Thoughts about Owego
7/9/2007

At last night's team presentation, each Captain (hi senior) and Coach (counselor) made a short speech. Here are the two speeches from the team of Chile that show what Owego means to those who come back here year after year.

Coach Kyle P.
From the moment we arrive at Lake Owego, the motto of "leaving your image at the gate" is instilled upon us. And every summer, I return back to camp, I learn more and more about what that statement truly means. For some of us, it is creating a new image of ourselves. We can make an effort to be nicer to those around us, try out activities that we were either unable or even embarrassed to try at home. We can be who we want to be. For me personally, Owego has always stretched my comfort zone. It seems funny to think about it now, but all the lip syncs and synchronized swimming we did over the years are what enabled me to stand confidently in front a a group of people and not be afraid to be myself. Lake Owego is not just a place many of us stay over the summer, but an experience that plays a role in our lives every day. As in the song, Lake Owego gives us the change to all be heroes, to just be us, whether for one day, an entire summer, or the rest of our lives.

Captain Kyle I.
In the short time we are able to spend at Owego every year, it is here where I feel I learn more about who I am than any other place in the world. This camp has done so much for me and my development as a person and I can only hope that I have given back to the camp even a small portion of what it has given to me. The past three days have been my chance to be a hero and that is what I hope I have been. It has been an honor to represent the great nation of Chile. Myself, Kyle, and our fellow Chileans would like to thank Owego for putting on these Olympic games, giving us all the chance to be heroes, and even while our camp has been divided into six nations for the past three days, we have and always will be LOC.

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