The Sari Diaries- Tuesday 8/6/24

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

“Today is Tuesday, Today is Tuesday, Tuesday Request Night…” These words are lyrics in a song that Cliff, Lisa and I sang to the camp last night. This song is a longstanding Staff Show tradition and it is an indicator to campers that our time together for the summer is nearing an end. And while we are constantly reminding the camp community that “there is still plenty of camping left,” we all know what is coming our way the day after tomorrow. That feeling that is so crushing…aside from an actual tragedy, this feeling that is upon us is one of the hardest to navigate. On one hand, there is this amazing sense of pride- pride in the incredible summer that we have all been a part of, pride in the growth that is so evident in our campers, pride in the activity goals that we have achieved, pride in the strengthening of the Chippewa Sisterhood and so much more. And while this feeling of pride is so immense, it is part of what makes the devastation of our time at #TheRanch2024 ending so real. The thought of not waking up next to our summer sisters on Friday morning, and facing the reality of technology that we have had this much needed break from, and not having the luxury of jumping in Dam Lake on a whim, and eating lunch without cheering our hearts out, and spending a Friday night away from the Center Fire Circle without a Keylog to throw into the fire…all of this is only part of what makes these goodbyes so hard.

That said, I am getting ahead of myself…we had a magnificent day at CRC, and despite the sadness that I know lies ahead, I am excited to tell you all about the happs of August 6, 2024 on Dam Lake!

Meals:
-Breakfast- Waffles & Bacon
-Lunch- Turkey Pesto Paninis & Fries
-Dinner- Chippy BBQ!

Chippy Birthdays: -Zoey P’s 14th birthday!

Ski Achievements:
-Mari W crossed the wakes on two skis!
-Olivia W dropped a ski and stayed up for ten seconds!

Details of The Day:
It all began early this morning when I met seven Rafter^X campers for a quick jump in the lake. Cassidy A, Shay C, Olivia G, Chloe W, Parker Z and Sadie Z- some with clothes on, some with bathing suits on, but all with smiles on their faces- leapt into Dam Lake. Meanwhile, helping the lifeguards (thank you Milly & Olivea Crothers), Nora C was cheering us all on. Once we were in, we were sure to do the essential “look out at the lake and take in the beauty,” and “look into camp and take in the beauty.” These Rafter campers are probably just appeasing me by taking the time to do this while we are hanging in the lake, but hopefully on some level they are actually taking it all in. We then headed to the splashmat to sing their cabin song before swimming back to the docks to get into our day.

After breakfast the entirety of the admin team headed to the cabin of Boots & Saddles to do cabin clean-up for them. I’m not exactly sure when or how they won this, but apparently this was offered as a prize for something and we made good on it. It was actually pretty funny to be dust panning as Ruth was sweeping, and as Cara Jones was helping to make beds. I am especially happy to report that Boots got a 100 on cabin clean-up today!

We then squeezed in two more activity periods- 3B and 2A. Campers were eager to get their last ski runs in, shoot their last arrows at archery, ride their favorite horse one last time, and jump on the blob. It was a great morning for all!

During lunch, we had our final Tan & White cheer session and it was intense! Aside from one cheer that went way too fast, I would say it was the best T&W cheering of the summer! While listening to these cheers, and feeling a little extra reflective, I thought about how much has changed at CRC over the course of the past thirty years, and also how much has stayed the same. There are the little things that have changed…the tune and pace of many, many songs…the wearing of shoes during Songfest…the official snack that we give out each afternoon…the intricate costumes that campers bring to camp each summer…the time and effort cabins put into their lip sync performances…and on & on. But these are all trivial changes- parts of camp that don’t have a huge impact on the Chippewa experience. But the things that have stayed the same- that’s a whole other story- there’s the profound sense of connection to a Chippy’s Tan or White team, and there is the spirit of United Nations Day, and there is the deep admiration that campers have for their counselors, and of course there is the love that Chippies across generations seem to have for sugar, and obviously the most important thing that has remained is the relationships that Chippewa campers & staff form with one another…summer after summer building their friendships through shared experiences…Chippewa Ranch Camp seems to have a real knack for fostering an environment for humans to connect with humans in such a real way. So while some people cheering in The Adler Lodge this afternoon were just thinking about the excitement of Pony Express, I was analyzing years and years of Chippewa history :).

