Today at ELITEAM we… started the day with morning run & stretch. Before we sat down for breakfast we managed to squeezed in time for the campers to assemble their bag lunches. Some packed three granola bars and one particular applesauce devotee packed six packets for himself!! Needless to say, campers had plenty of fuel for the awesome day ahead. After pancakes, pure VT maple syrup, fresh berries, campers were ready to hit the grassy slopes of Sugarbush for a big day of hiking. We completed several challenges on our five mile hike including: building a cairn, making an “au natural” hat, singing a song, building a star and writing a poem. After a very nice breezy chairlift down, campers clambered back onto the bus and we headed back to campus to rest for a bit. Some campers and staff, however, still had enough energy to walk down to the river and splash around for awhile. After our siesta, we were back in action soon again. The rest of the day was filled with dancing, fencing, tires, and our friends “Pain” and “Agony”. Another awesome, action-packed day!
Group Conor’s Poem:
ELITEAM is the best!!
It’s far better than the rest.
We eat more and make it count!
We’re here today to hike this mount.
We struggle hard to become strong
All the while we sing great songs.
If we can make it to the top
We can beat Zack in the Jello Drop.
Group Molly’s Poem:
Even though our poem was late
It takes time to make it great.
At lunch we chew our food 10 times
And afterwards we made some rhymes.
Once we hit the long trail
We made this poem and did not fail.
Even though we need new socks
We still think ELITEAM rocks
This morning Doug said to make a lunch
So we packed a whole bunch.
At the chairlift we scream and shout
Hey Doug! We made it count!!!
Group Devon’s Poem:
This week at ELITEAM
We’ve sweat so much we truly gleam.
We arrived just two days ago
From all over afar and fro.
We’ve jumped real far and climbed real high
We’ll make it count as we reach for the sky.
And to make sure this poem rhymes
we’ll remind you to chew your food ten times!
We’ll push our limits at Sufferfest
And Saturday night we’ll get lots of rest.
Sandpits & Olympics are to come
You can be sure we’ll have the most fun!
What were you top 3 moments on the hike and why?
Meredith: (1) Reaching the top because I felt very accomplished. (2) Riding back on the chairlift because the views were awesome. (3)Walking through the traverse because it was really cool and a great leg workout!
Molly: (1) Reaching the top because we pushed through the pain and achieved our goal of making the struggle count! (2) Looking up at what we had accomplished because the top looked so far away from the bottom. (3) The pain because my legs hurt and knowing I could accomplish my goal I Made It Count!!
Alli: (1) Finishing because I felt very accomplished. (2) When I finally got to the top! (3) Sunshine!
Cate: (1) Presenting our poem. (2) Listening to music. (3) The feeling when we finished the hike – it felt so good!.
Brenna: (1) The view at the top because it was so pretty. (2) Presenting because it was so funny to watch. (3) Listening to music because it helped me stay focused on finishing.
Cha: (1) When my group reached the top 1st, after having passed every team. (2) The poem. It was interesting. (3) When I dropped the water before we had even started the hike and I didn’t have to do push ups.
Drew: (1) When we reached the top of the mountain, because it meant that we got to ride the chairlift down. (2) Afterwards, when we looked up from the bottom of the mountain because it made me realize how far we had hiked. (3) When we took a break for lunch because food has never tasted so good!!!
Liam: (1) Snack— because food. (2) Lunch — because food. (3) The chairlift ride down because it was so relaxing.
Ford: Getting to the very top because it was very rewarding (2) Standing on the rocks I saw from the bottom because it had a nice view and I saw how far I had come.
Monty: (1) Making it to the top because the view was awesome. (2) Eating lunch because you know…lunch! (3) Going down on the chair because there was a nice breeze.
What did your group do well today?
Meredith: We were great about sticking together and cheering each other on! I made a lot of new friends of all ages.
Molly: My group worked very well together and worked hard to complete the list of challenges.
Alli: We kept our spirits high.
Cate: We made a great poem.
Brenna: We did well with the determination to finish.
Cha: We started fifth and finished first.
Drew: My group came up with a poem really easily.
Liam: We didn’t stop as much and we kept on going.
Ford: We made a good star.
Monty: We passed some of the other teams.
How did you “make it count” today on the hike?
Meredith: I made it count when I pushed through the pain and kept walking, because now I’m stronger!
Molly: I pushed through the pain and suffering until I reached the top and could enjoy the views and feeling of satisfaction.
Alli: Pushed it as hard as I could.
Cate: I pushed as hard as I could.
Brenna: By pushing myself to finish.
Cha: We pushed through the heat and steep incline at the end, but it was worth it.
Drew: I carried the water job with me the whole time.
Liam: I carried both water gallons for a while.
Ford: I hiked hard and pushed on.
Monty: I never gave up.
Coaches Corner:
Coach Zack: My highlight of the day came from Russell when he said “working on this hat takes my mind off the struggle”.
Coach Julia: I really enjoyed seeing how determined my group was not only to finish together but to finish first. So it was a cool feeling when we were able to pass every other group despite being one of the last groups to leave.
Counselor Teddy: I discovered the boys in Hydration Haven lying on the floor with their legs up the wall. They said, “We are draining the acid out of our legs and it’s coming out of our ears.”
