It's only Wednesday, but already, this has been one of the most fun weeks of camp this summer. The kids and staff are SO into the Olympic theme and their enthusiasm seems to grow each day.
Polar bear plunge this morning at 6:45am brought out the most kids we have had so far, to jump in the lake and start the day off with a brisk swim. I've meant to go to the polar bear plunge every week, but haven't until today. The rule this week is that if over half of your team plunges, you will earn 10 points. My team needed the points, so there I was, exhausted but with full spirit, jumping in the lake.
Last night, we had a 2 hour Olympic competition. We had 15 different events. Some events required the whole team to participate, and some events only needed one or two kids. Each event was a chance for teams to earn points towards the coveted Spirit Award. We had some obvious field games like three legged race, water balloon toss, egg on the spoon race, tug of war (little girls are stronger than they look, by the way!), a relay race, etc. We also had some REALLY fun events like the pie throwing contest, made even more fun because, "Geez, you know what? I forgot to make targets! Can I have all of the counselors come out here and stand in a line. If you can hit any of these counselors, you get points!". We also had an event that had each group passing a bucket full of noodles from person to person to see who could be the fastest team. Oh and I should mention that the noodles were dumped out of the bucket into their hands and they were covered in dish soap to make them slippery.
Throughout the whole event, Director Bonus Points were awarded for extra cheering, good sportsmanship, and spirit. It was an EXCEPTIONAL night. I think that kids and counselors, and I know myself, will remember the feeling of that night for a long time. And I firmly believe that when we talk about changing lives through camp, it is not because of activities or fancy facilities, but it is specifically due to the feeling. To be surrounded by such positive people, such strong energy, and such a focus on fun, happiness and encouragement, bathes your soul in a golden light that changes you. I believe these moments, that happen so often at camp, and so infrequently everywhere is, are the reason that camp is the best experience a person can have.
And that's the reason I do this job. Because last night was a LOT of work. To show up to a field full of games, an organized point system, and enjoy a night of fun required hours of preparation behind the scenes. And then last night, we had a list of 50 things (rope, eggs, spoons, bandannas, cups, noodles, hula hoops, cones, etc...) that we gathered and set up in about 30 minutes. It was me, S, ad my friend M who was visiting. It was intense and there were several times we looked at each other and shook our heads and said, "ohmygosh, I am so tired." Afterwards, there was a field full of noodles to clean up, dishes to wash and stuff to put away.
It was 100% worth it. Going above and beyond to plan, to make things special, to give kids a unique experience is what camp is all about. I am honored to be able to give that gift to them. And if it looks like it came together with little effort, that means I'm doing a good job. But OHMYGOSH, I am so tired I feel like I might collapse... in a good way... but still, collapse.
No comments:
Post a Comment