Wacky and Tacky...Camp Ozark on Wednesday!

Hey everybody, Wednesday was a fabulous day here at Camp Ozark!  The big news on the street is Tribal Competition.  The Caddo and Osage are dueling it out like never before, and setting the stage for a HUGE Ultimate Solution on Friday.  See, the overall summer score stands at 2-2, a tie.  Therefore, the winner of 5th Session earns bragging rights for the next year.  As it stands after Wednesday, a day in which the Caddo won by a score of 135-129, the total score is a squeaky-close 989-982, favor of the Caddo.  However, each day brings another drama, another epic victory in overtime, another outstanding effort by both teams, so there is not doubt the Ultimate Solution will be EPIC!

Our Morning Activity classes are going great, as well.  Even though it has been pretty hot lately, nothing slows these kids down!  Many of our younger kids are in a specialty class called "Debut," wherein they get to do a lot of fun things around camp...think of Debut as an Intro class to the Camp Ozark experience.  On Wednesday the Debut class got to try out the Barn Swing, and boy did they have fun!  Debut is awesome!

Our other classes were incomparable as well...Skeet shooting, Horsemanship, Pottery, Ceramics, Skateboard Design, Rocketry (get to launch rockets on Thursday!), Guitar, Lacrosse, Tennis, Skateboarding, Digital Photography...the list goes on and on! Needless to say, the campers really enjoy their Morning Activity classes and learn a ton while have fun.  Awesome!

After Morning Activities, it was time for another rockin' Ozark lunch, and the Rest Period.  Whether they rest, play quiet games, visit or just hang out, Rest Period is a very important time of the day and allows our kids to catch their breath before...

MISH MASH!  Oh, the joys of this golden time of day are hard to express.  The kids get to do ANYTHING they want during Mish Mash (as long as they are doing something), and, for the child, such freedom is hard to comprehend.  It's all open during Mish Mash...the waterfront and slides, Wacky World, Mini-golf, the Climbing Tower, the Crafts Center, the Skatepark, Riflery...everything!  Even Smashball, one of the all-time most popular activities we've ever had at Camp Ozark.  What makes Smashball so amazing, you might ask?  Well, it's fast paced, high-energy, and anyone can play. No wonder Smashball is so...smashing!

We also had a few tournaments on Wednesday: Street Skate, Camper/Counselor Newcomb, Mini-Golf, and (yes!) Smashball.  Tournaments are a great way for our kids to compete, have fun and try some new things.

After Mish Mash and dinner, it was time for Worship...Lifeline, Prime Time and Ozone.  Each service has its own feel, tempo and vibe, but all three are high energy and feature a great message for our kids.  On Wednesday, our Lifeline kids watched Episode 3 of Ozark Tales, featuring Meme (May-May) and her friends.  Our Prime Time campers were able to enjoy a visit from Patrick Hoercher (the smartest man at Camp Ozark), who talked about faith and doubt. We also talked about our "Value of the Day," self-confidence.  At Camp Ozark, we want our campers to feel empowered to try anything they want, to feel strong and confident about who they are and what they can accomplish.

Our final treat of the day was our Special Event of the evening, Wacky Tacky.  The clothes?  Wacky and Tacky.  The music?  Ditto.  The games?  Over the top wacky, tacky, fun and crazy!  This event pitted the guys against the girls in a series of crazy, wild and fun games.  A score was kept and in the end, the winner was....the Guys!  Whoa, way to go boys, although the girls DID win the Dance Contest at the end (of course).

After Wacky Tacky, it was off to bed....wait, not so fast.  As the campers were leaving the Field House, the familiar strains of "da, da, da da da, da..." came over the loudspeakers...it was Mission Impossible!  Yes, the single most anticipated moment of the entire session had begun.  All the campers hustled back to their cabins to don camo pants, paint their faces and put on bug spray.  Once the signal was given, the campers then sneaked their way out into the fields to try to recover their flags, all the while avoiding the dreaded Top Staff Patrols.  Once back safely with their flags, each cabin enjoyed the spoils of their mission, a nice cold drink from the store.

What a way to end the day!  Be sure to check back tomorrow!