Never Ever Give Up..Ever!!!

It was a day full of games and every camper is giving it all they have. Color war brings out the competitor in all of us and you can feel it at every game. The sweat, the effort, the cheers drive us all to bring it and we do. When the Rookie girls were battling at their steal the bacon game, it ended in a tie. They had to go one more round to name the winner. It was all on the line and it was a race to the finish. Red and Gold were neck and neck and it was looking like it was headed for a double overtime when one camper on Gold team tripped and took a spill. The Red team seized on that moment and sealed the deal for the win. You could see the devastation of that camper who tripped and every one of her teammates rushed to her side telling her she did great and they knew how hard she tried. They all put their arms around her showing her support and love even in the face of defeat. They put their friend above a game and she felt supported. Even the campers on the Red team came over and hugged her and let her know what a great effort she gave. There will always be wins and losses but showing compassion and kindness stays with us and makes us better people.

The moment of today without question happened at Rope Burn. Rope burn is a long-standing camp tradition event that happens during color war. Boys build a fire and burn that rope while girls build a fire and boil the water. It’s Red vs Gold and it was an absolute nail biter. Gold boys jumped out quick and started their fire while Red boys just could not get their fire started. Whatever they tried to do it was not catching and they saw the Gold fire growing with each passing moment. The energy for the Gold team was equally on fire as it was looking like their rope was going to burn first. Red just wouldn’t give up. They stayed steady and focused. They just never gave up, ever! They heard the cheers coming from Gold and they saw Golds fire getting and bigger but they just wouldn’t throw in the towel, not tonight not ever. With a will to keep on going, Reds fire started to grow. They never gave up and though it was looking grim somehow it became neck and neck as both infernos were even in intensity. It was anyones game and Red just kept feeding their fire and wouldn’t stop. No matter how behind they were, they never gave up and in the end Red burned their rope first. The elation was felt by every camper who wore red. They celebrated together and felt a sense of pride that swept all throughout camp. Red won Rope burn, Gold won water boil and the energy was on fire!!! Such a fun night but most important, tonight showed us all that you just never give up, ever!!!