Two of the most special days for Lower Camp each summer are Junior and Inter Day. For two whole days Upper Camp is away, and our Lower Camp divisions each get a turn to rule the camp on opposite days respectively. Even more special than having virtually the entire camp to themselves, they get to engage in a day of specially planned themed activities. From Intergalactic and international events to a rahoo festival, the Inters had an action packed day filled with fun, a little competition, and a lot of bonding. Meanwhile, the Juniors are having a blast with their Junior Aquarium and Karate Kid 
themes. For both Inters and Juniors there has been lots of water activities—including, yes, lots of tubing and paddle boarding. There have also scavenger hunts, games, string webs, and everyone’s favorite dinners, cookout for the Inters and spaghetti tacos for the Juniors. As for the rest of camp, everyone returns from their trips on Wednesday and the buses will barely be out of camp before we start hearing that familiar cheer…”1,3, 5, 6. We want Olympics!” It’s surreal that we’re already this far into the summer.
Archive for July, 2012
Lower Camp Rules the Roost!
Tuesday, July 31st, 2012Fun Fitness
Sunday, July 29th, 2012
In a culture that seems to constantly decry the poor diets and health habits of children, it’s somewhat ironic that Fitness has become one of the hottest camp activities for both boys and girls. Aside from some innovative and creative activities that pair fitness with fun, Camp Starlight’s fitness director Richelle has some pretty good ideas about what makes Fitness so much fun: perseverance, good music, and effort. During a recent fitness session, she proclaimed to her very enthusiastic campers before beginning a new activity, “We were all given two arms, two legs, and we’re healthy.” In other words, if there is nothing preventing you from doing otherwise, there’s no excuse for not at least trying. The message was well received by the campers in the class as they divided into small groups that rotated from one station to another on 
Richelle’s whistle. And she wasn’t lying about the good music either…the soundtrack was rockin’ and so were the campers, who were obviously enjoying themselves. Probably one of the most impressive things about the class was that no camper seemed too self-conscious to give each activity an honest whirl. Fitness is clearly fun at Camp Starlight, which is no doubt what makes it so popular. Perhaps, too, campers will go home with renewed enthusiasm for maintaining a regular exercise regimen that will drive them to “persevere” over the winter.
Miss Starlight 2012…Plenty of Pomp and Circumstance
Sunday, July 29th, 2012
Miss Starlight…Part mock beauty pageant. Part Camp Starlight’s take on dress up. Each girls bunk chooses a male camp staff member and transforms him into a pretty pretty princess…or something like it. The contestants then strut their stuff on stage in a display of pageantry and talent that would put—well—really no one to shame. But it’s all still very funny and fun to watch. Fortunately, the contestants are not only great sports when it comes to their “makeovers” but they’re incredibly inventive when portraying the characters their bunks have invented for them. Whether Scandinavian royalty, country girls, or even elderly women, they put their heart and souls into their performances as they fight to win the title for 
their respective girls bunks. This year, girls bunk 18 proved themselves the most likely to land their own reality makeover show in their transformation of Armani, who every other day but the one on which he emerged as Miss Starlight 2012, is normally a counselor in boys bunk 21.
Wayne County League Information for 7/28 (as of Lunchtime)
Saturday, July 28th, 2012We have a lot to report for Wayne County. First, as of today, we have an amazing 31 teams playing in a Wayne County Final. That’s more than half of our sports teams! Also, today was Camp Starlight’s own gymnastics meet. Both the Upper and Lower Camp teams performed well. The Camp Starlight Lower Camp team took 2nd and 3rd place and the Upper Camp Team won all three top spots. The All Around competitions for Upper and Lower Camp were won by Camp Starlight gymnasts Skylar R. and Hannah C. respectively as well. Congratulations to all of our gymnasts on a job well done! Other Wayne County League score results as of lunchtime:
| Sport | Score | Win/Loss |
| 10th/11th Grade Girls Soccer (Played 7/27) | 7-0 | Win |
| 10th/11th Grade Boys Basketball (Played 7/27) | 57-47 | Win |
| 6th Grade and Younger Girls Lacrosse | 14-11 | Win |
Wayne County League Scores for 7/27 (as of Lunchtime)
Friday, July 27th, 2012| Sport | Score | Win/Loss |
| 5th Grade Boys Invitational Soccer (Played 7/27) | 1-0 | Win |
| 6th Grade Girls Basketball (Played 7/27) | 19-18 | Loss |
| 10th/11th Boys Lacrosse | 20-2 | Win |
| 10th/11th Grade Girls Tennis | 4-1 | Win |
| 8th Grade Girls Basketball | 30-23 | Win |
It’s Almost Trip Time!
Friday, July 27th, 2012
What do Binghamton Mets, Skate Estate, the bowling alley, movie theater, Lake George, Hershey Park, Dorney Park, Cooperstown, Long Eddy, Jim Thorpe, California, and Toronto have in common? They have all been or will be 2012 Camp Starlight trip destinations for one or more divisions this year. Camp trips are a big part of camp and our campers always look forward to them. Whether it’s tubing for a morning or afternoon or an overnight adventure, they love the adventures. And it’s almost time for the big trips!
Yes, you read that correctly. The divisional trips are next week. It’s hard to believe that the majority of the summer is behind us and, in a few days, the 
phones at camp will go (mostly) quiet, the fields and courts will be (mostly) empty, and the familiar sound of laughter, cheering, and chatter will be significantly fainter after the buses pull out and head to their respective destinations. And the campers are ready!
A few reminders, parents, to…
*Make sure all of the proper forms are completed. Yes, we know this one is kind of a no brainer and a tedious pain, but we believe it’s still better to err on the side of caution by reminding everyone that without all of that pesky paperwork, your children will be waving goodbye to the trip bus rather than on it.
*Insure your children have spending money in their accounts. There’s no need to go dipping into their college funds. A modest amount to pick up a souvenir or two and indulge in something yummy is enough to make most campers happy.
*If your children are Seniors going to Toronto and you haven’t already provided their passports, call Fedex. Toronto is in Canada and border patrol gets kind of cranky when people attempt to pass through without passports.
We can’t wait to hear the stories about our campers’ trip adventures and we know that you can’t either. Divisional trips are always some of the best memories of each summer.
Wayne County League Scores for 7/26 (as of Lunchtime)
Thursday, July 26th, 2012| Sport | Score | Win/Loss |
| 7th Grade Boys Hockey (played 7/25) | 11-0 | Win |
| 9th Grade Boys Tennis (played 7/25) | ??? | Win |
| 10th/11th Grade Girs Lacrosse | 14-11 | Win |
MTV Night 2012: A Rockin’ Good Time!
Wednesday, July 25th, 2012
MTV Night 2012 was a close competition with thirteen divisional winners battling it out for overall champion. From remixes to movie soundtracks, the music was about as varied as the costumes. Everyone fabulously demonstrated why they’d won their divisional titles with excellent lip syncing, dancing, and choreography. The judges had a really tough decision, but in the end Junior Girls bunk 6 edged out the Senior Boys of the Lodge to take the title with a number called Waka Waka. Congratulations to girls bunk 6 for their victory and to all of the competitors for putting together some extremely entertaining acts!
Wayne County League Scores for 7/25 (as of lunchtime)
Wednesday, July 25th, 2012| Sport | Score | Win/Loss |
| 7th Grade and Under Girls Lacrosse (played 7/24) | 20-6 | Win |
| 5th Grade Boys Hockey | 10-3 | Win |
| 6th Grade Boys Basketball | ??? | Loss |
Catching up with the Junior Girls
Tuesday, July 24th, 2012The Junior girls have had a very exciting year so far. In addition to Wayne County and Camp Starlight leagues, they’ve also had Spirit of Starlight, their camp show as well as the all camp show, a gymnastics meet, a dance competition, and more incredible evening activity and S-Day fun than we can mention in this blog. This year’s Junior girls are a spirited group who showcased their Junior pride very well when Junior girls bunk 6 won the 2012 MTV Night competition. They’re a spunky crew, lead by Division Leader Dena, that is always ready for a new day’s adventures and can’t wait to try everything! We recently spoke with one of them about her experience so far. She was happy to give us some insight into an exciting summer. Here is what Danielle S. of girls bunk 4 shared with us:
CS: What is your favorite camp activity?
Danielle: Dance. It’s so much fun and we learn a lot of cool dances.
CS: What has been your favorite S-Day so far?
Danielle: Alice in Wonderland. I liked square dancing with Lou & Sue, swimming, and making shrinky dinks. It was a really fun day.
CS: What has been your favorite evening activity so far?
Danielle: SWF and the Fourth of July fireworks.
CS: What is your favorite Option and Super 6th activity at Camp Starlight?
Danielle: Creative Writing for Option. I’ve gone three times. And Tie-dying for Super 6th. I really like tie-dying things.
CS: Do you have a favorite camp meal?
Danielle: Chicken nuggets and fries and cookout.
CS: What is your favorite part of camp?
Danielle: The first day because you have the WHOLE summer!
CS: Are there any activities that you tried for the first time at camp and now LOOOVE?
Danielle: Yes! Tubing, waterskiing, and paddle boarding. They’re all awesome!
CS: Are you on any Wayne County teams?
Danielle: Yes, I’m on the dance team and also the soccer team. The Starlight dance competition was so much fun. There were so many dances.
CS: To what are you most looking forward during the last few weeks of camp?
Danielle: The pickle ceremony cookout (aka “The Anniversary Party”), banquet night, Skate Estate with all of my friends, the dance competition on Wednesday, and making smoothie recipe cookbooks in Creative Writing.
Danielle also assured us that even though she’s had an amazing time at camp so far, she’s really excited about everything coming up within the next couple of weeks. She said that she’s sure her least favorite day of camp is going to be the last day because that means there aren’t any more days of camp left. We agree, Dani!
