The Sari Diaries- Friday 7/2/21

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Today was one of the best days of camp ever…I mean seriously, it was amazing. The weather was perfect, and campers & staff alike were living their best lives. And now I am here to report to all of you the events of our fantastic day…here it goes…

We had an awesome day of regular activities, which included a ton of waterfront fun, some rest hour activity and a ton of achievements. This morning, I had the privilege of heading up to the ropes course to participate with first period ropes. While up there, I witnessed an event that was truly SO CHIPPEWA. Julia F was gliding across the V’s, and Mackenzie P was providing her the guidance and encouragement she needed. When she got to the TruBlue, Ava V showed her how it was done by going first, and then Sydney F gave her the perfect advice that gave her the courage to try it. And before we knew it, Julia was on her way down to the rubber mulch with a smile on her face. It was a group effort, and was so cool to see the veteran Trailriders girls helping a new younger camper be brave.

After lunch, we had our very first rest hour soccer practice. We are gearing up for a big soccer game on Tuesday of next week. We had campers as young as eight and as old as fifteen join us in the South Field for drills and competitions to hone our soccer skills in preparation for Tuesday’s intra-camp game. Soph-Aloaf led the way, and was joined by Lakeview members Lauren G and Mia F, who are incredible soccer players. I was super-impressed with the soccer skills displayed, and I am uber-excited for the game next week.

This afternoon, during fifth period, three Bowed Legs campers appeared in the office and invited me on the ski boat with them. I excitedly ran down to the docks with Haylie W, Sami D and Charlie S, and we got on a boat with Skylar Sachs as the driver and Hannah Dworsky the lifeguard. It was a very exciting half hour…to begin with, Charlie dropped a ski and got around the lake! Next, Sami got up and lifted for eight seconds…she is so close to passing the level (lifting for ten seconds). And finally, Haylie W got up and crossed the wakes on two skis! It was joyous…no joke!

To put an exclamation mark on this amazing day, we had an incredible Friday night campfire. Below is a recap of the campfire written by Lakeview camper, Danielle K…

“The theme of tonight’s campfire was Love is Love. Ellory F did a beautiful job writing the campfire while representing the strong elements of love, and how it is expressed between people of all orientations and in every form. The campfire was led by Sabrina B and included compassionate sermonettes from Sabrina M, Emmy B, Bryna C, and Brooke Ashworth, which conveyed to campers the true qualities and importance of love through the strong bonds it creates. Songs were sung by the CR-Singers, and enjoyed by the entire Center Fire Circle. It was a moving and loving campfire which deepened the acceptance and love throughout the Chippewa community.”

And finally, the end of the night office hang…Lakeview has been in and out of the office planning 4th of July lately, which means lots of time for us to hang with them…which we love :). Izzy S, Sam S, Reese S and Danielle K were sitting in my office expressing their gratitude towards our kitchen staff. Izzy and Reese had a chance to help in the kitchen today in preparation for Sunday, and it gave them some really important perspective. They had a blast in there and also gained an extra appreciation for what the staff down there do day in and day out. The cabin of Lakeview is currently working on a plan to acknowledge the hard work of the kitchen…it is pretty cool that even in the midst of planning one of the biggest programs of the summer, they are still able to think outside themselves and recognize the efforts of others. Way to go LV!!

That’s about all from #TheRanch2021 for today. As I said, today was the best…such a camp day! Thanks for reading- talk to ya’ll soon!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari