The Sari Diaries- Monday 7/17/17

Sunday, July 16 by Sari Hirsch

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

It was an action packed day here at CRC- somehow we managed to fit an insane amount of fun in, and I am here to tell you all about it! From the morning wake-up all the way through the end of the evening program, spirits were high and the members of the Chippewa community seem to have really settled nicely into second session. So here are the deets from today…

This morning our second session campers did activity rotations, which included swim tests, learning about climbing/ropes, checking out the horses as well as getting a taste of trampball. Meanwhile, the eight weekers enjoyed a good workout in the North Field provided by Emily C. She led an amazing WERQ class that had both campers and counselors sweating and engaged. At the end, I got to witness the show of appreciation from the crowd…they clapped and sang “We Love you Emily.” It was awesome!

This morning, we also held play try-outs. “High School Musical” is the Chippewa production for this summer, and the level of enthusiasm for the show is crazy. We had many campers coming into the office asking for us to print out lyrics for their audition. From Blackfoot to Lakeview, everyone was practicing and excited to try-out. There were a record number of campers wanting to be in the show…there will be 71 participants in this summer’s play!

This afternoon we had activity sign-ups. Campers were eager to create their schedules for the next two weeks, and from what I can tell, everyone is happy with the plans they made. New this sign-up is outdoor cooking…campers are thrilled to work with Beka to learn some new recipes and methods for cooking…it should be fun!

This evening we had the traditional first Tan & White game of second session…Sandstorm. It was an incredible opening night and the results were extremely close. Each team worked as fast as they could to move a pile of sand from the south end of camp to the north. Braves passed along bowls of sand while Hunters, Warriors and Chiefs each had their own method. I spent much of my time in the South Field with the Braves…they were quite motivated to move quickly, but fun was also a clear priority. The game ended with both teams in the North Field cheering loudly for their Chief and Grand Sachems to relay the sand to its final destination…they were working hard to weigh down their garbage can to the ground. With less than a ten second difference, the Tans finished first. It was the perfect start to second session Tan & White!

My night ended with an office hangout. Brandon, Frank, Enrique, Mariana and Ale all came to the office to chat. There were lots of talks about their future at CRC…hopefully they will all end up on the International Five Year plaque! The best part though was when they were telling me what a nice kid Nicole L is, and how they have loved to get to know her. She stops in the kitchen all the time to see how they are doing, and to ask if she can help in any way. I actually saw her today making a sign for Brandon for his birthday…it was sweet. I know that the campers at #TheRanch2017 are amazing, but I love hearing it from our staff- it was well deserved recognition!

So I think that’s all from me for now. Tomorrow should bring lots of good things…the first day of regular activities, the Lakeview camping trip and much, much more! Thanks for reading this evening :).

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari