The last week of the summer is always marked with lots of special programs and events. The start of this week is highlighted by Pow Wow Day, where the entire camp (staff included) is separated into four different tribes. This year those tribes were Yuki, Kickapoo, Stono and Cree. Our captains (called braves for the day) and advisers (Medicine Men) worked tirelessly for several days beforehand picking teams, assigning team members to their events and writing more than a few cheers.
The day started with great weather as we had our traditional opening ceremonies, complete with Leb riding a horse. After that the tribes separated by village for leg wrestling. Each village narrowed down to a final four and eventually a winning leg wrestler. This was followed by two morning series of events. One of things that makes Pow Wow Day unique is the diversity of the events. There are plenty of sports as well as events like climbing and archery, however there are other specialty events that really give all of our campers an opportunity to excel. Campers compete in events like orienteering, scavenger hunt, not to mention several Arts & Crafts and canoeing events.
Some counselors will tell you that the highlight of the day is lunch, but not because of the food. While the food is great, the lunch is actually a silent lunch where campers and staff have to figure out how to communicate for the entire meal without talking. After lunch and the announcement of scores, we had our traditional staff "one pitch" softball game along with running relays and camper and staff tug-o-wars.
The afternoon continued without a hitch until 4th series, which takes place exclusively at swim point. The rumbling of thunder could be heard off in the distance and we decided it was better to be safe than sorry, so, like during United Nations Day (a first session event like Pow Wow Day), we decided that if the weather improved, we'd swim after dinner. The weather cooperated for the most part and we were able to get most of the swim point events in. We were able to witness some great inner-tube relay technique from several campers and we had a few impressive log rollers this year as well. The final event is intermediate and then senior water polo. With it getting late the entire camp cheered on the water polo games as darkness was descending upon swim point.
We ended Pow Wow Day in Mike Hall as the inclement weather returned. This did not dampen our campers' spirits nor did it quash any of the final cheers. It did, however, mean that Leb wouldn't be able to string out his typical stalling... if you've never seen it you wouldn't believe it possible for one person to take so long to announce the final scores. Congrats to the tribe of Yuki, winners of Pow Wow Day 2010, as well as those on Cree, Kickapoo and Stono for a great day!
