Eukara Vox
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Code Camp: Adventures of an Activity Director
By Eukara
(disclaimer - Yes, this is long, but what did you expect? This is my entire week! But it is worth it.)
You plan for a year... well, actually, we lost six weeks of planning this year, as we were given the opportunity to move the camp date up. We took it in a heartbeat, thinking it would help us avoid 100 degree Fahrenheit temperatures and massive sunburns. Who knew that this year, August came early in south central Texas.
June 14th
We stepped out of our cars, vans, and trucks and surveyed the land. Welcome to the place of memories, sweat, tears and fun for the next week. I put my stuff in the cabin and did an inventory of equipment:
Giant sling shots and water balloons? Check. Flag Football vests? Check. Water guns? Check. Large office water cooler jug, kickballs, bases and handball? Check. The only thing missing thus far: the 30 or so straw bales that were coming with a counselor who was running late.
Dinner for all workers and our families was at 6pm. It was there that I learned that our straw would be very late... just how late no one knew. So, my team and I had to reconfigured the next day. Thank goodness we weren't responsible for helping the check in process.
At 7:30, worship service commences and the counselor with my straw bales finally arrives. No apologies are needed as we were all just glad that he got there safe. After worship, I have to say goodbye to my husband and acknowledge that I will have to be without him for five days. Spouse gone and children in bed, I grab my laptop and head outside to do some writing.
All but one picnic table was empty. I joined the one that had people there already. I sat down and opened up my laptop, but it was pretty clear that I wasn't going to get much done. After talking about what my book was about (that I was supposed to be working on) I ended up closing the laptop and just talking.
I spent the next two hours or so talking anime, cartoons and miscellaneous topics with a team member who happened to be a senior in high school. Oddly enough, we found out that we liked the same animes - seemed both of us started out watching Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z and Gundam Wing once upon a time. We discussed the pros and cons of animes like Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist, and Deathnote. Out of all the anime we talked about that night, we both came to the conclusion that Dragonball Z was a definite favourite.
Eventually, we had to call it quits, so at 11:45 we bid each other goodnight, already outlasting the Junior camper counselor (who had been joined by the other one at some point), and headed to our cabins. I was showered and in bed by 12:15. Day one: complete.
Monday, June 15th
After Reveille was played to wake us up at 6:40, we had breakfast where the team and I mapped out the day. Since we weren't technically needed until 2pm, we had all day to set up. We escaped down to the river at 9am when the campers began to arrive to set up our obstacle course. Straw bales ready, we set up a dual-lane course with a four-stack pyramid, a balance beam, double and single stack jumping obstacles and a mud pit. Now, the mud pit was our pride and joy. You see, we make a promise every year to get people's kids nice and dirty. We were definitely going to meet that challenge this year.
We drove the stakes into the ground and drilled the holes for the rope that would create the web that the kids HAD to crawl under. Then, bucket-by-bucket, we soaked that area with river water. At 10:45, I headed up the hill to conduct team roll call, leaving the guys to set up the Humvee races (will talk about that later). Here is where I found out that there seven kids that didn't have teams and weren't on my list. Yay for last minute surprises!
At 11:15, the guys came up the hill, done setting up by the river and we decided to test out the giant slingshots. Now, if you have ever watched an NBA game, you probably have seen this contraption. It takes three people to man it properly and we were going to let the campers bomb each other with water balloons using this. But first, proper breaking in was necessary. Yes, very proper breaking in...
Kids' team three was meeting in a very vulnerable place, just within sight of our water balloon filling headquarters. So, as was our right and duty, we tested the slingshots. We concluded that either they were easy to use or we were just that good. Needless to say, they got wet. Lunch cut us short though and we were forced to hide the arsenal and eat.
After lunch, we found ourselves filling more water balloons, since by some mysterious means the first batch as depleted. And of course, more testing was needed for the slingshots, so the high school guy hopped up on the roof of my cabin and sat there while the rest of us tried to hit him. All very proper conduct, considering the campers were in cabin Bible study. We just prayed none of them were sitting outside their cabins having this study, as 75 percent of our water balloons overshot and landed in the commons area...
Two o'clock rolled around and it was finally our turn to have some fun (:P). We had a full lineup for the cabins to go one-on-one and compete. There was the obstacle course, Humvee races, sponge relays and water gun wars down at the river. Up top, near the cabins, was pool time, crafts, water wars, grenade volleyball and battleground rescue.
