Camp Teams - New Camper Blog Series
Hello new camper families! Today is the start of our New Camper Blog Series, and we are so excited to have you reading along with us. Each Tuesday, from now until the start of camp, we will post a blog that is focused on YOU, our new camper group. We will dive more deeply into specific topics so that you’re prepared and ready for your summer at Greystone!
We also have many years of New Camper Blog archive posts, so make sure to check those out; there’s a good chance that if you want to know more about a topic, we’ve looked into it before! If not, make sure to reach out; we are always happy to help!
Alright, let’s dive into our first topic: our camp teams.
Odds and Evens
Most camps have camp teams which help foster some friendly competition amongst campers at camp. At Greystone, we do our teams a little differently, so here are the details on how it works:
Your camp team is based on your cabin number. Our two camp teams are the Odds (girls in odd-numbered cabins) and Evens (girls in even-numbered cabins). The Odds wear green, and the Evens wear yellow/gold.
You find out your team on Opening Day. Because the teams are based on your cabin number, campers find out their teams on Opening Day when they arrive. It’s always a fun surprise!
Your team can change every year. Unlike most camps, we change teams each year. Because your cabin number changes with each new year you return to camp, your team can also possibly change each year too.
Your team will have fun songs and cheers. Both the Odds and Evens have a team song that you will learn, and we also sing some other fun chants and cheers during our team competitions. You’ll pick these songs up quickly!
You’ll earn points for your team throughout the session. There are many ways to earn points for your team, but the most common are: inspection (cleaning your cabin each morning and each night), flag attendance (being on time to our flag raising and flag lowering ceremonies), and Challenge Day (a camp-wide competition between the two teams).
You’ll want to bring some clothing items for your team. At each session, we have different team competitions, and girls love cheering on their team in their team colors.
You have a few options for packing your team gear:
- As you won’t know your team color until you arrive, most parents just pack a green and a yellow/gold shirt for their daughter, so they are ready for either team. This is the easiest way to go, and keeping the clothing simple is great (just a green and a yellow shirt you already own is perfect!). If you want to throw in a few extras, consider things like green/gold socks, eye black, necklaces, etc.
- Some parents will order team gear from The Greystone Store. The Store will deliver the correctly colored items to your daughter after Opening Day so that she has some fun dress-up items.
- Another option is to put a bag of team-colored gear in your car for your daughter to grab on Opening Day once she knows her cabin number. We hear about a few parents doing this each year – smart!
You’ll find out who won the team competition at Banquet, our final night of your session. On the very final night of your session during our Banquet feast, our final announcement of the night will be which team won the competition. It is always deafening with the cheering from the winning team!
You’ll be a part of history! Our Greystone teams date back to when camp started in 1920, so once you join us this summer, you will help contribute to the overall team score. Right now, the cumulative scores from the past 104 years are neck and neck: Odds: 277,129 and Evens: 276,795. So close!
We can’t wait for you to be a part of our Greystone team competition this summer. Get ready to cheer, celebrate, and compete with your team this summer!
Join us next week for another New Camper Blog, and in the meantime, let us know if you need anything!