Big Trip Week continued– it was our Junior Greys’ and Eagles’ time to make some magic. Our Juniors headed north to the Kennebec River, where they set up camp and enjoyed a delicious chicken and ribs dinner cooked over a traditional campfire. Tomorrow will be an early Reville for our Greys as they prepare for an exhilarating day of white-water rafting.
Our Eagles spent the day at Aquabogin Waterpark, and the boys reported that this was the best trip of their lives.
Meanwhile, back at home, group leaders Harrison Manchel, David Levy, and Neil Minsky have been locked up in the office plotting for their Olympic breaks. A tremendous amount of planning goes into breaking our Olympics, which is the culmination of our competition in camp. Many camps have color wars as the campers split into two teams, and the youngest boys in camp are team members with the older boys.
Takajo’s founder, Morty Goldman, believed in competition but always felt it needed to be kept in its proper perspective. He saw no purpose in having older boys pressure younger campers to win games and secure points for their team. Therefore, he created the Olympics, which simultaneously broke in all three age groups—allowing boys to compete with their peers at grade level.
The spirit will be high, and our boys will wear face paint and bandanas, marking their teams. The competition will be fierce, but there will be handshakes and cheers at the end of every game, and no unnecessary pressure will be placed on anyone. The entire camp will come together during our Olympic song competition. One of the most meaningful events of the summer is watching our little guys stand side-by-side with their older counterparts singing the camp’s traditional songs with pride. The boys do not know when the Takajo Olympics will break, and I am smart enough not to tell you. However, rest assured; when our boys least expect it, their group heads will surprise them.
