![]() It was important that 20 years after they were a camper that when they came back for a reunion Blue versus Gold softball game, they knew what team they were on. Also, at our camp, I thought it was really important for kids who always come to camp one session to be on a Color War team, because if they aren’t there’s one big part of camp that they aren’t connected to. We used to do a one-day Olympics but we decided at our camp to just focus on Color War. Do you have a big camp event at the end of the 4-week session as well? There’s a legacy and a commitment, not only to the camp but also to your teammates.Ĭolor War is at the end of the 8-week session. We learned this idea from camps that are 100 years old, where the grandfather was on the same team as the grandson. ![]() Younger siblings can’t wait to get to camp because they already know what team they’re on. Anyone who’s related to you at camp is also on that team. At our camp you’re on that team for the rest of your life. At our camp, the kids all dress in their gold or their blue all together. Every kid in the camp community is singing together, cheering together. I think Color War is one of those sacred camp moments. Let’s talk about Color War at summer camp. For anyone-camper or staff-who has ever been a part of camps, it’s the part of the summer that is undoubtedly one of the most memorable.An interview with Mark Lipof, the Director of Camp Micah in Bridgton, Maine, a Maine Camp Experience Camp. Everyone has a unique role on the team that directly affects the team’s overall performance. ![]() Such a focus makes these types of camp activities a valuable lesson in diversity and teamwork. The end of the competition often involves some sort of bonding activity designed to bring the teams back together as one camp family to finish out the summer because, in the end, the emphasis of a color on color contest is not whether one is on a winning team when all is said and done, but that each and every camper has had the opportunity to demonstrate what he or she has learned over the summer and, thus, gain an understanding of how each person brings something different and valuable to the camp family. Counselors are included in the action as team leaders and coaches. The breakout is unquestionably, one of the biggest events of the summer and always on everyone’s list of favorite moments from the summer. The beginning of the games is invariably a surprise to campers and much of the staff with the reveal being is a closely guarded secret about which there is quite a bit of discussion and speculation in the days leading up to it. Whatever the name, the competition is often full of traditions regarded as sacred by campers and staff alike. Body paint, capes, mismatched socks, colored hair spray, pom-poms, and tutus are the en vogue accessories, and enthusiastic demonstrations of team pride via spirited cheers are infectious.Īlthough an emphasis on friendly competition geared toward giving campers an opportunity to put their camp skills to the test while exhibiting exemplary sportsmanship has prompted many camps to change the name to such things as Challenges, Tribals, College Days, and Olympics, the concept remains the same: Campers are placed onto teams and, for several days, engage in a host of activities designed to re-cap the summer-a sort of “best of” replay. For several days, campers and staff members parade around camp in their team colors. One of the biggest parts of the summer at most traditional summer camps and nearly as big of a tradition as the concept of summer camp is the color war.
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