The final week in Judaica: An update from Joy Newman

The last week of Judaica was really fantastic. Youngest Cayuga and Onondaga learned about the bedtime Shema and then decorated pillowcases, middle Onondaga and Cayuga discussed our worst and best days and reflected on the power we have to set our own attitude, while oldest Onondaga and Cayuga did a really creative program about kibbutzim and community in which the campers spent some time reading and creating maps before discussing how a community's design can teach us about that community's priorities. Youngest and Middle Seneca and Mohawk had particularly unique Judaica periods. They were silent for 35 minutes (really) while going through a traditional four-leveled Jewish meditation followed by a hitbodedut (group scream/release of energy) and debriefing. The campers were AWESOME, and the meditations couldn't have gone better. Tusc spent a lot of time in Judaica, as the village not only concluded its summer-long Judaica curriculum by watching West Bank Story, a short award-winning film about a Romeo and Juliet-like love story in the West Bank, but also spent many hours preparing for Tusc Shabbat! The theme of Tusc Shabbat was "teachable moments" to reflect the learning and growth that has taken place in Tuscarora this summer. The campers really went above and beyond to make Tusc Shabbat special, including building a symbolic staircase to the Fire Circle and using lights and candles to illuminate the service in new ways. As Saturday was the last full day of camp, discussion periods were substituted with packing and clean-up, thus ensuring ample time for village activities and league culminations. Tusc Shabbat provided a beautiful Judaic closure to CSL 2010. See below for my D'var from this weeks service.

Thanks for a great summer!
Joy Newman


Dvar – Friday night – Week 7
Theme: Teachable Moments

A few years ago I skipped Yom Kippur services. I told my youth group kids that I was attending services on campus, and I told my friends at school that I was attending services at synagogue, but in reality I stayed home in my apartment, watched old episodes of Friends, and ate lunch. Really. While most Jews spent that day fasting and reflecting as a community, I spent the day eating and reflecting, alone with my “Friends.”

At the time I skipped Yom Kippur services I was going through a period in my life when I was rejecting organized religion. Keep in mind that despite my personal conflicts I continued to work in the Jewish community. I taught Jewish music in a Sunday school. I worked, on both the chapter and regional levels, for a youth group. During this time of “rejection” I staffed a Birthright trip. I led a Jewish teen trip to LA. I did things like eat in a sukkah with my youth group teens – an event I planned and for which I got a whole group of high schoolers really pumped – but I didn’t build my own sukkah. I was in a Jewish funk.

I wasn’t in a “spiritual” funk, but rather simply a “Jewish” funk in which I rejected the idea that other Jews – whether rabbis, youth group directors, peers, or family – got to decide how I celebrated and observed my faith. The way I looked at Judaism, there were 613 mitzvot or “commandments,” and all were equally important and worth trying. I just didn’t understand why kashrut was more important than say…paying your workers on daily basis, or building a ledge around your roof so workers don’t fall off, both of which are Jewish laws found in this week’s parasha, Ki Taytzay. In fact, this week’s parasha contains seventy-two of the Torah’s 613 mitzvot, many of which teach us how to live a moral, ethical life. In Ki Taytzay we are told that runaway slaves should not be returned to their masters but rather allowed to live free, that individuals can only be held responsible for the crimes they personally commit, and that it is the community’s responsibility to provide for the needs of the stranger, orphan, and widow.

Jewish tradition encourages us to follow all 613 mitzvot under the premise that by following the laws we will come to understand and appreciate them. Rather than first learn about the laws and then decide whether or not they will work for us, we are taught to observe the laws, and learn by doing. This is a tradition I hold dear. There are times when I am enamored with Jewish traditions, and times when I am disgusted by Jewish traditions, but no matter my mood, I find that I’m constantly re-evaluating my Jewish observance, and seeing what works for me at a given time and place. Time after time I find myself returning to aspects of Judaism that previously held little meaning, only to find that a tradition I had previously rejected was exactly for what I now yearned.

Each of our spiritual journeys are different. There will be times when you embrace God, and times when you reject God. There will be times when you love Jewish tradition, and times when you hate Jewish tradition, times when you love specific Jewish laws and customs, and times when you want to skip Yom Kippur and watch Friends in an empty apartment while eating an entire can of Pringles. Judaism, like life, is a journey. Sometimes we’ll know exactly where we’re going, sometimes we’ll take wrong turns, and sometimes we’ll go in circles. The important thing to remember is that those wrong turns are just as important as the “right” turns, and that we learn about Judaism by practicing it, but living it. Jewish traditions and laws exist to serve as a guide for how to live an ethical and moral life. Some laws will speak to us more than others, and that’s ok. The important thing is that we stay connected, even in small ways, to Jewish community, and to faith, because you never know when a Jewish tradition or law will provide the type of “teachable moment” you so desperately needed, or when it will help illuminate something about yourself you otherwise never would have known.

Pit Cooking Hobby Group at CSL

This summer great strides were made for the development and growth of our hobby group. For starters, the environment for pit cooking has evolved. The campers no longer view themselves as members of the hobby group, but rather as the “pit cooking family” for which they had to undergo a friendly initiation. The senior campers helped foster this change and thus campers were always yearning for more pit cooking time.

Currently, I am sitting here right now elevated six feet in the air in the tree fort the campers built for the pit cooking area in just three hours. In addition to our tree fort, we were fortunate enough to build a second pit for cooking and purchased our own cooking supplies. I am also extremely proud to announce that the membership in pit cooking has grown considerably since last summer. This session, we had an overnight in which the campers embarked upon a nighttime swim, water polo, movies, and cooked dinner and breakfast. New friends and new dishes were formed and I am confident that next year we will build upon the progress we have made this summer.

Today is hobby culmination day! Our final event is The Iron Chef Competition. This competition has become the pinnacle feature of pit cooking and the campers take it very seriously. We split our campers into two equal groups, gave them fifteen ingredients, cooking utensils, a fire pit, two hours, and said GO. The goal is to produce a creative dish to a table of hungry judges. The winning team gets bragging rights for the entire year and their names are inscribed on our newly created pit cooking plaque. These two and a half hours, are the perfect end to three weeks of bonding and tutelage.

Jesse Manning, Pit Cooking Hobby Leader

Village Banquet Time!

One developing tradition at CSL is to host a banquet towards the end of the session. Last night, Mohawk and Seneca held a Cabaret Ball down by the Waterfront. Everyone got dressed up for the evenings festivities. Staff waited on the campers, music played in the background and the meal ended with a dance party by the water. Simultaneously during the running of the Cabaret Ball, Tusc held its own final banquet in the back of the dining hall. It was an intimate and lovely affair. The Tusc staff gave paper plate awards and put together a beautiful slideshow which they presented to the campers. The Tusc campers surprised their staff with 416 letters – an individual letter written to each staff member, where campers wrote about their experience in Tusc this summer and thanked the staff for all of their hard work. The Tusc staff were deeply moved and the night ended with hugs, laughs and tears. As this summer is nearing a close, the entire camp community is reflecting on our experiences at CSL this summer. We have changed and grown as a result of being here together.

August 19, 2010: Today's Schedule

August 18, 2010: Today's Schedule

As the summer wraps up...Seneca is still flying high!

After a crazy week with the Color War and Seneca day, Seneca also led services with Cayuga and it was a terrific group effort. The theme was Initiative and almost 30 Senecans wrote services pieces. Many also performed musical acts including Izzy Calkins' solo, an amazing acapella song led by Elyssa Sham and Shayna DeMari, a mini dance to Matisyahu's "One Day" and we even brought back a song called Hillel that was sung by Seneca in 2004. The girls did a great job and held the attention of everyone.
Saturday S-3 and S-4 went on a campout to Ithaca. The girls had a blast from the bus rides to the food and good company. Monday S-5 and S-6 went on a canoe overnight trip across the lake. It turned in to be an adventure they will never forget. The campouts have been highlights of the summer for many Senecans this summer.

Last night was Campstock and there were many Seneca acts! We saw dances by Sydney Gray and Aliyah McCrindle, songs by Jenny Kingsley and Izzy Calkins, a skit with Geena May and Deborah Siegel-Edelman and a cup stacking routine performed by Lexi Boehnlein and Sarah Cohen! S-5 counselor Leah Friedman sang "Three Times a Lady" dressed up as a yenta and the Seneca Staff rewrote the words to Brittney Spear's "Oops I Did It Again" with an interesting twist for the campers and staff. It was a night many will remember in the years to come. It was so nice seeing so many Senecans participate!
Only a few days remain but we still have many programs to look forward to!

