EBR Camps Blog

Link: CECBR Announces Father/Son Weekend!

Camps Equinunk & Blue Ridge will be participating in the 2nd Annual Wear Your SUMMER CAMP T-Shirt Day on November 15th, 2011! As you will read about in our next issue of The Buzzer (coming to a mailbox near you shortly) the first FIVE campers to send in a picture in their CE/CBR gear on the day of the event will get a very special prize! Please email any and all PICS to events@cecbr.com.

We’re excited to see all of that Equinunk & Blue Ridge Spirit!

Camps Equinunk & Blue Ridge is coming to Philly! The following invite is for anyone who will be in the Philadelphia area or would like to join us for great food and fun on October 30th! If we don’t see you there, we look forward to seeing you on January 7th at our Winter Reunion!

Over the next few weeks The CECBR Team will be revealing some of our Favorite PICS from the 2011 Summer! Check This One Out! Do you have a favorite? Feel free to share it with us over at the Official Facebook Page For Camps Equinunk & Blue Ridge – http://www.facebook.com/CECBR

We are thrilled to announce that preliminary site work began on the new Creative Arts Center at Blue Ridge on Tuesday afternoon. It’s going to be a very special building and we can’t wait to show you the progress our crew makes throughout the winter!

Stay Right Here At The OFFICIAL CECBR Blog for Updates!

Greetings from Long Island!

It’s that time of year where we end one chapter to begin another. Yes, you heard right…we’re now on the road to Summer 2012. As always, the CECBR team is here with you every step of the way! Lets kick things off with some Important Dates for the 2012 Season:

CECBR Winter Reunion: January 7th, 2012 @ The Renaissance Westchester Hotel

Florida Campers Arrive: June 23, 2012

Camp Starts: June 24th, 2012

Alumni Day: July 7th, 2012

Visiting Day: July 14th, 2012

Camp Ends: August 11th, 2012

Father/Son Weekend: To Be Announced

Greetings from East Hampton!

We’re back on Long Island and we wanted to take a moment to wish all of our Equinunk and Blue Ridge campers all the best in the 2011/2012 school year! Tell the kids to study hard and we will be back at camp before we know it! Thank You for making the summer of 2011 incredible!

Best,

The CECBR Team

Color War 2011 made history at Blue Ridge.  It began with a break in the mess hall, stemming from a celebration to honor Sue Grey and Jessica Wisoff’s 20th summer at camp.  Blue Journey and Grey Heroes were revealed and everyone found out what teams they were on.  We gathered at opening ceremonies where the key counselors and campers on each team were introduced.  We were reminded that although we would be divided for the next 3 days into Blue and Grey teams, we are still one camp and one family who support each other.

Then, the games began!  The first day included 3 Senior team handball games and several other group events.  Indoor Games in the evening was the first all-camp event, and found everyone cheering on the runners on both teams.

The second day consisted of group games in the morning.  In the afternoon, there was an upper camp swim meet, a big team running relay, and lower camp capture the flag and tug-of-war.  Going into the PC volleyball games at night, Grey was in the lead and then won both volleyball games.

The next morning, Blue made a big comeback, as they came within 60 points of the Grey team during group games.  As the scores inched closer, you could feel spirits rising and both teams getting excited.  After an afternoon of a lower camp swim meet and upper camp capture the flag and tug-of-war, it was time for the night that the PC girls have been waiting for forever: their PC basketball game.  The Lower Seniors painted their bodies blue and grey to support the girls and motivate the rest of the camp to cheer and have spirit at the game.  Grey led for much of the game, and then, the unexpected- with the score 33-31 and Grey leading with exactly one second left, a blue player gave it all she had and took a far 3-point shot- and it swished in.  The final score: 33-34, Blue.  The Blue team stormed the court, victorious, but players on both teams appreciated the historic moment, as a Blue Ridge PC basketball game has never ended that way before.                        

With Blue now in the lead in Color War, the last day really made a difference!  Everyone played their hearts out at their morning group activities and was attentive at song rehearsal as they prepared for the big night of sing.  Throughout the day at meals, we listened to speeches given by the key people about the meaning of camp in their lives.  We know that everyone looks up to these important chiefs, assistant chiefs, and keymen as role models and one day aspires to be able to give their own color war speeches.                      

Finally, it was time for Color War Sing, the culminating event of a summer at Blue Ridge.  On this night, it is easy to see how much everyone loves camp and each other.  We heard powerful marches, sentimental alma maters, and peppy cheers from both teams.  It is evident on the faces of the girls as they sing and the absolute attention of the other team as they watch how much we all love this place and wish for more time together.  In the end, the Grey team won sing and the Blue team won Color War.  When the scores were read, both teams rushed into the middle of the social hall to embrace, relieved to be together again after 3 and a half days apart.

After sing, the girls went back to their bunks ready for an exciting night with the groupheads, who were in charge of the bunks for the evening.  Everyone enjoyed just being together and doing various activities under the stars as they unwound from the intensity of Color War.  As quickly as it had begun, Color War was over and our family was once again united.

Color War came to an end in dramatic fashion Tuesday night as the entire camp watched and cheered the Upper Seniors in a softball game on the Marty Gelobter Diamond. This game is the traditional final event of the War however this year it took on extra meaning. Gray needed to win to draw completely even with Red, which they did, forcing an overall tie in Color War. To break the tie, a one-inning game was played – worth a single point – and a winner was declared.

The Gray team won the flip and elected to bat first in the extra inning. They did not score and the pressure went directly to their shoulders. The first Red batter got on base, then came all the way around to score on a single to right field, setting off an eruption of elation from the Red team. The boys stormed into center field, dancing and jumping and singing and cheering, celebrating the exciting finish and their victory in Color War by a final score of 1098-1097.

From the field both teams went to the flagpole area for Closing Ceremonies, which were especially poignant. Camp dignitaries offered some final words, and each Chief gave a final speech, the culminating moment of their camping careers. Everyone then sang the camp alma mater, Taps and once again the boys were reunited as one group, not divided as two teams.

That instant when Color War is declared over and the boys embrace their friends from both teams, completely spent physically and emotionally, is the defining moment of Camp Equinunk. It is the moment when new campers and counselors “Get It”, and understand all the flowing of good feeling emanating from this place all summer.

An intensely fierce rivalry for three and one half days comes crumbling down in an instant, as everyone reverts back to that which is more important – the shared bond and love they have for their friends, brothers, counselors and of course, camp.