Camp Hillard Week 6 Highlighted by Olympic Opening Ceremony

Week 6, Week 6!!? It’s hard to believe just how quickly the summer is flying by.  The week was highlighted by the Swim Festivals; Senior Camp on Monday, Junior Camp on Tuesday and Middle Camp on Wednesday.  There was music at the pools, treasure hunts, swim races, musical water buckets and more!  On Monday evening, the INA boys and girls took part in the annual tradition known as INA night, a spirited competition between Green and Gray.  The boys competed on the baseball diamond, the soccer field and the gridiron, while the girls participated in the Apache Relay.  The competition was friendly but fierce, with the gray team edging out the green team by only 100 points!

On Friday, the entire Camp assembled in Olympic Stadium, (usually known as The Main Field) for our Olympic Opening Ceremonies.  Everyone, campers are counselors alike, was randomly assigned to one of six countries; Brazil, England, France, Greece, Israel, or Mexico; and after Morning Assembly, we filed into Olympic Stadium behind our Country’s Flag Bearer, to the tune of every country’s National Anthem.  The Olympic Flag was raised, the Olympic Oath was recited, the Olympic Flame was raised and the Games were declared officially Open.  The first day of events included an Olympic Soccer tournament, which saw medals awarded to England, Greece and France; gold, silver and bronze, respectively.  An entire week of Olympic competition continues all next week!

S’mores Roasts and Ice Cream Parties are in full swing.  This week, the Pawnees, the Huron boys and girls, the Comanche boys and the Cherokee girls all enjoyed their ooey, gooey, sticky-delicious S’mores Roast, while the Cheyenne and Comanche girls, the Cherokee and INA boys and the INA girls enjoyed their Tribal Ice Cream Party.  Nothing beats a Camp Hillard Ice Cream Party; campers build their very own Ice Cream Sundae, choosing two scoops of ice cream, chocolate or vanilla (or both), assorted tasty toppings like rainbow and chocolate sprinkles, caramel sauce or chocolate syrup and maraschino cherries.  An Ice Cream Float is another option; two scoops of ice cream, swimming in fizzy, bubbly Coca Cola.  A refreshingly tasty treat on a hot summer day!

The week’s Lunch offerings were varied and delicious, as usual.  We started the week with a Mexican Monday, Mexi-Beef Tacos with Cheese, salsa and sour cream. A Make Your Own Sandwich meal of assorted cold cuts, cheeses and french fries was on the Menu for Tuesday.  Wednesday featured Hillard’s insanely popular Chicken O’s; most campers and counselors will admit to saying, “I’m just going to have one more.”  But everyone knows you can never just eat one more Chicken O! Thursday featured one of the more highly anticipated lunches of the summer, Sloppy Joes, prepared with lean ground turkey and served with sweet potato fries.  We rounded out the week with warm and cheesy macaroni and cheese on Friday.

Tribal Talent Shows are in full swing.  Tribes assemble during their Rest Periods, and campers show off their skills; the acts ran the gamut from karate chops and arm farts to hula hooping and rope jumping, to singing and acting and joke telling!  Hillard campers are a pretty talented bunch!

This week, we also saw several nail-biting Sports League Playoff and Championship games.  On Tuesday, the Comanche Boys kicked off the first round of their Divisional Playoffs.  In the American Division the Hillard Scorpions played the Comanche Crushers and the Lightning Strikes took on the Eight Crushers.  The Hillard Scorpions and the Eight Crushers were victorious and played each other in the American Division finals with the Eight Crushers claiming the title!

The National Division saw the Blue Strawberries play the Eagles and the Wrecking Balls took on the Rockets.  The Eagles and the Wrecking Balls won these matchups and had an epic finals matchup with the Wrecking Balls coming out on top.

The Cheyenne Boys continued the playoff action on Wednesday; in the American Division, the Other Guys played the MonStars and the Fire Bombers took on the Golden Hamburgers.   The Other Guys and the Fire Bombers were victorious in the first round and played each other in the American League finals, with The Other Guys claiming the title.  The National League saw the Golden Retrievers play the Camp Hillard Heroes and the Super Ballers took on the Scorpions.  The Camp Hillard Heroes and the Super Ballers won their respective first round games and had an epic National League finals matchup with the Super Ballers coming out on top.

The excitement continued for the Cherokee Boys, with the Mean Green Machines, Gruesome Gray, Terminators, and Fire Scorpions placing first, second, third, and fourth respectively in their Division 1 Championship Games and the Underdogs and Warriors placing first and second in their Division Two Championships

As we near the end of the sixth week of camp, almost every Tribe in Camp has experienced either a Visiting Day or a Visiting Evening.  Campers look forward to these very special days when moms and dads, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas come to watch them swim, play sports and perform songs or put on a show at theater, while also finally getting to meet the counselors who have been essential in making every camper’s summer fun and successful.

The Pawnees and the Chickasaw Boys and Girls had their Visiting Mornings early in the summer; for many of our youngest campers, Camp may be their first full-day group experience, and moms and dads are eager to meet the counselors and see their little ones in action!  This year, the Pawnees and the Chickasaws showcased their developing athletic skills at a Sports Skills Showcase on the Main Field, participating in a mini-obstacle course which included shooting hoops, kicking a soccer ball and scoring a goal at field hockey.  On the musical side of things, they performed a few special songs that they had been perfecting for the first few weeks of the summer, including songs from The Jungle Book and the Camp Hillard song.

The Visiting Day programs for Hurons and older are a little more intense; in addition to participating in sports and swimming, campers perform a Broadway style show on the big stage.  This summer, the Huron Boys and Girls hit the stage for the very first time, performing Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid!

Visiting Day for the Cheyenne Boys and Girls included baseball and softball and swimming at South Campus Pool Complex, which always includes a ride down The Great Green River!  The Boys traveled to Neverland in their production of J.M Barre’s classic, Peter Pan and the Girls travelled under the sea in their performance of The Little Mermaid!

Comanches and older are always excited by the prospect of a Visiting Evening.  These Tribes get to remain at Camp after every other camper has gotten on their bus and headed home!  Dinner is served at South Campus and campers and counselors gear up for an exciting evening!  The Comanche Boys and Girls showed off their athletic prowess during games of basketball and soccer, respectively, after which the boys hit the stage to perform The Blues Brothers, while the girls were Aca-Amazing in their performance of Pitch Perfect.

Visiting Evenings for Senior Camp take place towards the end of the summer; campers spend six to seven weeks rehearsing for some very exciting shows; the Cherokee and Navajo girls in Beautiful and the and The Really Big Show during the final week of Camp.  This year, A-I Boys and Girls and the Cherokee Boys Theater Club are starring in the 10th Anniversary Celebration of High School Musical.

Next week, the fun continues!  Olympic Competition continues in earnest, in addition to the Junior Camp Olympic Swim Fun and the Middle and Senior Camp Crazy Dive Contests.  Thursday is Crazy Hat/Hair Day; everyone is looking forward to getting all wild and crazy!