The Teela Games
The Teela Games are one of Windridge’s most beloved traditions. During the last three days of each regular session, the whole camp divides into four teams, Red, Green, Navy, and Blue, and competes in sports, races, and challenges, all with plenty of team spirit. Campers of every age and every major play together on the same team, and for three days, the energy around camp is unbelievable, and camp is loud with cheering, singing, and team chants, with plenty of face paint to go around.
Events range from as serious as a tennis tournament to as silly as an egg toss, so there’s something for everyone. You don’t have to be the fastest runner or the strongest player to make a difference. Campers of all levels and abilities earn points for their team, whether it’s winning a tennis match, nailing a relay leg, belting out the team song with enthusiasm, or eating a popsicle the fastest. Every camper counts, and every point matters.
How the Teela Games begin
The Teela Games kick off with the Hatchet Hunt. Each team follows the same trail of scavenger clues around camp to find its hidden hatchet, and the race to find it sets the tone for the days ahead. Once a team finds its hatchet, a relay begins around our rec games area. Campers swim, do cannonballs, shoot three-pointers on the basketball court, and juggle soccer balls. Finally, they untie one of their team captains, who then delivers a whipped cream pie to a counselor who’s still tied up, usually right to the face!
The events
Over three days, teams earn points in events across all of our programs, including:
- A tennis tournament
- A soccer tournament
- A horse show
- Golf chipping contest
- Archery tournament
- A pickleball tournament
- Mini Relays (ever tried to throw a Wellington boot long distance or tried synchronized swimming?)
- Relay races & field games including a team rope pull, an egg toss, and dizzy bat
Evening activities like Snowball and Bedlam become part of the competition, too, so the excitement carries from morning until lights out.
Songs, skits, and team spirit
Not every point is won on the court or the field. Each team creates a skit or cheer, writes a team song, and designs a team plaque. The plaques are hung in the dining hall, where they stay for good, so campers can find their team’s plaque for years to come.
During the Teela Games, campers sit with their teams at meals, and team chants, songs, and lots of face paint are encouraged. Every camper also gets a Teela Games t-shirt to take home.
Race to the Summit
The last big event of the Teela Games is the Race to the Summit, typically held right after the cheer and plaque presentations. It’s a giant relay with 20 to 25 stations and challenges spread across camp. Every team member has a part to play, and the race ends at the amphitheater with the rope burn contest.
Coming together as one camp
The Teela Games end with one of the most meaningful moments of the summer. Each team nominates two of its oldest campers who best embody CREST, our camp creed of Community, Respect, Encouragement, Sportsmanship, and Trust, and the spirit of the Teela Games. Those campers step forward together and burn their teams’ hatchets side by side, bringing everyone back together as one camp.
Later that night, the whole camp celebrates the end of the session at our closing banquet.
Teela Games FAQs
Ready to join a team?
The Teela Games are just one of the traditions that make a summer at Windridge unforgettable. We’d love to have your camper join us and become part of a team, a tradition, and a community that lasts well beyond the summer.