No day three fatigue here, as campsite action ramped up in a big way this morning. After breakfast and inspection, the Seniors and Hi-Seniors from each Tribe headed into the woods to work on their campsites. Shelter building is now in full swing, with structures beginning to take shape. This is one of the coolest things you’ll see at Owego: Campers take sticks and branches that are lying around in the woods, add some leaves and mud, and build a free-standing shelter. By Monday, there will be 6 individual shelters at each of the Tribes’ campsites. It is a remarkable thing to witness.
While the older campers created their architectural masterpieces with hatchets and saws and twine, the Juniors enjoyed Jamboree event #4: Pirate Punch. Our youngest campers gathered on the Lower Field and split into Tribes. Similar to Capture the Flag, Pirate Punch involves one team as the “Protectors” and the other 5 teams attempting to grab a cone and return it to their Tribe’s home base with out getting tagged and sent to jail. Once in jail, you can escape by successfully completing a game like Kan Jam or Cornhole. There were 6 rounds, with each Tribe having the opportunity to be the Protectors. In the end, the Tribe with the most cones collected overall was the winner. That victory went to Ticuna!
After Pirate Punch, the Juniors from each Tribe headed to the site of their Junior Project (event #5 of the Junior Jamboree). Their task is to build a structure in one of the following categories: Chair/bench, Table, Firepit, or Lean-to. The Juniors are using the skills learned in camp craft and are working together to emulate the older campers and build something to impress the judges! These Junior projects will be evaluated on Monday, along with the Tribes’ overall campsites.
Lunch was followed today by additional campsite time. This included ongoing meal prep in advance of tomorrow night’s judged campsite meal. The Tribes’ counselor meal teams have already created a menu and compiled a list of ingredients. They’ve gone grocery shopping to acquire the ingredients not already provided by our kitchen, and they’ve begun to figure out the necessary prep time and cook time. These meal teams have also built in-ground “ovens” at the campsites for the actual cooking of the meal. Yes, they will cook the meal for the judges outdoors, using an open flame. This requires extensive research and planning, and is no small feat!
All campers participated in the Special Event this afternoon, meeting at the Stage for a game called “A Quiet Place.” Basically, each Tribe rotated through six different stations around camp. There was Charades at the Stage, a ball toss in the picnic grove, a scavenger hunt of plaque facts in the dining hall, Floor is Lava on the Upper Field, a blindfolded maze in the HBC, and Tallest Tower at the lake amphitheater. Here’s the catch: Not a single sound could be made!
Every activity in which the Tribes participated required all members to remain completely silent. All communication had to be done via body language, gestures, and eye contact. If any sound was made, the Tribe had to immediately stop what they were doing and run to the Silverdome. Waiting for them when they arrived was a mob of counselors, eager to tag the campers before they made it safely inside the Silverdome. Every ball that dropped — to the Silverdome. Every cup that toppled — to the Silverdome. Every K’nex piece that fell — to the Silverdome. You get the idea! It was like a frantic game of Capture the Flag meets Cops and Robbers!
Once the rotations were complete, everyone met back at the Stage for a Jeopardy-like trivia game which required brains rather than braun. Tribes wagered points on different categories of questions, and worked together by division to answer correctly. In the end, the Tribe of Lenape was the winner! Kudos to the members of the Lenape tribe!
Tonight’s Big Game is a Frontier Week favorite especially designed for counselors. There are six different events in which counselors from each Tribe may choose to compete. The most talked-about, by far, is the wing-eating challenge. One counselor from each Tribe sits at a picnic table in the Grove, with a bowl of 20 spicy wings in front of him. The goal is obvious. The spectacle is sometimes hard to watch. But campers young and old gather around and marvel at the tenacity of the wing-eaters as they battle the spiciness, the quantity, and the crowd noise.
Tomorrow, we’ll start the day with Air Raid, the game with lots and lots and lots of running. After that, the Tribes will continue to work on building their shelters. Campers will eat a steak dinner at their campsites, and the Tribe’s meal will be judged. All of this excitement is building towards the big finale on Monday night. Whose will be the final flame?
