Reveille blew at 8:30 AM. We’re all beginning to appreciate Lazy Man’s Morning— its leisurely start seems to arrive just when it’s needed each week. Campers and counselors slowly dragged themselves out of bed. Dippies made their way down to the lake for a refreshing dip, while the rest headed to the dining hall for a breakfast that featured the usual Dunkin’ Donuts.
After a quick lineup, our boys with siblings at Vega, Pinecliff, and Mataponai set off for an afternoon of reconnection at those respective camps, filled with smiles and lots of hugs.
This morning, our 15-and-under basketball team met their coach, Shad, on the Warrior basketball court to prepare for a tournament coming up on Monday. Sitting on the bleachers brought back wonderful memories of their early days in Warrior camp, when they were just starting to play and Shad was their coach. After a moment of reflection, one of the boys asked why they were practicing on the smaller, narrower court. Right on cue, Shad brought out some of our best counselor basketball players, already laced up and ready to scrimmage with the 15-year-olds. He explained that the host court at the neighboring camp was smaller and narrower than the one our Seniors usually play on at Takajo.
“To prepare for tomorrow’s game,” Shad told them, “you need to be able to break a press against our stronger, faster staff. This is how we get ready for battle.”
For an hour and a half, with sweat dripping down their faces, the boys learned how to work together to handle relentless pressure. Practicing in unison on the tighter court pushed them to rise to the challenge of tomorrow’s game.
We take great pride in our coaches’ ability to bring out the best in our boys, and Shad’s creativity and ingenuity are just one example of the exceptional coaching they receive each summer. As our Okees prepare for their final basketball tournament together, the chance to compete under the leadership of their favorite coach will be a lasting memory, no matter the outcome.
The afternoon was packed with activities for boys of all ages. Our Warriors had a blast bouncing on the inflatables in the water as the sun reached its peak over camp. We were all looking forward to gathering this evening in the MJG Playhouse for the Senior Big Show, Moana. It was a treat to see every one of our Okees on stage in some capacity, except for our Assistant Tech Supervisor, who was behind the scenes controlling the sound.
The story was familiar to many of our Warriors, as it’s based on the Disney movie of the same name.
While the audience was entertained and enjoyed the show, I found myself reflecting. Just hours earlier, these same Okees—our biggest, strongest leaders in camp—were battling it out on the basketball court. Now, they were hamming it up on stage, performing with their brothers in the show.
It’s moments like these that highlight the diversity of our program and the lifetime memories being created every day at camp.
