The Camper vs. Staff Soccer Game is a grueling and explosive competition unlike any other. For three straight years the staff won every game. An unrelenting wave against the plucky underdog campers.
Session 1 saw staff walk out onto the pitch with a swagger that oozed victory. They wore all black. They were stronger, faster, and had better hair. Even the assembled crowd of campers seemed utterly resigned to the inevitable defeat that awaited them. In the hot sun the crowd murmured and golf clapped but hoped little and cheered less.
From the opening whistle staff looked every bit the relentless machine that had tasted nothing but suite victory. Like a pack of lions they circled and pounced. In a flash they had a three goal lead. By the half, they were up 5-2. On the staff sideline, It was all smiles and high fives.
But had staff been looking close enough they perhaps would not have been so confident. Across the grass something changed on the faces of 11 campers in homemade white jerseys. Gone was the youthful gleam in their eye. It was replaced by the fire of the downtrodden.
The campers came out swinging and opened the second half with a lightning quick goal. Still reeling, Staff were left red faced after they scored an own goal to make it 5-4. Suddenly momentum was entirely on the camper’s side. The crowd cheered and hollered. Staff staved off the camper attack with desperate determination. The stakes suddenly felt very high.
As the final minutes ticked down it seemed the campers would once again come up short. Hope was fading. The crowd had gone from cheers to baited breath. In these moments all tactics go out the window. There are no gameplans. There are just those who rise to the occasion. In the dying embers of the game it was the campers who rose. On legs screaming for rest and lungs burning with fatigue they launched one last attack. The crowd rose to their feet as the ball entered the box. For a second all felt still and silent. Then there was thunder. Camp exploded in cheers as the ball shot into the roof of the net. The Campers had done it. The streak was over. Staff lay in shock as the campers rushed the field. History made.