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Camp Robin Hood is a summer sports camp located in Freedom, New Hampshire. It was founded in 1927 by Andy, and the camp sits on Lake Ossippee. The camp was originally a boys' camp, but it became co-ed in the late 1900's. The camp offers a wide variety of sports and runs for seven to eight weeks every summer.

The Camp's History

Traditions

Camp Robin Hood has many lasting traditions, including Green and White color war, some dating back to when the camp was found, 1927. Some more recent traditions include excursion and girls' campfire.

Green and White

One of the oldest traditions of Camp Robin Hood is the color war, Green and White. Green and White is five days long and normally occurs between the 4 and 6 week marks, but it can technically happen anytime during the summer. Only the Brass and Judges, people at camp or not who have previously been counselor captains, know when Green and White is going to begin, or "break." As Green and White's normal time approaches, many cheers are heard in the dining hall, such as "GREEN AND WHITE" or "_____ FOR CAPTAIN" (for more on captains, read further down). Before Green and White, counselors, groups, and/or the brass set up fake breaks. At any time during the day (or night), Green and White can break. Some recent breaks include: drummers leading the camp to the lake where Judges were speeding about on boats at 5:30 AM (2006), limos leading the camp to the soccer field during dinner where parachuters jumped out of planes (2005), etc. At the same time as the break, the four counselor captains are picked (2 for each team), and they will lead their team for the next five days. Once Green and White breaks, the groups go back to their cabins and the campers vote for two captains and two co-captains, or co-s, in their respective groups (the votes are overseen by a Judge). The Judges then lead the group captains and co-s to the office where the captains pick their co-s and then pick their teams by alternating. Meanwhile, the counselor captains pick their teams too. When teams are picked, the entire camp meets at the flagpole. There, the director gives a speech and the Judges introduce themselves. Then, a captain from each group picks a jelly bean out of a hat (either green or white), and this decides who is on green and who is on white in each group. When all of the groups have taken sides, the counselor captains pick the bean too, pump up their team by screaming and encouraging them to say either "GO, GREEN, GO" or "FIGHT, WHITE, FIGHT." When the enitre camp is on either side, Green and White begins its usual cycle.

Boys' Camp

Boys' Camp has eight groups: the TPJ's (7 to 9 year olds), Squires (10 year olds), Archers (11), Yeomen (12), Lancers (13), Friars (14), Foresters (15), and Saxons (16). The Saxons are half camper and half counselor. After Saxon year, if the camp invites him back, a camper may become a counselor at 17.

Girls' Camp

Girls' Camp has eight groups also: the Tumblers (7 to 9 year olds), Jesters (10 year olds), Bows (11), Quills (12), Arrows (13), Bards (14), Shires (15), and Scribes (16). The Scribes, like the Saxons, are half counselors, and, if invited, become full-time counselors the next year.

Sports

Camp Robin Hood offers many sports to campers. The campers are generraly required to play some sports, while at other times the campers have an option of a few different activities.

Required Sports

The sports that are generally required by campers to play during assigned periods are football, baseball or softball, soccer, tennis, volleyball or newcomb, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, basketball, various games at the hockey rink, various games on the quad, and swimming lessons/activities in the lake.

Optional Activities

Some of the activities offered at camp that are usually offered in a period with several other activities are riflery, archery, bocce, croquet, woodshop, art, ceramics, shuffleboard, horseback riding, horseshoes, mountain biking, and several lake activites.

Lake Activities

Out of all the lake activities, only swimming, or waterfront, is required. However, to do any of the other water sports, a camper must complete 16 laps between the lake's docks (or 20 between two docks that are closer together). Completing the 16 laps lets a camper go sailing, canoeing, kayaking, or to a waterski period, where campers either go kneeboarding, water skiing, or wakeboarding.

Brass

The Brass is a group of five or ten people who run camp. The Brass include the director, athletic directors, and others. However, not many people at camp talk about the Brass by their title, but instead by their names.

Directors

Since 1927, the camp has had several directors; the first was Andy. After Andy's death, John Klein became the director. John was an extremely successful director, but in the fall of 2003, John sold the camp to David Cole, nicknamed D.C. D.C. runs the camp today.

References

Camp Robin Hood. 2006. 7 Dec. 2006 <http://www.camprobinhood.com>.