World Cup Day

Saturday did not follow the usual camp schedule. The boys slept a little later, gathered for Morning Watch and a World Class Breakfast, and then spread across camp for tournaments, shakeups, swim trials, and the Falling Creek Football Association Cup, better known as the FCFA Cup.

From the start, every competition counted toward a cabin’s final score. By the end of the day, four trophies would be awarded, one to the winning cabin on each line.

Some boys represented their cabins on a field or court. Others competed in riflery, swimming, chess, or the Magic tournament. With so many events happening around camp, nearly every boy had a chance to help his cabin.

Morning Tournaments and Shakeups

The morning began with campers choosing from a long list of tournaments:

• Basketball
• Ping pong
• Magic
• Soccer
• Disc golf
• Riflery
• Spikeball
• Foosball

The courts, fields, and tournament tables were only part of what was happening around camp. Other boys chose shakeups that included reading at Overlook, jam sessions, speed climbing, play practice, talent show tryouts, chess, lacrosse, pickleball, and strength training.

While some boys chased a tournament title, others played music, rehearsed, climbed, or found a quieter way to spend the morning. Each choice gave campers another way to take part in the day.

Ironman Swim Trials

The morning also included swim trials for next weekend’s Falling Creek Ironman. To qualify, boys had to complete the course in 17 minutes or less. Every camper who finished the trial met the qualifying time.

Ollie E. from Darien, Connecticut, chose the swim trial even though it meant missing the Magic tournament. He had recently spent time in the infirmary but still qualified with a time of 12:41.

It was hard to choose between two events this morning, but I really want to compete in the Ironman next weekend.

Getting Ready for the FCFA Cup

At lunch, each table received blank white headbands for the boys to decorate with their cabins during Rest Hour. When they emerged, you could see their handiwork. Some wrote their cabin numbers, while others added nicknames or last names.

By the time everyone gathered on the Landsports Field, every boy was wearing one. The cabins met with their lines before spreading out across camp for the afternoon stations. The headbands gave each group a simple uniform, but no two looked quite the same.

The FCFA Cup Stations

The afternoon brought the main FCFA Cup competition. Cabins rotated through stations around camp, collecting points toward their final totals.

As the boys gathered on the Landsports Field, Matt Sloan reminded them what was at stake:

It’s hard to believe, but you will get to take this trophy back to your cabin at the end of the day!

At the Waterfront

At the waterfront, boys competed in three events:

• Best Blob: Two campers teamed up, with one jumping onto the Blob to launch the other into the air.
• Dive for Style: One boy represented his cabin with his most creative dive.
• Relay Race: Four swimmers worked together to race for their cabin.

Some of the youngest campers gathered along the waterfront to cheer for Cabin 2 campers Keigo K. from Japan and William C. from Washington, D.C., as they partnered for the Blob competition. Keigo rolled off on each of his first three attempts, but the crowd stayed with him.

“Keigo! Keigo! Keigo!” they chanted from shore.

On his fourth try, he stuck the landing and helped create the biggest Blob launch of the day.

There was also plenty of good-natured rivalry between campers and counselors. After a boy from a neighboring cabin earned a win, counselor Kyle Armstrong from New Zealand called out:

Hey! Good job! It was your first win today!

Then he turned to another counselor and laughed.

Nothing like a good bit of brotherly rivalry!

At the high dive, Davis M. from Telluride, Colorado, earned one of the biggest reactions of the day with a triple-flip back dive.

On the Landsports Field

The Landsports Field was split between two competitions:

• Ultimate Challenge: Campers entered a circle wearing flag belts and faced off one at a time. Each cabin began with 10 lives, and the competition continued until only one cabin had a player standing.
• Trashketball: Numbered trash cans represented each cabin. Boys tried to score soccer balls into their opponents’ cans while protecting their own, forcing each group to balance attacking and defending.

On the Tennis Courts

Four games of team handball ran at the same time on the tennis courts. Each match began with rock-paper-scissors before teams selected a goalkeeper.

Players could take only two steps with the ball before passing, so the boys quickly began finding open teammates, planning their attacks, and adjusting their strategies between matches.

The four stations were close enough that boys could hear the cheering from one event while competing in another. At one point, a group waiting for the scores began doing the wave before moving to its next station.

It was a small moment, but it showed how fully the boys had bought into the day.

Four Trophies, Four Winning Cabins

During dinner, the points from the morning tournaments, swim events, and afternoon stations were totaled and announced.

Four trophies were awarded, one to the winning cabin on each line:

• Sorrel: Cabin 5
• Tsuga: Cabin 14
• Robinia: Cabin 25
• Betula: Cabin 38

No single event decided the results. A basketball win counted alongside a relay race, a riflery score, a Magic tournament game, or a strong performance at one of the afternoon stations. Winning took contributions from boys throughout the cabin.