Jumping into a teeth chattering cold lake every morning isn’t the most pleasant sounding idea at Camp Starlight, but you would be surprised by how many people willingly do it and there’s actually a great reason why they do.
At Camp Starlight there is a special club you can be a part of if you jump into the lake every single morning of the summer. Jump in, splash around and embrace the cold and you’ll be a member of the prestigious Polar Bear Club. Each morning campers from all the divisions jump into the lake to complete the daily task of being in the Polar Bear Club. No skips are allowed, even if it’s extra chilly in the morning, and if you successfully complete this challenge there is a special party at the end of the summer just for you.
It’s a silly challenge but there are so many benefits to being a part of the Polar Bear Club because of everything it teaches campers. For a camper to participate in this means they start their day completing a challenge a lot of people won’t even attempt to do. When a camper starts every morning overcoming a challenge and feeling accomplished, it sets them up to have a positive day where they can accomplish many more things. This ripple effect will translate into campers realizing how much potential is inside them, motivating them to tackle larger and more difficult challenges. The Polar Bear Challenge also shows campers the importance of determination and to never give up, especially on mornings when it’s a bit nippier than usual.
Their hard work pays off when at the end of the summer they realize they are one of few campers that were actually motivated enough to become a member of the Polar Bear Club, the rewarding feeling is something that makes all those cold mornings well worth it.
As last sunset of the summer touches the lake and the Starlight shirts are packed away, another summer at Camp Starlight has come to a close. The summer flew by as the wind does through the trees, easily and without notice. It’s not until the activities slow down and trunks lift out of the attic that you realize another summer of fun, laughter, excitement and challenge has come and gone. You won’t be able to see the growth within yourself if you stare up close in the mirror, but it is visible in the list of achievements you’ve accomplished throughout the summer, whether big or small. Smiling at your new friends and hugging your old ones, Camp Starlight has brought you together with people you never knew you would meet in life from all over the world. Remembering all the times you spent laughing at the evening activity, singing and cheering during Olympics and how excited you were to start the summer when you hopped off the bus, the memories from the summer of 2017 flood you entirely. It’s really at the end of the summer that you realize how special this place is and how it’s magic transforms an ordinary summer of work and play into a season of outrageous amounts of fun and unique opportunities. Preparing for goodbyes have never been as difficult as when you have to separate from those you have grown closest to and admire. You may wonder how does time move this fast exactly when you don’t want it to and why will these next ten months until camp feel like ten years. The wait is long, the goodbyes are hard and the heartache is heavy, but all of this is worth it when you hop on the bus to go home because you know soon enough you will hop right back off to your summer home, Camp Starlight. 
After a great battle between blue and white, the annual Olympics at Camp Starlight came to a final close, declaring Happy Blue Day the successor on girl’s side and Grand Stand White the winner of boy’s side. Every single camper, regardless what team they were on, put in one hundred and ten percent effort into these Olympic games, embracing every unusual task or challenge that would earn their team points. Campers wouldn’t even do a double take when asked to toss cheese puffs onto a camper’s head full of shaving cream, duke it out in the most intense game of Gaga or eat dinner in complete silence to help their team win. Olympics is a five day event that everyone takes seriously, counselors and staff included because it is also their hard work and dedication that helps their team win. Counselors and staff can sacrifice all their time to help design costumes and a set for Sing! or compete in staff volleyball games during rest hour just so that their team can get a few extra points. No matter how few or many points a camper or counselor earned for their team, they all added up in the end and without them the results wouldn’t have been the same. Olympics is a time that brings all of the campers, counselors and staff together, a special event that bonds everyone together as they all fight for the same goal. When the winners are announced at the end of the fifth day, cheering and shouts of joy erupted in the air but it didn’t compare to the rewarding feeling when everyone from the blue and white teams rushed the lake, celebrating all the things that every camper had been able to achieve during this Olympics. While winning is a reward in itself, the real reward of Olympics are the memories everyone was able to create during these five days of fun, athleticism, teamwork and friendship. 
For the second day of Olympics, the girls of Happy Blue Day proved even stronger than on the first day, amping up all the energy and spirit for the games. The Juniors served up some tough competition for the Grand Stand Whites on the tennis courts and battled in the sand during a tough game of Newcombe on the volleyball courts. The sand of beach volleyball and the nets of the tennis courts were also well defended by the Lower Inters, bringing just as much intensity as the Juniors. Running bases with ease, the Upper Inters glided through pitches on the softball diamond and took their coordination skills to the test for the soccer shootouts. The Lower Debs also put their soccer skills to the test for an exciting game of soccer against the white team. Upper Debs dribbled effortlessly around the Grand Stand Whites in basketball and slammed some pitches for a game of softball. Defending Happy Blue Day with ferocity, the Seniors raced around the field in soccer and competed in the boating meet with power and spirit. All the girls proved their dedication to their team and made their coaches and counselors proud when sporting the color blue with pride. 
