It’s a big day here at Camp Tall Timbers. After lunch, the older campers will head off to go white-water rafting, and the younger ones will go to Cacapon State Park for a day of swimming, games and sun. And this morning, too, is no ordinary day. It’s an A Day on our three-day activity schedule, meaning that boys and girls separate into groups for Girl Power Hour and Boys Leagues. These are a great time for campers to bond with kids of other age groups who they might not have any classes with.
Here’s what I’m gathering about Power Hour and Boys Leagues: it’s a lot like being a Purple Nurple. Wait, that probably makes no sense if you’re not a Tall Timbers camper. The Purple Nurples are one of our flag football teams, and what I mean is, whether you play flag football during free swim or get super into Color War, what you’re actually doing is figuring out what you stand for, why you push so hard, and what it means to be a part of something.
Last night, my camper Anna Hutzler hurried into dinner a few minutes late after her flag football game, red-faced and sweating. She sat down beside me and wiped her face. “Did you win?” I asked.
“No!” she said with a massive grin. She went on to explain that they had been up the whole game, and had lost to the Yellow Polka-Dotted Hippopotami 21-20 in the final moments, and her coach was great, and the other team’s coach was hilarious. The play-by-play continued for quite some time, and Anna’s smile never faded. You see, as insanely fun flag football is, it’s also accompanied by the simple and wonderful sensation of being a Purple Nurple. Or a member of the Blue Team during Color War. Or a Tent Boy. I don’t know. Maybe the flag football league is just a fun way to spend during free swim. Or maybe it’s something more.
Other Camp Tall Timbers Happenings
– Jen Heiman nearly beat the instructor in tennis, and Sydney LaPorte won her first game of Jail
– Sydney Sachs and Hayley Sanders made it to the top of the rock wall
– Grace Brown and Reese Rosenbloom vied for first place in the morning treading water contest, and Alex Brown won the afternoon one
– Orange Crush beat the Red Bulls in flag football
– Ella Perkins hit the can off the stump in archery
– Adriana Machuca and Lori Belt made it to the top of the wall for the first time
– Ethan Weinstein has already memorized his lines for the play