by Greg Keresztury, Director of Operations
This summer, Ockanickon, our sleepaway camp for boys, introduced an Emblem program in which campers can participate in various activities with an opportunity to earn an emblem for that activity which indicates mastery of the activity. Emblem categories include: athletics, nature, adventure, art and creative, and character. Emblems are not easy to earn, nor should they be, and the program provides an opportunity for campers to set goals, hit specific “skill level milestones” on their way to earning an emblem, and then ultimately master an activity to earn the emblem.
Few emblems are awarded to campers the first time they try something because they’re difficult to earn. This difficulty highlights the ‘power of yet.’ As the Emblem Guide states: “If you do not reach a goal at first, REMEMBER, it is not that you haven’t done it, but rather that you haven’t done it yet.” Earning an emblem comes after setting goals, and doing one’s best. Some goals may take many summers to complete. In other words, “I’m not there… yet, but I will be in time!”
During Session 5, I partnered with an Oneida camper to earn Everdeen Archery emblems. The camper had earned 4 of the 5 archery emblems during his time at camp. As you may expect, he was very good with a bow – accurate and precise. He had already earned emblems for being able to shoot accurately with multiple types of bows, and also for shooting precisely as required by some of the archery-based emblems. He needed only the Everdeen Archery Emblem to obtain the first Archer’s Hand, a title earned by an archer who earns each of the 5 archery emblems. The camper had 4 of the emblems, and was working on “one for the thumb!” However, the emblem for Everdeen Archery had eluded the camper, so we partnered because I too was working on earning my emblem for Everdeen Archery.
If you’re not familiar with Everdeen Archery, it is an activity offered to our Ockanickon Oneida, Apache, and Mohawk campers. It is a multi-dimensional archery course in the woods in which the targets are hung in and around the trees (in a way that meets ACA archery standards, of course). The arrows are flu-flu arrows, which do not have pointed tips, and do not travel as far as a typical arrow. The course tests not only an archer’s accuracy, but also the speed at which the archer can nock, load, and aim. The course also tests an archer’s ability to quickly navigate the course and identify the targets.
The scoring for Everdeen Archery is pretty simple. For each second it takes to navigate the course, the archer receives 1 second. A time of two-minutes would equal 120 seconds. For each target the archer hits, 5 seconds come off the archer’s score. The goal is to receive the lowest possible score – get through the course quickly, and hit a lot of targets. To earn the emblem for Everdeen Archery, an archer must achieve a score of 70, or below.
Going back to the Oneida camper, his best score was in the 90s, and his time at camp for the summer was quickly coming to an end. His village chief, Dan, and I found a way to get him out to the course one last time so he could go for the Everdeen Archery Emblem, and obtain the Archer’s Hand – the first ever awarded at Ocky. It was an exciting afternoon for the Oneida camper, as he had received strong encouragement from his bunkmates and counselors.
When the time came, he was ready. He had on running shoes, appropriately tied and laced, a full bottle of water, and loads of determination. He had not been able to achieve his emblem yet, but had been working and getting progressively closer with each run.
Ultimately, the camper did not earn his emblem that day, but his score did improve into the low 80s. He took it all in stride, and beamed with confidence and excitement after his run. Even though he didn’t achieve the emblem or the Archer’s Hand, he understood the power of yet… he isn’t there yet, but he is working hard, and getting better each time.
The camper left camp excited to return in 2018 so he could earn his Everdeen Archery Emblem, and achieve the elusive Archer’s Hand. During checkout, he yelled that he was coming back next year to get “one for the thumb!” As for my summer-long battle with Everdeen… check back in a few days for another blog post!
(Pictured: Village Chief Dan and the Oneida camper who plans to get “one for the thumb” next summer!)