The weather gods are smiling down on Camp Takajo. We woke up to bright skies and temperatures that reached the high seventies today. The long-range forecast indicates this weather pattern will remain throughout this week and into the beginning of next week– perfect weather for the start of Olympics. I cannot tell you when it is going to happen or how it is going to happen, but things are about to get very exciting within the next few days.
Most people are familiar with the term color war. A color war is when the entire camp is split into two teams, and the teams compete in a wide variety of activities. Points are earned for each victory. Color war is incredibly competitive, and puts tremendous pressure on campers to win. The thrill of competition is often skewed by this pressure to perform in order to gain points for one’s team. In many camps where color war exists, older campers are often screaming for younger campers to perform because their points are accumulated in the grand total.
Takajo takes a different approach to this activity. Takajo has the Olympics, which takes place in each age division. The Warrior, Junior and Senior Camp Olympics occur simultaneously. While each division’s competition is separate, there are a few events such as the song competition that incorporate the entire camp at one time.
At Takajo, we are more focused on keeping competition in its proper perspective. We promote hard play, but have a stronger emphasis on good sportsmanship. At the end of every game, teammates lineup for handshakes and cheers.
As we approach the final week of the camp season, we are proud of the fact that while we know our boys have developed great skills throughout the summer, we present no awards. We feel it defeats the purpose of what we are trying to accomplish if, in the final week of camp, we award one individual for his accomplishments without recognizing the hard work and achievement so many others have demonstrated and throughout season.
We are winding down our final trips for the summer. Our Warrior Crows (finished first and second grades) spent the day at Story Land Amusement Park, enjoying a wide variety of thrilling rides. The SubSeniors (finished eighth grade) will return home from Canada tomorrow evening. Many of our savvy veteran campers are trying to track what time the Canada Trip returns, in hopes of anticipating when Warren will sound the first Olympic bugle call. While our group leaders are hard at work trying to create some element of surprise, we take great pride in knowing that this time-tested and honored tradition is about to begin.