And then this afternoon, we had Pony Express…the final, the biggest, and in my opinion the most fun Tan & White game of the summer! Pony Express is a huge relay race in which every member of each team has a role. There are over 30 activities that campers participate in, and there are campers who run from one activity to the next. For the final leg of the race, the Grand and Chief Sachems of each team canoe to a place we call Watermelon Island to search for a greased watermelon. The relay was awesome- the Tans started ahead, and then at the pie eating contest, Bryna brought the White Team back. In the end both the Tan and the White Sachems were canoeing back to camp with their watermelons at the same time…the Whites getting back just before the Tans…it was sooooo exciting!

Following Pony, campers got together to learn who Second Session Honor Cabins were…a huge congrats to Timber Walk & Horseshoe on officially being the cleanest cabins in camp! The Neutrals then got up to let the Tans and Whites know who won the summer…the teams circled up, heard words of gratitude from their Sachems, and listened intently…the Tans won the summer!!

As the Tan Team and Honor Cabins headed to Cathy’s, everybody else enjoyed canteen before BBQ…a little bit backwards, I suppose. At BBQ, Soph-Aloaf and I had the opportunity to dine with the Rafter, Blackfoot and Silverspurs White Team members. We reminisced about the summer, chatted about next summer, and ate a lot of good Chippy BBQ food. After dinner but before our semi-late evening program, there was a group of close to 25 campers walking around camp with a ginormous Rainbow Loom. Each camper created a piece of it and they connected their parts together…when I tell you this thing is long, I’m not doing it justice…it nearly stretches all the way across camp…it is nuts! Harper M, Tyler T, Noa B and Mia S created this concept and it took off! There were campers ranging from Rafter^X to Trailriders who participated in this wonderful display of collaboration and teamwork!

To cap off this very special day at CRC, and circling back to the first line of this post, we had an outstanding Request Night! This program has been a Chippewa staple since 1979, and it is a night that elicits a great deal of emotion- there’s the silly beginning when campers request others to perform on stage, and there’s the “I Was Here” song, and then we take it down a notch. We had our Camper Farewells given by Lakeview campers Reagan K, Audry L and Braelyn S, and our Staff Farewells by Ten Year Girls Lexi Golding, Abby Cyrluk and Dylan Grossmann. These six individuals wrote and read farewells that legitimately did this summer justice…a nearly impossible feat. The Camper Farewells focused on a specific age and summer for each of the three LV girls…and they narrowed in on what they have gained at camp since being that camper in that summer. They beautifully depicted their individual camper experiences as well as the experience of every Chippewa camper. It was a very proud moment for the Chippewa community. And then there was the Staff Farewell, and let me just say, “WOAH!” These three staff members were supposed to be a part of Lakeview 2020. As you all likely know, Lakeview 2020 did not exist because we did not run camp in 2020. That said, tonight’s Staff Farewells expressed what a blessing in disguise that missed summer was for these three Chippies. What it comes down to for them, and what I think is true for so many of us who have lived a Chippewa camp career, is that this place is about the people…but we are all grateful for this place for allowing us the opportunity to be with these people. After these incredibly moving farewells, we sang “No More Saddles,” and finally, Cliff created a spectacular end of summer re-cap video with the Request Night Soundtrack that we all love for us to watch. It was another fantastic video that reminded us of the magic that has transpired over the past eight weeks!

So that’s it…I mean it was a lot but it wasn’t too much…it was just right. Today was an indication of a lot of things, not the least of which was that campers at #TheRanch2024 are the truest and best versions of themselves here. They are authentic, they are kind, they are loving, they are supportive, they are fun, they are funny, they are strong, they are motivated, they are loyal, and most importantly, they are who they are…in the very best way possible way!

Thanks for reading- stay tuned for the final TSD tomorrow-ish. Goodnight, Chippies!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari