Vader Box- The Vader Box is a CPAP machine used by Steve Donohue to treat his sleep apnea, which was diagnosed between Winter Camps XX and XXI. For most campers, the box is seen as a mixed blessing. While it completely eliminates the snoring, the box also leaves Steve with more energy than in the past. The nickname stems from the mask (also known as the “athletic sip-otter”) and the sound of the air being pumped. Emil Lambert also used one of these at Winter Camp XXI. (SD)
Vendor Lunch- At Winter Camp VI, Food Director Jim Warren put together the entire menu and included a number of meal themes which were new to Winter Camp. The Vendor Lunch consisted of food such as might be served in the stands at a baseball game: hot dogs, ice cream bars, peanuts, and potato chips. The beverage of choice was, of course, pop. This was intended to work like a day at the ballgame. A variety of vendors went around and dispensed food from trays. As they made their way through the throng, they shouted “Peanuts, get your peanuts” and similar phrases. The meal was repeated at Winter Camp XIII, where chili and big pretzels were added to the menu. (SD)
Venture- This computer game made a popular appearance at Winter Camp VI. Jeff Rand was so disturbed by his failure to solve the riddle “Master of the night, leader of the day, brilliant without peer, unique in every way” that he wrote and ran a disassembler program to get the answer. “Sun” was the correct answer, which was carefully hidden by comparing it to the characters in bonus man backwards. (SD)
Video Game Tournament- At Winter Camp VI, computer games moved from free-time recreation to a spot on the schedule as Winter Campers participated in an electronic decathlon. New and old games were selected for this challenge, including Super Nova, Bounce-oids, Scarf-Man, and Saucers. A second tournament, this one using commercial video game systems rather than personal computers, was held at Winter Camp XXIII. Steve Clark defeated Keith King at Mortal Kombat 4 to take home top honors.
Videotaping- Since the ready availability of camcorders, Winter Camp has been able to preserve a video record. Winter Camp X was the first to be taped, and several camps since then have permanent images now in storage. Collected footage from 1986-1991 was assembled into a promotional video narrated by Steve Donohue, Joe Hall, and Tom Ray and used to publicize Winter Camp XVI.
Viking Explorers- Steve Donohue continued a successful tradition of gamecrafting with his third, a thematic contribution to Winter Camp XIX. Three teams locked horns in an exploration and conquest game, and the Grogs, Black Warriors, and Sea Ducks played to a three-way draw.
Viking Feast- Winter Camp XIX's banquet tapped the Medieval Feast for its menu and drew on the theme of the year for atmosphere.
Viking Olympics- Following in the traditions of the Wacky Decathlon and The Quest, this event kicked off Winter Camp XIX. Seven events, one a combination of two separate activities, were contested by 5 two-man teams and a three-man entry. The Mead Marathon split these partnerships up as one member of each team raced to drink 88 ounces of water while the other ran to the BC Skills building to retrieve a gallon jug of replacement water. Winners of individual events were:
| Viking Olympic Winners |
Mead Marathon
Drinking
Running |
Goats of Travail
Valhalla Warriorsm |
| Clout Shoot | Vikingsm |
| Weight Toss | Silent Knights m |
| Mast Climb | Vikingsm |
| Spear Throw | Goats of Travailm |
| Oar Running | Vikingsm |
- The Mead Marathon proved to be a most arduous challenge for two participants who found 88 ounces of cold well water too much to swallow. Fortunately, Josh Davis and Brian Mann were both able to make it out the door of Beaver Creek before throwing up. Deciding the overall championship required a tiebreaker between the Goats of Travail and the Valhalla Warriors; the criterion of most first-place finishes resulted in the Goats--Mark BollmanŽ, Steve Donohue, & Jeff Rand--taking the gold medals.
| Final Standings |
| Goats of Travail | 19m |
| Valhalla Warriors | 19m |
| Vikings | 21m |
| Silent Knights | 21m |
| Odin Warriors | 26m |
| Roots To Branches | 35m |
Viking Theme- Winter Camp XIX looked to early Scandinavia, as a collection of events brought a Viking flavor to several old Winter Camp favorites and several new activities emerged with a Norse accent. Steve Donohue pursued the Viking lifestyle the most ardently, as he pitched a replica of a 10th-century Viking tent at Brookside campsite and became the first Arrowman to spend all four nights of Winter Camp in a tent. Suitable garb was donned during the weekette by many campers. This theme could most easily challenge the Pirate theme from Winter Camp XVIII for best-integrated. The Viking theme became the first weekly theme to make a second Winter Camp appearance at Winter Camp XXV, where Hatchet Throwing, Hneftafl, Raze the Village, and Shield Construction were the new thematic activities.
Viral Infestation- Capture The Objective was modified at Winter Camp XXII to fit it into Tron/Service Day. The goal of this latest version was the reverse of CTO: to infiltrate the enemy base and infect it by dropping off a lightstick, which was interpreted as a computer virus. Roger Horn added a unique touch to the event when he used a large dead raccoon which he had found earlier in the weekette as a supervirus.
Volleyball- Conventional volleyball was played three times at Winter Camp, from Winter Camps VIII through X, before being replaced by 4-Way Volleyball.
 |
|
|
 |
The design and content of this page Copyright (C) 1997-2000 by Steve Donohue for the Winter Camp Future Society
If you believe we are using copyrighted material, please contact the webmaster
All rights reserved
