The Sari Diaries - Thursday 8/1/19

Dearest Chippies,

I feel like a broken record this summer, always bragging about how amazing #TheRanch2019 is… but it really is true. It’s almost hard to believe how awesome this summer has been. And—shocker!—today was par for the course. Let me explain…

For those of you who don’t know or may have forgotten, today was Kahuna Day. The theme of the day was board games, and the entire camp was split between four teams—Candyland, Monopoly, Sorry and Scrabble. Throughout the day, we competed in various games and activities, putting our best foot forward in the hopes of winning the title of KD champs and a scoop of Cathy’s ice cream. Both during and between the series, I was fortunate enough to witness countless moments of sportsmanship, teamwork and fun. While this is in no way a comprehensive list, I will highlight a few of my favorites below…

In my opinion, one of the best parts of Kahuna Day is that it’s a day laden with excuses to get out of the office. As per recent tradition, Sari and I refereed the flag football games. It was some of the fiercest and most skilled competition I’ve seen out on the South Field in some time, and all players showed up to represent their teams well (I am confident that this is what the rest of the day looked like too). As a bit of a football aficionado myself, I always appreciate those who can throw a crisp spiral. All I have to say is that there is some fine talent coming up the ranks at CRC. It was a lot of fun to watch, and as a cherry on top, on our way back to the office after the game, we overheard Payton G giving her teammates some very sage advice. Her team had taken third place in many games during that series, and she was reminding them that their performance in the games mattered, but not as much as the points they could earn for spirit and sportsmanship. So basically, instead of being sad for their losses, they should do what they could to make up for it in enthusiasm and honesty. Talk about a moment that exemplifies what we are trying to achieve here!

We ended the day with our traditional Kahuna Day luau. Everyone gathered on the front lawn to eat a delicious BBQ. As I and many others have mentioned in previous blog posts and podcasts, one of the best parts about camp is that friendships defy the boundaries of age. Tonight’s dinner was a display of this, as campers and staff of all ages played volleyball, showed off their hula hooping skills and just generally enjoyed one another’s company. I had the good pleasure of eating with campers and staff who I rarely get the opportunity to break bread with, and let me be the first to tell you—it was great fun.

In the end, Candyland ultimately secured their lead (following a two-way tie at lunch, between Scrabble and Candyland for first place, and Monopoly and Sorry for third) and came out on top. But overall, today’s competition was an honorable display of dedication and enthusiasm. It was a day that came together seamlessly thanks to its organized and dedicated leaders, Sami Kieffer and Sarah Stahlberger. Their hard work paid off and the day ran without a hitch. Everyone had a blast, and it was certainly a day to remember. Thanks Sami and Sarah!

And just like that, another great day in the books. If us Chippies are good at anything, it is recognizing how good we have it here. There is an air of appreciation for our days spent at CRC. And now that August is officially upon us, there is also a collective understanding that our summer is coming to a close. None of us take this lightly, and I think I can speak for us all when I say that we are dedicated to soaking up every last opportunity and potential memory that summer 2019 has to offer. Of course I wish that the summer could last forever, but ultimately I am happy and lucky that it has been filled with so many days as good as today.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,
Soph Aloaf