That being said, there is also a different saying that has rung true throughout the counselorial eons of csl: "the key to a cayugans heart is his flashlight time." To truly understand this grand tradition, we must go to its root, its origin...
The year was 1965, the village cayuga, what made this year different then the previous? It was 5 years into the 60s, a time of Hunter s. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, woodstock, free love and so on. The counselors had dealt with 5 years of rowdy cayugans, who did not know the meaning of discipline because of their free spirited parents. Campers showered when they wanted to, used the bathroom where they wanted to. So finally the counselors had had enough.
Meeting in cayuga headquarters, the counselors deliberated the best way to control the kids over a chicken pizza. Of course, halfway through the meeting, buffalo sauce accidentally spilled on the chicken pizza and buff-chick pizza was created. Any ways, the counselors thought hard for hours on end, yet no idea was good enough. Some ideas that came to mind were in camp investment oppurtunities for good campers, gift cards to foreign flea markets, and exotic bath items, yet nothing seemed tempting enough of a reward to the cayugans. What the counselors needed was a siren call, something so tempting so apparently worthwhile to the campers that all other basic wants and desires would be ignored.
That is when the auh(assistant unit head) stood up. Pizza grease on his face, a look of exhaustion in his eyes, yet a feeling of hope in his heart. And so he then explained to his fellow counselors his idea: why not have a time where the kids can whisper in their beds for a little while before they go to sleep?
Though the idea was met with abhorrence from his fellow counselors they were desperate to try anything. And so on that fateful day, created through an act of desperation, flashlight time was born. The difference was seen immediatley, kids were silenced from its mere mention, the rabblerowsers, the vigilantes, and the trouble makers all soon became as docile as hindu cows.
The rest is history, now the tradition is carried on, while a shiver of fear creeps in with the thought of what would have happened if Cayuga didn't have flashlight time. I can tell you from personal expierence that flashlight time has been an integral part of my dealings with campers. Special thanks to those brave few counselors who weathered the violent tempest of naughtiness, camp seneca lake is forever a better place.
Eli Schwartz
C-3 Activity Counselor
