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<\/p>\nSundays at camp mean bagels with smoked salmon for breakfast, the start of a fresh new week, and our weekly visitation with our siblings at CTT and PFC.<\/p>\n
Sundays are also for breaking Olympics, so here we goooooooooo!<\/p>\n
Campers and staff were enjoying a lovely Italian dinner (the Sunday gravy was especially on point, I might add), when things veered a little off course. Dave took the microphone to do his usual post-dinner announcements, when Hacky Sacks began falling from the sky.<\/p>\n
Well, not exactly.<\/p>\n
Several Key Staff had positioned themselves (safely) upon the dining hall roof, and were tossing hacky sacks onto the ground below. Once the air horn sounded, everyone knew that it was NOT a drill! Campers poured from the dining hall, shouting, “Olympics!” Some of the Juniors looked a little confused, but the older boys guided them in the right direction! The instructions were to head to the Lower Field.<\/p>\n
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Once the campers arrived at the Lower Field, they noticed hundreds of hacky sacks scattered across the grass. Upon closer look, each hacky sack was one of 6 different colors and had a specific camper’s name on it. The goal? To find your name and get an Olympics shirt in your team’s color. Was it chaotic? A little bit. But friends helped each other out, and everyone eventually had the correct hacky sack in his possession.<\/p>\n
Once the teams were assembled, new shirts and all, Kyle welcomed the entire camp to Olympics 2026! The Olympic flame was paraded onto the field by last summer’s Camper Triathlon winners. The cauldron was ignited, and it was time for the fanfare to begin!<\/p>\n
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Dave took center stage and began to announce the countries, Captains, and Head Coaches. One at a time, he held up the flag, announced the country’s name, and disclosed which campers and counselors would lead the team. Lots of cheers and high-fives later, the teams were set. The teams for Olympics 2026 are: Red Tonga, Green New Zealand, Yellow French Polynesia, Purple Samoa, Light Blue Tuvalu, and Orange Kiribati!<\/strong><\/p>\n All campers were sent back to bunks to get sneakers and water, then summoned to the Upper Field for the first official event of Olympics 2026: Bull Rush. In Owego’s version of “Sharks and Minnows,” groups of Juniors, Seniors, and Hi-Seniors from each team take turns running across the Upper Field, while counselors try to grab their flag football belts. Anyone who makes it across the field with his belt still intact, scores a point for his team. The results of Bull Rush determine the order in which the teams get to choose their indoor meeting areas. These 6 areas are used frequently during Olympics for strategy meetings, song practice, and morale boosting. Owego veterans take the choosing of the areas VERY seriously!<\/p>\n Tomorrow, we will begin the first of three full days of Olympic competition. Teams will learn cheers and songs, compete in a series of athletic games, participate in games of strategy, and — most importantly — cheer on their friends and teammates. Our goal is for every Owegan to walk away from Olympics saying, “That was a lot of fun.” For the next three days, we are divided into 6 countries. But no matter what color shirt we wear, deep down we are still Brothers in Blue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sundays at camp mean bagels with smoked salmon for breakfast, the start of a fresh new week, and our weekly visitation with our siblings at CTT and PFC. Sundays are also for breaking Olympics, so here we goooooooooo! Campers and … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.lakeowego.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Blog-3-4-225x300.jpeg\")
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