Author: Elissa

After two and a half intense days of Olympic games, Red Switzerland brought home the victory. The morning was full of games and the Olympic spirit was strong. Everyone gave it all they had. No matter if it was a game of steal the bacon, kickball or basketball the intensity and desire to win was there. Each team fought a great battle to the very end.

After a full day of games and track meets, the scores were too close to call and in true Olympic spirit, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO SING. We loaded into Shields Hall tonight and each team presented their plaque and banner.  The artwork was spectacular and will forever be a part of Chen-A-Wanda Olympic history, as we proudly will display them for years to come. Each team presented a Cheer, an Alma Mater and a March for the judges.  The lyrics they wrote and sang, the meaning and the heart in which they were performed made everyone in the Shields Hall feel as if they were part of something special. All singing in unison, these words will never be forgotten and will leave an indelible mark on all of us. To be present for such a display of sportsmanship, honor and camp pride is quite humbling. It was the following phrase, written and sung by Red Switzerland in their Alma Mater that so perfectly relayed the feelings we all felt today:

Two weeks gone in the blink of an eye.. Only five left to be with you..Without you what will we do? We cannot stop the hands of time and soon we will want to press rewind. SO hold my hand and please don’t let go.. Ooh Chenny my summer home. This special place we call our own. Memories we will keep .. without you we don’t know who we would be. 

What made this summers’ Olympic games so special was to see the elation of each team member on Red Switzerland as they worked so hard over the past few days and reached their goals.  There were tears of joy for winning and there was heartache of defeat for the teams that didn’t win but in the end these three separate teams came back together as one camp family and showed respect for the games and honor for one another. We played fair, we played hard, we played with integrity and most importantly we had so much fun. With our Olympic games, there will always be a victorious team, but everyone in Shields Hall won tonight.  After the winning team was announced, the energy inside the Hall was unreal. The spirit and elation could have literally moved a mountain. Your children experienced something insanely magical tonight which will be hard to explain to you at home but will forever be a part of who they are here at Chenny.

It will be hard to come down from our incredible night we all just experienced but tonight your children will sleep well. It’s late wake-up tomorrow and the kids couldn’t be happier. Olympics 2018 is in the books and boy was it a great one. Life is so Great at Camp Chen-A-Wanda.

Chenny out.

Victory is defined by the effort of every single member of the team. When you do your very best, it develops a confidence that shines from the inside out. Our kids were champions today, not for the ultimate win or loss but how hard they played and how much they supported their team. Every field and every court was packed with kids playing their heart out and if they weren’t playing, they were cheering on their team. It was a sight to see. The spirit, the sportsmanship and the effort was on hight today.  When you walk around camp, in the midst of hearing all the chants and cheers during all the games, you also heard “great job, amazing effort, proud of you.”

Tonight was Apache Relay and everyone from our Freshmen campers to our CIT’s, play an integral role.  Each individual makes up the team and everyone counts.  No matter if you leap frogged from the Lake to Arts & Crafts, had to completely cover a piece of oak tag with paint, sew a button on a shirt or ride a bike to the finish line, the team depended on you. Tonight, Blue Haiti finished Apache by hitting that pole first only to be followed by Gold Portugal 3 minutes later and Red Switzerland bringing in 3rd place.  The intensity around the flag pole at the end of Apache in indescribable. There was a sea of Red, Gold and Blue cheering on their team and the pride is tangible. The dedication, the camaraderie, the spirit and the teamwork are in full force and we could not possibly be more proud of our kids. They displayed the best parts of humanity during todays games and Apache Relay. Inspiring is the word that comes to mind.

When all is said and done, it’s not the shots that won the championship that we will remember, or the home runs that matter but the way we treat one another and the respect we all have for our Olympic Games. All of our campers are sleeping peacefully as they rest their bodies for the last day of Olympics 2018. It all comes down to SING!!!

Chenny Out

It was an absolutely gorgeous day today.  The sun was out and there was a chill in the air. After the heat wave, it couldn’t have been a more ideal day here.  It was kind of a cozy sweatshirt day with the bluest sky you have ever seen.  The buzz around camp was all about Olympics and when it would break. There were assumptions it was today but everyone knows there are just no guarantees of when it would break. The anticipation was driving everyone nuts as a rumor spread throughout camp that this year, we were changing things up and not having Olympics. It spread like wildfire that Summer 2018 would be Olympic-less. Every bugle or announcement was examined with caution.. Was it true or was it false.. The wait was real.

“Do Not Let What You Cannot Do Interfere with What You Can Do” – John Wooden

Inter Girls Soccer – CAW 2 vs. Starlight 3

Super Girls Softball – CAW 16 vs. Wayne 1

Collegiate Boys Baseball – CAW 7 vs. Westmont 9

Collegiate/Senior/Super Boys LAX – CAW 5 vs. Starlight 9

GC/CIT Boys Soccer – CAW 1 vs. Westmont 4

Just when kids were begging to know if the rumor mill were true, it happened. The Olympic Fanfare music starting to play and with that first note, there were chants and cheers, OLYMPICS 2018 IS HERE!! The campers ran to Shields Hall and it was happening.  Our Head Counselors entered the Hall and brought the torch inside which signifies the games are starting.  Our camp is now split in three equal teams, RED Switzerland, BLUE Haiti and GOLD Portugal.

