Color War – 2016

In a word – WOW.
This unequivocally has been our best summer since Woody, Sol and I took the reins of the Realm,  so it should be no surprise it was also our best Color War.  We asked our Staff Captains to lead a spirited, passionate Green & White, and they did.  We asked our campers to compete with spirit, heart and sportsmanship, and they did.

Some of the new staff were surprised by the intensity of a summer camp competition.  We teach our campers many things throughout the summer; independence, relationship building and problem solving are among the lessons learned.  The lessons learned in Color War I believe are lessons our kids will take through them in life.  They compete hard but fairly, and working collaboratively as a team when everyone is all in produces fantastic results.  Regardless if there is a “win” at the end of the feat, the journey is satisfying and provides invaluable growth; growth that often cannot be duplicated in other facets of our lives.

Your children competed hard for five days.  They played team sports fatigued and with bumps and bruises.  They ran and swam long distances while exhausted, and pulled in the tug of war until there was nothing left in their tanks.  If it is true that most success stories start with a kid who hated to lose, we have many future success stories at Robin Hood.

We asked them to compete with Integrity and sportsmanship, to be humble winners and to accept defeat graciously.  I watched your children complement their opponents on the tennis courts and make proper line calls even if it meant losing key points.  I was refereeing an intense senior camp football game  – my view was blocked but a child admitted he dropped a touchdown pass when he hit the ground.  I also witnessed a child admit he was the last person to touch the basketball before it went out of bounds, even though it was overtime.

I talked to the campers on the last night of Color War about competition being more internal than about your opponents; that if you can be your best self when you compete, then you are a great competitor which will serve you well in life.  Based on what I witnessed during our Green and White, there were no losers.

Congratulations parents on raising some wonderful competitors.

DC