The Sari Diaries- Monday 7/10/17

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

United Nations Day 2017 is over but the memories made today will last a lifetime. The spirit and sportsmanship levels were off the charts and the leadership displayed by the captains and advisors was amazing. From our youngest campers to our oldest staff members, every member of the Chippewa community was into the day. Here are the details…

Elyssa Fishman, Sophie Friedland and Nikki Richter were the UN Day heads and they planned an incredible day that began at morning wake-up. “United Nations on the March” was playing with cheers for each country were heard all over camp. For each meal, we ate with our teams, which I love. It is so cute to see campers and staff of all ages who might not normally sit together enjoying meals with one another. After breakfast and a short cabin clean-up, we all headed to the Center Fire Circle for the opening ceremonies. There was plenty of cheering before the UN Day torch made it’s way from across the world to our fire pit. Elyssa, Sophie and Nikki read us the preamble and teams cheered for their captains and advisors as they signed the bark that will forever commemorate this day.

As tradition dictates, the actual competition began with leg wrestling in the North Field. First Colt Villagers competed in this unique sport…it is always funny to watch these tiny humans participate in this. Wrangler Villagers, Female and Male Staff all had their own competition as well…the energy was incredibly high to start this day…Chippies were excited to get back on the mats and show their leg wrestling skills.

Throughout the day, teams competed in a variety of activities. From banner making to flag football and from word search to soccer, there is literally an activity for everyone. Soph-Aloaf and I umpired two softball games and refereed two football games. The skill level was impressive…my favorite part about it though was that the intensity was able to be kept at a high level while fantastic sportsmanship also never wavered. Sarah S really shined at flag football while Elana L led her team to a strong showing in softball.

During rest-hour, we had all team tug-of-war along with running relays. Tug-of-war, as always, was a wonderful demonstration of team work. And the wheels on our campers & staff during the relays was amazing. Before dinner we had our water events…camper/staff relays along with a blobbing competition…wow was that fun to watch.

After the BBQ, we all headed to the theater for a final round of cheering and the announcement of the winners. Amazingly enough, after a full day of activities- and I mean even more full than normal- the cheers were bursting with spirit and energy…it was crazy! Aruba took fourth place while Kirabati finished third and Barbados came in second. Yes, it is true…that means Palau won UN Day here at #TheRanch2017.

The day was superb…it is always one of my personal favorites and today did not disappoint! I would like to personally thank Elyssa, Sophie and Nikki for all of the hard work and planning they put in. The day was enjoyed by all of us, and UN Day will continue to live on as an absolute favorite here at CRC.

As if that wasn’t enough, we also had Tan & White Stalk the Lantern this evening. Every camper lathered on bug spray and dressed in black as they hid all around the edges of the South Field. The staff sat in a bulls-eye formation on the field and the Neutrals along with Cliff, Jack B and myself all sat in the middle with flashlights. We tried to spot the campers as they slithered their way to the middle. Wherever they were caught, they would go to the closest staff chair to be awarded points. If they got to the middle, they scored 100 points for their team. Despite the late night, Stalk the Lantern is a camper favorite…older campers help the younger ones strategize and it really is anyone’s game…we are always proud and surprised with those who make it to us in the center! The Whites came out on top tonight in terms of points, but I know that both the Tans and Whites had a blast.

Okay, that’s all I have to report from UN Day 2017 here on Dam Lake. Just in case I wasn’t clear, the day was outstanding! Thanks for reading…talk to you all soon :).

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari