The final week of camp has come and gone, and we can’t believe it’s over. But we certainly closed the summer out with a bang!
After the big breakout Sunday night, the next few days were nothing but Olympics, all day and all night. The first day started with the all-team tug of war – times six teams! After that, everyone cooled off with waterfront challenges like competitive Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP), a canoe tug of war, and a kayak race. Then came the “greasy watermelon” challenge, which is exactly what it sounds like, followed by an afternoon filled with track & field events. The evening activity was a handball tournament and the decathlete basketball challenge. The decathletes consist of one Seneca from each team, who competes in a variety of sports throughout the Olympics as the sole representative for their team. The other Senecas are team captains.
The next day kicked off with the marathon and the lake swim, followed by the all-team sprint and the all-team swim. That’s every single camper – swimming and sprinting, all strategically organized by the Senecas. That was followed by flag football, a swim meet, canoe races, and additional sports like baseball, soccer, Hatric tennis (three points), and the long jump & high jump. Evening activity was more tennis – singles, doubles, & games, followed by Opening Ceremonies. During our opening ceremonies, all athletes and officials take an Olympic Oath, and our Olympic torch is passed from Alan Rudolph to our Senecas, from the longest-standing Seneca to the newest member. The torch is then lit by the Senecas and we “let the games begin”. Later that evening, the USR’s competed in a 3-point shot contest. The second full day was full of competition with a hockey skills challenge, a World Cup soccer skills challenge, track meet events, and a golf competition. The third and final day showcased more team sports, our home run derby, the coveted high jump event, and the Grand Marathon was the afternoon highlight. During the Grand Marathon, every team competes in a race that starts at the same time. There are over 40 stations in the GM. Every member of the team completes one of the stations throughout the race, and the first team to complete each station the fastest wins! The GM is worth a lot of points; this year, Costa Rica won the GM, and it boosted them into 1st place.
That night, the teams came together to practice their chants and work on their banners before the big performances that evening. As the teams unveiled their banners to the judges, we were impressed, as always, with the creativity of these kids — from the art to the puns.
To InfITALY and beyond
Costa Ric And Morty
PORSCHEGAL
Spirderman NorWAY HOME
MALAncient Times
Canadastic 4
After all the points were tallied and the competitions were scored, the winner was announced. This was the closest Olympics in history. It was nip and tuck all the way, however…A big congratulations goes to TEAM COSTA RICA for a hard-fought, well-deserved Olympic 2026 win. Norway was close behind in second place. The coaches & Senecas of Team Costa Rica were honored for bringing the team together and utilizing every camper’s specific strengths. We also handed out the 2026 Joe Kruger Commendations, given to one camper from each age group who best embodies the spirit of Joe Kruger’s founding principles: effort, integrity, and team spirit.
After a hard-fought four days of Olympics, the next day we returned to our regular daily program – swimming, sailing, rope climbing, Tramp-Balling, and more. Everyone was happy to have a chill day enjoying camp and their friends, especially knowing summer was coming to a close. But we weren’t done with these kids yet! The next two days consisted of the yearly Hatric tennis tournament. Any camper and staff member who would like to participate in teams of five, which consists of one TJC, one USR, one LSR, one staff, and one “wild card.” It’s a big elimination tournament with tons of excitement, particularly as the kids play with and against their own counselors and staff. After the Hatric finals, evening activity was our annual banquet and Programmies.
Every year, the banquet is organized and hosted by the Algonquins as a heartfelt send-off to the Senecas. Everyone wears their spiffiest outfits, and we sit down for a nice dinner. The Programmies are our end-of-summer ‘awards’. Every activity on the schedule — from basketball to baseball to water skiing to Tramp Ball — recognizes a few campers that showed a lot of interest and some talent in their program areas
We also had the annual Film Festival – anyone can create & submit their own film, but the campers who do film and media all summer are often standouts. We all watched the films together, and the judges awarded the winners. The last day of camp was filled with packing, hugging, making plans to stay in touch, and squeezing the last ounces out of Summer 2026 at Camp MKN. It was, naturally, a particularly hard day and night for the Senecas, as these are their final moments as MKN campers.
We had a dance party after lunch that day, and the evening our final huddle and closing ceremonies, during which we gave out Legacy gifts to returning campers – three-year campers get MKN shorts, five-year campers get a windbreaker, and eight-year campers get a varsity jacket. We lit candles and ended the summer in the same way we began – full of warmth, light, and love for our home away from home.
That’s a wrap for Summer 2026. Thank you for sharing your unbelievable kids with us. And while everyone’s sad it’s over, the good news is we’re already thinking about 2027 – summer enrollment is now open!