Olympic Games come to Arndt Park this summer

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well.”

During the week of July 11-15, The Des Plaines Park District's Arndt Park Camp hosted their annual Olympic Games Week. Four teams, The Great Olympians, The Ice Crushers, The Giggly Giraffes, and The Super-Sonic Scary-Berry Monsters, composed of boys and girls ages five to twelve, participated in twelve unique sports. Games included jump the river, the shoe kick, a kickball kick, a timed obstacle course through the playground equipment, a series of relay races, team dodgeball, downhill skee ball, a baseball throw, and merry-go-round kick-ball. Campers displayed a great sense of competition, balanced by energetic team spirit and camaraderie.

The teams compete for an overall high score and popsicles. This year, The Giggly Giraffes took gold, their accuracy in the downhill skee ball game edging them into first place. The counselors are creative when designing the games to choose activities that are not just based on athleticism and skill, but also fun and luck. The downhill skee ball tournament is a good example. Campers roll a ball from half way up the Arndt Park Sled Hill toward a parachute target marked with cones, hula hoops, jump ropes, and a center bucket. Points are awarded based on where the ball lands, with 50 points for a “bucket in one.”

Arndt Park Adventure Camp is a one-week long camp that runs from as early as 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through Aug. 19.

Registration is still in process for weeks in August. Each week campers participate in activities unique to the designated theme and walk to Iroquois Pool in the afternoons for swimming fun. For more information or to register, call (847) 391-5700 or visit www.desplainesparks.org.