The Sari Diaries- Sunday 7/23/23

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Once upon a time we called Sundays “Lazy Sundays” at Chippewa. But today definitely did not fit that description. We basically had non-stop action from breakfast to order through the dramatic Capture the Flag finish. And here is how it went…

While the morning began later for some campers who took advantage of Sunday morning breakfast, other campers got up extra early to be first in line for everyone’s favorite meal of the week. Shout-out to Dylan C for ordering the first scramble of the morning…I hope she enjoyed her cheesy scramble made with love!

Following breakfast, we quickly got ready for second session Town Day! Campers and counselors loaded the bus with excitement to flood the streets of Minocqua. Campers enjoyed sushi, fudge, pizza, ice cream, smoothies and more. Rumor has it, the Chippies were exceedingly polite- the store owners who we spoke with were very impressed with the hundreds of Chippies in and out of their stores. I am sure I say this in every Town Day post, but I just love the cuteness of the day. Walking up and down the streets chatting with Chippies at every turn is fun for everybody. And there is something about being off camp all together once each session that is kind of cool! After a couple of hours, we were all ready to get back to CRC…and so we headed home!

Upon arriving back at camp, we had a delayed birthday wake-up because we had FIVE birthdays today! There were tons and tons of Chippies waiting in line to wish Delia R, Maddie J, Stella S, Maya F and Alyssa L a very happy birthday. I am pretty sure this is a Chippewa record for the number of birthdays in a single day on these camp grounds…it’s gotta be! Through the birthday wake-up, the signs & decorations in the lodge and the overall celebratory vibes, it is clear that each and every member of the Chippewa community is somehow connected to a birthday girl…maybe even more than one!

Once the birthday madness was over, we had a lovely Songfest practice and a delicious pizza dinner. And then the main event…Tan & White All Camp Capture the Flag. This is one of the most intense and fun games of the summer. Both campers and counselors have the opportunity to protect their flag and/or try to capture the other team’s flag. The game was crazy- the first to score was Maddy K for the Tan Team. Shortly after Georgia S tied it up by bringing the flag across the line for the White Team. The Tans then went up by two scores when Leah C and Hope F ran their hearts out across camp. We thought maybe the game was coming to an end but in the final minutes, the White Team pulled through with Maddyn C and Lucy B each scoring. When the game would have ended in a tie we had a great opportunity- to implement the first ever “next score wins” speed round of Capture. There were five Braves, five Hunters, five Warriors, five Chiefs and five staff members from each team to participate. All other Tans and Whites were at the Center Fire Circle to watch the action and cheer on their teammates. The teams chose ten team members to play defense and the other fifteen were on offense. The Neutrals explained that the first team to score would win, and that the overtime round went for a maximum of five minutes. I was stationed in the South Field and witnessed about seven White Team members get into the box as the Tan defense was on guard. Multiple people tried to leave the box with flag in hand but their flags were pulled. Each time someone got close to the center line, the Center Fire Circle was going wild with cheers. Finally, with about ninety seconds left, Annie M sprinted out of the South Field box. She took the route that I think is the best option…past Copper Stripes towards the Top of the Hill…and low and behold, she scored leading the White Team to victory!

So that’s the end…the final day of week one of the second session at #TheRanch2023. Thanks for reading- talk to y’all soon!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari