Sea and Land: Day 6

The penultimate day at summer camp brought blue skies back to Sequassen. The week has flown by and we find ourselves with just one day to pack in fond memories of another year at camp. Today was highlighted by the Land and Sea games (or in reverse given that we started at the waterfront). It ended with the Closing Campfire. Today's post will be short just to capture some quick pics and memories. We will follow up with Mr. Linnetz's professional shots at a later time.

The rain ended overnight so it was a cool and dry morning at camp, with the skies becoming brighter throughout the day. After breakfast (French Toast, Mr. Child!), scouts headed off to the final Merit Badge class, their last chance to finish all the requirements. I spent some time with Henry at Shotgun where Andrew, the MB counselor, had them disassembling and cleaning their shotguns. They also finished their presentations on potential careers related to the use of shotguns (you would be surprised to know how many were mentioned). Indeed, It is a core part of many Merit Badges for scouts to identify possible career paths. On my way back to the Dining Hall, I was able to catch the mile run as part of Personal Fitness, for which Logan and Sam were both attempting to complete this requirement.

Morning Merit Badges:

After lunch and one last class, it was off to the waterfront. We started with the Sea Games. Due to the smaller size of our troop, we were paired up with Troop 29 Litchfield from the Nathan Hale site. We participated in games such as the In and Out Canoe Race (1st Place), Underwater Knot Tying (1st Place), Diving for lunch trays, Underwater Musical Chairs, and the Bucket Brigade Race. Leaders were not left out with the Scoutmaster Splash (1st Place) and Swamp the Scoutmaster (3rd Place). We unfortunately had a DNF in Sandwich Relay as the sandwich did not make it back to shore, so Mr. Ladanyi had to go hungry.

Sea Games:

From Sea, we headed to the Land games. We had done very well in Sea as noted above, so were in good position to place for the competition overall. The land games included the Tug of War (1st Place), Relay Race, Dizzie Bat (3rd Place) , Ultimate Frisbee, Badminton, Cookie Race, and the Scoutmaster Axe Throwing competition. At the end of the competition (announced at the campfire), our combined troop team tied for 3rd place overall.

After our final dinner (Lemon Chicken), we attended the Closing Campfire which was a mixture of staff and troop singing songs and conducting skits. A personal highlight were Program Director Mike and Nature Lodge director Bobbie, brothers, performing a hilarious constructor worker skit. Then, back at the campsite, a bunch of our scouts attended our neighboring site, Hillside, for a friendship fire.

As I write this blog, it is a beautiful evening and a good time to stop and reflect on the past week. We started the week hopeful but unsure how the week would go for our small crew, and what would be the theme of our stay. From my perspective, this was a week of fun, grasping the moment, and finding the opportunities for enjoyment. When faced with dire heat, we embraced the waterfront. When faced with rain, we welcomed guests with warm cider and smiling faces.

No matter the feeling in camp tonight, excitement or exhaustion, we are all looking forward to seeing our families tomorrow (and sleeping in our own beds). It was a really great week of camp. We had excellent adult leadership, spearheaded by our acting Scoutmaster and professional photographer Mr. Linnetz, along with yours truly all week. Mr. McCoy and Mr. O'Neil got us to Thursday and dealt with the heat, whereas Mr. Renzi and Mr. Ladanyi brought cooler temps and rain. It was also a great week due to the leadership of Henry, our SPL, who shortly after Philmont, worked hard to plan an amazing week. He followed this up at camp , ensuring our scouts were active and engaged no matter their preference. During the week, we had both surprise guests (Cameron, the Hoyacks) and site guests (staff, 770, and others). But most importantly, our scouts had a great time, made new friends, and created lasting memories. Thank you to all those back home in Newtown who continue to volunteer and support this troop. Special thanks to Mrs. Tenezaca who mastered and gathered all the medical forms, and of course Mr. Hoyack, our dedicated and tireless Scoutmaster who helped Henry and Mr. Linnetz prepare for the week. Without all of you, this week simply would not be possible.

Good night from Jerome, Camp Sequassen, New Hartford, Connecticut.