The Camp Starlight campus is pretty quiet at 7:00 am on most mornings. There are a few people out jogging or getting in their morning workout before reveille. But most everyone is still in bed…except for one morning. For the past 16 years, the Upper Senior Campers and the Key Staff have met at the flagpole at 7:00 am to face off in the Upper Seniors vs. Key Staff Apache Relay. The Apache Relay is a baton passing race—with a twist. It’s also a tense but friendly battle between those two groups. Passing of the baton is done upon the completion of a task rather than running of a distance. If your idea of pre-breakfast fun is doing crazy things such as washing someone else’s hair or painting their toenails, then you’re probably really jealous right now…or you should be. The entire camp participates in the Apache Relay during the Camp Starlight Olympics, but the Upper Seniors vs. Key Staff Apache is a sacred showdown held earlier in the summer.
At this year’s Seniors vs. Key Staff Apache Relay, the Key Staff had everything to prove. They’d emerged victorious 15 of the past 15 years. That’s right. They were confident going in that they would finish the Apache 16-0, but the Upper Seniors arrived determined that this was their year. The teams traded the lead throughout the race—a few slip ups and kerfuffles on both sides took it down to the very last task where it appeared to FINALLY be the Upper Seniors’ year to claim the win. The Key Staff, never down for long, however, managed to pull out the 16th victory in the end to make their record 16-0. Regardless of the outcome, both the Upper Seniors and the Key Staff are to be congratulated for their incredible efforts and sportsmanship.
