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“Best event of the year!,” was how Pok-O Headmaster Josh Bornt described it. Indian Games ‘White Man’, David Durant went even one further: “It may be the greatest camp event I’ve ever been to!” Added ‘White Woman’ Rebecca Ryba, “It was unbelievable!”
Unbelievable may be an understatement to describe the scene at Tuesday evening’s Great Indian Tug-of-War. An always exciting event became downright surreal when a cloudburst dumped heavy rain onto the proceedings. Rather than dive for cover, the 230 campers and 60 staff members embraced the conditions. While the competition continued uninterrupted, everyone broke out into dancing, singing, cheering and a general good spirit reminiscent of Woodstock. “I liked that it started raining because everyone got wet and it made it even more exciting,” raved Brittany Mount of the Seneca tribe. Jay Hutlzer, of the Onondaga, felt that the rain “made everyone even more competitive.”
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Long time staff member Tim Singer concluded, “It was amazing. It really shows what our campers are made of, the way they all got psyched. It’s what makes Pok-O-MacCready such a special place!”
The tug-of-war was the final event of an action packed day #1 if Indian Days....
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THE WORLD’S MOST COMPLICATED GAME
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It’s official name is the Great Indian Pathfinding, Skulking, Scavenging, Foraging, and Storytelling Game and the game is indeed as complicated as the name suggests.
Boys and girls follow clues while traveling around the camp property, collecting items, and completing tasks designed to please the “White People”.
The scoring for the event is as complicated as the event itself; first place went to the Onondaga.
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THE GREAT JOURNEY
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This girls only event takes the MacCready campers around the camp in a variation of a relay race.
At each station, campers from each tribe must perform a feat of speed and skill. Among the tasks: riding a bike, running, rolling a barrel, shooting and arrow, and firing a lacrosse shot.
The Mohawk captured their first win of the season, while the Cayuga and Tuscarora tied for second place.
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IROQUOIS NATION ROLAS
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The “oldest game known to man” is very much like soccer. Five “rolas” are propelled- by feet only- into the opposing team’s “base”.
Intermittent showers portended the evening’s deluge, with the Cayuga winning the round robin event with a 3-0-1 record.
The game featured Pok-O-Moonshine campers only; Earlier in the summer, the MacCready girls played Rolas.
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TRIBAL TUG-OF-WAR
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The coed competition is actually two events in one: The boys tug and the girls contest.
The Seneca, winless since the opening event of the summer, won both events. “Everyone got dirty and it was hard to move but it was still a lot of fun,” said Luke Sweeney of the winning tribe.
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