Campers awoke this morning buzzing with motivation after last night’s Little Chief ceremony.  At the ceremony, campers were awarded commendations and promotions towards the highest honor at camp, Little Chief.  Afterwards we counselors pulled each camper aside individually to commend him on how he has grown during his time at camp.  As a former camper, I can say that this experience is one of the most heartfelt moments at camp.  Looking back after a fun and successful day, I believe these talks helped spur the campers on to do incredible accomplishments today at camp.

The trend of excellence started early in the day and continued on through our evening activity.  Greybeard started this trend by earning a perfect ten in cabin-cleanup.  However, the most impressive aspect of cabin-cleanup was that the lowest score of the day was a 9.6, which is close to a winning score some days.  However, the campers did not only clean well, but they ate well.  Today the kitchen staff served us the glorious s’more pockets.  For those of you unfamiliar with s’more pockets, let me describe the scene when the campers found out we were eating this awe-inspiring dessert:  Campers screamed, riots emerged, and the Tucker Inn itself would have gone up in flames had the counselors not quickly ended the chaos by delivering the marshmallow-filled peace offerings to the campers.

Amazingly, the s’more pockets were only the beginning of amazing events today at camp. Britt F.  hosted a doubles tennis tournament during free time, which was a huge success with campers of all ages participating.  Also during free time, Matthew L caught a coy in Lake Doris with our fly-fishing instructor, Counselor Austin.  This afternoon, Jack E. earned his gold bar in wrestling, the most difficult accomplishment in any activity at camp.  To earn his gold, Jack E. had to complete a task known as the deer-slayer. Jack is the first camper to finish deer-slayer and earn his wrestling gold in three years.

The campers had many successes within their activities as well today.  Tommy B earned his bronze bar in pottery.  The Backpacking classes learned how to safely light a camp stove, a vital skill for camping trips the boys will hopefully take in the future.  Team Sports classes improved their shooting form and passing for basketball.  Geoffrey M and Will S conquered the climbing tower on Spencer’s Green.  Rocketry put finishing touches and prepped for their launch day tomorrow.  Kayaking classes took a break from their usual routine of learning rolls and rescues to play an exciting game of kayak polo.  The day is now wrapping up with an intense game of battle-ball that will not only contain the usual Seminoles vs. Iroquois matchup but also the much anticipated Greybeard vs. Staff game.

After the staff inevitably wins the Greybeard vs. Staff game (sorry, I’m slightly biased), the boys will go to bed tired but happy after a long day full of excitement, fun, and growth.  The campers had a great time growing friendships and learning in their activities, and the staff loved being a part of all that the campers did.  We are so proud of the campers, and cannot wait to see what they will do tomorrow.

Sincerely,

“Dr.” Tom Landers