We woke up to a grey and misty day, but as predicted, the skies cleared, and our program was in full swing. Our Warrior Indian campers (those who have finished fourth grade) were excited for their first day of inter-camp competition.
At the fourth grade age level, we create field days, during which every single camper gets to participate in three sports against campers from other camps. We split our boys into two divisions, half go to another camp to get the experience of representing Camp Takajo at another facility, while the others host a visiting camp for an entire day of competition. We do this a few times during the summer, so that each boy has the opportunity to compete both home and away.
The concept is quite simple. We break the boys into skill groups so that the competition against the other camp is fair and balanced. Interestingly, I happen to have a son who is in this age division. When the teams were announced last night, my son was told that he was to be a proud member of the silver team.
“Silver?” I thought. “Surely the camp must have gold or platinum. Should I peruse the list to see if anybody selected for the gold team may be less deserving than my son?”
After consideration, I did not act on my initial thoughts. Truth be told, if I was running a dramatics camp, only one person would be selected for the lead part.
The same speech was given to all of our boys. They are part of the Camp Takajo team. They are representing all of us. No matter where they are asked to play, it is about the experience. When the bus rolled in after a long day of inter-camp events, our silver team disembarked with their gear on their backs, Burger King crowns on their heads, and smiles from ear to ear. At the end of the day, every child was proud to be part of the Takajo family.
- In Warrior Camp today, our Indians had Winaukee Day. Half of the boys left this morning and headed to Camp Winaukee, while the rest of our campers waited here for the neighboring camp to arrive. They competed in lacrosse, soccer, football and basketball. We also have some Warrior campers out at the driving range in Naples.
- Today in Pioneering, we took a group of Warrior campers out on a trip. They went to the Ossipee Fire Tower and came back to camp just before dinner. A good time was had by all!
- Today in Senior Camp, the Sub Seniors returned from their rafting trip, during which they had a great time bonding and exploring. Also today, some campers volunteered to train for the Senior Lake Swim. The water is warming up, and everyone is enjoying Long Lake.