I guess I should explain these events. The Humvee races consist of a trio of kids, a bed sheet and a "mined" racing lane. Pretty much, two kids pull the sheet and one rides as they race another team through the mine field. It is not as easy as it sounds.
Sponge relays is fairly easy to understand. This involves team mates carrying a waterlogged giant sponge on their heads from point A to fill the bucket at point B. Water gun wars is about what it sounds like - team that is the wettest at the end of time is the loser.
Battleground rescue consists of all but two team members with injuries strewn across a field awaiting the rescue by their two armed comrades. The two uninjured had to rescue carrying large waterguns as if they were in a battlefield. Injuries consisted of unconsciousness, broken legs, hysteria, shock, or a combination of two. First team to rescue their ambushed platoon wins.
Now, water wars was one of those games I grew up with at camp. Imagine two posts set up with a string running across. Halfway across is an empty milk jug. Each team stands at a pole with a water hose in hand. Turn on hoses and the first to spray the jug to the opposite pole wins. The only rule: do not touch the jug. Other than that, anything is possible. More than likely, the opposition gets sprayed more than the jug - face, head, body...
Grenade volleyball consists of a beach volleyball pit and an igloo full of water balloons. Teams toss water balloons over the net with one goal in mind: busting the water balloon on the other side of the net.
From 4pm to 6pm, the campers have free time. My team split up into pairs to man the 500-foot zipline and the rock wall built into the rock face of the small cliffs near the river. Kids could either swim, canoe or use the trapeze swing to cool off in the river.
Dinner was a six, then worship at seven. Good times all around, the kids went back to the mess hall for cookies and milk before bed. Here is where my favourite part of camp kicks in. We planned something devious, something totally inconceivable by campers for camp this year, and it all went down at 9pm. Poor unsuspecting 5th and 6th graders...
At approximately 9:10pm Monday night, I arrived at the door of the 5th grade girls cabin and pounded on the door as hard as I possibly could. After listening to the girls scream for a second, I threw open the door and started yelling at them drill Sergeant-like. "Get off your bunks! You heard me, now, now, now! Get your shoes on double time and grab your flags. Out the door NOW!"
Imagine this scene, but for the 6th grade girls. As the 5th grade girls filed out of their cabins at top speed, I pounded on the next door. This time, not only did I say the above statements, I told the girls to get on the floor. I have never seen 6th grade girls hit the floor, prostrate on their stomachs, that fast before. It was a glorious site.
We ran the girls to a copse of trees where they sat at stone benches, bewildered and some whimpering. I let them sit there for a minute while I stared at them. Finally, at the point of not being able to maintain the stoic face and hold in my laughter, I announced: "Ladies, welcome to night maneuvers. Hide your flags, for it is time to play capture the flag." I swear it took a minute for this to register, but afterwards, I was nearly tackled with girls hugging me for the opportunity to play the game at night.
My team and I led them back to their cabins with the threat of real maneuvers if they told the boys what went on. That night, the adults went swimming. At 10pm, Taps was played and it was officially lights out.
I returned to my cabin ready for bed and to a child with "daddy homesickness." I had an inkling this wasn't just a passing thing.
Tuesday, June 16
Reveille was played at 7:40, waking up a few girls who had a late night. Breakfast went smoothly and my team was ready for morning games. Two games a day for the four teams, one at 10am and one at 11am. Today was the mini soccer camp and game and then Jug baseball. Let me explain the second game. Imagine playing baseball but instead of a bat, you use a huge office water cooler jug and your ball is a handball that a three year old might play with. Ours happens to have the Cars characters on it.
At the cabin game time, we introduced three new activities - Archery, Bombs Away and Aqua Races. Now, even though my team knew that the giant sling shots work, we just had to test them out on the campers. I mean, they had to learn how they work, right? Bombs Away required each cabin to bomb each other using the slingshots. Aqua races is more goofiness in competition. The team competes in cannonballs and standing on kick-boards under the water.
The rest of the day goes well, especially when night maneuvers comes for the 5th and 6th grade boys. Take what happened to the girls and apply it to the boys. Except, they were so rattled they ran the wrong way! So one of my assistants went with it and ran them a little extra just for good measure to confuse them. Day 2: done
Wednesday, June 17
I woke up without a voice. I can't, for the life of me, understand why.
Since yesterday worked so well, so did today. At 9am, before the large games started, my team and I sat around making more water balloons, talking about the toughness of water. You know, how well it abuses people, how well it flies in water balloons, how it feels after hitting you at 40 mph...
Games at 10am and 11am - flag football and pool volleyball. Complaints were filed... apparently too many Junior counselors and adult counselors played in the second game. The claim was unbalanced play and the scores should be considered void...
At lunch, we sat down and planned the skit we were doing that night. Yes, in approximately one hour we put together our skit. It was a question and answer panel consisting of the Nerd (me), the Redneck (the other adult on my team), the Gamer (7th grader) and the man with the answers (college student). Pretty much I handed out the questions and we were going to improv this. Thankfully, the afternoon went without a hitch, which was nice, considering we all needed to work the zipline again.
Oddly, despite the multiple applications of SPF 50 sunblock each day since arriving, I was a beautiful glowing shade of red. And seriously, why does everyone keep asking me if I put sunblock on?
Skit time... We probably had the best skit, but adults don't win awards. I think, though, the Redneck stole the show. Just a taste of his answers:
Why did the walls fall at Jericho?
Redneck Answer: Jericho is my second cousin, thrice removed... He makes a mean plate of BBQ. That's the best dang stuff you'd ever eat. Day 3: done
Thursday, June 18
Woke up again... and strangely, my voice is even more absent than yesterday. Weird.
By this day, everything is going perfectly. Soccer returned for the morning games, along with kickball. My fashionable ensemble today included an umbrella... Everyone played their hearts out even though it was visible that they were tired. The highlight of the day...
It was my turn to help down at the Zipline. Three of us stood at the bottom of the zipline to catch the kids that came down. Now, there were two ways to do this. Either catch them as the rebounded after passing you, or wait for a second return by grabbing a tether rope under them. Some kids you could catch after the rebound, some you couldn't. After a couple of successful rebound catches, I reached out for the tether rope for a kid to stop him. But instead of grabbing the rope as he went past, my ring finger on my right hand got caught in the tether's loop. The boy slipped through our hands and kept going... with my finger still caught in the loop.
As he sped away, a very audible pop emanated from my right hand. The pain was indescribable and all I could do was look at my hand after the initial jerk when the tether released my finger. It was one of those moments where you felt you had to take inventory of yourself to make sure everything was there. Although, I was whole, it would turn out that even now, as I write this, I still cannot use my right hand completely.
Not ten minutes later, our river lifeguard came down the zipline and the other adult on my team got injured. The lifeguard was destined to collide with some equipment (we placed wrong) and in an effort to move him out of the way, my companion tried to push the zipline wire away from everything only to have his thumb get caught under the pulley wheels.
That was a bad afternoon for the activity team. And wouldn't you know... people gave us a hard time.
Day 4: done
Friday, June 19
Glorious morning, hurting hand, tired body, exhausted mind. But it was the last day!
For the big game time, we devised something new, something that we hadn't done before. A massive finishing race - one that covered land, air and water! It was a huge relay race. Four runners, three bombers and four swimmers. And we made it challenging. The land relay had two hard obstacle courses, one short distance run and a weaving leg that went through the archery course. (They wove around the EMPTY targets... no flying arrows, thank you. I know what you were thinking!) Then, each member of the bomber team had to hit the church van with water balloons, using the smallest amount of shots. And the first three swimmers did an up-and-back short lap in the shallows (water jogging, submersed, freestyle) and the fourth swimmer finished with a long lap in the deeper part of the pool.
And they loved it. We are so doing that next year!
The kids were packed and gone by 4pm. Then we all collapsed and packed our own bags. Slowly, we loaded our vans, cars and trucks up with supplies and baggage. Feet dragging, we went back to the mess hall one last time to talk about the good and bad and have one last dinner together. Exhausted, hurting, and missing family, we gathered and laughed at the good stuff and nodded seriously over the impending changes for next year. Day 5: done.
Today is June 24, 2007. I have still yet to completely recover my sleeping habits. My finger still hurts, but I can now make a fist! And my brain is mulling over next year. You see, I am the prankster, I am feared. This year, my prank was no prank at all. And it worked. Kids that returned from last year watched me, panicked when they saw me walking away from the cabins. They constantly asked when...
Next year will be fun.
< Message edited by Eukara -- 7/12/2009 16:08:43 >
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