HIGH STAKES COLOR WAR
Color War is always an intense, all-out finish to an event-filled summer at Scatico. It's the last full-camp push; a series of games and competitions campers and counselors alike have been looking forward to since their very first day in Elizaville. For Soopers and Upper Seniors it's a bittersweet four days: both a time to lead, and a farewell song of sorts. From coaching younger campers' sporting events, to strategizing for All-Star games, leading cheers, and encouraging good sportsmanship, the Soopers and Upper Seniors truly set the bar for Color War, and the rest of camp follows suit. For younger and first-time campers, Color War is an exciting rush, and a time when truly every camper is given the opportunity to step up to the plate and shine for their team. The best Color War moments come when new and unexpected talents are brought into the spotlight. With activities as diverse as art projects, softball, chess, trivia, ping pong ball balances, and egg tosses, there is bound to be an activity for everyone.
Inter/ Sub Junior soccer
All smiles at jump roping
BOYS SIDE
Boys Color War is four days of non-stop action, from the first dodgeball match on the A-court to the final chicken fight in the Social Hall. On boys side three counselors are chosen to be Generals for each team, and help the Upper Seniors lead and coach the rest of camp. At some moments the teams were neck in neck, but ultimately Grey pulled ahead to win. The four days had many magical moments, but here are a few standout highlights.
Gathering sticks for rope burn.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
- An intense game of Inter/ Sub Senior soccer went beyond overtime and into penalties, where Isaac Malkin scored the winning penalty kick to take home a victory for Green.
Isaac Malkin's penalty kick
- A heated game of All Star Chess eventually ended in a draw, with Jake Vandercar and John Fischgrund as the final two standing.
- Boys side resurrected an old event: the Flagpole Shootout. It used to be that a counselor sat in a chair and campers shot foam arrows at them from a distance, but this summer we switched it up and used real arrows to shoot at a life jacket draped over a chair. Simon Mandel scored a victory for Grey when he shot an arrow that pierced right through the lifejacket's "heart."
- Novelties are fun, mini-competitions that break up the flow of larger sport events throughout the day. In the egg toss novelty, Aidan Rogers and General Alan O'Neill were the final partners with an intact egg, securing a win for Grey.
- The always-heated A-game (played at the Pavilion) was a particularly close one this Color War, with Green winning by just two points.
The A Game
- The Swim Meet and Boating Reggata always bring new all-stars to the fore. War Canoe, which involves campers from all divisions rowing as fast as they can, was won by Grey by only three seconds. Shout outs to Grey coxswain Henry Lilienfeld and Green coxswain Max Rosh.
Grey and Green go head-to-head in a canoe relay
- Green won All-Star Softball, in part thanks to a home-run hit by Captain Brian Schindler.
- Both Senior Football and Upper Senior Soccer were intense matches ultimately won by Grey. Senior Jonny Leibowitz scored multiple touchdowns for his team, and Captain Ethan Edelson scored 4 goals!
Upper Senior Ryan Ditkoff up to bat.
- Green nabbed a victory in Soph-Sub Junior Hockey with Nick Mozga scoring numerous goals!
- Rope Burn is always a highly-anticipated Color War event, and involves each team building a fire high enough to burn through a rope hanging above the flames as quickly as possible. Each team is allowed to recruit one "fire-building" supervisor, to strategize how to maximize the height of the fire's flame. Evan Baitch designed Green's winning fire, a moment made extra sweet since his twin brother Ryan was General.
"Go Green fire, burn a little higher!"
- Grey clinched their Color War victory in the final potato race (campers run back and forth along the Social Hall to place blocks at various distances), when Upper Senior Sage Blumenfeld won.
GIRLS SIDE
On girls side Color War is structured slightly differently, and the Sooper girls really step it up to lead the rest of the camp. The competition kicks off with a Sing, where each team chooses a theme– this year's were Green Candy Land and Grey Rydell High– and perform a series of songs (an Alma Mater, Folk Song, and Entrance about how awesome their team is, are a few highlights). Soopers and Seniors work together to prep for sing for days straight, creating unbelievable sceneries to hang in the Social Hall. Following Sing it's three days of non-stop action, from Apache relays and All-Star Volleyball to Scavenger Hunts and the Bucket Brigade (teams need to fill a huge garbage can with water so that a ping pong ball inside of it raises to the top and spills out). It was a close competition, but in the end Green secured an overall victory.
The team emblems, made by the Subs for each camper to wear everyday. During sporting events, campers opt to hang them from trees.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
- The Sing included many standout moments, including a beautiful winning Alma by Grey to the song "All I Want" by Kodaline, and impressive winning scenery and Entrance (appropriately to the song "I Want Candy") by Green.
Green Candy Land Scenery
Grey Rydell High Scenery
Green Candy Lane Soopers and Seniors in costume for the Sing
Green and Grey in an epic sing down
- The jump rope novelty, where division by division girls run through a spinning jump rope, is always a highlight. The Junior girls surprised all of camp with their impressive skills, and in the end the Grey team had the final campers not eliminated, including the youngest of the trio Maya Pisetzner.
- The Apache Relay involves everything from finding objects in a hay stack to rolling clay into a ball and accurately serving 3 tennis balls. Every camper participates in an event, there are over 70 in total, which spans all of girls campus and the lake! Although they started out behind, Green pulled ahead for a victory.
- A little rain did nothing to stop the intensity, with everything from Junior/ Jinter Simon says to Sooper/Senior dodgeball.
- The Upper Hill treasure hunt was particularly high stakes, ending with two Soopers rowing to the ice peak located in between boys and girls waterfronts to find the mafia's "weapon". It all came down to Sam Derasse and Lindsey Sherman from Grey, and Sophie Blumenfeld and Anna Rosenberg from Green. It was neck-in-neck but Green emerged victorious.
Grey Soopers Sherman and Karlin are ready to lead.
Carson Lava at hurdles!
- Grey was able to nab victories in nearly all of the novelties, from hit the penny to water toting (teams fill a vessel with water using only their hands).
- The Swim and Boat Meet were as intense as ever, with Green and Grey in a dead tie all the way up until the last event: the Sooper General/Lieutenant relay where one leader loads the other up with unlimited lifejackets and then the duo swim together (it looks something like a human orange marshmellow) to the dock and back. In the end Green Gn. Emily Mester and Lt. Anna Rosenfeld made it back first.
Jane Greeley leads the Grey War canoe.
Erica Smiley leads Green War Canoe.
- Grey nabbed a win in All-Star Softball, thanks in part to some stellar pitching from Eliana Pisetzner.
- Green dribbled, passed and scored their way to a victory in All-Star Basketball. Shout outs to the "Emilys" (Holzer and Mester) for their impressive games.
- To learn of the overall winner, the Chief Judges light the letters of a rope spelling out GREENY. They start with the G, R, and E and then depending on the third letter they light teams know if Green or Grey was victorious. With the lighting of the second E Green knew they had won for the first time since 2013!
Green Centers on the soccer field
Grey Inters on the soccer field
Grey Juniors and Jinters throw their weight into Tug of War.
PARTING WORDS
It's hard to believe it, but with Color War in the books it's nearly time to say goodbye to the 12523. The final night of camp is one filled with many time-honored traditions, from the boys and girls banquets, to a viewing of the Slide Show and closing campfires. After living 10 for 2, the 2 always seems to go by way too fast. Let the countdown to summer 2017 begin!