We launched into a new rotation of activities this week. Campers scurried off to their activity areas Monday and Tuesday to begin exploring a new craft, sport or water activity. Out on the water, campers were sailing far across Blue Lake and catching tons of fish. Last week, a total of 174 fish were caught and released. In the recreation hall, they were practicing back handsprings and snapping on helmets before hitting the climbing tower.  Our 55-foot Tango Tower has dozens of various routes to the top, each with a different climbing challenge to complete. High above, the Tango Tower girls zoomed by on the zipline screaming with delight. Girls were shooting archery, and taking aim down at the riflery range. They were exercising up a storm in kickboxing, writing articles for Agalog and kept busy with paints and brushes in the arts and crafts building. 

Our bi-annual 7 am lake swim was wonderful. It was one of the fastest finishes in Agawak history. Campers Ally S., Dylan K., Rebecca H., Gatley H., Eve M., and counselors Sophia and Constance swam across the swim lines in record time. It was a beautiful morning and our staff did a tremendous job supervising from the water, canoes, kayaks, boats and jet skies. All swimmers were greeted with a mug of steaming hot chocolate to enjoy after their swim. It's never about who crosses the finish line first but rather who is brave enough to attempt and who has the stamina to finish. 

If you're wondering who won on Olympic Day it was Kawaga, followed by Ojibwa, Horseshoe and Menominee. Despite Horseshoe capturing Commando they came in third place. There is never a dull moment when the Olympics take over Agawak and good sportsmanship is always center stage. 

Campers were in the kitchen with Karla for the annual Agawak bake-off. Campers were required to create their own recipes from scratch. The lucky administrative staff got to taste test and score the mouth watering creations. The winners will be posted inside Cookwood during parent's day, Saturday, July 15th. 

Our Blue and White teams gathered in Happy Camper and Alumnae Hall for the ultimate silent spelling bee. The game consisted of getting into groups of 27 campers: one to represent each letter of the alphabet and one person to be the caller. Everyone is quiet and only the caller is allowed to speak. Staff stood on the sidelines to make sure no one was gesturing or whispering. Even a slight nod could result in a 15 second penalty. After each spelling word is announced, those holding the letter in the word jump up and scramble to place themselves and their letter in the right order so the word is spelled correctly. The caller helps direct people quickly to their places, or calls those letters up who are needed or seats those letters that are not needed. The team who correctly spells out the word the fastest wins the point. After several rounds the win went to the white team. 

The lake activity, games on greens fields and endless fresh air is starting to catch up to us. Wide yawns are common at the end of each day and tired faces appear around the flagpole. We aren't as bright eyed in the morning as we were the first week of camp. It has a lot to do with the amount of time we spend outside in all this fresh crisp air. We're smiling. We're laughing. We're sharing experiences and building friendships. Taken together, it's astonishing how much growth happens here and how close we all become.

Smile on and full speed ahead.

Mary