Activities

Competition

At Camp Pinecliffe, we believe competition provides an avenue for growth — we learn to be better teammates and competitors, pushing ourselves while respecting our opponents.

Throughout the summer, our campers have numerous opportunities to compete. Each summer, Pinecliffe campers participate in a summer-long Color War. During the first week of camp, campers will elect Color War captains and be split into two teams, the Brown Teddy Bears and Blue Elephants, or the Teddies and the Ellies for short. This is not an ultra-competitive event, though some of our campers certainly love to compete in weekly athletics’ games, or the regatta or swim meets — and our traditional Sing is always a highlight of camp. Instead, Color War offers campers valuable lessons in teamwork, support, resilience, and friendship — and we stress that the competition never overshadows the sisterhood that exists throughout our camp community.

In addition to our intra-camp Blue and Brown competition, campers may compete on inter-camp sports teams throughout the summer. We have teams (competing with other girls’ camps) in all of our major sports, including Tennis, Soccer, Lacrosse, Basketball and Swimming — even Archery and Sailing! — and all campers have the chance to compete. We stress the importance of team play and commitment. We teach our campers that it’s not only important to celebrate a win, but to shake the hand of your opponents, win or lose.