Our final full day at ELITEAM was nothing short of epic! From a four-hour mountain adventure to an unforgettable Capture the Flag battle to a Smoothie Contest worthy of the Food Channel, the campers gave it everything they had—and then some!
Hike & Challenge
We kicked off the day with a team-based hike up the stunning peaks around Sunday River, gaining 2,000 vertical feet through Maine’s lush, cool woods. The teams were on a mission—not just to climb—but to conquer a series of tough challenges along the way, including:
– Singing a team anthem on video
– Knocking out 100 burpees
– Carrying 2 gallons of water the whole way
– Writing a custom poem using specific, ELITEAMy words – a sample below!
They crushed every single one! There were ropes, rocky scrambles, cool breezes, and even a surprise natural snack stop—wild Maine blueberries right off the bushes!
Dorm Clean-Up & Field Fun
Back at camp, we shifted gears to clean up the dorms (time to find the floor again!) and then hit the field for—you guessed it—more burpees! With only 90 left to stay on track for 1,200 by the end of camp, the kids powered through and then launched into a high-energy game of Capture the Flag.
Smoothie Showdown!
Next up: the ultimate nutritional showdown! Each of the six teams competed in our annual Smoothie Challenge. With blenders whirring and ingredients flying, they crafted some creative concoctions to impress our tough, but well-fed judges. Think Top Chef, ELITEAM-style.
Crazy Relays & JELLO Drop
To finish the day, it was time for some all-out, wild-n-wacky Agility Relays, capped off by the legendary Jello Drop. And for the first time in 34 years, the CAMPERS BEAT THE COACHES! History was made. High-fives all around. Special shoutout to Callan and Counselor Matt for taking top spot!
What’s on tap for Saturday?
Tomorrow is SUFFERFEST – a 2.5 hour walk through a river while doing 100 of every exercise imaginable. That is followed by Pizza and a special Zoom call with a U.S. Ski Team athlete to wrap up our week of grit, growth, and greatness. Can’t wait to see you all in the afternoon!
Don’t miss the blog entries below—straight from the campers themselves!
Describe how hard or fun the hike was? What else besides hike up the mountain did you do?
- Heidi: The hike was hard going down because my legs were already tired and we were on loose gravel.
- Grace D: It was really fun, the activities were burpees, carrying water jugs, making a poem with words, mainly about Jimmy, singing a song and making a star.
- Clara L: The hike was hard going up to start but it got really fun and my group had a bit of a wild blueberry obsession. On the walk down for the sing a song hike challenge my group made a music video to the national anthem.
- Katrina N: The hike was mostly pretty easy but the hike up and avoiding roots was pretty difficult. We did capture the flag and smoothies.
- Simonka: The hard part was going down because it was rocky. The fun part was having fun with friends and building the star!
- Elise S: The hike was fun, we got to sing a song, even though it was a challenge to complete all the tasks.
- Cosi B: Picking blueberries was super fun! They were so small and sweet.
What was your favorite smoothie?
- Heidi: Pink Princess Powerup – bananas, strawberries, tofu, Greek yogurt, spinach and milk.
- Grace D: strawberries, banana, vanilla protein, vanilla, spinach and milk.
- Clara: Strawberry and blueberry smoothie. The judges were harsh but it was really fun.
- Katrina: my personal favorite was the neon green (my team) competition smoothie.
- Simonka: Strawberry-banana even though the judges hated it!
- Elise S: Banana and Strawberry even though the judges hated it!
- Cosi: My favorite had coconut and chia seeds, it was super thick.
Team Yellow Hike Poem –
You what’s up
He never gives up
I’m not a liar
When I tell you we’re on fire
Cause we have the desire
To keep climbing higher
We eat our asparagus
Cause we can’t get enough of this
We see the extra view
While you all snooze
We hiked the extra mile
Just cause we got style
We’re full of grit
And we never quit
Jimmy’s a little slow
But we still got to go
To beat him to the top
Cause we never stop
They call us mac and cheese
Even lemon squeeze
But we hike Sunday River with ease
While doing Burpees in the trees
As it may seem
Yellow’s the best team!
