Day Two dawned with sunny skies, more humidity, and dirtier Olympics shirts. Not to worry — the Juniors/Intermediates will have their shirts laundered this evening, just in time to finish Olympics smelling fresh and clean! The Seniors and Hi-Seniors will continue to wear their shirts around the clock, as is Owego tradition. My own son, once an Olympic Captain and now a Head Coach, still has his Captain shirt from 2024 sealed in a Ziploc bag. It has never been washed (another Owego tradition). I’m thinking of sending it off to college with him this fall.

Following breakfast and inspection, we continued yesterday’s athletic match-ups with the Medal Round games in basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, soccer, Newcomb, and water polo. Basically, the teams who placed 3rd and 4th yesterday played for the Bronze, and 1st and 2nd played for the Gold and Silver. The final standings determine the number of points awarded to each country.

Once the Medal Games concluded, countries gathered in their meeting areas to start talking about the Team Song. In preparation for the final night, each team chooses a song and rewrites the lyrics to reflect the spirit of Olympics and the sentiment surrounding camp. The team members will practice the song over and over again, leading up to tomorrow night’s Song Competition at the Stage. Olympic songs are upbeat and fun, and they are as enjoyable to watch as they are to perform!

After lunch and rest hour, campers participated in individual events all over camp. Every member of a team must sign up for one event, and no one is permitted to compete in multiple events. This is everyone’s chance to shine! There’s a track meet on the Upper Field, a swim meet at the pool, kayak and canoe races at the lake, and such unconventional events as Archery, Extreme Golf, Pickle Ball, and Climbing Wall. Campers get the chance to demonstrate their strengths in a variety of ways!

One of the most enjoyable events to watch (but maybe not to participate in) during Olympics is the Camper Triathlon. All campers gather at the amphitheater by the lake to cheer on their team members who are competing. There are 4 total heats: one Junior/Inter from each country competes 3 at a time and then one Senior/Hi-Senior from each country competes 3 at a time. The first leg of the triathlon is a long-distance swim from the middle of the lake to the shore. Once on shore, the competitor must put on a shirt, socks, and sneakers — all while soaking wet from the swim — secure a bike helmet, and jump on a bicycle. The next leg is one lap around camp on the bike, followed by 2 laps running on foot. In case you’re wondering, I’m exhausted after just writing that!

The finish line is where the excitement really peaks. Each team’s head coach and captain typically run the home stretch alongside the competitor. The runner crosses the toilet-paper finish line and receives Gatorade and a hero’s welcome from his teammates! Several summers ago, both my kids were tasked with holding the ends of the toilet paper as the runners finished. It was the closest they’ve ever come to participating in a triathlon. What these camper triathletes are able to accomplish is nothing short of astonishing!

Immediately following dinner, the Medal Games for Bombardment and Kickball commenced. All Seniors/Hi-Seniors headed to the tennis courts and all Juniors/Intermediates headed to Danny’s Diamond. Each country had a chance to play one game to determine their final placement, 1st through 6th. In Bombardment, Tuvalu defeated French Polynesia to win the gold medal. Samoa earned the bronze. In Kickball, Tonga defeated French Polynesia for the gold medal, with New Zealand winning the bronze. There were lots of exciting moments in each game!

Everyone came together to end the day with a special treat: Watching the 2026 MLB All-Star Game! Our campers have been working so hard these past 2 days, that they certainly earned the right to be spectators! I wonder if the All-Stars on the screen know about the All-Stars we have here at Owego. Jordan Walker and Kyle Schwarber can sure hit home runs, but can they hold their own in the Owego Olympics?