined experience working with children.
Meet the Directors
Rich Wohlstadter
Founder of the Decathlon Sports Club, Rich has over 55 years of summer camp experience. Rich is not sure if he should be proud or embarrassed, but he hasn't missed a year of summer camp since he was 7 years old! He holds a B.A. from Stanford and a Masters in Education from UCLA. Rich also taught and coached for 15 years at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. He currently serves as the camp's consultant and "godfather."
Jen Adolph
This will be Jen's 31st summer at the Decathlon Sports Club! She's a quintuple "Hall of Famer!" (2 as a camper, 2 as a JCIT, 4 as a JC, 4 as a counselor, and now 19 summers as a director.) During the school year Jen is a teacher at the Woodside Preschool and has been teaching there for 20 plus years. Jen is also the Athletic Director for the upper school at Woodside, where she is helping to create new programs for the student athletes.While not teaching, Jen enjoys reading, fitness, camping, and going to concerts! She is also the proud mother of Jojo (9), and Rocco (7). A bit of trivia...Jen was named Athlete of Year at Woodside High in 1998. Her sport: Basketball. Decathlon is Jen’s home away from home and cannot wait for another fantastic summer!!
Sinead Nelson
This will be Sinead's 13th year at Decathlon - 2 as a JC, a session as photographer, 4 years as a counselor, and now entering her seventh as a director. Sinead grew up dancing for Murphy Irish Dancers, but basketball has been her main passion since she started in middle school. She played basketball, soccer and ran cross country through high school, and in college also dabbled in intramural volleyball, spikeball, kickball, cornhole, softball, indoor soccer, pool basketball, and flag football.She earned her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon in 2015, and is one of the loudest and proudest Duck fans you’ll ever meet. She then headed further north to Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where she earned her Masters in Sport and Athletic Administration. This fall she entered her fourth year in El Camino High School's physical education and athletic departments. Sinead is thrilled to be back at Decathlon for what will surely be her best summer yet!
Andy Bligh
This will be Andy's 18th summer at Decathlon - 9 years between camper and JCIT, 4 as a JC, 3 as a counselor, 1 as a director, and now he's back for more! Born and raised in Redwood City, Andy's grown up with DSC and has been through every part of our program. He played a bit of everything growing up (baseball, basketball, soccer) and in true Decathlon fashion kept exploring new sports at Woodside High playing water polo and lacrosse. College sparked a love for volleyball, softball, and golf and today he's an outdoorsman who can be found surfing, skiing, and hiking all across California.He earned his bachelors from Cal Poly in 2015 in Industrial Technology. He spent the next 8 years trying various roles in corporate finance only to find his true passion was right back where he started. He couldn't be more excited to be back and we're sure his infectious, fun-loving energy will make this summer an all-timer!
Jack Ryan
This will be Jack’s 13 summer at Decathlon - 7 years as a camper / JCIT, 1 year as a JC, 4 years as a counselor, and now entering his first year as a director. Growing up in Redwood City and going to Decathlon every summer, Jack played many sports growing up, but specialized in baseball and basketball at Woodside High School. Jack’s love for sports also continues as a fan, where he is a die hard Bay Area sports fan.His love for basketball followed him to Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington where he graduated this May with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Accounting, and 2 intramural championships in softball. He is stoked to be back for what should be his most exciting summer yet!
Katie Ryan
This will be Katies 13th summer at Decathlon - 7 years as a camper and JCIT, 2 as a JC, and 4 as a counselor working with both younger boys and older girls groups. Katie was born and raised in Redwood city, growing up surrounded by sports and developed a passion for igniting that same love in the next generation of campers. Katie played a bit of everything growing up - softball, basketball, volleyball - but soccer was always her numbers one. She played varsity soccer at Woodside High School before heading to the University of Oregon, where she is now entering her senior year studying Business with a concentration on Sports Business and Legal Studies.Katie is beyond excited to step into her first year as a director, ready to lead the JCITs through one of the most pivotal summers of their camp experience. Decathlon has shaped so much of who Katie is, and she can’t wait to pour her energy and passion into creating an unforgettable summer for the next generation of campers!
We're Hiring!
We're Hiring!
We've hired a lot of really great people over these many wonderful summers. Our staff is truly the heart of our camp!