XOXO

Seneca Staff

August 17, 2010: Today's Schedule

August 16, 2010: Today's Schedule

Oneida Bike Trip Journal

Just a few days ago, the Oneida LITs set off on their first ever, 120 mile bike trip. We departed CSL at 12:30pm on Tuesday August 10th and headed towards our first campsite in Bath, NY. The first leg of the trip was a little bit tough at times, as none of the LITs really had their “biking legs” quite yet. However, we fought on and everyone felt a great sense of accomplishment as we coasted the final mile into our beautiful campsite.

On Wednesday, we woke up rejuvenated and mentally prepared to tackle the easiest segment of the trip, a relatively flat trek into Corning to visit the Glass Museum. Both campers and staff were equally astonished and impressed with the art work and glass blowing. A couple of granola bars and Gatorades fueled us back onto the road for a very difficult afternoon ride to Montour Falls, just North of Corning. Despite the rolling, arduous hills, we kept a positive attitude, sang songs, and a few hours later made it to our new campsite and home. It was better than we ever could have expected! The Oneidans spent the evening swimming, hot tubbing, and resting up with hot showers for Thursday’s hilly ride into Ithaca (which was ultimately the highlight of the trip!)

We awoke on Thursday morning to a gloomy sky and quickly hustled to eat breakfast and get packed up before any rain could ruin our preparations. We made it just in time, but as soon as we hopped on our bikes to depart, the rain began to fall. Rather than trying to take shelter, we all embraced the wetness, wearing garbage bag rain coats and taking many photos to document the experience. After a very chilly first hour, we warmed up and had a wonderful morning ride. Then came the notorious and immense hills of Ithaca, New York. Everyone was anxiously anticipating this part of the ride. We had to keep things in first gear, and it was incredible to watch as every LIT pushed on valiantly. Soon enough, we were all looking down on Ithaca and were able to enjoy an fun descent down into the city. The evening was a relief to the exhausted group of LITs because we were lucky to spend the night at Oneida counselor Dylan Marcus’s home in Ithaca. His parents kindly took us in, hosted a barbeque, let us shower, and shared their home with us for the evening.

The final morning, we had already completed 110 miles and were ready for a calm day. We concluded the trip with some free time on the Ithaca Commons outdoor mall where we ate and shopped. Then, we loaded up the van, hopped on the bus, and cruised comfortably back to CSL for Shabbat. Everyone felt a great sense of accomplishment and had pretty exhausted legs to prove it! Overall, it was a great last trip of the summer!

Sincerely,
Max Jacobson, Oneida Staff 2010

What's going on at A&C?? An update from the A&C Staff!

The craft shack has been bursting with creativity all summer. Campers enjoyed a wide variety of old favorites and new experiences. From the classic tie dye and shrink dink jewelry to batik and bunk quilts, the possibilities were virtually endless.

Hobby periods provided an opportunity for campers to expand their horizons. In “Textile Odyssey,” our July hobby, campers learned about the ancient art of batik, the process of applying hot wax to provide a resist barrier for a dye overlay. Using this technique, campers made unique bags, purses and t-shirts. Campers also learned to boil and sculpt their own felt to create beads for jewelry.

Ceramics, a camper favorite, returned in full force this August. Students mastered the six steps of throwing pots on the wheel including wedging the clay and glazing to finish. The hobby group includes campers returning from last year to continue their ceramic exploration as well as campers beginning their journey on the wheel. At the end of each hobby period, each camper leaves covered with clay and a smile. It has been a wonderful summer!

Love,
Jilly (A&C head), Becca (Ceramics), Leah, Isaac

August 15, 2010: Today's Schedule

Shabbat at CSL - A Camper's Perspective

Every week at services, campers write pieces which they present at the fire circle. See below to hear from Seneca camper, Molly Higgins.

There are lots of funny words in this world. Said in tongues we can’t understand, and said in words made simple for us, these words aren’t ha-ha-funny, but the type of funny that encompasses an idea so large you can barely see the span of it in your minds eye. One of these words is the theme for this service…initiative. This is a word that encompasses the actions of leadership, of sparking a fire of good that rages across the landscapes of dry minds and makes a difference. All famous people in the past had this initiative, from Gandhi to Galileo to George Washington, people placed in different times, periods, and situations take initiatives to change their lives and the lives of other people.

We, as campers, staff, and people standing on the grounds of CSL take initiative every day. Small things, like leading cheers and participating in periods build up to make a difference in our camp lives. As an Oldest Senecan, this is the last time I am able to call myself a member of this village and share my thoughts with the entire camp circled around me. I am glad initiative is what I am to speak of. Our unit head, Andrea, encourages people to take initiative every day, often using the words “I challenge you.” Now, I will use those words. I challenge you, campers and staff and even myself, to find something of which you are passionate and take initiative. Make a difference. It is our turn to go down in history, sparking our own fire to rage across the world and leave its mark. I challenge you, CSL. Take initiative for any thing and everything. Our flames will reach the stars.

