I started working at Camp at the age of 19, and it has became one of my favorite experiences of all time. I enjoyed spending time with children ages 6-12, and they have grown close to me after Sports Camp had ended, but I wanted to be able to take an active role in helping these kid learn about responsibilities, good sportmanship and perserverance. They had grown from different backgrounds from Americans to Asians and this was an opportunity for them to experience sports in ways that they could never have imagined
I was assigned to cabin 19, in the remote part of the camp. This room was filled with kids, and they slept on bunk beds. I had a bunk bed in the far corner of the room as a way to supervise the kids from causing any kind of trouble. This camp had been vandalized before from broken windows to facuets, and the camp director wanted to make sure it does not happen again in any manner. As I started to work, I overheard a conversation about TUGS in a manner that I did not expect. An 11 year old named Byron was talking about his tied up games with his brother. His brother was 14 year old Jackson, and he was very adament about finishing high school and earning a spot in college to pursue a criminal justice degree. Byron went on to explain how he would sleep with his brother in the bedroom. One night after awakening, Byron found his hands was tied to the bed, and secured tightly so he would not move. Jackson would walk in with a devious expression on his face. Byron would ask questions about his situation, and Jackson would not answer him. Jackson tickled Byron's armpits for a while, and left his brother dazed and confused on the bed. To my suprise and utter dismay, Byron explained that he liked to be tied up and tickled.
As I listened in to the conversation, I felt compassionate to his story and it sort of reminded me of my brother. Byron exited the cabin, and went out to play. It was a bizzare statement made the boy, but it would not be the only one. After helping kids play football and swimming, I returned the cabin to rest a little bit since my shift was completed. There was a 12 year old boy named David and a 13 year old boy named Steven. They were playing in the cabin and happily tying each other up to a railing on their bunk beds. Neither boy seemed to mind having their hands bound to the railings. They enjoyed trying to escape, and when one of them could not, they would be subjected to tickling of their tummies. I did not interfere with their method and decided to let them have some fun since they were kids and this was an innocent game to them and no one was subjected to harm in any manner. After watching them play, I went back to work as I had the night shift as a consuler.
There was a field in the middle of the camp where kids were playing soccer. I had divided them up to two teams of blue and red. The blue team won 3-2 after 90 minutes of play. The kids seemed excited after the game. Dinner was almost ready for the kids, and it consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. One kid, named Walker, age 9, was playing in the field with Drew, aged 11. They were wrestling in the grass and having a blast, but all of a sudden, Walker grabbed Drew and forced his hands behind his back. Walker took out a pair of handcuffs, and cuffed Drew and double locking them. These were toy handcuffs and the boys was pleased in the game. Walker took Drew to the dining hall, and uncuffed him. Of course, some of the kids laughed at Drew, but it was all in good fun.
Well, after seeing three tied up games and stories, I had a nice week during the camp. Nothing more happened again after the tied up games in the first day, but it was bizzare experiences that makes a difference in camping.