On Monday, 19th October, the Year 8 students and teachers from Gisborne Secondary College arrived at The Summit under calm afternoon skies, buzzing and ready for three days of adventure!
After settling in, the students were shown around the Lodge, home to their meals and downtime for the next three days. Here, Coaches Lucy, Ebony, Liv, Monty and Spinks introduced themselves and shared The Summit's Five Keys, a set of values to help everyone get the most out of camp.
THE FIVE KEYS
- Have Fun
- Play All In
- Make Lots of Mistakes
- Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
- Don't Go Home Wondering "What If"
Down at the main park, the coaches delivered the Helmet and Harness briefing before introducing the Target, Stretch and Super Stretch goal-setting strategy, a simple way to break any challenge into achievable steps and find your own win in every activity.
Target — what you know you can do.
Stretch — what you think you can do.
Super Stretch — what you think is impossible.
ACTIVITIES & TRIBE NAMES
Each tribe kicked off camp with a group initiative challenge, putting their problem-solving and teamwork to the test, before jumping straight into their first four activities.
Across the three days, the tribes took on:
- Sky Bridge
- Bag Blitz
- Rock Wall
- Snowy River Challenge
- Inflatable City
- Flying Fox
- Summit Window
- Snakes & Nails
The five tribes for camp were:
- The Bench Warmers
- Spud Shed
- Pink Sparkly Unicorns
- Natalie Williams
- Bob Tan 5
Day One wrapped up with a quick debrief and a question session before everyone headed off for a well-earned rest.
DAY TWO – INTENTIONS & THE MONSTER COURSE
Day Two started with a talk from Coach Christopher on the power of intentions and setting daily goals, with students sharing their own intentions for the day.
Down at the park, a game of Jockeys got everyone warmed up before the tribes launched into three action-packed rotations. A change of activities halfway through brought a whole new round of challenges, and after lunch the tribes completed their final rotation of the day.
Then it was down to the Hub for the briefing on one of The Summit's biggest challenges…
THE MONSTER COURSE
Linked together with one very stubborn extra teammate (a tyre!), each tribe raced around the legendary Monster Course. They caught things, pulled things, dodged things and, most importantly, got wet, muddy and dirty!
After the first lap, the coaches revealed the twist:
The winning team isn't the fastest, it's the team that improves the most on their second run!
The students showed incredible determination and resilience, and every tribe delivered an amazing second lap to close out the day.
Tired and triumphant, everyone headed off for hot showers and dinner, ready for the final day.
FINAL DAY – GRATITUDE & CRANE TIGER EGG
The last day began with a Gratitude session run by Coach Lucy, encouraging the students to appreciate what they have and the people around them.
Down at the park, an epic showdown of Crane Tiger Egg crowned the overall champion before the tribes headed off to their last two activities.
At the end of their final rotation, every tribe voted for the teammate who best lived The Summit's Five Keys and helped their team shine.
Everyone then gathered at the Stage for a final lunch, debrief and thank-yous, before the long-awaited results, the Values Winners and a final school photo.
🏅 AND THE VALUES WINNERS ARE:
- The Bench Warmers – Indi
- Spud Shed – Harrs
- Pink Sparkly Unicorns – Amelia
- Natalie Williams – Jovi
- Bob Tan 5 – Ash
These students were recognised by their tribes for showing the courage, teamwork and positive attitude that make the Five Keys come alive at camp.
🏆 COMPETITION RESULTS
🏆 SNOWY RIVER CHALLENGE (FASTEST TIMES):
- 15:52 – Bob Tan 5
- 17:13 – Spud Shed
- 18:02 – Natalie Williams
- 18:30 – Pink Sparkly Unicorns
- 20:14 – The Bench Warmers
💪 MONSTER COURSE – IMPROVED BY:
- 12:21 – Pink Sparkly Unicorns
- 11:30 – Natalie Williams
- 11:23 – The Bench Warmers
- 9:01 – Spud Shed
- 7:41 – Bob Tan 5
THANK YOU, GISBORNE SECONDARY COLLEGE!
On behalf of all the coaches and the entire Summit team, thank you for joining us and having as much fun as possible alongside our crew!
You set goals, stepped outside your comfort zones and backed each other through every challenge camp threw at you.
We wish you all the best for an amazing rest of the year!
— The Summit Team
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