This week at Camp ROGA, our athletes had gold in their sights and only one way to get it: train hard, aim high, and unlock their inner champions during ROGA Olympics Week! Campers entered the arena as eager athletes, testing their skills in friendly competitions, perfecting techniques, and chasing their personal bests. From relay races to balance challenges, to building their own “medals,” every activity offered a chance to go for gold. With teamwork, determination, and plenty of sportsmanship, our young Olympians gave it their all in every event. So grab your torch and join us at Camp ROGA, where the Games are officially underway!

Before we could enter the Olympics, we had to make sure that we had a place to compete. Camp ROGA had spent the last weekend preparing the Olympic stadium to host our Olympians, but we needed some help to put the finishing touches on: the Olympic rings! The five Olympic rings, representing every inhabited continent united and equal, are the most famous parts of the Olympics, so it seemed only right that competing athletes hoist them up together. For this craft, the Olympians took a pair of empty glasses, ear holders, and grafted the five Olympic rings in between them, making a fun pair of glasses that each Olympian could wear to show off their spirit and love of the Olympic Games. In the spirit of teamwork and equality, Olympians also had a lot of fun sharing their glasses amongst each other and comparing their designs; although some decided to make their glasses resemble the Olympic design perfectly, others decided to embrace the freedom of the experience and make their own design. 

With the stadium constructed and the athletes ready to compete, all that was left to do was to light the torch and send the runner off to begin the Olympic Games. But in order to do that, the Olympians would need a torch. To make the perfect Olympic torch is no mean feat, so we had to put our most brilliant minds on the case. For this craft we had each camper create their own Olympic torch, ready to carry the flame all the way to the games to signal their beginning. The name of the game here was creativity; only the most elegant, regal, or silly torch could be trusted to carry the flame to the bowl, so Olympians had to stretch their brains and focus their minds on this daunting task. This craft allowed for a lot of customization, a bit more so than the glasses, so we would see quite a few different ways that this project would form. We saw a great multitude of different flame colors, quite a few interesting handle designs, and a couple unique reimaginings of the project, like the roaring bonfire one student presented to me.  The question of how someone would be able to carry that for several kilometers was however not answered. 

With the torches constructed and handed off to the runners, the games officially began. Inspired by the long run of the torch bearer, the Olympians decided to start off the games with one of the oldest of the Olympic Games: the relay race. With the roar of the crowd (other campers and coaches) reaching a fever pitch, teams huddled together and prepared to face off against each other. The order of runners was very important, they decided (all on their own, too!) so they had to make sure that they had the optimal strategy for victory. The Coaches’ suggestions were very unhelpful (what do you mean? Anchors are for ships, not running!), so the Olympians decided for themselves that the best strategy was just to run as fast as they could (nothing beats the classics)! Many cheers were heard as teams raced neck and neck against each other again and again, new strategies adopted and abandoned as needed, no teams managing a dominating victory. But with the roar of the crowd in their ears, and with at least a couple of victories each, every Olympian in the field felt like a gold medalist.

The arena lights shone bright as our campers stepped onto the Olympic stage of Camp ROGA. Olympians competed in every artistic gymnastics event, from bars to beams, to vault, to rings, to floor. Every young Olympian got to show off their stuff. Routines formulated the days before came to life at every event. On the floor in particular, Olympians got to run through actual floor routines, each designed to impress and amaze judges or spectators. Music played as campers went through handstands, flips, and dance moves, each routine showing off what made each athlete special and unique. Showing off elegance and dance moves is a major part of any floor routine, so even those not confident in their gymnastics skills got the chance to bring it all out onto the floor and show off their moves, be they impressive, cool, or silly. 

Even champions can’t run on empty! Just like real Olympians, our campers needed to refuel between events with snacks that were both fun and full of spirit. Here’s what kept them energized on their way to the Gold:

Berry Torch – Inspired by the torches they built earlier in the week, this tasty version was stacked high with raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries.

Gold Cup Popcorn – A golden cup overflowing with popcorn made every young Olympian feel like they’d already earned a medal.

American Jello – Layers of red, white, and blue jello gave a sweet nod to Team USA.

Cheese Dumbbells – Pretzel sticks paired with cheese wedges created mini “weights,” perfect for a little extra strength training at snack time.

No Olympics would be complete without a splash, and Camp ROGA had plenty of it! To wrap up Olympic Week, we brought the competition poolside (and slide-side) with some water-themed events that kept our athletes on their toes—and in the spray. Campers raced down swimming lanes, showing off their strokes and chasing the fastest times, all while dodging “hecklers” armed with water balloons from the sidelines. The slip-and-slide transformed into a thrilling bobsled track, with solo sliders shooting down at lightning speed and teams piling on for wild, makeshift bobsled runs. While the Olympic spirit of competition was alive and well, these water events also gave our young Olympians a chance to laugh, relax, and cool down after days of training and triumph.

With the events and competitions over it was time to score the routines and give medals to the winners. During the week, the Olympians had worked hard on making the medals required by the games, each designing their own version of what the gold medal would look like and mean to them, and in a grand ceremony, medals were awarded to everyone. Campers were made to approach the podiums with their fellow competitors to be awarded their medals by the judges (the coaches). Now emblazoned with the proof of their accomplishments, campers could go out and conquer anything they set their minds to.  

With the games concluded and the final cheers fading, our athletes left the arena tired but triumphant. Each of them proud of their performances and carrying home new skills, stronger confidence, and golden memories of competition. While the flame of this week’s Games has been passed on, the excitement is far from over. Join us next week as Camp ROGA lights the torch once again for another unforgettable adventure with Ninja Challenge Week!