Tonight was proof. Even one vote matters.
Here’s how it happened…
They’ve been counting down since July 19th. “10 more days!”, they would chant at meals. Then “9 more days!”, and so forth. Until today, the one that many consider to be the most important of the year.
It was the night that our 15-year-old campers have thought about since they were Cubs. For those of all ages, it was the most talked about and highly anticipated evenings of the summer. COLOR WAR ELECTIONS 2023!
It’s a nerve-racking day for the Stars Division. Each of the 22 young men have the opportunity to be selected by the camp as Captain of the Red or Gray Team. But as we know, no one can ever be sure how a democratic election will turn out.
The Stars truly are an impressive and united group. Even our first year camper Mel was welcomed so warmly that you’d never believe he hadn’t been here for years. You could see the genuine love for each other at the Annual Sky II Lobster Lunch.
The camaraderie continued through 7th period, as those on The Ballot put on their “lucky jersey” and linked arms for photo opps. As the camp filled the Rec Hall, the Stars took their seats on the Gerhard Stage, overlooking their many brothers of all ages.
“Welcome to Skylemar’s 75th Color War Election”, Shep bellowed. He explained that the traditions of Color War dated back to 1948, and the foundation established by Lee and Herb is just as important now as always.
To begin with, Skylemar’s Color War is played entirely on the fields and courts. Sincere sportsmanship is paramount. Color War stays out of the cabin. Inside the cabin and at meals it’s bunk-brothers as always.
Each camper, no matter the age, will cast a vote for two Stars who they believe should be the leaders of Skylemar. On one hand, it’s a difficult decision because there are so many good choices. On the other, each on The Ballot has the potential to be an amazing leader.
Skylemar’s Color War is competitive and fair, because the Captains secretly draft the teams by Division. There is no adult involvement. Captains select strategically with the goal of winning as their primary focus. They not only consider athletic ability, but also factors like theatrical talent for Songs and Cheers as well as who they think would be best for motivating the team. Because the Captains consider the Division overall, the bunks are not divided equally. Brothers, cousins, friends and bunkmates are not necessarily on the same team, and it could end up with just one person in the cabin on Red and all the rest on Gray. That’s why it’s important that Color War stays out of the cabin.
Each camper should play with all of their heart. However, win or lose, the key is to not overreact. Be joyful when you play well, but never gloat. Be disappointed when things don’t go your way but shake it off and keep trying.
A powerful moment came when Shep asked those in the audience who were former Captains to stand. A small number of grown men came to their feet. Next Shep asked for those who were on The Ballot but did not win to come forward. For this, several dozen stood. The point was - Red and Gray will have one captain each, but the many team members matter most.
The candidates were introduced, and here’s how it went…
The magic number was 110 tonight – representing one more than ½ the total participants in this year’s Color War, and the number of votes needed to win election as one of our two Captains. First the candidates voted, then kept secluded away in the Garden Cabin. One by one, each boy approached the Stage and wrote 2 names on a slip of paper before dropping it into the ballot bucket.
When all had voted, Shep then reached into the bucket and read each, one by one, as Nick recorded and tallied the votes. The countdown was on….”10!", "9!", "8!"… The kids screamed as one candidate’s tally got close to the magic number until finally …”3!", "2!", "1!"... and....
The crowd had worked itself up in frenzied anticipation for the 1st elected Captain of 2023: Sam DeFrancesca! DeFran was mobbed as he stormed through the Rec Hall doors into the arms of his constituents!
One down, one to go, as Shep then continued the process. But no other candidate reached the magic number! There were just too many great candidates to choose from, spreading the vote amongst them. So a second ballot was needed (without DeFran on it), and the process started all over again. This time the boys only had to vote for one person. Once again, after all had voted, the Sheps read and tallied the votes. The noisy countdown for our second Captain had reached a fever pitch at 109, one short of the necessary votes to win! The crowd was suddenly silenced by the empty bucket, leaving us one vote shy of electing the second Captain.
So amazingly, a third ballot became necessary, and we started all over again. This time, the candidate pool was reduced to only the top 3 vote-getters from Ballot Two as the only choices for Ballot Three. Each boy voted, now for the third time before Shep and Nick once again did their thing, reading aloud and tallying the votes. And finally… Michael Hildebrandt was elected as our second Captain! He too was embraced in a wild Rec Hall celebration.
Once the crowd had settled, there were still a few administrative details needed to be sorted out to get set for Sunday’s Color War start, namely the selection of colors and each team’s Stars Lieutenants. After a couple of coin flips, one to determine who gets to pick color, the other to determine the picking order for the lieutenants, Sam chose Gray and selected Grant and Tosh as his top assistants. Captain Michael chose Sam M and Jesse to help lead his Red Team.
Tomorrow night, Shep will assemble the Red and Gray team leaders well after dark to select their entire teams, setting the stage for Sunday’s opening of a most thrilling week. Stay tuned, this is only the beginning.
