The Sari Diaries- Saturday 7/8/17

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Jenny Day is a day to remember how important our camp friendships are. It is a day to spend with your cabin, your counselors and your age group. A day to celebrate being at camp and taking advantage of the time we get to spend at CRC. And that is just what today was…a day full of laughter, a day full of Chippy spirit, a day full of good food and a day to just “Do What You Like and Like What You Do.”

After a morning of regular activities, we spent the afternoon rotating around camp as age groups. Campers and their counselors went from tubing to free-swim to making s’moreos to going down a man-made waterslide in the North Field. And, of course, a Jenny Day tradition, cabins made yarn bracelets that will help them remember this special day along with the amazing summer that is #TheRanch2017.

Ava M told Sophie Stempel that her face hurt from smiling too much. And while I was on the tubing boat, I witnessed an amazing display of gratitude from each group toward the boat drivers and lifeguards that were providing them with the opportunity to cruise around the lake behind the boat. Emma S was a bit apprehensive about her tubing experience but as she got back on the boat afterward, she said, “That was awesome!” Then in the North Field, Cliff led a big group of staff in creating a unique waterslide-like experience…campers loved it…they slid/got pushed down the wet tarps while on a mattress. It was funny to watch but also another reminder that Chippewa girls, with the help of the staff, can truly find the fun in anything…they made this waterslide that mostly worked an amazing activity.

The afternoon ended with a staff Tan & White soccer game. It was incredible to see #TheRanchStaff2017 get so into the program. Our staff who grew up at Chippewa obviously love Tan & White…they will jump at any opportunity they get to put on their “We’ve Got the Might” or “Yes We Can” shirts and participate in a game. That passion for their team is never ending, and we love that. The same goes though for our newer staff…they were thrilled to be out there competing for their team, cheering from the sidelines and throwing themselves into the Tan & White experience. Campers excitedly rooted for their counselors and the staff members on their team. Nick Donaldson was an amazing goalie and Charley Hutchinson probably won MVP of the game. The Whites ended up on top but I feel confident from the smiles plastered across their faces that the entire staff felt like they won!

After the BBQ dinner, we had Tan & White Camper Capture the Flag. Before the game began, Elana L led the White Team in an intense stretching session in the North Field. I had the opportunity to spend much of the game in the South Field…I saw the box get bombarded with White Team members and then the Tan Team diligently pull their flags each time someone tried to leave the box to get the flag to the other side. Sally M, Mackenzie P and Anna S all scored in this exciting game. One of my favorite sites to watch is the celebration campers and counselors give those who make it across the center line with the flag. In the end, the Tans won this exhilarating event!

As campers went to bed, Aliza Kipnis and Jessica Kaplan found me to ask if Rafter^X could “kidknap” Blackfoot. We discussed a plan and they came up with a fun little activity for their cabins. Aliza woke her campers to let them know that they were going to head over to Blackfoot and wake them up. Upon waking them, they all got blindfolded and led around the South Field to find a box of canteen that their counselors had hidden for them. Their fun concluded with a canteen party in Blackfoot before all heading back to bed. Despite only being ten years-old, the Rafter campers were so motivated to do something fun with the younger campers. It is so cool that we have a culture here that the “big” kids want to help provide our younger campers with these memorable experiences…and I have no doubt that this will be one of those memories for both the campers of Rafter and Blackfoot!

I think that’s all for now…Jenny Day was a huge success once again. Thanks for reading…talk to you tomorrow!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari