Rope Burning Archives - Camp Towanda

Posted on August 11, 2014 by camptowanda

Day 3 & 4: Burn that Fire and Swamp the Canoe!

Welcome to two of the most exciting days of Olympics. Rope Burning and the Great Apache Relay. Two events that are so deep in Towanda tradition, that have been physically, emotionally and spiritually passed down for so many generations and generations to come. If one were to ask me what the penultimate night of the summer is, I would have to say it is the night of Rope Burning. And if one would have to ask what is the most fun event of the summer, I would have to say Apache! And here’s why…

As we headed into the night of Rope Burning, I reflected on how far our campers have come…first they arrived, learned to get out of their comfort zones, try new things, make new friends, learn independence, learn new skills, learn responsibilities, learn to laugh and even earn pride (win or lose), great sportsmanship and camaraderie.

Fast forward to the end of the summer; new friends, young and older, team mates, opposing team friends, ultimate spirit, cheering, marching, singing…along with a focus of determination and spirit…. It doesn’t matter if you are a wood gatherer, a wood sorter or a fire builder or on the ever important cheering end …ROPE BURNING brings camp to its highest level.

Everyone together, everyone focused, intensely psyched up, faces painted, wearing ceremonial sweatshirts passed down from generations…and then the horn blows! Like an assembly line the teams work together to gather, sort and feed the best wood to their intensely focused fire builders and experienced coaches. Equally intense are those on the sidelines. Holding hands. Anticipating and awaiting the fate of the fires.

It’s all about the fire, building it, burning it, higher and higher… and one team wins…..BUT then the whole camp cheers on the team that did not win. And in the end, the oldest campers come back together as a brotherhood and sisterhood. Proud they achieved this experience together. Through tears, sweat and face paint.

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No one ever gave up…both teams can hold their heads high as they retreated to their meeting places and cheer on their teammates to the highest of voices and praise.

So proud …that here…like nowhere else…they learn the life lesson of losing (with the support of so many) is not so bad…and that you can hold your head high. And the winners stand tall with their opponents embracing.

That was rope burning. Awesome…exhilarating and impressive. If there was a night that parents could be a fly on the wall, I would wish it were this night. BUT, if you were here, it wouldn’t happen, it would be different….that is also why camp is unique and valuable.

By the way, The Red Lifeguards won Rope Burning in an impressive 11:29 while it took the Blue Ski Patrol 26:18.

(By the way…earlier in the day, the Boy’s Track meet went 401-395 RED. The Girl’s Swim Meet was 316-328 BLUE.)

Which brings me to the Great Apache Relay, an all-afternoon extravaganza of 243 events, in which EVERY SINGLE camper is involved and is passed the baton. Older campers to younger campers. Boys camp to girls camp. Our family comes together to make this epic event happen!

It is a crazy, multi-faceted, widespread, inter-connected, entertaining yet challenging all afternoon race. The teams scour over their skills to decide who does what and it takes over 2 ½ hours to setup and and over an hour an a half to complete.

Events from pogo-stick jumping, shoelace lacing, soccer goals, potato sack races to baseball tosses, basketball-tennis-hockey shots to sailing, swamped canoes, laps and several 100 more events that captivate all of us for the afternoon.

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Campers followed my live coverage over the PA System (brought to you by our sponsors Kit Kat, sunscreen of your choice and water) and hopefully you at home followed us on @Twitter and @Instagram (the only event we really “report live” all summer because it’s just SO FUN).

The running of the apache relay was basically neck and neck throughout, with never more than a 2 minute lead and most of the time the teams were within seconds of each other. It was THAT close, it was THAT exciting. NECK & NECK! Did you see the photos?

The cheering, the laughter, the greatness was OH SO BEAUTIFUL…. And at the traditional fire brigade finish, Red squeaked out the victory by just an 11 second differential! That is a very close Apache (some years there is a 45 minute difference)!

Sunday Night’s traditional Silent Dinner BBQ was followed by under the lights events (knockout, basketball and softball).

And as we enter the 5th and final day of Olympics (which concludes with the Great Olympic Sing Monday Night), The BLUE SKI PATROL has an almost ONLY 70 point lead over The RED LIFEGUARDS, but there are still over 400 points available Monday!

