This week at Camp ROGA, our gym was transformed into a secret ninja dojo where young warriors began their journey toward becoming true masters of the ancient arts. Throughout the week, campers trained in their ninja disciplines and crafting skills. Scaling walls, avoiding guards, and having epic ninja battles were on the agenda, and that agenda was filled to a T. With each mission completed, campers grew more confident in their abilities, proving that the greatest weapon a ninja can possess is the courage to try something new. Join us as we look back at an action-packed week of stealth and skill! 

Any good ninja needs the tools of the trade to complete their objectives. Before setting off on their daring missions, our young warriors needed to equip themselves with everything a true ninja could need. Fortunately, Camp ROGA’s dojo was stocked with all the supplies necessary to forge the perfect ninja gear.

To begin their training, every ninja needed a trusty weapon, so campers forged their very own ninja swords. Made from pool noodles with tape, stickers, and rhinestones for personalization, each sword was quenched into the hearts of the campers’ creativity to create the perfect sword for any adventure, quest, or epic dueling session with their fellow campers and coaches. Once their weapons had been completed, campers endeavored to create a legendary ninja companion who would accompany them on their missions. Most ninjas use shadows to create clones, but our campers decided that clay was the more reasonable and lasting building material. Using it, campers sculpted miniature ninjas, their poses and expressions each an extension of the campers’ personalities, one hundred tiny guardians fit to watch over the dojo. Finally, each ninja made sure to deck themselves in the proper attire for their professions. Campers designed and decorated their own ninja headbands, each one a designator of the ninja’s individual style and techniques, honed over their experiences in shinobi crafting. Ninjas endeavor to leave no evidence, but maybe a memento or two would be fine, and the campers had plenty of mementos to bring home by the end of the week.

Before they could earn the title of master of the dojo, campers had to prove their Ninja skills in the gym. The ancient ninja arts take daring to master, a quality that the campers were not lacking in. The first rule of remaining unseen is that people don’t look up, so campers climbed as high as they could, further evading the searching gazes of their pursuers with every foot they climbed. The young warriors scaled towering cliffs to infiltrate enemy fortresses using ROGA ropes and techniques to ferry them over unseen in the dead of… the brightly lit gym. Over on the bars, campers practiced swinging silently between rooftops, one failed smooth pull-over away from being captured by guards. Across the balance beam, ninjas carefully crossed narrow bridges suspended high above rushing rivers, enemy samurai snapping at their heels the whole way over.  On the floor, campers trained their agility by leaping over obstacles, rolling beneath traps, and launching themselves into the safety of the foam pit as they perfected the perfect ninja escape. With their pursuers left thoroughly in the dust, the ninjas raised their arms in celebration, a salute in recognition of their acceptance into the ranks of the dojo. 

Although the greatest of Ninjas can go seven days and seven nights without eating or drinking, asking that of our new ninja trainees did not feel fair. So, after long days of climbing, tumbling, and sneaking through the dojo, we invited the young warriors to gather and enjoy a collection of ninja-inspired snacks that kept their energy high for the challenges ahead. Our ninja chefs ensured new culinary creations every day, carefully prepared to fill each ninja up with the energy needed for another thousand kicks, jumps, and flips.

Healthy eating is an important aspect of ninja life, so we made sure to provide campers with plenty of fruits so that they might grow big and strong. One of the ways that we provided this was with colorful fruit skewers whose skewers resembled mighty ninja swords. To provide something a little sweeter but just as tasty, we uncovered mysterious pudding cups disguised with tiny ninja masks, each one hiding a delicious pudding interior below its mask of shadows. A cheesier alternative came in the form of baybel cheese, which also hid its delicious interior under a mask, though its uniform was made of wax. Finally, to make sure they were ready to fight off any samurai even during snack time, campers chowed down on edible nunchucks made from fruit roll-ups and string cheese.

Now to put all of their hard-earned skills to the test, we set our warriors on one final, impossible mission: the Hidden Water Temple Trials. Within this ticky temple were sneaky water traps to avoid, surprise ambushes to foresee, and streams of water jutting from every which way that only the most acute of ninja reflexes could dodge. Campers weaved through flying water balloons and surprise splashes, relying on their many skills and tools of the trade to stay afloat. Water balloons might not look like shurikens (and they might not hang on bandoliers like them either), but the little ninjas were certainly throwing them like that. Eventually, however, even the makeshift shurikens had to run out, and when they did (and the young ninjas finally emerged victorious), they could finally enjoy some time cooling off beneath refreshing sprinklers before taking a well-earned break in the kiddie pool. 

As another unforgettable week at Camp ROGA comes to a close, we couldn’t be prouder of all our young ninjas and everything they accomplished. Mastering new skills is an important part of becoming a ninja warrior, and gymnastics is a great way to learn them, but it is also something that each camper could take home with them to improve their future endeavors and show off to their family. And the confidence that comes with those new skills goes without saying. We hope these memories inspire them long after camp ends, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back for another exciting adventure next week!