The Grand Stand Whites packed a powerful punch for the second day of Olympics, raising the bar in spirit and sportsmanship for the day’s activities. Inspired by the previous day’s events, the Juniors put all their passion into exciting games of tennis and beach volleyball against Happy Blue Day. Battling in the sand, the Lower Inters dominated in a game of Newcombe and then later put all their energy onto the tennis courts just like the Juniors. Running the bases, the Upper Inters took pride in a great game of softball and kicked with power for the soccer shootout. Bringing the heat to the black top and the pitch, the Lower Debs played exciting games of basketball and soccer while the Upper Debs pushed hard for the win in basketball and softball. The Seniors showed off many summers worth of practice for an intense game of soccer against Happy Blue Day, fighting to prove that white is better than blue. With Lower Camp competing in a swim meet and Upper Camp in a boating meet, the Grand Stand Whites faced off in the water for a fun afternoon of healthy competition. The girls worked really hard the second day and had fun cheering on their friends through wins and losses, happy to be experiencing Olympics at the end of a perfect summer. 
The Grand Stand White boys spent the large majority of the morning in the water with Lower Camp having a blast in the boating meet and the Upper Camp battling it out in their swim meet. Happy Blue Day came out of the dock looking to make up for yesterday’s swim meet, but Grand Stand White came back in the second half of the race to win it. After the Grand Stand White dried off from their wet morning, the divisions split up for more individualized competition. The Upper Inters and Juniors made incredible comebacks in Gaga in order to sweep Happy Blue Day and the Lower Inters faced off for a fun game of baseball. The Seniors showed off their skills in intense games of lacrosse and ultimate frisbee, packing a punch for the blue team. Taking example from the Seniors, the Lower Plebes also showed off their athleticism in games of flag football while the Upper Plebes took to the bases for a powerful game of baseball. The boys all cheered due to high morale of a successful second day of Olympics. The boy’s positive attitude and eagerness to compete led to victories in each division, furthering the euphoric atmosphere within the Grand Stand White team. 
The first morning of the 2017 Olympics started with the Lower Camp boating meet, the Juniors and Inters swam with confidence and pride for their team. The Grand Stand White came out on top in other divisions as well. As the morning continued, the Lower Debs served up some strength in tennis, ran through the bases for a great game of softball and made a great impact in the sand for beach volleyball. Following suit, the Upper Debs also defended the nets in tennis and played their white hearts out in a game of soccer. Taking note from Upper Camp, the Inters of Lower Camp played hard in games of Gaga, tennis and knockout. Not to forget to mention that the Juniors rocked it out at soccer in the afternoon. The Seniors really showed camp what it means to be a part of the Grand Stand Whites with nailbiting games of softball, volleyball, soccer shots and flag football, these girls brought an intense amount of energy and inspired all of Grand Stand White to work hard and push it to the limits for Olympics. The girls started Olympics with a bang and there is more to come from this team of white spirit. 
“It’s a Junior’s Life For Me” was a popular phrase said by every Junior on the ever anticipated Junior Day this summer. A pirate themed day, all the Juniors had the entirety of Camp Starlight to themselves to have fun as pirates and play to overtake Camp Starlight as their treasure. Junior Day is a day devoted to the fun of the Juniors where they can play all over camp and not worry about anything except discovering as much buried treasure as possible. Diving into the waterfront to unearth treasure, whipping up edible treasure in the Farmhouse and searching for clues from sea creatures in the swamp, Juniors embraced their inner pirate for a day full of fun under the sun. The Juniors sport bandanas and eye patches to fully embrace the pirate role, enjoying a day of activities that are just for themselves. Camp Starlight hosts these themed days for the Juniors to show their appreciation for the youngest division because of all the bright energy they bring to camp. The Juniors are the first to laugh and to raise their hand to participate in an evening activity, their energy is something that everyone at Camp Starlight loves to feed off of and embrace. The atmosphere of camp is so positive when the Juniors are around to giggle and have fun with the other campers and counselors. Junior Day is a great event that highlights the positivity and fun of the Juniors and inspires everyone at camp to see everyday as fun as they do. Because of their spirit and love for summer camp, the Juniors inspire others to say “It’s a Junior Life For Me.”