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Encyclopedia WinterCampica Volume A |
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Abduction Clue- Human Clue took on this new name at Winter Camp XXI as it was brought into line with the Area 51 theme. Rather than seeking clues to a murder, three teams of players scattered across the Winter Camp universe in a quest to determine which camper had been abducted by aliens and replaced with an exact replica. At the same time, the aliens were reported still to be in camp and ready to abduct any searchers who crossed their path. The game ended in a three-way tie when all investigators correctly concluded that Mark Hunt had been abducted from Ribble House.
Achatz Cake Walk- Occurring at Winter Camp II, this near-accident was named the third most memorable Winter Camp event in a poll taken at Winter Camp XIII. During the general lawlessness surrounding the first-ever Caveman Dinner, Tom Achatz veered out of character and embarked on a hike across the dining room tables. An intricately decorated holiday cake sat on one of these tables, and as Tom lost his balance and fell, it was only by a narrow margin that he missed sitting directly on the cake.
Achatz Lunch- Setting the standard for economical midday feeding, this meal was served once, at Winter Camp III. It is notable as the first meal in Winter Camp history named for a person with that individual's permission. The menu included Spanish rice, apples, and cheap cookies.
Adam and Eve Snack- Apples are served at this snack in every attainable form: pie, cider, and fresh. Served at Winter Camp XVI under this name, the meal had previously appeared at Winter Camp VIII as the Johnny Appleseed Snack in deference to religious objections raised by Paul Duran.
Adviserati- Adviserati is a game invented by the denizens of Clearwater Cabin which places the various advisers attending Winter Camp in a contest to control the event. The players take turns attempting to control various smaller elements of Winter Camp, like the Winter Camp Virgins, the Oatley Children, and Beaver Creek Cabin. The various groups have alignments, indicating broad political views. The ten alignments are: Slothful/Diligent, Adult/Youth, Fun/Dull, Generous/Cheap, Athletic, and Fanatic. Each player takes the role of one of the advisers, and each adviser has his own set of victory conditions which reveal a great deal about the inventors' mindset. There were also additional cards like Osvath Accounting System and New Girlfriend that had special effects based on real-life activities. The game was based on an SJ Games product called Illuminati and eventually had its own derivative, Lodgerati, in which Lodge advisors strove to control the Mi-Gi-Si O-Paw-Gan Lodge. Although Illuminati has been reborn as a collectible card game, no update to the original Adviserati is planned. Adviserati later saw the Winter Camp Future Society card stripped from the box and added to the Autograph Project book with Steve Jackson (designer and publisher of Illuminati) having autographed it. Steve also turned out to be an Eagle Scout himself.(SD)
Adviser Victory Condition Mark Bollman--> Control groups with 35 points of power Steve Donohue Control 8 Fun groups Roger Horn Control 6 Athletic groups John Howey Control 8 Cheap groups Mike Osvath Control 6 Slothful groups Jeff Rand Control 6 Dull groups The Beast Control at least 1 group of each alignment Doug Wilson Accumulate 150 megabucks
“After The Apocalypse”- This is Winter Camp's third novel, which was begun during 1998 in a team effort between Mark Bollman--> and Steve Donohue. The book examines the possibilities stemming from a nuclear conflagration which occurs during Winter Camp XXV but spares Winter Camp itself from serious damage. Campers and their families present at the 25th Anniversary Banquet are left to rebuild society. The novel was launched in a serialized online version in early 1999.
Agents Pursuit- Matrix Day at Winter Camp XXIV tapped the characters of that movie for a new variation on the team pursuit game that is a Winter Camp favorite. Three teams were sent across D-A to collect mission information and, not so incidentally, the fixings for their lunch-the Lunch On The Run was incorporated into the game. At the same time, a team of Agents roamed the landscape trying to thwart their quest. Depending on the interpretation of the rules for this version 1.0, either the Agents or the Triangles could have been declared the winner.
Ailments- Winter Camp's medical history includes a few bizarre and/or memorable illnesses. Possibly the most famous befell Mike Osvath, who drank heartily of Beef Fizz at Winter Camp VII and experienced severe gastric distress as a result. Stomach maladies have been a recurring Winter Camp vexation: Paul Duran was stricken with intense diarrhea one year which left him carrying a roll of toilet paper around in order to be prepared for a new intestinal onslaught. Steve Donohue was stricken with a combination of vomiting and diarrhea at Winter Camp XVII. His symptoms became legendary over the course of the weekette, and while no cause was ever conclusively identified, “unsanitary turkey carving practices” during the Turkey Roost Dinner have been cited as one possible explanation. (Photographic evidence shows Jeff Rand carving a bird while shirtless, which provides some justification for this claim.) Medical samples were preserved in the time capsule, but researchers at Winter Camp XVIII made no further progress in the hunt for a cause. At Winter Camp XX, Steve Harig was similarly beset with an intestinal virus of some sort. His illness is remembered in an incident where he fell asleep on the toilet. Moving away from matters digestive, Dan Bollman came down with a case of laryngitis at camp one year, which was treated by taping his mouth shut. Crude but effective, his voice was saved by this technique. (SD)
Air Hockey- Winter Campers arriving on the first day of Winter Camp V were greeted by an unexpected sight. The first Winter Camp setup crew had come to camp the day before and had brought along an air hockey table. Competition on the table backgrounded other activities throughout the weekette, with a broken window resulting from an overzealous shot the only mishap.
