The sun arose over Camp Timberlake this morning, awaking the campers again. For some, it was the second to last sunrise of their 2014 camp experience. Nevertheless, all awoke with energy and headed to breakfast, where they were treated to some pancakes and bacon. After eating their fill, the campers did the morning yell, and then headed off to chapel.

 

At chapel, camper Dane T. lead worship in order to finish his gold bar in guitar, bringing the group to sing camp classics such as “Give Me Oil” and “As The Deer”. Then Adam Boyd got up front and shared a message about surrender. He shared a moving story and told the men of Timberlake that God wants nothing less than the complete surrender of our lives to him. From there, the guys went to go clean their cabins. All of a sudden though, things changed up.

 

Tribalpalooza happened today. That’s right, the tribal event of all tribal events. Immediately after cabin cleanup, the day started off strongly with some epic battles of Sock War. Socks were tossed, people were put in jail, and flags were stolen. Soon after, lunch was served, which was another excellent meal – stromboli, which was quickly devoured. Then, two huge announcements came: the winner of Sock War from that morning, as well as the winner of Cabin Cleanup for the entire two week session. To thunderous applause, the Seminole tribe had won this morning, emboldening the spirits of the Seminoles for the next competition. And then the cabin cleanup winner was announced: Big Slaty! Their cabin, after two weeks of tireless effort and spotless cabin floors, won the glory of cabin cleanup, as well as a free pizza party tonight after evening activity. There was much rejoicing among those men as everyone left for the next good surprise, Rest Hour. 

 

Once the men of Timberlake had their fill of stromboli and hour-long naps, the next intense Tribalpalooza event started. Aquafest, a series of small games held at the waterfront of Lake Doris, a competition to see who has the the true Spirit of Poseidon. The fest started off with an intense freestyle swim relay, in which the Seminoles nabbed the victory. Next came the open-boat canoe relay, followed by the best dive competition. The highest score given by the judges was a 9.5, given to Seth H. for a nearly flawless one-and-a-half dive. Briefly after that was the paddleboard relay race, a rather slow but still intense event. The Iroquois won this relay by a horse’s nose, leading to the final event – bellyflop contest. There were some excellent bellyflops this afternoon. Several of the guys were committed to a perfect bellyflop all the way through the bitter end. Bailey M. came out strong with an 8.5 for a nearly perfect flop, body straight as an arrow with his arms at his sides. But the real winner came in the form of Hank B. today. With a large bounce, a mighty arc through the air, and a fully exposed stomach and fully extended spread-eagle position, a loud clap​ broke the silence of bated breath as he made contact with Lake Doris. He did not even flinch one bit before taking one for the team, and winning for the Iroquois with a perfect 10.

 

The men of Timberlake then moved on to free time, where many of the guys went to activities in order to try one last time for their bars. Up on Spencer’s Green, Beau A. ran an eight minute mile to succeed in getting his silver bar in soccer. Close by, Collins P. earned his bronze in wrestling. Also on the field, the rocketry guys got to shoot off their rockets into the skies. Ben A’s rocket, as well as others’, successfully made liftoff this afternoon. Finally came dinner.

 

Some excellent BBQ chicken was prepared, along with cheesy hashbrowns, and some cornbread. Everyone ate their fill, and then came the most exciting announcements of all. First, all the details of the wonderful TimberTool were announced, to great applause. Then the nighttime activities were announced. Little Chief ceremony first, followed by an epic game of Commando. The campers gathered, some of them painted up in their tribe’s colors, and then hiked up to the council ring for the ceremony. Here, the campers were honored who received commendations from both their counselors and their fellow campers. A handful of other campers were also given great honors – those of rank advancements in the Little Chief system. Here are the promotions that were received tonight.

 

Scout

Roman C.

Charles J.

Charlie B.

Carter S.

 

Guide

Zach F.

Will F.

 

Ranger

Max B.

Charles S.

 

Tracker

Hank H.

Brandon P.

Peyton W.

Harper C.

 

Warrior

Ben A.

Matthew J.

William G.

 

These men were all given great honors tonight, showing both their commitment to camp as well as a commitment to doing well in all of their activities.

 

After Little Chief ended, all of the guys went up to Spencer’s Green to play Commando. Many water balloons were tossed, and some were launched far away towards the coveted targets. The campers must wait until tomorrow to know the winners of both this war and the competitions of Aquafest. As they all go to sleep tonight, some wait to be reunited with their parents, and others wait for even more camp activities for the next two weeks. It was a wild day, and a great way to finish out such a fun session at Camp Timberlake.

 

Davis Bateman

Big Slaty Counselor

Guitar and Pottery Instructor

Proud Iroquois