Today was the first full day of camp after the campers arrived just after 4 p.m. yesterday. It was a busy day and we were lucky to avoid the rain (we all know it never rains at North Star). We had pancakes and bacon for breakfast before heading into the first cabin cleanup of the summer. The villages rotated through swim tests, health checks and village activities for first, second and third periods.
For their village activity all three villages played games of continuous dodgeball. Continuous dodgeball is an every man for himself dodgeball game played on a big field. We play with the traditional dodgeball rules, so if you get hit, you are out, and if you catch a ball, the person who threw it at you is out. If the person who threw you out gets out themselves, you are back in. We play with large groups, so there is never a winner. These games of dodgeball are a great way for the boys to have an early bonding experience with the other campers and staff in their village. Additionally, continuous dodgeball is a great introduction to our competitive philosophy. While no one wins continuous dodgeball, it is still important to give a full effort and have a great time while playing.In lieu of continuous dodgeball, our oldest campers in Pine Manor spent the time allotted for village activities practicing for their upcoming trip to Quetico Provincial Park. The boys canoed from Brewers Bay around camp to the Council Ring and then portaged back to the canoe racks. They leave early Wednesday morning for their 10-day trip.
After third period there was an organized free, giving the boys the opportunity to go to any of the activities available at camp, or just hang out in their cabin if they prefer. We then had our opening night banquet and welcomed the campers into the dining hall for a meal of pasta. After dinner we celebrated the 13th birthday of Avi Rubin and learned a few rules for camp that were not covered in our opening night announcements. Wanegan King Drew Lorimer then held the first wanegan of the summer and then we had a game of all-camp capture the flag before bed.
In addition to Pine Manor leaving on the Canadian, S1 and S3 will leave Wednesday morning on a hiking trip, and S5 and I4 will leave on their respective river trips. The rest of camp will begin their summer activities with our first normally scheduled day of the summer.