Alermeraine- This event was held at Winter Camp XVII and was inspired by an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in keeping with the theme of that encampment. Tom Ray organized and ran it, an activity similar to the Wacky N-thon of several previous Winter Camps. Teams of Arrowmen were quested to perform a series of stunts as they worked their way across Clearwater campsite. Two paths were available: one route required fewer stunts of the team (3 mental and 3 physical challenges), but the 9 mental and 7 physical challenges on the alternate path, while more numerous, were not as difficult. Included among the games were a juggling challenge, a game that required a team member to balance a yard of beef vertically on his finger for one minute, and a station where the team had to determine by visual inspection which of two pots contained more water (they both had the same amount).
Alien Design Contest- On the agenda for Winter Camp XVII, this indoor event challenged members' biological imagination as they set about creating designs for extraterrestrial life forms. The event was judged in whole or in part by Jeff Rand, and winners in two categories were named. Josh Caldwell took top honors in the Best Artistic Representation Figure (BARF) division for his creature Rayjakvek, and Dave Woods won out in the Hugely Unusual Realistic Likeness (HURL) category for his Xeno Phage.
Alien Quest- Winter Camp XXI's Quest adopted a motif borrowed from the real Area 51 and sent teams of Arrowmen across the landscape in search of traces of a crashed alien spacecraft. Along their path, they encountered a trio of moonshiners, government agents interested in covering up the craft's existence, a message in the alien language detailing their plight, and finally a pair of extraterrestrials. This game also kicked off the Area 51 role-playing game, as several pieces of debris allegedly from the spaceship were either cited as proof of alien infiltration or cheap hoaxes.
Allogagan- This underground newspaper was published at Winter Camp XI by the Brothers of the Allogagan, and set the high-water circulation mark among that encampment's dueling papers by publishing three issues. Its political stance was decidedly anti-government, and the production quality and article topics of the first two issues suggested that it had been written and printed prior to camp. The third issue dipped sharply in graphic quality, but provided sufficient camp news to indicate that it had not been put together ahead of time. The name Allogagan takes the name used for Downriver District's OA chapter from the early 1960's until the chapter was partitioned in 1972--the name was also occasionally spelled “Allogagen”.
Alphabetic Banquet- This feast has been served twice, at Winter Camps IV and VII, and provides 26 dishes, one for each letter of the English alphabet. Eric Bollman still brags, years later, of his adventures in preparing a trifle at Winter Camp IV. It was also at the first Alphabetic Banquet that many members learned that “xanthine” means “yellow-colored”, as Xanthine Drink represented the letter X.
Animal Lunch- At Winter Camp VIII, the activity connected to this meal was the imitation by each diner of a selected animal species. Several notable raccoon imitations were observed, but the best portrayal came from Ron Donohue, whose imitation of a dog was accurate down to his choice of dog food as part of his luncheon bill of fare. The dog food purchased for the Beast was chosen specially because it boasted of a “New, Improved Taste” on the label.
Anniversary Dinner- A major banquet, embellished by the presence of guests from Winter Camps past and present, has been on the agenda at Winter Camps X and XX as a means of celebrating the completion of each decade set of Winter Camps. Winter Camp's collection of fine china was tapped to lend an air of sophistication to the banquet at Winter Camp X, while the anniversary dinner at Winter Camp XX was a masterpiece of opulence. Held in D-A's main dining hall, the lavish feast included an accompanying program featuring numerous historical displays and the taking of commemorative photos of the returning members of each Winter Camp crew. AT Winter Camp XXV, the silver anniversary of Winter Camp was commemorated by the 162-Dish Banquet/
Anonymous Frosty's- An enduring tradition of the Winter Camp grocery shopping trip each Christmas Eve is the purchase of a round for Frosty's for the crew. For many years, these were purchased by the oldest camper present and retrieved by the youngest. The shoppers for Winter Camp XXII were surprised when a tray of Frosty's was delivered to their table with the comment that they were “from an anonymous donor”. Considerable speculation as to the desserts' source ensued, centering on Ron Donohue, Steve Donohue, John Howey, and Dave Milon. The mysterious Frosty's appeared again before Winter Camp XXIII, and eventually Occasional Visitor took credit for sending them. For Winter Camp XXIV, OV's true identity was revealed, and while Kristie Matz provided the Frosty's for the group, the anonymity was lost and a 2-year tradition ended. A new tradition kicked in the next year when Kristie sprung for a second round under her own name.
“Another Ten Seconds”- Jeff Rand's first extended work of Winter Camp fiction debuted as a serial on the Winter Camp Web site in September 2000. Numerous descendants of 20th century Winter Campers dot the cast list as ATS opens at Winter Camp LIV in 2030. ATS was dubbed “probably the most dangerous serial ever” in its Web debut.
Anti-Oatley/Anti-Obedience Snack- This snack appeared under its first name at Winter Camp III and returned, renamed, at Winter Camps IV and VI. The original name stems from this menu's position at the opposite end of the nutritional spectrum from the Oatley Breakfast. Junk food in all its various forms is served--the original menu included onion rings, French fries, soft drinks, and fudge. The theme was combined with the Gruesome Snack during planning for Winter Camp XXV, but the snack was buried under an avalanche of leftovers from the 162-Dish Banquet.
Anti-Stone Sink Meal- “Stone Sink” is Winter Camp-speak for a sink full of dirty dishes, and is named for Bob Stone, who was known in Winter Camp's earliest days for washing the contents of such a sink when he discovered it. The goal of this meal, served at Winter Camp XX but proposed many years before, was to prepare a meal without dirtying any utensils. The menu seemed conducive to success in this venture, with shish kebab and biscuits-on-a-stick slated to provide reasonable nourishment. The quest met with limited success as many participants opted for a pan-cooked meal.
Area 51- Chosen as the theme for Winter Camp XXI, this theme organized much Winter Camp energy around the possibility that the Winter Camp universe or its counterpart had been visited by advanced extraterrestrial beings and commemorated the 50th anniversary of an alleged alien spaceship crash at Roswell, NM. Murder Clue was modified into Abduction Clue, and the Quest took on an alien-related theme. New events tied to the theme included a rocket launch, hydrogen ballooning, the Area 51 role-playing game, and the Space Lunch and “Something Is Out There” Snack.
Area 51 Role-Playing Game- This weekette-long event drew on the tradition of the Murder Game by assigning roles to campers based on a computer-conducted interview. Arrowmen were directed to perform various tasks to coincide with their roles as aliens, believers, debunkers, skeptics, Men In Black, or journalists.
Arm Wrestling- While never held as an official activity, or even activity fragment, arm wrestling proved a topic of great interest at Winter Camp XVI. The Beast, long-recognized as the strongest of Winter Campers, was defeated in an impromptu match with then-14-year-old James Szabo. Questioning revealed that James spent a great deal of time arm-wrestling. In a later rematch, the Beast held his arm less than 2” off the table for more than 15 minutes, calling on what was described as “Bitter Power” to avoid defeat. (SD)
“Ask The Beast”- Winter Camp's answer to Dear Abby, this advice column written by Ron Donohue ran in the Winter Camp News at Winter Camps XII-XIV. Always entertaining and never far from the cutting edge of camp journalism, this feature was resurrected in 1997 as “Ask Dr. Beast” on the Winter Camp Web site.
