2023 FCC Ironman & Honor Council
This past weekend, our Sunday started out like any other. We slept in, cleaned our cabins, gathered for church service, and enjoyed ice cream sundaes after lunch…
However… in the afternoon, it was time for our annual FCC Ironman Triathlon! This is an event that campers can choose to participate in, and while some enter with the goal of just finishing, many train during the year and throughout the summer with the hopes of being that year’s winner.
The winner each summer gets their name and the year put on a plaque, which is posted on the outside of the landsports hut for decades to come.
The race has three events, swimming, biking, and running. The boys start with the swimming portion, getting released in waves from the lower dam based on their tryout times. They swim across the length of the lower lake, run up and over the upper dam, and complete a lap in the upper lake. They then quickly put on their shoes and helmets to begin the mountain bike loop, and finally finish with a trail run.
Boys who don’t wish to compete can participate as Pit Crew, or cheer on their friends. Pit Crew help competitors transition between activities, often helping them dry off, tie their shoes, hold their bikes, or give them sips of water. It’s a great display of brotherhood and support to see friends encouraging and assisting each other during the event.
The finish line is on the Landsports Field, so boys can run to the end amidst cheers from their friends and peers surrounding the finish chute. This year, our winner was Berkley, from Greensboro, NC! Congrats also to Jacob from The Woodlands, TX for coming in a strong 2nd, and to David from Hendersonville, NC for an impressive 3rd place.
We talk about the Falling Creek Code often in our day to day life at camp, and it’s great to see the Code being lived out during all-camp events like the Ironman. We’re proud of the Warrior Spirit all the racers showed by persevering in a challenging event, the Servant’s Hearts their Pit Crews displayed by supporting them, the Positive Attitude shared by those cheering the racers on, and the Moral Compass modeled in everyone’s sportsmanlike behavior.
We end every Sunday with Campfire, and this time we had some additions to the Honor Council to celebrate. The Honor Council is a peer-elected group who strongly exemplify the Falling Creek Spirit and Code, and are tapped and recognized during Campfire.
There are representatives from all four Cabin Lines, so all ages participate. Starting in 2021, staff also became eligible to be voted into the Honor Council by their peers. Being part of the Honor Council is a lifelong nomination, so size of the group ranges from 15-25 depending on the year. The group meets with directors and staff who were on Honor Council when they were campers, at least once a week to discuss how they feel camp is operating.
On Sunday night, Madden M, Max A, and Jacob B were selected by their peers and staff to represent them on the Honor Council. Also, former camper Ford Layman was selected as a staff member. Congratulations to all those who were recognized. We finished the night by transitioning from the weekly theme of “Friendship” to “Gratitude” as the final theme for week 4 of Main Camp. It’s been a great week so far and we’re sure that this Tuesday will be no different.