Night Activities
The fun doesn’t stop at Alpine when the sun goes down. And it’s a beautiful sunset tonight here at camp. From our Team sports field the sun sets over the river which is our western border. You can’t see the actual sunset because of the canopy of trees. But tonight, and many nights, you can see the multiple shades of orange, pink, and purple color the sky. There’s also a new moon out so you can see the crescent rising in the night sky. The humidity has dropped with the sun and the real temp and feels like temp match at a comfortable 75 degrees.
I’d love to give you a little window into our world each evening after Glee Club (described in a previous post). Most evenings Roderick assigns each age group an individual game or activity to play. Most are within shouting distance of the field and gym. It’s fun to hear 300 plus voices playing, cheering, and laughing in the night air, the sounds of summer. Tonight Hunters are getting the field to play a thrilling game of Capture the Flag. If you are not familiar, the field is divided up into two sides, each side a home field safe zone for one of the two teams. Cross over into the other team’s zone and you are susceptible to getting tagged and sent to jail on the opposing team’s side. But the risk may be worth the reward if you can make it to the flag zone, collect the flag, and reach your home side without getting tagged!
Our Trappers are working on a special project tonight, prepping for a big race coming up later in the week. Thomas Gallagher, our Associate Director, has spent the day cutting wooden derby cars to the exact specifications as designed by each camper. Tonight they will decorate their race cars, arguably just as important as the speed of the car! In a few days we will race the cars in group heats, eventually whittling down to a finals race to determine the fastest derby car in camp.
Our Scout age group is wielding dodge balls on the other end of the large field for intense matches of Jedi Ball. Jedi Ball is an Alpine variation on dodgeball where each team has a Jedi with a light sabre (ahem, pool noodle). If you get tagged you are not out but must sit where you got tagged and not participate. That is, unless you Jedi bravely comes and tags you with his pool noodle, I mean light sabre, and brings you back to life. First team to get everyone on the other team out wins. And then it all starts over again!
The Warrior age group is next door to the field, on the tennis courts tonight (which are also lit by our field lights). They are not playing tennis though. They’re enjoying some matches of Alpine Cricket. I’m not even going to attempt to explain the rules, as I don’t know the real rules to cricket, much less the Alpine rules. I do know from the cheers in that direction that they are having fun!
The Braves have been given the run of the sand volleyball courts and a game near there called 9 Square in the Air. 9Square is a hybrid between volleyball and the old traditional playground game, 4square. There are quite literally 9 squares of PVC pipe in the air, probably 3X3’, supported by PVC standards. Each participant occupies a square, with a line of boys waiting to get in. The goal is to keep the ball volleying in the air and not let in land in your square. There’s a distinct order to the 9 squares, like the old playground game, with the goal to move to the 9th or King square in the air. It’s a fast moving game that results in short lines and lots of action!
Our Chief 1’s are enjoying a night swim at the pool under the lights. Is there anything better in the summertime? Meanwhile, our Chief 2’s are competing in cabin v cabin round robin matches of floor hockey in the gym.
Props to Roderick for planning ways to entertain and provide fun for so many boys each and every night. I’m not sure that I’ve introduced Roderick this summer in the blog. He is our longtime 2nd Term program director, a teacher at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, TN during the rest of the year. He and his wife, Tricia, have 5 children including 3 boys who have all been campers and counselors at Alpine. He also coaches track and cross country at MBA and serves as a church officer at his church. Fun fact, Roderick was my counselor for my final two summers as a camper here in the early 90’s. We have been friends ever since.
I look forward to being back in touch later in the week with more updates, including possibly the most special day of the whole term, Mountain Day! Thanks for reading and good night for now, Glenn