Autograph Project- The Autograph Project was launched in secret by Ron and Steve Donohue in early 1998 as an attempt to collect celebrity autographs or endorsements for Winter Camp. Game designers Steve Jackson and Aaron Allston and General Norman Schwartzkopf were the first three autographs acquired, and by Winter Camp XXII, over 40 celebrities had contributed to the new autograph book, which was placed in the Winter Camp library under the title “How Cool Is Winter Camp?”. While the project continues, here is the complete list from Winter Camp XXII (SD):
Person Contribution Peter Adkison Autographed paper: “Best Wishes for Winter Camp” Aaron Allston Autographed card and photo. Jim Carrey 8x10 photo inscribed “Spank you very much.” Jimmy Carter Autographed picture. Rodney Dangerfield Autographed picture. Dom DeLuise Two inscribed photos (an 8x10 black & white and a postcard-sized color shot). He also drew a picture of a lion on the cardboard sheet he used to keep the picture from being bent and autographed that as well. Robert DeNiro Autographed picture Clint Eastwood Signed photo Lee Elder Signed placard announcing a Northwood University fundraiser Glenn Elliott Autographed paper: “Best Wishes for Winter Camp” Mike Elliott Autographed paper: “Best Wishes for Winter Camp” Gerald R. Ford Picture inscribed “Best Wishes to Winter Camp, Gerald R. Ford - Eagle Scout, Troop 15” Richard Garfield Autographed paper: “Best Wishes for Winter Camp” Mel Gibson 8x10 photo signed “All the best” Danny Glover 8x10 photo inscribed “When you smile your heart smiles too.” Jeff Grubb Autographed paper: “Best Wishes for Winter Camp” Jennifer Love Hewitt A once in a lifetime offer to join her fanclub for only $16 Steve Jackson Autographed “Winter Camp Future Society” card from the Adviserati game Jeopardy! Search Team A brochure for the Jeopardy Show handed out to affiliates with Biographical information on key personnel. The cover is autographed by the three person team. James Earl Jones Autographed picture inscribed “To Winter Camp” and a signed postcard with a picture of Darth Vader Robert Jordan Autographed book Robin Leach Autographed piece of notebook paper signed “To Steve for the Boy Scout's Winter Camp event, Champagne Wishes, Robin Leach” Tom Lehrer A very cool notecard on which Tom wrote “My advice to Winter Camp is:” and then drew a staff and the music for the line “Be Prepared” Jon Lovitz Autographed photo inscribed “Best Wishes for Winter Camp” George Lucas A picture of George posing amidst some Star Wars props Darren McCarty Preprinted postcard with a picture and stats Clayton Moore Inscribed WCFS notecard: “To Winter Camp Scouts, Best Wishes/Clayton Moore/Lone Ranger” Mike Myers Inscribed picture reading “Yeah Baby! Best Wishes for Winter Camp” Leslie Nielsen Inscribed 8x10 that says “To all of you at Winter Camp: always sit down whenever you can!! Laughs” Leonard Nimoy Preprinted photo of Nimoy as Mr. Spock Ted Nugent A picture of himself in camos carrying a bow and posing with a big (presumably dead) buck, inscribed “Winter Camp - may the Spirit be always with you” Rosie O'Donnell Autographed photo inscribed “Winter Camp Rocks” Jim Oelschlager A piece of Oak Associates stationery dated 12-1-98 with the inscription “Best Wishes at Winter Camp. An investment in our future. Jim Oelschlager.” Bud Paxson Autographed book inscribed “To Ron, God is with Us” Joe Pesci Inscribed picture that says “Winter Camp: Good Luck, God is Good, Joe Pesci” John Ritter Inscribed photo that says “Go Winter Camp Go!” John also signed one of our notecards “Best Wishes for Winter Camp” Christopher Rush Autographed paper: “Best Wishes for Winter Camp” Pat Sajak Autographed picture John “Spider” Salley A picture of John in his Miami Heat uniform going in for a layup against the Washington Bullets signed, “Yo, Good luck to the Bad Boys of Winter Camp from John “Spider” Salley“ Bo Schembechler Autographed copy of “Michigan Memories” Sherwood Schwartz Three photos all inscribed and signed by the man himself. One is of just him and is a 1998 photo. The second one shows him posing on the stairs with all the Brady's; it was taken in 1970 and you can even see the horse (from the Brady sequel) in the foreground. The final picture is of the cast of Gilligan's Island and includes both Ginger and Mary Ann looking lovely in two-piece suits. General Norman Schwartzkopf Autographed luncheon menu reading “Best Wishes for a Happy Winter Camp, Norman Schwartzkopf ****” William Shatner Autographed photo John Travolta Inscribed picture reading “To Winter Camp; Best Wishes” Alex Trebek Inscribed photo reading “To Winter Camp with my very best wishes. Stay Warm! Alex Trebek” Pete Venters A pen & ink drawing showing two goblins in shorts confronting what looks like a snow demon Gene Wilder Preprinted photo and a form letter saying Mr. Wilder doesn't do autographs Bruce Willis Autographed color photo (probably a pre-print)
Automated Breakfast- Planned and scheduled for Winter Camps XVII and XVIII but never successfully executed, the Automated Breakfast is one of those Winter Camp ideas that sounds a lot better in November at the planning meeting than it does a month later. The idea behind this recurring proposal is that every camper will engineer means by which his continental breakfast fixings are automatically prepared and, in the advanced version, delivered to his bunk. While speculation about toaster timers and electric trains runs rampant on the day after Thanksgiving, this planning has yet to reach full fruition. With a particularly clairvoyant eye, Steve Donohue listed this meal at #1 on his “5 Meals That Will Probably Never Happen” contribution to The Winter Camp Book of Lists.
Awards Banquet- The menu from this Winter Camp VI dinner: chicken, mostaccioli, mashed potatoes, corn, and peas; is familiar to anyone who's made the Blue and Gold Banquet circuit as part of a dance team. It was intended that actual awards be presented, but when the Real Man Decathlon was canceled, none were.
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