A Judaica Update from Session 2 Week 2

We had a great week in Judaica.  In between the Color War and Village Days we managed to squeeze a couple of excellent Judaic programs.  Oldest Seneca and Mohawk battled out Jewish eco-dilemmas, and Tusc watched Promises, an award-winning film about seven kids who all live in and around Jerusalem but on all different sides of key political issues.  Seneca and Cayuga led our Shabbat services, and did an absolutely beautiful job.  The Seneca ladies, led by great, initiative-taking staff, performed two songs and a dance, while Cayugan boys created the longest paper chain ever to grace the CSL Dining Hall ceiling.  The weather was cool, but our services couldn't have felt more warm and welcoming. 

Discussion periods were also a great success.  Youngest Onondaga and Cayuga did paper bag skits, Middle Onondag and Cayuga engaged in ethical debates about various Jewish issues, and Oldest Onondag and Cayuga did Shabbat-themed sand art.  Youngest Seneca and Mohawk learned about the importance of repairing man as a precursor to repairing the world, and discussed what it means to "repair the world" in a Jewish context.  Middle Seneca and Mohawk did program about kibbutzim, community design, and identity, while Oldest Seneca and Mohawk did a program about Jewish values in a modern context.  Tusc wrote ethical wills, and Oneida learned about our theme of the week, initiative, and how it relates to their program.  We all look forward to a meaningful and memorable third week, and of course, Tusc Shabbat.

Please see below for a copy of my Dvar.

:-)

~Joy~

Dvar – Friday night – Session 2, Week 2

Theme: Initiative

I’ve always loved to dance.  I particularly enjoy “adult” Israeli dance.  I say “adult” Israeli dance because they aren’t like the line dances we sometimes do in Judaica.  These dances are both circle and partner, and are the same all over the world.  There are thousands and thousands of dances, and you can walk into a dance program in Israel, Spain, or Hong Kong and be able to participate.  As a teen I did a tremendous amount of Israeli dance.  My partner and I did twirls and lifts and dips and, like swimming, created an incredible, unparalleled feeling of grace and weightlessness. 

When I came to college I hoped to become involved in the University of Rochester’s Israeli dance performance group.  Unfortunately, by the time I entered college as a freshman, the group has disbanded.  At various points throughout my freshman and sophomore year I thought about starting a group, but something always got in the way.  By junior year I realized that if this was something I wanted, I’d have to take the initiative.  I pulled together a sizeable group, and reserved a slot in the annual dance review.  Then, one by one, my dancers bailed.  By the performance in late April I had two couples.  Despite our low numbers, the performance was absolutely beautiful.  The lifts and dips allowed me to fly through the air and again capture that feeling of total weightlessness, as though my entire body had become one with the music, and nothing else mattered.

Although the group and I hoped to repeat the performance that fall, for me, it wasn’t meant to be.  In late August I severely injured my lower spine.  I had emergency spinal surgery, but there was extensive nerve damage, and I was told that it was unlikely I would ever regain full use of my left leg.  I took a semester off from school, and instead of dancing spent hours upon hours literally relearning how to walk.  I had to relearn how to get in and out of a car with a leg that couldn’t lift itself off the ground.  I had to relearn how to take a shower and not slip on water my left foot couldn’t feel. 

I was incredibly lucky.  I still have the cane, but I rarely use it.  I can’t run far, but I can run.  I can’t hike steep cliffs, but I can walk up short hills.  I can swim, I can jump, I can do an occasional CSL double clap, and I can dance.  But I’ll never dance like I did before the injury.  It’s hard to be graceful when one leg doesn’t always move exactly how you wish.  It’s hard to do lifts or twirls or dips when you’re never 100% sure if one leg will be strong enough to support you when you land.  As much as my limitations frustrate me, whenever I get down, I think of that night in college, and I thank God that I created an opportunity to dance like I’ll never dance again.

This week’s parasha, Shofetim, is all about action.  Shofetim means “judges,” and the parasha outlines how we should structure and judge our society.  We are told that we must establish a court of laws in which the judges are fair and impartial.  We are told that the judges must work in the best interests of the community and not accept favors or bribes that would benefit the wealthy over the poor.  We are told that if we want we may establish a monarchy, but within very specific guidelines.  For example, the king should not acquire great wealth.  He should use Jewish traditions and laws as a moral guide, and be an Israelite, ie: someone who is part of the community and not outside of it. 

