Today was our 78th United Nations Day! And what a great day it was. After an early breakfast, we gathered on the hill for our Opening Ceremonies. The four teams, painted up in their teams colors, sang out their first cheers before our captains carried the torch from the Council Ring to the flagpole where they lit the cauldron.
Then Kim presented the UN Day scroll, as written by Jack Weiner, which proclaims that this day at North Star shall be our United Nations Day and that we will participate as good sports, good teammates and good friends. And after the captains signed the scroll, the games began.
The day divides camp into 4 countries: Bahamas, Bhutan, Eswatini and The Gambia. The four teams competed in all sorts of events - softball, speedball, football, basketball, curtain ball, 4-square, paddleboarding, steal the bacon, line soccer, climbing, archery, riflery, floor hockey, tush ball, dodgeball and more. The teams come together for giant matches of tug-of-war, and with the weather causing some schedule changes to the afternoon, our swim meet came after dinner.
Our ability to adapt with positivity was on full display with our staff dodgeball game. Typically on UN Day, our staff play a highly anticipated game of speedball after lunch. The weather just didn’t allow it though. So with the rain pouring down, we gathered the whole camp in the Fieldhouse for a dodgeball showdown between the staff of each team. Despite some wariness about the rain and schedule changes, the staff brought all kinds of energy and fun to what turned into an incredibly memorable event. The teams were doing warm up cheers, stretches, dances, tunnels and skits that all made the dodgeball seem secondary.
The staff competition is meant to determine the eating order for dinner, as our UN Day feast is a favorite tradition at camp. Tonight’s meal featured spaghetti and meatballs, cheese curds, egg rolls, garlic bread, deviled eggs and chocolate milk. And, believe it or not, after that we swam. Our swim meet was rescheduled for after dinner, as everyone came down for a beautiful evening on the lake as our teams competed in relays, individual events and inner tubing. We ended the day with ice cream and announced the scores, with The Gambia emerging victorious on the day.
The energy that our captains, advisors and all of our staff poured into UN Day was infectious and ensured that everyone in camp had a phenomenal day. Whether it was the paint and attire, the hours put into writing the cheers, the positive and encouraging coaching or just the goofiness, all of these things that the staff brought to the day allowed all four teams to end the day chanting “We had the most fun.”
I am so proud of the campers and staff who can compete all day with intensity, all the while carrying themselves with kindness and dignity.
Today’s Grace:
“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”
- Pierre de Coubertin