Just when we thought that camp could not possibly get any better, Olympics takes us to a whole new level. Tonight was a great night as we started our battle with Tugs of War. You could see the intensity on every campers face as they pulled that rope. The spirit is off the charts at Chenny. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Chenny out

Part of the Chenny experience is heading out of camp for trips. Everyone puts on their Gold Camp T-shirt and there was an excitement in the air this morning. Though we all love our summer home, looking forward to Trip Day is just awesome.

Our Cherokee and Mohican campers (Freshman – Collegiate) headed to the ballpark for Yankees AAA Rail Riders Baseball Game. There is nothing that says summer more than watching a game, eating a popcorn and hanging with your friends. It is just a fun thing to do with your campies. From the first pitch to the 7th inning stretch and singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” it all makes memories our kids will never forget. The laughs, the cheers for great plays and just sitting in the stands watching a baseball game. Even if baseball isn’t your thing, days like today are. The kids got back to camp around dinner time and it was straight to shower hour then to the Lodge for a Pizza Party. Their night ended with a movie night and the kids loved relaxing to a fun summer movie. It was just an incredible day for our Cherokee and Mohican campers.

Navajo Camp (Seniors-GC’s) spent began their day at Camel Beach for some fun in the water park. It was great way to beat the heat while having the time of their lives.  They swooshed down the toilet bowl, got lazy down the lazy river, slipped down the slip and slide and got bounced off the giant bungee blob. Then it was time to dry off and head out to the Crossings for some fun shopping and eating and that is exactly what they all did. It was a packed day of fun for our Navajo campers.

Our CIT’s enjoyed a packed day as they enjoyed breakfast at Binghams. If you have never been there, it needs to be on your bucket list as the world Best Breakfast!!! Then it was off to Syracuse for a camp tour and a pit stop at their student store. These kids are getting closer to college so any chance to check out a campus, is super fun for this group. After being blown away by touring campus, it was off to the Syracuse Mall for some serious shopping. They had the absolute best day. When they rolled back into camp around 11:45pm, they were exhausted. It was a jammed pack day of excitement and fun for this amazing group of kids.

All the campers are safe and sound back in their bunks, all exhausted from an amazing day out. What a successful  trip day, full of memories that will last their lifetime. Your children were absolutely fantastic and every place our Chenny kids were today, we received praise on how well behaved and respectful our campers are.  Gotta love that. We sure do.

Chenny Out

There is nothing quite like spending the 4^th of July here at Camp Chen-A-Wanda. It is the best place to celebrate our day of independence. Everyone got into the red, white and blue spirit. Faces were painted, flags were flying high, red, white and Blue tutus were everywhere and the continuous chants of “USA” were at every turn. Pride for our country was at an all time high and everyone got into the spirit. Our international staff was in awe of how spirited camp was today and how deep our pride is for our country. There is nothing more Americana than the 4th of July and today was just spectacular.

The spirit of today continued into every competition we played today. Our athletes played with lots of heart and soul.It was a great day to be a Chenny athlete.

Senior Girls Basketball – CAW 43 vs. Poyntelle 4

GC/CIT Girls LAX – CAW 4 @ Starlight 11

GC/CIT Basketball – CAW 29 vs. Poyntelle 37

Collegiate Boys Softball – CAW 13 @ Perlman 0

GC/CIT Boys Basketball – CAW 28 vs. Morasha 38

It was an incredible day here at Chenny but we all knew that the night was the best part and it did not disappoint. We all got cozy in our long and longs (that is camp lingo for long pants, long shirts). Then is was up to the amphitheater to watch our incredible firework show. We were decked out head to toe with glow sticks galore & flashing headbands.  We announced our 5, 7 and 10 year campers who received their sweatshirts and the pride was BIG. Spending summer after summer here is a big deal and each camper that had reached this milestone was given a standing O!  As the night grew darker and the anticipation was intense, we all counted down from 10 to 1 and then in a flash, the night sky lit up above us with the most spectacular firework show. I truly don’t know what is more impressive to watch; the sky light up with a rainbow of colorful fireworks or the look of amazement on your children’s faces as they watch with such anticipation for each firework to unveil above them.  They were just in amazement of what they were seeing and watching them enjoy it so, was a gift they gave to us. With every firework that shot into the night sky, there were eyes glued to the magic of what was happening.  There is something about watching a firework show that makes you feel young and reminds you that those summer nights are priceless. It was beautiful and fun. It was magical and it was a night we will never forget. It wasn’t just an ordinary night but a feeling that made you part of something pretty special.  We sang each song together and swayed our hands in the air in unison. There is  no place on earth would we rather be but right where we were, with one another at Chenny. We hope you all enjoyed your 4th because we sure did!!!!

Chenny Out