Week three at MKN was full of excitement, intense competition, and extraordinary moments.
We kicked off the week with the annual Stockbridge Series Marathon, our version is a 2.6 mile run. The course is definitely not easy – it goes over hills, through woods, and to Grandmother’s house (ok, maybe not, but it’s hard). Those who maintain a jogging pace compete to race for the finish, while those who don’t, join the “walking club.” This group starts by running, then slows down at some point to chat with friends while getting great outdoor exercise!
On Wednesday, one of the biggest events of the summer commenced when we kicked off Green & White. The competition launched with a football game amongst the Senecas featuring two semi-professional football players as the quarterbacks. The match was vigorous and very close, which actually foreshadowed the rest of G&W. Over the next few days, the boys competed in various events all day long. Some were in smaller groups – like “head to head” whereby campers played their strongest sport – basketball, soccer, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, football, tennis and more. The team captains slotted each camper so everyone participated, and the scores were tallied at the end. Other events involved the whole team, like the all-team “Royal Rumble” dodgeball game. In this ongoing game, when one camper gets out another camper gets called in. It ended with two of our smallest TJC campers battling each other for victory. Green took the lead!
By the end of day three, the “color war” was extremely close as we went into our famed “rope burn” event.
Rope burn is always the final competition of G&W, and the Senecas are the stars of the show. Our oldest campers and their teammates practice all summer long (and maybe in the off season, too) – perfecting their fire-building and flame-starting skills. The goal is to start, build, and keep a fire going under a large rope. The first team to burn their rope in half wins. BUT, whichever team comes in with a lead gets a time advantage. This year, the burn began with rain and wind which made everything harder. As the Senecas worked their tails off, their teammates cheered loudly and took on “challenges” when their leaders needed more wood.
Eventually, the Green team took the win and they celebrated with joy, while the White team held their heads high, knowing they’d given it everything they could.
The end of the week was a nice, normal come down from G&W. Programming continued and we had some tournaments – basketball for a few age groups, and an all-camp swim meet. Any aged camper who wanted to compete was able to. Then, we got the camp ready for visiting day!
We had such a wonderful visiting day – welcoming parents to our beautiful campus. The kids were so excited to see their families and to show off their summer home. Parents took part in all of the fun activities, and just like every other day, Tramp Ball and the Lake were the biggest hits! We know the day was as special to parents as it was to us and your children, and we appreciate everyone’s involvement.
Parents – don’t forget – our MKNTotem.com has a daily newsletter – “MKN Today,” pictures, videos and more. Be sure to create an account and read/see all the happenings at camp!
