The Sari Diaries- Monday 7/22/19

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

I am reporting tonight after an eventful day at #TheRanch2019. The weather has continued to be incredible, and while I don’t want to jinx it, it is having a very positive impact on our summer on Dam Lake! I know there are plenty of reasons why this summer is so amazing but let’s give Mother Nature a shout out for keeping our summer full of sunshine :). Below are the details of the day, and I would just like to make note that I could write pages and pages about today- it seemed to be a day that wonderful news and happenings continuously came my way. So here it goes…my best attempt to give you a glimpse into our day!

This morning began with a fantastic wake-up to wish not one, not two, but three Chippies a very happy birthday! After wake-up and a delicious breakfast, half of the campers from A-Frame, C-C and Bowed Legs headed out to Copper Falls for their camping trip. They were pretty excited because they heard great reviews from their cabin mates who went during the first session. In other trip news, the cabins of Silverspurs & Lucky-X are currently enjoying their trip at Crystal Lake! We are excited for both of these groups to return to camp tomorrow so that we can hear about all of the fun they are having.

After a wonderful morning of regular A-Day activities, this afternoon, we competed against Marimeta in tennis, soccer and basketball. The younger campers from both camps competed at Marimeta while the older campers were at Chippewa. Everyone enjoyed the friendly competition and some highlights included Chloe C rocking it on the basketball courts, the senior soccer team’s come from behind victory, and of course, hanging with friends from Marimeta.

For those who were not so interested in the inter-camp, we still ran regular afternoon activities. And let me tell you, these activities were amazing. Lilly R and Maddie W both had fun adventures at waterskiing- each of them are feeling confident that they will be getting up on waterskis very soon! Jaliyah A caught three fish today…with the help of Aaliyah who was coaching her on when to reel in the hook. Over at the ninja course, I got to hang with the 5th period class for a bit, and could not believe how many of the obstacles Grace F and JJ S can complete. I then headed over to tennis where Annabelle K, Talia S, Carter H and I hit for a bit on court one…we did a drill and then had a little competition. And at sailing, Sam G, Izzy R, and Jill M had a blast on the boat together. Sam and Izzy were ecstatic to be a part of Jill’s first capsizing experience!

Throughout the day, campers and staff also participated in Realm meetings in which they learned about their role for one of the biggest Tan & White games of the summer. Realm Eve is tomorrow night, and we are all getting very excited for it! Working with Cliff is a Realm Development Team. They have been hard at work creating what is sure to be the best Realm yet.

Straight from dinner, we all went to the waterfront to witness an outstanding ski show put on by the Plum Ski-ters. This is their second performance at Chippewa and it is so cool to watch. They have team members as young as eight years old out there doing crazy tricks on skis. It is both entertaining and motivational…I think it is neat for our campers to see just where their hard work at waterskiing can take them. A special shout-out to Adam Koehler who is one of our waterski instructors…he is also a member of the Plum Ski-ters and helped arrange this evening for all of us.

Just as everybody thought the night was over, we called an emergency all camp meeting at the Center Fire Circle. Upon arriving, campers learned that staff member, Sydney Feldman, had gone missing. She was last seen near the fishing docks but nobody knew where she was. And then the CRC Detectives (Katie Liguori and Sydney Goldman) arrived at the scene. They explained that they needed the help of the Chippewa community to solve the mystery of where Sydney had gone. Cabins traveled to six different stations to investigate the crime. Five of the stations were the scene of a different suspect’s alibi while the sixth station was a tour of the crime scene guided by Detectives Liguori and Goldman. In the theater, Sammie Taxman and Rachel Genin put on a fabulous musical performance describing where they were at the time of the crime. Other suspects included Milly & Olivea Crothers, Sarah N, Emily Jaksich and Marni Schneider. Each skit was entertaining, and was followed by questioning from the campers. In the end, the camp gathered back together at the Center Fire Circle to share their findings. Just as each cabin described who they thought did it, Sydney came running down all bandaged up to tell us what had happened. Sure enough, it was Jaksich! The Oneida County Sheriff then pulled in with their lights flashing to take her away…we were all saddened that Jaksich would do such a thing but it was only right that she get taken away in the police car…and brought to jail. JUST KIDDING…no crimes were committed and no jail time was served. Aside from that, the above description of our night is completely accurate. It was one of the best evening programs this camp has seen in a long time- kudos to our program directors!

So there you have it- our day here was out of this world…most people couldn’t even dream of a day like this. And now we get excited for tomorrow…and all that it will bring. Thanks for reading- I know it was a long one!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari