Camp Echo Lake – Inter Boys: Week 6 Recap
This past week, the Inter Boys finally got to go on their big trip to Great Escape! Although we were holding our breath for a while about the possibility of rain, we ended up getting some great weather, and the day went off without any issues. In fact, we had two solid hours of no rain and no lines, so the boys all got to go on a lot of rides.
Some of the boys’ favorite rides were: The Comet (a fast, wooden rollercoaster that most of the boys flocked to as soon as we got to the park) and The Sasquatch (a “Tower of Terror” type of ride that many of the boys conquered their fear of heights to ride).
We concluded our day with the water park, arcade games and lots of treats! It was a wonderful trip, and everyone had a great time walking around and bonding with their friends.
Following the Main Village Marathon, where the Inters helped to raise money for Morry’s Camp, all of Boys Camp enjoyed popcorn under the stars as we watched Star Wars on the upper baseball field. It was one of those nights that makes you feel very lucky to be at Echo Lake!
The epic conclusion to this summer’s all-camp competition took place this past week. As mentioned in an earlier Inter Boys recap, the Upper Inter Boys East won the divisional round, so they represented the entire Inter division in the big finale. The boys climbed their way into the finals, where they ended up losing a close contest to the Upper Junior Boys on the final question of the night. Even though they didn’t win, the Inter Boys had a blast, and were very proud of how the Upper Inter Boys East represented the division.
The Upper Inter Boys had their final campfire as Main Villagers this past week. They brought great energy to all of the songs, showed expert s’more-making ability and then spoke about what they were most appreciative for after listening to Laurie Rinke read The Giving Tree aloud.
While inter-camp games have come to an end, the intra-camp competition was alive and well this past week on NHL and NCAA Days. Both Inter Boys elective events went extremely well, and were an incredible showcase of what the boys have learned in both hockey and basketball during the course of the summer from our Head Specialists.
On Saturday, the Inter Boys participated in the final Boys Camp Special Day event of the summer – MLB Day. The boys traveled in the morning to the Warrensburg baseball field to play in two, three-teamed groups. The top two teams advanced to the finals back at Echo Lake.
The morning games were not only intense and exciting, but the boys also had the opportunity to play on two fantastic fields with an amazing view of the mountains. In the afternoon final, the White Lamborghini’s defeated the Yellow Care Bears 14-11 in the longest MLB Day game in Echo Lake history (14 innings rather than the customary 3 innings). It was a great day had by all, and one that will be remembered for many summers to come!
For having the two cleanest bunks in the second half of the summer, the Lower Inter Boys West and Lower Junior Boys East had the opportunity to take part in the legendary Boys Camp “Glamping” tradition.
If the Upper Inter Boys campfire was any indication, I think that the boys fully appreciate how lucky they have been to have had such a great summer in a truly amazing place. With a few campers and staff members having left already to get back to school/work, I have had a number of the boys come up to me to express how grateful they are to be at camp with great friends, counselors and role models.
Despite finally arresting criminal, Toby Breekay, The Pines Police Precinct was shaken up the other day when the Commissioner (John “JP” Pezzolla) fired Officer Prangle (Patrick McNeece) from the force. Since this is the final recap of the summer, in true television fashion, we are going to leave this season-ending story as a cliffhanger. The EPIC conclusion of the story will be featured as a stand-alone story in the near future on the Camp Echo Lake Blog (Where Camp Never Ends!)…
Week 7 is a busy week, featuring: Tribal Sing, Reprise, Wednesday Night Live, Burning of the Year, Apache and the Upper Inter “Moving Up” Ceremony. It is a bittersweet time of year as we reflect back upon all of the great memories that we created together as the summer comes to an end.
