Ceremonies - A Sacred Tradition
The final week of Boys’ Season is just wrapping up and with that our Ceremonies have wrapped as well. The traditions we celebrate this week date back decades, several thousand campers and staff have gone through these experiences and come out the better for it. The secrets of these traditions are held tightly by all who have participated. The public portions of these Ceremonies are some of the most exciting and intense moments of the entire summer. In some cases, these moments are silent and tense. In others they are raucous and gleeful. Always, they are profound and create lasting memories for campers involved and observing.
Our ceremonies have been created over the generations at TVRC. Most of them in place by the late 1960’s. All of our ceremonies have close ties to our history as a ranch and the western way of life. While the details of ceremonies are held close to the vest each and every one is built on something that we’ve openly celebrated and proudly instilled in our campers for years – the tenants of the Cowboy Ethics.
If you have a TVRC camper in your life when the boys’ return home later this week they’ll undoubtedly share tales of the aspects of their ceremonies they can share. The thrill of hearing their name called to participate in a Rough Ride and having to bypass their nerves and respond with a confident and proud “Ready to Ride, Sir!”
Or the feeling that Yearlings had as they returned back to camp from their adventure and proudly present their Yearling flag to all of camp at the end of campfire.
A Top Hand can share the honor they felt working with their group putting on the Top Hand Light Show for the rest of camp who are watching from a far on the Green in the center of camp as they dazzle with their creativity and showmanship. Maybe a Wrangler will regale you with how it feels to be parading in lock step with their brothers through camp dressed in their western best – ready to answer the call.
All of these traditions have been built upon through the years, creating a sacred bond between generations of TVRC alumni. A Rough Rider of any age will surely get a smile on their face if you ask them about what their Rough Ride was like. We’re honored and proud to have watched this years’ group of campers all successfully complete their Ceremonies and officially can be called Yearling, Rough Rider, Top Hand, Wrangler and Trail Blazer.
