Saturday, July 2, 2011

Can Someone Fix That?


Ah... the Slip 'N Slide, what a classic source of amusement and entertainment for children/adults of all ages. What better way to entertain the campers of Camp Bennett then by making our very own Slip 'N Slide? Use some solid material, wet it with some hoses, rub a bit of conditioner on yourself and you can slip and slide yourself into a world of fun, and hilarity.  Look at that little boy(girl? Kind of ambiguous really) in the photo up there, that child is in a world of joy and excitement!

But what happens, when a child gets onto the Slip 'N Slide, slips, but then doesn't slide? Does this child have only half the fun of his/her peers who are slipping AND sliding? In a word....


No.


It was a beautiful Wednesday morning/afternoon, and my campers and I, were merrily experiencing the fun of the Slip 'N Slide. As expected, within minutes, the Slip 'N Slide transformed into a war zone of speed. Campers and counselors put their pride on the line, as they raced each other down to the bottom of the Slip 'N Slide.

"1! 2! 3! Go!" was the theme of our battlefield, and person after person was sent zooming down the nylon racetrack.

"1! 2! 3! Go!"

"STOP STOP STOP!"

Right in the middle of his running start, one poor camper desperately tried to stop on top of our nylon track, and, expectedly slipped


As I have attempted to illustrate above, he slipped in a way akin to the way things slip in shows such as, the Looney Tunes. However, as he slipped and launched his body into the air, when he came to the ground, he landed head first. The back of his head kissed the ground with surprising force and speed, he assumed the fetal position, and began writhing in pain. 

Groaning and wriggling in pain, he eventually rolls off the track and everyone assumes at this point that this child has just suffered a self-inflicted concussion. 

But then, through this dark cloud of gloom and sorrow, one counselor stabbed through the darkness and shed light/laughter upon the whole situation. 

After surveying the entire situation, and witnessing that which had just unfolded, he raises his voice, points his finger and says:

"Can someone fix the Slip 'N Slide down there?"


...



Brilliant. Perfect. Amazing.

You see, as a result of all the intense slipping and sliding that had been occurring, the far end of our track had slightly folded over itself, and this required a remedy/repair.

This was easily my favorite moment at Camp Bennett thus far, a child is on the ground with what we suspected to be a concussion (he turned out to be fine in the end), and this counselors heart and concern was for the fold that had developed in the Slip 'N Slide rather than the writhing child.


"Can someone fix that?"


He Can.

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