2018 Kawaga Spectacular

Notre Dame by Owen Fisher- Mohawk B

Notre Dame was sitting in the Council Ring.The previous day had been nothing short of nerve- wracking. Our #1 competitor Georgetown was only 150 points behind us. As long as we did better than Georgetown in the relay, we’d win. We hear Georgetown’s name called in 5th place and ours in 3rd, so we knew we had a very good chance to win. When we learned the song and skit standings, and we did better than we thought. We placed 3rd in song and skit! Everyone was getting really excited. They read off the final standings and — in the first place spot — we hear our fight song. We had won the 2018 Kawaga Spectacular!  

Georgetown by Owen Shaw- Group 2, Oneida

This was a memorable one with head coach Zach Cohen and assistant coach Matthew Kisin. For our blocks, we gave our whole heart and won 11-3. Our most memorable moment was either sweeping Notre Dame or our Seniors beating Auburn in volleyball. Everyone contributed and made it possible for our team to take 2nd place. A great time had by all. We were so grateful for everyone who made these last three days awesome.

Florida International University by Bryan Gnehm- Group 2, Oneida

Led by coaches Joey Schrayer, Garrett Smith, and captain Gordon Olim, F.I.U. had a strong showing in blocks, sweeping teams such as Oklahoma, Tennessee Volunteers, and Alabama. F.I.U. did not get swept at any point throughout the whole Speccy. We didn’t do so well in  track and field, swimming, tug of war, and — in the opinion of this writer — in song and skit. Despite all of this, F.I.U. still pulled out a strong 3rd place. Overall, F.I.U. was a fun team to be on and was really well coached. Great time had by all!

Auburn by Alex Davis– Group 1, Oneida

The first time I saw the Auburn shirts, I knew I wanted to be a Tiger. Then I saw the whole team and I thought to myself, “this might be the year I finally win a spectacular!” Boy, was I wrong… We went 7-7 in blocks with our Juniors leading the way over the three-day competition. Througha lot of ups and downs we ended up getting 4th place. Nevertheless, a great time had by all!

Oklahoma by James Friedman- Mohawk A

The Spectacular for Oklahoma started out with high energy and great emotion from the campers. Our team was very excited for the first block. For the Sooners, the Juniors would play soccer, and the Seniors would play volleyball. The Sooners would face the Alabama Crimson Tide in a tough match. The Seniors were led by captain Jackson Froelich and the Juniors were by Noah Adams and James Friedman. The soccer game started off with a quick score by Alabama, but Noah Adams ended up taking over the game by scoring six goals and the Sooners ended up with a 6-1 victory. Great hustle by Aaron Levey and Jacob Weiss. The Senior game started off with great hustle by Grey Dixon and Jono Messe. The Sooners took Game One. Game Two was a back-and-forth battle with Scott Curtis of Alabama scoring many points. The Sooners ended up taking the victory with a sweep for the first block. Great time had by all.

Purdue by Malcolm Newmark- Group 2, Oneida

When Purdue coaches Jacob Vigran and Sean Gooze chose Chuck Fox in the first round and Jacob Muriel in the second round of the Spectacular Live Draft, they quickly established themselves as the team to beat. When everyone got their black and gold shirts on Sunday, they were optimistic about the team’s chances. On Monday, the Seniors started the day by winning a 13-inning softball game. Junior swim went well, with Meyer Rosenthal placing. The next day, Purdue destroyed in individual tournaments, finishing 2nd on the back of Blaze-O and Knowledge Bowl victories. Wednesday was not as successful for the Boilermakers, and after a funny skit, involving Chuck Fox being banished to the land of Volunteers, the Boilermakers finished 6th, but enjoyed the whole Spectacular.

Tennessee by Josh Zirin- Group 2, Oneida

The 7th place Tennessee Volunteers were a spirited and fun Spectacular team that will be remembered for placing first in song and skit. After a slow start, the Volunteers claimed an overtime victory in handball but ended with a final record of only 3-11. Despite an unfortunate showing in blocks, head coach Ben Gerstein and assistant coach Scott Colligan led the Volunteers to place highly in tug of war, swimming, and track and field. Captain Grey Schneider helped make the Volunteers a really fun team and turned a bad start into a strong finish.

Alabama by Will Frank- Group 2, Oneida

The Speccy is one of my favorite parts of camp. On Saturday we sit in the Mess Hall and team captains are announced. Two days later, we find out our teams by being handed our shirts. We then compete with other teams for a number of days. Eventually the winner is announced in the Council Ring. Alabama put up a strong fight, embracing accents and costumes for our song and skit and holding our heads high with pride throughout every block. Go Crimson Tide!