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<\/p>\nWhen campers opened their eyes this morning, many wondered, “Was last night all a dream? Were there actually hacky sacks raining from the sky?” We’re happy to report that last night’s Olympic break-out was, in fact, NOT a dream. And the hacky sacks in question are now stored safely in the bunks. The process of getting dressed this morning was a bit more spirited than usual, with campers reaching immediately for their brand-new Olympics shirts. Then there were those campers who turned it up a notch. Face paint, headbands, beads…the spirit wear appeared out of nowhere and suddenly we were ready for some fierce competition!<\/p>\n
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After breakfast and inspection, the countries assembled in their respective meeting areas for planning purposes. Each Head Coach and Captain presented the day’s schedule to the rest of the team, pumping everyone up for the excitement ahead. Each member of the team plays an integral role in the country’s success. Everyone signs up for an individual event as well as a team sport. There’s something for everyone. Strong swimmer? There are pool races and water polo matches. Fast runner? There’s a track meet and an all-team relay with several running components. Agile climber? There’s even a Ropes course competition.<\/p>\n
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The morning was split up into two Pools: The three countries in Pool A (French Polynesia, Kiribati, and New Zealand) competed in various athletic matches like Newcomb, Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Water Polo, and Soccer, while the three countries in Pool B (Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu) played kickball (Juniors and Intermediates) or Bombardment (Seniors and Hi-Seniors). After lunch and Rest Hour, the Pools flip-flopped and headed to the activity in which they had not yet participated.<\/p>\n
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We held an all-camp Rec Swim to wrap up the afternoon’s events. It was a great opportunity to bring everyone together after some intense team competition, and a welcome chance to cool off from an active day in the hot sun! Shower hour, dinner, and SFA proceeded as usual, with campers remaining unified off the playing fields. The team competition resumed after SFA.<\/p>\n
Tonight’s evening activity was Olympic Rings, which is a more cerebral event than the day’s physically strenuous match-ups. Olympic Rings is a rotation activity where each team has to complete a game or task at a specific location around camp in a set amount of time before the bell rings and they have to rotate. Six Olympics teams means six rotations. Each lasting about 10 minutes, the activities included:<\/p>\n
— At Canteen, a fun game of Ring toss<\/p>\n
— In Crockett, five simultaneous Running Radio activities, including dictating instructions on how to assemble a Lego set and guessing book titles based on context clues<\/p>\n
— In the Silverdome, trivia with Scotty<\/p>\n
— In the HBC, the Coach and Captain silently lead each team member through a maze of cones using only gestures until someone makes it all the way through<\/p>\n
— In the Dining Hall, games of Crossword and NY Times Connections puzzles<\/p>\n
— In the Picnic Grove, searching through a pile of books to locate team members’ names<\/p>\n
Day One of Olympics was filled with exciting victories and tough defeats. More importantly, it was filled with good sportsmanship and team spirit. It’s always fun to win, but the real reward of Olympics is being an integral member of a team. Campers young and old unite to work towards a common goal, lifting each other up along the way. Every Owegan can feel pride today knowing that he contributed to his team in the best way he knew how. At Owego, each of us has something unique and special to give. Olympics encourages everyone to shine differently.<\/p>\n
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When campers opened their eyes this morning, many wondered, “Was last night all a dream? Were there actually hacky sacks raining from the sky?” We’re happy to report that last night’s Olympic break-out was, in fact, NOT a dream. And … Continue reading