Camp Traditions: The Rituals That Make CBS, CBS

Camp Traditions: The Rituals That Make CBS, CBS

A spotlight on beloved camp traditions — songs, ceremonies, inside jokes, annual events. Helps new families understand the culture and gives returning families a dose of nostalgia.

An underrated part of joining any club is learning the rituals. Every organization has an exclusivity that fuels curiosity. The desire to have knowledge and participate in tradition drives every one of us to lean forward with intent, listening carefully so that we too can enthusiastically join in on what was once hidden from our experience. It is in that spirit that I must tell you, it’s critical to tell a bad joke every Tuesday.

Activities are what you do at a summer camp. But you can play soccer, volleyball, have a snack and go swimming anywhere. Try something real fast. If you have a child that has already attended camp at CBS, ask them what they are looking forward to this summer. With apologies to basketball and tennis, I doubt your kid is going to say anything about traditional sports. Instead, you’ll likely hear a bunch of words and phrases that don’t make a lot of sense. PHUNANZA, Mission: Impossible, Flag Pole, and Rodeo Roundup are all familiar enough words (except that first one), but why do they cause your 11-year old to look wistfully into the distance? This is camp culture; their culture.

This is the first of a few blogs about the traditions that make CBS the camp we love. It would be impossible to write about every tradition, inside joke, and daily ritual, but we can wrap our minds around the mainstays. Saving the big events, like dances and team comp for later, this article will be about the little things. The everyday rituals that are foreign to your home, but commonplace at CBS.

One of the very first things that your camper will experience at CBS a meal in the Rio Grande dining hall. Campers know to wait patiently outside the doors, as food is brought out family-style to each cabin’s table. Don’t confuse the tremendous noise for disorder. Before sitting down, everyone removes their hats, and “rocks up,” for a prayer.

Rocking Up is how we hold hands to bless a meal at camp. Every camper and counselor stands with their hands formed into fists. The right fist goes on top, and the left underneath, creating a circle around each table. After an “amen,” everyone pounds fists up and down, followed by the loudest clap you’ve ever heard. Only then can the feast begin.

Following the blessing, campers happily pass the entrees and sides around the table, visit the salad and sandwich bars, and sing alone to popular music over the speakers. At CBS, everyone drinks at least one full cup of water before seeking out lemonade or gatorade. Just keep in mind that if you ever drop a plate or cup, the entire camp is going to shout “PICK IT UP,” at decibels rivaling a shuttle launch.

After breakfast and dinner, all campers gather in cabin lines around the flagpole. The centerpiece of this ritual is the raising or lowering of our nation’s flag. Caution: if you are making your way to the circle drive and hear people counting down from 20, you’d better hurry. Anyone who is late to the flagpole is sent to run a lap around the soccer field. At the flagpole, we hear announcements, get excited about the day’s theme and that evening’s activity. It’s also where we reclaim lost property.

Has your child ever left their water bottle at the soccer field; their shoes at the pool? You probably gave it back to them with a reminder to be more mindful of thor things. It should please you to know that CBS is here to help! When a camper (or counselor) loses a personal item, a fellow camper is always happy to bring it to them and set it on the rock at the base of the flagpole. Why are they happy? Probably because nobody gets to reclaim their lost property without providing the rest of camp with some entertainment.

Nobody knows the origin of “hiney writing.” Some say it’s the first tradition from the first summer camp all the way back in Ptolemaic Egypt (a fact that I just made up, but it sounds really nice). Hiney writing is exactly what it sounds like, the participants are given a word to spell by the crowd, and then they must spell the word by drawing each letter in the air with their posteriors. This is a delicate operation, requiring focus, enthusiasm, and remembering to always dot every lowercase “i.” Silliness is serious business, and business is booming on Tuesdays.

In the world, Tuesdays are ordinary. At Camp Balcones Springs, the second day of the week is reserved for jokes; bad ones. Each Tuesday morning and evening, while gathered around the flag pole, campers and counselors alike are invited to hop on a microphone and share a joke with the entire camp. The only rule is that the punchline can’t be any good at all. To this day, I recite such gems as, “What’s brown and sticky? A stick,” to greet the Tuesday morning sun. Bad Joke Tuesday is a voluntary event, but a kid can become a legend if they show up with a real groaner.

Camp Balcones Springs is thoughtful about the small things, knowing that it’s those details that are the foundation of a culture. The repetition and structure of mealtime and Flagpole bring predictable order to days that are punctuated by (planned) chaos. Familiar patterns bring a unified experience to camp that crystalize into memories that take root and persist outside the gates.