Our last week of summer 2024 was one for the record books (see below) and we can’t believe it’s all over. Another summer full of sports, water play, arts, games, traditions, nature, unforgettable events, and above all, community and brotherhood.
The focus of this week was much the same as the focus for all of you at home – The Olympics! The 70th annual Mah-Kee-Nac Olympic Games officially broke on Sunday afternoon after we gathered the campers for “National Philly Soft Pretzel Day.” Toward the end of the snack, mysterious music began to play, and our “Team O” (the Olympic officials) converged upon the amphitheater dressed in all black, carrying briefcases.
The campers quickly realized what was happening and were ushered to the Field House where they were greeted by Olympic Coaches, eight “masked” Seneca Decathletes, and eight masked Camper Captains. The teams were assembled, and the campers were transported back in time as they officially became the citizens and athletes of the eight nations who’ve fallen short of an Olympic crown by the smallest margins in history (a foreshadow of things to come): Namibia, Mexico, Finland, Brazil, Solomon Islands, Madagascar, Sweden, and Croatia. Thus, this year’s games were entitled, “The Redemption Protocol.”
The first event took place right away with the all-team “Tug of War”. After a grueling competition, team Namibia won, taking the first lead of the games. Over the next four days, the leader board jumped back and forth – constantly reflecting an extremely close competition. Teams scored big for their performances in Marquee Events like the Homerun Derby, the 4×400 relay, the Lake Swim and the Biathlon –where one team member has to both run a race and shoot archery.
The all-team events were also highly valuable, including the all-team swim and all-team sprint, while other events showcased specific talents, like the High Ropes Relay – a race through all of our high ropes elements at camp.
In addition to the large-scale events, smaller competitions were always taking place simultaneously across campus including water marathons, battles in the hockey rink, tennis matches, basketball games and more.
As the score remained tight, the boys’ efforts and desire to win increased even more. We saw records fall in the Decathlon as a Seneca (Ethan S.) became the overall points leader in MKN history, a Navajo (Henry W.) set the standard in the Lake Swim, and no one was faster than the LSR Solomon Island marathon running team.
Just like Paris, our Olympics also featured theatrics and showmanship. The “Team O” judges were enchanted by the art and stories of the eight nations as they presented their banners, songs, and cheers on the final night. Team Madagascar sang one of the most beautiful and memorable songs in recent Olympic history written and led by a former camper (Brendan H.) – now a first-year staff member.
When all the scores were finally tabulated, it was only fitting that the winners of the 70th MKN Olympic Games were team Namibia, who won by one of the smallest margins in MKN history, 28.25 points.
By Wednesday, the boys were exhausted and sad that the end of camp was near, so they squeezed in as much camp-ness as they could out of the day. They finished any remaining projects and spent time doing their favorite activities like Tramp Ball, tubing, stand-up-paddle board, Gaga and more.
Wednesday evening we held our annual banquet, which was planned by the Algonquins. The theme was “Cars” and the dining hall was decorated like the Disney movie. After dinner, six campers were chosen to get “costumed” in full body paint and became the characters from Cars before racing around the dining hall. All of the kids enjoyed the feast and had a blast. After banquet, we held our beloved “Programmy” awards. Every activity was represented, and campers were recognized for both their improvement, commitment, and skill in all different areas.
On Thursday, we spent the morning packing, then came together for the exciting “MKN’s Got Talent” show in the afternoon. We saw talents like singing and beatboxing. That evening, we held our final huddle of the summer, which was moved to the field house thanks to storm Debby. We surrounded the campers with candles and Rachel gave a speech where she spoke about what “making your summer extraordinary” really means.
Later that evening, the entire camp enjoyed Papa John’s pizza as a late-night snack, then settled in with their bunk mates, counselors, and friends for one final night together. On Friday morning, campers and staff of all ages were very emotional as we said our goodbyes. The tears are always bittersweet, as we know it’s the sign of an amazing and unforgettable experience for our 300 campers and 120 staff.
That’s a wrap on summer 2024. We want to thank you all for another unbelievable year, and we can’t wait to see everyone back in 2025 – only 316 days to go!