Despite the rampant Olympic Fever, even more so is the sense I have of bittersweetness in the air. I can feel it lofting around as everyone, from the youngest DEBS and JETS right though the CLUB and DORM and onward through the counselors, both veterans and first year people… that there seems to be a “getting closer and closer” as our time together shortens. The goals of the summer have been achieved; if we were to stop and get off of our carousel and look at ourselves 7 weeks ago compared to where we are today, we would see a big difference…one of growth, confidence, comfort, friendship, respect and love.

Bring it on, the final and awesome days, it is like the crescendo of why we are here!

And a word about our well over 65 guest Alumni Judgies, who come back home to continue the tradition, legacy and spirit of camp. It makes our camp ever so special; as the campers relish the old stories (albeit somewhat embellished), the staff are wowed that people take off from work and time away from their families to return to Judge Olympics. Their presence just adds to an already spirited force. As one alumni said- “You don’t just go to Towanda; Towanda is with you for life. There’s no place I would rather be this weekend than here.”

Stay tuned for this week’s edition of Friday Nite Flix (which we will air with the campers on Thursday). It will feature Olympic highlights and more! Not to be missed!

Posted on August 5, 2013 by camptowanda

Olympics Day 3 & 4: On Fire!

From Rope Burning to Fire Brigade, day 3 and 4 turned up the heat!!! Here are some highlights from the Judgies in black.

On Day 3, the Boys had their showdown on the track at record speeds, culminating in a classic Judgies vs. Generals race for the record-books. Two heats of Judgies from four different eras competed against the Zombie and Clone Generals. Casper joined in the race, helping the Judgies win by a “nose” as the Blue General, Diego “Day La Fuente” took one for the team at the finish line! It was the perfect way to end our morning at the track.

The Girls headed to the waterfront in the afternoon to swim like fishies at the Swim Meet. Excellent efforts, cheering and spirit. After the one lap kickboard race, one camper said “THAT WAS SO FUN…I didn’t know I was so good at kickboarding!”

From the Judgies point of view, the campers have really tried SO hard. They left nothing on the field. They pushed themselves to do their absolute best. They participated in EVERYTHING…even if it was a little outside their comfort zone. It’s all for the team.

By Day 3 dinner time, you could feel the electricity in the air. A shift in energy. The camp was getting pumped up. The song “LIGHT EM UP” by Fall Out Boy played over the loud speakers as the teams entered line up. At dinner, the Red and Blue teams took turns, pumping up their team for ROPE BURNING! Everyone participated in Rope Burning, even if they are on the sidelines. The cheering section is equally important to those who are geared up to help “build that fire, higher higher”. When the Judgies arrived at Skyview Field, you could hear a pin drop. The Blue and Red Ropeburning teams sat in the ceremonial circle in absolute silence. Their Generals and Ropeburning coaches gave inspirational pep talks, helping them understand they will remember tonight for the rest of their lives. For the Alumni Judgies, this tradition evokes incredible memories and nostalgia.

It is so hard to explain how Rope Burning is the best night of camp…but it is true. It holds special significance for the Club boys building the fire, but the whole camp really comes together. It is epic.

The rope burning teams were incredibly focused and determined, from the wood gatherers to the runners to the sorters to the stackers to the feeders to the firebuilders. When Blue lit their fire first and burned the first rope, it looked like a sure thing. But their fire started to shift away from the top rope, and Red came back to burn their second rope in under 13 minutes. Blue burned their top rope just a minute later.

After it was done and the fires extinguished, the emotions were indescribable. Dorm and Club uniting under the firey sky. All ages, boys and girls, congratulating, crying, hugging (lots of hugging), smiling, all exhausted and energized at the same time. This is when camp comes together. Camp brothers and sisters leaning on each other.

There was no slowing down on Day 4 of Olympics. A morning of activities, some beef-a-roni for lunch (to which the whole mess hall was cheering “Beef-a-Roni”!!!), and then the Great Apache Relay (did you follow the live social media feed from the race course?).

The Apache consists of over 200 events that end in the Fire Brigade at the waterfront. Events include athletic challenges, crazy tasks and silly fun. You could have a Deb in a potato sack hopping across girls camp against an Upper Camp boy! Anything goes in Apache. And the lead often changes MANY times.

We encountered a 10 minute rain shower…okay, downpour, but that did NOT slow down the relay. The baton changed hands over 200 times. There was a lot of running. Kyle Manes and Jonathan Penner, two incredible staff, ran alongside the campers during the entire race which finished in under 2 hours. Other Judgies followed on a golf cart, Generals on bicycles, campers and fans on foot. It was incredibly organized and smooth! Everyone contributed to the outcome. In the end, Red filled their water jug first in Fire Brigade and they were declared the winner by a small margin.

Last night was silent BBQ (yes, this is a judged event) and knockout. We cannot believe Olympics is coming to a close tonight and look forward to the much-anticipated Olympic Sing and skits.

Good luck Red Team. Good luck Blue Team.

A big thank you to all the Alumni and Guest Judgies who helped make this Olympics such a success.

Posted on August 4, 2012 by camptowanda

Day 3: Build that Fire Higher Higher!

D-A-Y T-H-R-E-E, that is how we spell DAY 3!!!

Good Afternoon Red Fans, good afternoon Blue Fans!! Yesterday was another great day of spirit, friendly competition, and fun during the 2012 Camp Towanda Olympics. The morning started off strong with another track meet, this time on boys side. It was amazing to see how fast those legs could run. By the time the meet ended and lunch started, the score was closer than ever! Morning activities on girls side were just as exciting and made us realize how amazing these teams are! Just as the one team pulls in the lead, the other one comes up from behind.

After a baked ziti lunch and a much earned rest hour, the sun settled in a cloudless sky–just in time for the girls swim meet and afternoon activities. Wishy-washy washy-wishy, all the girls can swim like fishies!

Before the pinnacle evening activity, we took a pause from Olympics to have Friday Shabbat dinner as a camp family…the 2012 Dorm Girls lit the candles with the Dorm Girls of 2019 and 2020 (This years’ Debs)! A special moment in time!

Rope Burning was last night and, as always, it brought all of camps’ hearts together. An alumni Guest Judgie crowd of over 60 judged and spectated the fired up crowd! Win, loose, or draw, Rope Burning is one of the most outstanding evenings to be a part of. Whether you are cheering on the side, passing down the wood, building the fire, judging or spectating, you can feel it–the sense of achievement and pride in your camp family. Maybe it was the size of the fires this year, or maybe it was the true Olympic spirit the seems to be radiating from the outside world into ours, but it was such an outstanding display of sportsmanship, teamwork, and determination. We are proud of both of our teams and extend a very special congratulations to the Red Jesters on their victory last night. Their fire was “no joke”!

Both teams celebrated as if they won the FINAL 4 with milk and cookies and then ETB while counselors chiseled away at the scenery and team plaques for Sunday Night’s sing.

Today is apache relay and tonite is the cumulative broadjump contest (which should be live on the Camp Cam!). We are doing our best getting you live coverage. Hopefully our blog, Facebook and CampMinder pics are filling in the gaps for you all at home!

We had to share some perfectly put words from an Alumni/Parent/Guest Judgie just to give you a sense of what it feels like to witness this Camp Towanda Olympics firsthand:

On a day when the lead in Olympics changed hands more than once – a pretty amazing thing in and of itself given that there have already been thousands of Olympic points awarded – and the evening concluded with a spectacularly thrilling rope burning, it was especially clear to me how fortunate I am to be both a Towanda parent and also an alumni Judgie. And today, more than ever, it was easy to see that one of the things which is most amazing about the way Olympics is conducted at Towanda is how naturally it teaches the kids the meaningful relationship between having a rich competitive spirit while at the same time maintaining the overriding importance of true sportsmanship.

When looked at from a parent’s perspective, it’s easy to understand how instilling in the children this keen value of fairness will have a lifelong – and no doubt very positive – impact on so many of the relationships which they will form as they travel down life’s road. And what’s particularly special is how the kids so naturally learn this life lesson; it really is beautiful to see.

Rope burning tonight was the perfect example of that. To have the entire red team cheer on the blue team after red had burned down their ropes in near record time was positively wonderful. This sportmanship, this spirit, this remarkable demonstration of the bonds which are created and fostered at Towanda, all combine to create a powerful testament to the value of what’s being learned here at camp, and all while the kids are having the time of their lives. Lucky for them, and lucky for us.