I’m not a world leader.  I’m not even a local leader.  I’m a graduate student, who spends a most of her time reading, writing, thinking, and teaching.  And waitressing.  In that sense, perhaps Shofetim doesn’t relate to me.  I’m not a judge, and I’m certainly not a king.  Yet when looked at in a different light, Shofetim absolutely relates to me.  From this parasha we learn not only about leadership, but about personal initiative.  Shofetim teaches us that things don’t just happen – whether fair courts, new roads, or college performances – but that rather it is people who make things happen.  We learn that we can’t wait around for people to give us the lives we want, but rather that it is our job to take initiative and build the life we want.  We learn to not let opportunities to do great (or small) things pass us by, for ourselves or someone else, because life is short, and you just never know when it might be your last dance.  Shabbat Shalom.

August 13, 2010: Today's Schedule

Village Day at CSL!

Thursday was Village Day at CSL! See below for an update about Village Day activities

ONONDAGA DAY
Hello Onondaga Families! Onondaga Day was a big surprise for everyone. We started right from breakfast when we ate bagels and cereal right in the village. Our first stop of the day was to First Arena, a professional ice hockey rink in Elmira. We loved having the whole rink to ourselves to skate around! Some of us fell a few times but we had a blast. After eating a picnic lunch at a park nearby, we headed to Draper’s Super Bee Apiary. To most of us, this was the best part of the day! We learned so much about the honeybee. Did you know that the queen bee lives up to five years, while the worker bee only lives for six weeks? That is because she eats a certain type of “royal” jelly while the other bees have a different diet. We also learned that the queen bee can hatch up to 1 million bees in her lifetime! After having a tour of the apiary, the campers got to make beeswax candles and pick out different flavor honey sticks to take home.

After stopping for ice cream, we headed back to camp for a pj-style dinner and watched the movie Matilda. But the night didn’t end there! All of Onondaga went to mass-monkey Cayuga!! We made sure to yell our cheers loud enough to wake up the whole camp! Everyone had such a fun time -it was definitely a day to remember!

Thanks for reading,
Emily and the Onondaga Staff


CAYUGA DAY
Cayuga Day this session was a great success! Our day started with a little extra sleep so that we were all well rested and ready for a long but fun filled day. As everyone woke up, staff were busy preparing a tasty breakfast. THe meal started with bagels and board games in the cabin, followed by scrambled eggs cooked right in our own fire circle! We also had an assortment of our favorite cereals and fresh fruit. Once we were all full, we headed to Athletics to learn some fun new Israeli games with our resident expert, Ohad. Soon, it was meal time again so we shared pizza over an all village game of Gaga. At this point our campers were convinced that we were staying at camp for the day. To put their minds at ease, we assured them that the bus was waiting to whisk them away, but, not before the Great Cayuga Relay! Everyone ran from the O-Rec to the pool, took a quick dip, ran to the village to put on dry clothing, and then raced to the office where our bus was waiting for us. Our travels led us to Elmira, NY where our first stop was the National Soaring Museum at Harris Hill. Knowledgeable staff guided our group through all of the fascinating displays (many hanging overhead). The campers were all able to get into the cockpit of a real glider, watch some fun films on soaring, and even took a spin on the very cool flight simulators. Next stop was the movie theater where we caught a matinee showing of Disney’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” By the end of the film, we were all ready for a snack so we stopped at the local Friendly’s for ice cream cones. Being the hungry group of guys that we are, we made tracks to Thorne Park for an evening cookout. After enjoying grilled hot dogs and hamburgers everyone played on the playground, played catch, and enjoyed relaxing together with friends and staff. The bus brought us back to camp but our night wasn’t quite over. Upon arrival back in the village we were Mass Monkeyed by the girls of Onondaga. Not to be outdone, we made our own trip to Onondaga to show off our cheering skills. We were so loud that we could be heard from the farthest corners of camp! Finally, we made our way back to Cayuga where everyone quickly fell asleep with big smiles on their faces.


SENECA DAY
Seneca went to Ithaca for village day this August! In spite of gloomy weather, we woke up and made the ordinary extraordinary. We started at the Sciencenter with time in the museum and galaxy mini golf. There were some incredible exhibits and we got lots of great pictures. Afterwards we headed over to Stewart Park for lunch. For dessert, a stop at the infamous Purity Ice Cream Parlor was necessary before we caught a showing of Ramona and Beezus at the Cinema. Our day ended with pizza and shopping on the Ithaca Commons and a sing a long bus ride back to camp. You know you love Seneca.

Xoxo
Seneca Staff & Andrea


MOHAWK DAY
Hello Mohawk Families and Friends,
Campers found out it was Mohawk Day the night before, when they were awoken by the lovely ladies of Seneca for a late night mass monkey. Mohawk got an early start yesterday morning, with delicious breakfast burritos in the dining hall. After boarding the buses, we went to Syracuse, New York to see the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology. Campers loved the 3 floors of interactive exhibits. Highlights from the Museum included the toothpick city, the fun zone, an interactive basketball game simulator, and of course the IMAX movie Aliens of the Deep. Following the Museum, Mohawk traveled to a park near Manley Field House to eat lunch and hang out. Then came the biggest surprise of the day: While walking by the Carmelo Anthony Basketball Center, Syracuse Basketball stars Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph walked out to meet the men of Mohawk and do introductions. Scoop and Kris led the boys on a tour of the facility, including the state of the art gym, weight room, training room, film room, academic lab, the Hall of Fame, and finally Jim Beoheim’s personal office. When the boys walked into the locker room, they were surprised to see 6 ft. 9 Arinze Onuaku sitting down after a rehab session at the facility. Campers walked around the locker room, even at one point holding a pair of highly regarded Fab Melo’s size 18 sneakers. After snapping plenty of pictures, it was time to go, and after one last picture with Scoop Jardine in the parking lot, the village boarded the bus and left the center. Campers were allowed to walk around for a bit in the Armory Square area, and then were taken back to the park where they enjoyed pizza and relaxed before the final activity. The day was capped off with an amazing baseball game between the Columbus Clippers and the Syracuse Chiefs at Alliance Park. All in all, it was a truly groundbreaking Mohawk day. Special thanks to Max Krieger and Ari Neulander for making the tour of the Carmelo Anthony Center possible. I think we are all Syracuse Orange fans after yesterday.

Sincerely,
Jason Feldman
Mohawk Unit Head

Today's Schedule: August 11, 2010

Color War IV

The programmers left the third Color War in 2009 with a determination to not only continue to build on the successful brand, but really to make another quantum leap forward as was done with the first Color War in 2007. Easier said than done.

A team of eight CSL veterans came together in early July and started strategizing. Lots of questions were asked. Lots of ideas posed. The answers did not all come at once and the program came together slowly. But starting on Saturday night, August 7th through Tuesday night, August 9th, Camp Seneca Lake changed forever.

The most prevailing question in wake of the 2009 Color War was, ‘how can helicopters ever be topped?’ This was not an easy question to answer or an easy legacy to trump. But amazingly, when the campers went to bed Saturday night, nobody was saying anything about helicopters.

After a normal Saturday night of village programs and Havdallah, the campers went back to their villages. All the villages except for Tusc and Oneida. Along with the six captains from each team (Generals, Colonels, Majors), Tusc and Oneida spent Saturday evening helping the Program Planners prep for the break. Starting in August 2006, Tusc became an integral centerpiece to the Color War Break and their role has increased each year.

At 9:15, with all the campers and staff in villages, sirens started going off at the Waterfront and the Dining Hall bell started ringing continuously. Oneidans and Program Planners went to each of the villages and told the campers and staff they had to leave immediately and head to the Fire Circle. They walked the roads of camp in the darkness, met around the Dining Hall, and came down Infirmary Hill together. The darkness quickly gave way to light as they descended upon the Fire Circle. Fires and candles lit everywhere with a cloud of smoke above, the campers and staff anxiously entered the Fire Circle and sat down. And then suddenly, out of the darkness in the woods, there was more light. But not just any light; red and blue light in the form of glowsticks started emerging from the wood. Jaws dropped all over the place as the 52 fluorescently illuminated Senior Campers descended upon the Fire Circle. The reds and blues came together and walked to demarcate a pathway from the entrance of the Fire Circle up to the beach – one side a glowing red, the other a glowing blue.

And then suddenly more fire. A jet ski flying through the water with a huge torch and the florescent glow sticks of each color all over his body . The bearer of the torch disembarked the Jet Ski and entered the glowing pathway. He walked through, entered the Fire Circle and lit a blazing fire in the middle, the traditional start of Color War from the Director, John Golden.

But it was not done. Two boats now blazed through the water with more torches and more glow sticks – one boat red, the other blue. More bodies were entering the red and blue pathway, the six captains from each team. The twelve captains entered the shellshocked Fire Circle and together led the camp in the traditional opening of all Mass Programs and Color Wars – the cheer, “1,2,3,4…WE WANT A COLOR WAR.” And then fluorescently lit fire signs on the beach lit up the words “Red” and “Blue” to again signify that Color War was indeed here.

Tradition was then broken. Instead of 360 camper and staff names read off a list, the campers just rounded up and returned to villages without knowing their teams. But the next morning, every single person knew their team. In the middle of the night, when all the campers were sleeping, red and blue bracelets with the 2010 logo engraved in them (like the Livestrong bracelet) were placed on the wrists of all campers. The first thing each saw when they woke up was either the color red or blue. There was no more wondering.

The next two days were among the most intense, extraordinary, memorable, yet fun days in the camp’s history. The first morning was spent not in the M-Field like the previous three years, but rather between the Long Docks on Tusc Beach. Thousands of tennis balls were placed in the middle of a playing arena and the members of each team (by village) took turns trying to get those balls into the other team’s goals (garbage cans angled onto the docks). The visual of the whole camp in that region with their faces painted is something that will not soon be forgotten. Each village went head-to-head along with the female and male staffs before all was said and done.

At lunch, the official shirts were distributed with this year’s logo on the back. The afternoon was myriad of creative and artistic activities. Many campers worked with staff in preparing for acts for Showdown at the O-Rec while other campers and staff competed in other intensive competitions including Iron Chef, cake and cookie decorating, sand castle building, seaweed sculpture, sneaker design (for the team’s generals), pet rock and habitat design, tapestry design, and all camp scavenger hunt. The afternoon was followed by the traditional “Showdown at the O-Rec” which included several classic events such as Step Squad, Onondaga Dance, Staff/Camper Duet, Staff/Camper Band, Drumline, but also featured several new additions such as Mashup Song, Square Dancing, and the ever-pertinent Blacklight Dance. The highlight of the night came in the Square Dancing with each team featuring incredibly thoughtful and creative dances. The night was capped off with each team happily consuming the 500 cookies designed and baked by each of the teams.

There was concern that it would be tough to sustain the momentum from the first day, but those fears were quickly quelled when the Senior Campers took it upon themselves to wake up the whole camp. Immediately following breakfast, the two teams were marched to the Basketball Courts where they found 5000 blown-up balloons (red and blue of course). With the entirety of each team on the courts, the task was to pop every single balloon of the other team’s color as fast as possible. When the buzzer sounded and there were only a couple dozen balloons left, it was Blue that reigned supreme by the skin of their teeth having popped just one more balloon than their Red rivals.

The two teams then moved over to the Pool where the staff of each team competed to get 2000 golf balls out of the pool. It was the Red team who prevailed in this event, keeping pace with Blue. Up next came the Tug-of-War right behind the Pool. Each village took their turn on the rope with the rest of their teams yelling and screaming right next to them all the way through the female and male staff rounds.

Following lunch, the program continued to move in the physical direction with mostly team sports in the afternoon. These events did not lack in drama with both the camper/staff mixed Speedball and Softball teams needing overtime to solve their contests. The Canoe Across the Lake had no shortage of excitement as well with Blue’s fleet of three just edging out Red’s. The teams also competed in a younger 3K (two Cayugans, two Onondagans), a 5K (2 Mohicans, 2 Senecans, 2 Tuscarorans), and a grueling 7K for staff. There were also camper and staff basketball games, camper Water Polo, Archery, GaGa for all ages, doubles and singles tennis.

The afternoon culminated with the traditional running of the Ironman/woman. The training that the Senior Campers put in all summer was very noticeable with the entire camp watching on. Each team had four male competitors and four female competitors, all of whom finished the extremely challenging course in record time, impressively defeating some of the staff who competed as well.

After all of these events, the teams entered the final evening deadlocked. Four events which had been going on the entire program – Mural, Inferno, Documentary, and Fire Sign – came to exciting fruition. The murals were crafted for two straight days in the Back of the Dining Hall with the presentations coming after Dinner. The Red team stuck with their common theme of the program with a beautifully-crafted bull while Blue reached closer to the theme of the program (and summer) with red and blue figures lighting a fire sign (more on that below).

The Inferno took place on the M-Field which was an epic event unparalleled in the history of Color Wars at any camp. For two days, campers and staff worked to create twelve fire pits on the M-Field and fill 2000 water balloons. At approximately 8:00 amidst a steady rain, each team assembled in the middle of these twelve fires with the charge of putting out the six fires of the other team. Each team had 1000 water balloons and each camper and staff member had a cup. In the middle of the field was four canoes filled to the brim with the water. And with the water balloons and cups of water, the teams had to put out each other’s fires. It took approximately 90 seconds before the Red team had successfully doused Blue’s fires. An enormous cloud of smoke hovered over the M-Field for a good 20 minutes after. The Red team, which had been trailing at Dinner had drawn even with their enormous victory in the Inferno. With just two events left to be scored, the teams remained knotted.

After leaving the Inferno, the two teams walked across camp to the O-Rec to watch the documentaries. For two days, campers and staff worked to document (through photo and film) the various components of the program and encapsulate these elements in the most creative way possible. The two teams were completely mesmerized by…themselves…from the previous 48 hours. At this point, darkness had fallen upon camp and every member of each team had glowsticks to continue the camp’s great divide.

One last stop after the O-Rec…The Fire Circle for the final event of the program, the Fire Sign. In the last couple of summers, Fire Signs spelling out certain words have become a synonymous fixture of the CSL community. Staff from each team were prompted to bring their creativity to the competitive arena and did not disappoint. Red’s sign was first to be lit. General Jason Feldman (Mohawk Unit Head) dressed head-to-toe in red glow sticks, climbed a ladder laced in red glow sticks to a 25 foot landing where he picked up a bow and show a flaming arrow to light his team’s sign which said “Red Blue.” After about two minutes of those words burning, the “Blue” fell down and in its place the word “Hot” was lit. The Red team exploded in cheers and excitement as they sensed their comeback could be complete. The Blue Team’s Fire Sign did not disappoint with movement from their initial burning as well with two lit hands moving aside to reveal the flaming word “Blue.”

All of the competition had ended yet there was still excitement to come. With the score settled, the Program Leaders had no interest in revealing the winner in any traditional form. From the shore, fire works shot into the air and exploded the color of the winning team…RED.

Color War V is a year away.

August 10, 2010: Today's Schedule

The First Three Color Wars at CSL

Mass Programs have long been a tradition at CSL but this tradition took a quantum leap forward back in 2007 when the two-team format was adopted. Many other camps had always gone with two teams but for whatever reason CSL took longer to move to it. When it did, the nature of camp programming was forever altered.


Many remember the break of that program in 2007 when the entire camp was painted head-to-toe in their team’s color (red or blue). This was immediately followed by a Braveheart-style water balloon war on the M-Field that saw over 3000 balloons launched at one another. It was at that moment that Color War has taken firm grasp over the hearts and minds of the campers and staff. A day and a half later, Red triumphed on the heals of their legendary tell-all plaque to take the first Color War.

The next summer saw this “Red vs Blue” format take another step forward extending the length of the program to two full days for the first time and the break coming through professional bagpipers. The “signature” event of the program was a reverse of what had been seen the year prior with colored water in 3000 water balloons and everyone wearing white shirts. Perhaps the most significant legacy the 2008 Color War left was the extraordinary plaques constructed by the two teams. While Red won the plaque competition, it was Blue that ultimately reigned superior when all was said and done.

In its third year in 2009, the Color War took off…literally. With the brand firmly in tact after two summers, the break came from above in the form of a red and a blue helicopter holding the two Generals from each team. The landing on the beach in front of the Fire Circle wowed camp in a way unseen prior, completely shocking all campers and staff. This served as an incredible springboard for the third Color War which for the first time had an official logo that came on shirts that all campers and staff received. The program had several defining moments with two in particular standing out (in addition to the break of course).

The first “signature” event was right at the start of the program after the break. With all campers and staff dressed in white, each received a pool noodle of their teams color. With tubs of colored paint all over the M-Field, the combatants dipped their noodles and went swinging at the other team, trying to get their color on them. The end result had the M-Field completely drenched with water and paint for a third straight year.

To close out the program, both teams came to the Waterfront where they had the challenge of a relay race using every single boat in camp. Every camper and staff member had to take a trip on a boat until all had traveled and all boats had been used. The program was very close going into this final event – close enough where the winner of the Waterfront Relay would win the program. Blue found a way to win the event and program giving the color two straight wins.

The third Color War was not even completed before the questions started circulating: ‘How could the helicopters be topped? How could the Color War get better?’