Week 7 was another fun and exciting week at Camp, highlighted by a variety of fun events. Campers continue to put their talents on display, showcasing their singing, dancing, boxball, basketball, break dancing, beat-box, piano, and “armpit-tooting” skills in talent show performances worthy of America’s Got Talent.
Olympic competitions continued in earnest throughout the entire week; groups came together and broke out into their respective countries for Track and Field events including the javelin throw, the broad jump and the shot put, as well as the 40 yard dash. Other Olympic events included running bases for time, dribbling and shooting competitions at basketball punt and pass competitions at football, mini-golf and tennis tournaments, as well as an intense Olympic Soccer tournament and water polo matches at the Pool.
On Wednesday, the entire camp wore their tribal color shirt and some even added some tribal color accessories, and we all met on the Main Field for a colorful All Camp Assembly – it looked fabulous! On Wednesday evening the Navajo girls had their visiting evening. The girls did a great job showing off their swimming skills and did a BEAUTIFUL job on stage performing their show.
Thursday was Crazy Hat/Hair Day!! Campers and counselor showed off their creative sides, displaying a dizzying array of whimsical and colorful hairstyles; mohawks and faux-hawks, dreadlocks and boxbraids and unicorn horns; not to mention a wide variety of crazy hats including Viking horns, hotdogs and hamburgers, bunny ears and cat ears, and giant Dr. Seuss hats, minus the cats, of course! It was great to see such an expression of spirit all throughout camp!
Campers continued to work on their American Red Cross swimming skills and are making great progress. In addition to our regular swim program, Junior Campers participated in Olympic Swim Fun, complete with Medal Hunts, swim races and “silly’ jumps!
On Friday afternoon, the CIT’s took a short jaunt down to the Candlelight Inn for the Annual CIT Luncheon. CIT’s or Counselors in Training, are the eldest campers at Hillard; all are rising 7th-10th graders who work side by side with General Staff in Group or Specialty Assignments. As a special thank you for all of their hard work, they were treated to a lunch that included the Candlelight Inn’s World-famous chicken wings, a messy and thoroughly delicious reward for a successful summer!
On Friday afternoon, the entire Camp assembled once again on the Main Field for our Olympic Closing Ceremonies, which included some intense counselor events, including a 40 yard dash and a football toss. Six counselors from each tribe were chosen at random to represent each of the six Olympic countries participating; Brazil, England, France, Greece, Israel, and Mexico. Campers cheered for their respective country, while enjoying their afternoon refreshments, and when all of the events concluded and the medal counts tallied, England was the Gold Medal winner, followed by Greece, who took home the Silver and France with the Bronze. Congratulations to all our participants!!
The eighth and final week of Camp is sure to be an exceptional four days of fun. The Big Show is on tap for Monday evening; the Apache and Iroquois Boys and Girls are ready to cut loose in the 10th Anniversary production of High School Musical. Final rehearsals have been in full gear, and the show is sure to be a fantastic one.
Wednesday, the long awaited Hillard Carnival will commence. It’s also our final Tribal Color Day and an All Camp Picnic. The Special Camp Show and Charity Presentation are on Tuesday; campers are gearing up to take the stage to perform some of the most notable songs from their Visiting Day performances. The counselors have been furiously preparing for the Annual Counselor Talent Show on Thursday, which is sure to be a lot of fun. On Thursday, we will also have a Moving Up ceremony for all the campers as they step into the shoes of their future tribe; Pawnees to Chickasaws, Hurons to Cheyennes, and so forth! It is sure to be an exciting and memorable week.