Check out my album first. Bow & Arrow Songfest is my favorite night of the summer. Boys from both squads had been practicing their Alma Mater and pump-up songs for several blocks of time and historical projections had the neutrals bracing for outstanding performances. Last night’s was one of the best ever.
First you see that the neutrals dressed for the occasion and quite a buzz was going on when the first Songfest performer entered the Dining Room. “Hush,” I commanded, “This is magical.” My photos are blurry as boys were not posing as they advanced to their pre-determined positions.
Look at those faces! I see the curious, befuddled, amused, startled, straight ahead looker, dead serious countenance, the look askance, and (my favorite) the peeker! Regardless, most knew they were going to be good and they were.
I am never a voting judge since I could never bring myself to cast a ballot for one team over the other. Those arbitrators were counseled beforehand on what to look for in these presentations and thus the verdict came swiftly, with Bows winning the Alma Mater and Arrows taking the pump-up contest.
I suggest you ask your sons to sing their songs to you today or tomorrow, or any time in the next 50 years since boys never forget this experience and the tunes are forever embedded in their minds.
Earlier, the neutrals had overseen eight relay races run about the grounds with each group carrying a rope with all hands attached from one station to the next, whereupon one camper peeled off from the rope to complete a task before the rope could move on. I observed just a portion of the event down by the waterfront where one person swam a swim lap while two others partook in a 20 consecutive ping-pong volley, all while the rope waited patiently. And so on.
I tell you this since each “rope” is run separately and there is one lone timer – Mike Wiff. He did not reveal the times of these four match-ups by division until after the Songfest. Worth a whopping 20 points each, there were still 80 points up for grab as he ambled to the center of the room.
“The Arrows have a comfortable lead,” he acknowledged, “but if the Bows sweep the relays, they will win.” Of course, he proceeded to announce the two favorable Bow outcomes first, thus building the tension to a high pitch before finally acknowledging the Arrow wins in the remaining two contests. Thus, while the competition was never really that close, he had both sides on the edges of their seats until the last possible second. This is Kingswood at its very best and I just had to make this full report on the last day of the summer.
- Sara is busy putting together her slide show for tonight and getting final photos of everyone to go into her 2022 Kingswood yearbook. This is a treasure worth your while of about $95 and I think she wants you to email her at swipfler@gmail.com if you are interested.
She did have time to put up the final batch of staff-taken photos and there are some beauties for you to see in that album. They were offered by several different counselors and thus are quite jumbled up.
The difficult terrain negotiated by ladders was on Mt. Morgan, a low summit with that one rugged section and some magnificent views of Squam Lake and Lake Winnipesaukee.
I see the junior overnight to White Sands got represented as did the gorgeous view from Mt. Chocorua, seen in that group shot just before all the fishing photos from the likes of Indian Pond and Belle Island on Newfound Lake.
Lastly, you see just a couple more pix from the Songfest last night, including the ice cream party afterwards which signaled the end of B&A and the basic conclusion of all that the fun was in the doing – win or lose. Magical