The Sari Diaries- Thursday 8/1/24

Dearest Chippies,

Hello from CRC! It has been a fantastic and exciting day here at 8258 County O Road, as it was our first ever CHIPPY MADNESS! You might be wondering… what in the world is Chippy Madness? Well lucky for you, I’m here to tell you!

Over the past many summers (bonus points if you know the first year!), we have dedicated the second to last Thursday of second session to Kahuna Day, a full-day program during which the camp is split into four teams that compete against one another in a variety of sports and competitions. Today, the tradition of Kahuna Day officially pivoted to Chippy Madness. This day mirrors Kahuna Day in structure, but it is centered around college sports teams, rather than a different theme each year. The hype and excitement have been building for over a week now and let me tell you—campers and staff alike delivered with their energy, enthusiasm and spirit.

The day began at 8am with a special Chippy Madness wakeup. Campers and staff showed up to breakfast in their team colors, representing University of Washington, Colorado State University, San Diego State University and St. Louis University in a rainbow of clothes and accessories. After breakfast, the day officially began with an opening ceremony in the theater, which was covered in college team flags. The Chippy Madness heads, Camryn Farbman and Lauren Gottlieb, put together a video presentation that built the hype even MORE and introduced the captains and advisors. The video was awesome, the spirit was tremendous, and it was overall a fun and exciting way to kick off the day!

After this remarkable introduction, we went right into first series. I was fortunate to help run Knockout. I am not exaggerating when I say it might have been the best, most impressive games of Knockout that the basketball courts at Chippewa have ever seen. All 16 players brought their A-game, and at the end of the final game, it was down to Lila S, Lily R and Raquel W who played as a trio for over 5 minutes before someone got out. Mia F, Charlie J, Sophie F and me watched in awe as shot after shot went in. Lila S ended up securing the W for Washington as her team surrounded her with pride and excitement. It was an awesome show of skill, athleticism, sportsmanship and team spirit—just what we had hoped this day would be!

After lunch, the day was unfortunately met with some rain. But that didn’t dampen the spirit of the day! After a short break, we picked things up right where they left off with third series. I refereed flag football with Sari, and once again it was an amazing show put on by all four teams. There was also a new activity introduced during this series based on the TV show Chopped. Using an assortment of random ingredients, campers relied on creativity to put together snacks tasted by a panel of judges. I got a full review from Avery J, who said it was “the most fun of the day!”

To end the day, we had a delicious BBQ down at the waterfront. Campers and counselors alike enjoyed dinner and the traditional Kahuna Day pineapple upside down cake as they debriefed the events of the day. After that, Washington was announced as the winner, and they celebrated with a well-deserved trip to Cathy’s!

Overall, it was an absolutely incredible day, and we owe it all to Camryn Farbman and Lauren Gottlieb. They not only put in the time, hard work and effort to plan the events of the day itself, but it is thanks to their spirit and dedication that Chippy Madness will live on at CRC for years to come. A shoutout to all of the captains as well (Colt Village captains Ellie A, Delia R, Logan R and Chloe Z and Wrangler Village captains Sophie B, Taylor G, Sydney J and Maddie S) whose leadership, enthusiasm, spirit and sportsmanship led the day for campers and staff alike. It is because of all of you that today was a grand success!

And now, camp is quiet as everyone gets their rest after a long, full day. Tomorrow is Camper Counselor Day—another exciting day here at CRC. Sadie G will be filling in for me, and I can’t wait to participate in the day as a Lakeview camper.

I think that’s about all for now. Only one more Sari Diaries for me at #TheRanch2024… I will talk to you then!

Sincerely,
Soph Aloaf