The Sari Diaries- Tuesday 6/21/16

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

We are only two days into the summer but already, this place is full of good vibes and happy campers. This staff has legit impressed me at every turn and today they once again proved their commitment to Chippewa and our campers. Read below for the highlights…

Today campers created their schedules for the next two weeks and they are eager to get started tomorrow! Throughout the afternoon, cabins participated in group activities that included egg drop, heads up, free-throw shooting, bananagrams, puzzles among other fun/funny/unique/silly games. To get from activity to activity, cabins received clues and the cabin that completed these tasks fastest were the champions. Campers and counselors were darting around camp together excited to compete and work together.

After dinner, as is customary on the second night of camp, we opened Tan & White with Donny Quay. We first gathered around the Center Fire Circle to hear from the Neutrals all about the tradition that is Tan & White. They explained the focus of sportsmanship, spirit and healthy competition that surrounds this age-old Chippy program. We then listened as they read off the names of all of the Tans and Whites (in age order…Braves, Hunters, Warriors, Chiefs and Staff). At that point, this place was going crazy with enthusiasm. Tans then headed to the South Field and Whites to the North where they practiced their slogans, learned cheers and voted on the Sachems (team captains). Then the drama began…

As Tans and Whites were fervently cheering at the Center Fire Circle, I went down to share some bad news. After recounting the story of Donny Quay- the spirit who we need to approve the start of Tan & White each summer- I explained that unfortunately I received a note telling me that Tan & White was canceled this summer. Staff members were devastated and campers were in disbelief. As a group, we decided to do our best to “Bring back the spirit of Donny Quay” to try to convince him that #TheRanch2016 was deserving of an incredible Tan & White season. Finally, Donny Quay arrived on a canoe surrounded by both Tan and White male staff. After a bit of back and forth, he agreed that if two Blackfoot campers (one Tan and one White) could work together to beat him in tug of war, he would allow the Tan & White games to commence. It was tough and they had to use all of their strength but Lily G and Molly R won tug of war and were the official heroes of the evening. We were all relieved that Tan & White could continue as planned this summer…phew!

The evening ended with the announcement of the Sachems. Ten very deserving people were elected to lead these teams to a successful and spirited summer. We can’t wait to see how it all unfolds but are confident that Tan & White 2016 is going to be epic!

My night ended visiting cabins and witnessing some amazing interactions between campers and staff. In Blackfoot, Molly R and Amari S had created a dance to their cabin song. It was impressive and the entire cabin cheered them on. In Silverspurs, I helped them blow the lights out, which was adorable. Basically, the entire camp was full of very cute scenes.

And there you have it, that’s the low-down on the magnificent day we had around here. Thanks for reading this lengthy post…enjoy your night!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari