Category: Activities at Camp

It’s that time of the summer again… the sixth week of camp. It is a bittersweet time to be sure; it’s jam-packed with fun, but at the end of it, we know we’ll have to say goodbye. But while we dread those final hugs after Sunday breakfast and we put off packing for as long as possible, the six days before we leave are some of the absolute best at camp. What are the things that make it so great? Where can we even begin?!

• We open the week with Woodland Fair, which is one of the most highly anticipated and enjoyed events of the summer.
• Tuesday it is Spoon Assassins, which is one of the most terrifying and exhilarating three days of camp.
• Wednesday  is closing campfire. In my opinion the best campfire of the summer!
• On Thursday the good times roll on when we head over to Towering Pines in the evening for co-ed show; the CITs get to show off their hard work, the campers get to watch an amazing show, and everyone gets to tear up during slide show.
• Friday – can it be?! – it’s time already for banquet! We get dolled up, we get awards… It’s a high point of the summer, and it’s right on the doorstep of parents’ weekend and all of our shows.

Even with all of the fun things packed into the sixth week, it’s tough to compete with the amazing feeling of Show Day on Saturday. We’ve worked all summer to prepare for it; we’ve stretched a million splits, practiced a million knots, poured a million piles of glitter, shot a million targets, groomed a million horses. We’ve put in so much effort in throughout the past six weeks, and the chance to show it off to our friends and family is one of the best moments of the summer. The sixth week might end with tears and farewells, but before we get there, you couldn’t imagine a happier or more excited group of campers.

Special thanks to Athena for writing this awesome blog!

To wrap up Week 5, the Tennis counselors wanted to share their big tournament of the summer:

We had 2 very intense at the Tennis Courts. All the girls worked very hard to perfect their swing in order to participate in the perstigous tournament, “Woodland Tennis World Cup”. Each class was divided into 2 teams.  They got to choose which country they wanted to represent and even their team colors to wear.  Also, they used their amazing creativity and made up a cheer, flag, and a mascot.  In first hour we had Barbara and Anna playing for Mexico against Aubrey and Kelly playing for Poland. Both teams did an amazing job considering that it was the first match for some of the girls.  In the end Mexico won!

For second hour, we had Andrea and Irene who chose England against Ally and Sofia S. who chose Greece. Both teams did great at playing but what we liked the most is how original their mascots were.  Greece was “Greece Lightning” because of how fast they were and England was a beautiful butterfly. In the end Greece was victorious!

Third period, our most advanced class, the girls showed off their killer swings and competed like true professionals. The first team was Siberia with Ana DLF, Arantxa, and Kelly.  The other team was Hungary with Sofia DLF and Regina P. After a very intense competition the girls from Siberia won!

In 4^th period we had some very creative cheers.  It was amazing to see Elena, Lorenza, and Eden make a cheer for Eygpt.  Also, Cayley and Caroline make a cheer for Wales. In the end, Wales won the competition.

For our last period, we had a very exciting match!  The girls got super excited and gave all they had. Regina V and Daphne played for Canada, and Jackie and Ana Marta played for the Congo. The Congo won in the end!

It was great to see all the girls compete and give their best! We sure had a lot of fun and can’t wait for the 2014 World Cup! Also, special thanks to Regina V for making all the “Tournament Cups”.

The Camp Woodland Olympics was an amazing day of perseverance, sportsmanship, and teamwork.  This year’s theme -All We Can Be in 1-3 – was peeking around every corner during the Olympics!  The Teams were creatively named: Russian for Gold and Barbados Tornadoes.   Russian for Gold’s team colors were yellow and blue, and the Barbados Tornadoes were Purple and Black. The morning started off with Opening ceremonies – Oh yes, we have a torch that was lit for the entire Olympic games!  After the torch was lit, the girls scurried off to their events to compete in Track (woodland Road), Field (shoe tossing and jump roping are actual events!), and waterfront (yup, playak relay races really happened!). To finish the morning each team captain competed in a fun obstacle course sponsored by our Olympic Committee!

In the afternoon, girls were selected to compete in individual events: Riding, gymnastics, tennis, riflery, and archery.  Lots of fun competition, but also lots of cheering on other girls and enjoying the Olympic festivities. To end the evening each team presented their flag, song, cheer, and skit at the closing campfire.  We were blown away by their creativity and inginuity! It made it very hard for our “guest judges” to pick a winner in each category. Glad that I was just a spectator:)

Dromroll Please…….The winner of  the Summer 2013 Olympics were  The Tornadoes!!   Good Job to everyone and way to show your camp and team spirit!

Special Thanks to our Olympic Committee!  They have been planning this day for weeks and it truly was one of the best olympics I have been part of!

Great day. Great fun. Great Camp.

The fifth week of camp is all about healthy competition and celebrating athletic excellence! Our annual “Olympics” provides opportunities for campers to show their show their skills development in individual activities (e.g. gymnastics and horseback riding) and work as a sports team member (e.g. soccer and tug of war). Through this experience, campers learn sportsmanship, team spirit, and the thrill of athletic achievement.

Check out Alice Decker’s, be-loved Alum, memories of Camp Woodland Olympics:

“When I think about the Woodland olympics, I can’t help but chuckle. After 20 years I can still remember the names of my more memorable teams. And their spontaneous cheers. I won’t repeat them, but anyone who served with me on the French Fries knows EXACTLY what I am talking about. I can remember layering on every piece of clothing in my limited drawer space that could count as a team color item, in order to painstakingly line them up in the clothing relay, and cursing the laundry cycle that fell right in the middle of the event. I remember banging the tiller of an old X-boat in frustration – I’d won a bunch of sail races just that last week, so why would the wind desert me today? And I remember the peculiar feeling of a cabin divided – the only time during the summer that my co-lyricist, my partner for undefeated cabin victory in the coveted ability of inane camp rhyme, Ms. Lurain, was suddenly facing off against me. Could she rhyme better (by which I mean, sillier and stupider) than me, mano a mano??? Even writing this post, I am already starting to mutter, “yo yo yo yo, French Fries…” Yup. It’s Olympics time.”

…The Riflery range that is!  It is my favorite place at Camp Woodland by a long shot J and was my #1 favorite activity for at least 6 summers as a camper.  The Riflery program is one of the most competitive and rewarding program at camp, which makes it an incredible fun learning experience – and only gets better with time! There are 14 levels to pass and a hard road to becoming an EXPERT. Yes, but as you work your way up to more points and different shooting positions the excitement and satisfactions becomes uncontrollable!

Be warned: this skill improving and concentration level-improving activity creates an addiction.  The symptoms include:

• Obsessions over safety rules
• Improvement of eye-sight
• Strengthening of arm and back muscles and a general development of good and empowering attitude towards obstacles and life in general!

There are 14 steps to take up the ladder towards expertise and consists of 4 positions:

• Prone (lying down)
• Kneeling
• Sitting
• standing

We start with Prone (lying down) starting at 20pts (out of 50), going up to 25, 30, 35, and 40 points with each level.  From there you go up to sitting, kneeling, and finally standing – an achievement in itself even if you don’t make it all the way to the end.  That moment when you can get off the floor and be confident enough to hold your own rifle is nothing short of magical.  I think it is the measurable improvement of skill, which is quite evident here at the range that makes this one of the most popular and loved activities in Woodland.  That and the Towering Pines Camp exchange (a chance for the boys and girls to interact in spirit of sportsmanship!) Did I mention we beat them this year too? In the spirit of this summer’s theme – All We Can Be – is fun-loving, safe, and strong at the same time.

Ps. On a bit of a personal note, I am in love with this place, and wouldn’t dream of spending my summer’s anywhere but up here! The range is just the place to be in 1-3!