The Sari Diaries- Wednesday 7/20/16

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

I write to you this evening feeling incredibly happy with the day we just had at #TheRanch2016. From start to finish, it has been amazing. To quote Soph-Aloaf- “I fell in love with camp again today.” That is pretty much the vibe of this entire place…it is awesome! Here are some of the highlights…

As I walked to the tennis courts this morning, I was thrilled to see that there was first period basketball, aerobics, archery and tennis. I love to see so much action in the same area of camp…it just feels right! Luke had the basketball class doing full-court ball handling drills and they eventually had an intense scrimmage. I checked out archery during a water break and Talia T told me that she got seven golds in one period- that’s some serious talent!

Today was a hot one and different campers used different methods to stay comfortable. Everyone was carrying waterbottles, campers were eager to go in the lake and during rest hour, Lily H and Zoey J were playing in the sprinkler that waters the flowers at the top of the hill. I was impressed with their idea and was entertained by the fun they were having while staying cool.

We had a new evening program tonight and it was incredible! Program Director Monica along with Sara Moss, Zoe Patinkin and Katie Liguori planned a creative and fun night that everyone loved. The game is called Alliance and campers were broken up randomly into sixteen groups. Each group was led by a CIT and had campers ranging from Blackfoot to Trailriders. Each camper had a flag and a clothespin with her name on it. If her flag was pulled, she would give the person who pulled it her clothespin (and all of the clothespins she had collected). Whichever team had the most clothespins at the end were the winners. There were safety zones and group meetings in order to strategize. I walked around camp throughout the game and was impressed with the plans created by teams. It was good, old-fashioned, camp fun! My favorite part had to be that campers who didn’t know each other had the opportunity to work with one another. Ximena R and Skyelar H were walking to the Center Fire Circle together after the game…they were telling me how much fun they had and that they teamed up to get A TON of clothespins. There are not a lot of places in the world where a ten and fourteen year-old from different countries have the chance to work together and become friends. Chippewa though, is one of those places! The Cobras won the night and will have a campfire with s’mores together in the next couple of days :).

I hung out in the Colt Village after evening program and campers were hanging with their counselors as they got ready for bed. I got to spend a decent amount of time in Rafter^X and was reminded how great cabin life is. All five counselors were chilling with the campers…they weren’t playing a specific game- though they were planning to once I left- they were all just happy and content spending time with each other.

A couple hours ago, Lakeview got back from their camping trip. They had a blast on Madeline Island but we are happy to have them back…camp is once again complete. Sydney M and Lauren S sat in my office for a bit telling me the details of their adventure. It sounds like it was a good one…they had a fantastic time but are happy to be home!

So there you have it- we had an outstanding day in Chippyland and the morale is high. Staff are loving life on Dam Lake and campers are happy as could be. Tomorrow will be another hot day and Soph-Aloaf will write all about it. Until Friday- I guess that’s all I’ve got for you. Peace out.

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari