It’s neat to see them think about that and then make sure everyone is involved. Your first job as captain is to make everybody feel like they have a part because some campers lost out on being captain. The leadership qualities displayed are really incredible. At our camp we have a captain and a co-captain for the oldest kids and then there’s a girl and a guy captain for each other unit. So the counselors are there to help the captains coordinate. The counselors vote for two girls and two guys and the highest votes become the Color War coaches and no one knows who they are until Color War breaks. We decided to have captains in each age group with the oldest captains being the head of the team. In most traditional settings, there is a Color War period, in which the teams elect the captains. Is the concept of captains a big part of Color War? It’s been going on forever, and I don’t remember a camp that hasn’t been doing it in some form. I think the break is important in jarring a camp that’s usually so well-organized and controlled. Then we explained it and everyone got excited and we told them what team they were on. They handcuffed me and I said, “I didn’t break anything!” They said, “Yes you did!” I said, What’d I break?” They said, “You broke Color War.” At any other given day it would have been a huge surpass, but three quarters of the kids at camp didn’t know what Color War was. Then, about three days later, police came and staged an arrest of me in the dining hall. Leading up to and during our first summer, a group of environmentalists were upset with camp being built and wanted to have me arrested because they said I broke environmental laws. What’s the memorable Color War break moment you’ve had? I think Color War changes the tenor of camp and marks a very special time. You go to sleep at the same time you have all your meals at the same time. The Camp schedule can become similar day-to-day which has great value for kids building on familiarity. Why do you think Color War is so exciting for kids? Then once it breaks for the three-day part in the second month, the point-spread starts at what it was at the end of the first month. We do a 1.5 day in the first month and at the end of the day there are points that the teams receive and that goes up in the dining hall. It was important that 20 years after they were a camper that when they came back for a reunion Blue versus Gold softball game, they knew what team they were on. Also, at our camp, I thought it was really important for kids who always come to camp one session to be on a Color War team, because if they aren’t there’s one big part of camp that they aren’t connected to.

We used to do a one-day Olympics but we decided at our camp to just focus on Color War. Do you have a big camp event at the end of the 4-week session as well? There’s a legacy and a commitment, not only to the camp but also to your teammates.Ĭolor War is at the end of the 8-week session.

We learned this idea from camps that are 100 years old, where the grandfather was on the same team as the grandson. Younger siblings can’t wait to get to camp because they already know what team they’re on.

Anyone who’s related to you at camp is also on that team. At our camp you’re on that team for the rest of your life. At our camp, the kids all dress in their gold or their blue all together. Every kid in the camp community is singing together, cheering together. I think Color War is one of those sacred camp moments. Let’s talk about Color War at summer camp. An interview with Mark Lipof, the Director of Camp Micah in Bridgton, Maine, a Maine Camp Experience Camp.

Color war break out summer camp ideas