In the Pacific Western Region, our fall convention is always Battle of the Cabins or BOTC. Pulling up to the camp for another convention, I was transported into an army boot camp. The steerers were dressed as drill sergeants, and the entrance decked out in camouflage. Since our region spans most of Southern California, our first hour was spent reuniting with friends and engaging in cabin bonding. As a teen in what’s considered the Los Angeles Valley area, despite not actually being in the valley, we never get to see our friends from San Diego or Orange County. While we regularly engage with other Los Angeles chapters, maintaining friendships with people from three hours away can be challenging. BOTC allows us to reunite and compete against one another, which strengthens bonds.

Friday: Arriving in Glendale was full of trepidation. Questions raced through my mind as most of my friends had graduated the year prior. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to make the connections I’d made the year before. However, as I stepped out of my car and waved to my parents, I realized that I would be okay. My friends from San Diego rushed over to me, and I was reminded of how welcoming our community in PWR is. After an hour and a half of cabin bonding and discussing our plans as team purple for the next day’s competitions, we headed to consent talks and later Shabbat dinner. After dinner and services, comedian Dan Levy took the stage and did some stand-up. Levy did crowd work with some of the Alephs, discussing their love for their friend’s mom. Following his set, we split back to our cabins and changed into pjs for separates (shout out my Maple Leafs PJ pants). As BBGs, our separates are focused on empowering one another and creating a safe space for connections and bonds to strengthen. Our regional board and steerers did an incredible job planning, and we started our program by writing the names of our fellow BBGs on mirrors with different prompts. We then designed our own small mirrors and sang along to pop hits such as Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.  

Saturday: As the day of competitions started, each cabin geared up in its color (Go Purple!) and headed over to breakfast. After breakfast, we split into our morning service options before reuniting to read the Torah. We then headed in our teams to the basketball courts for our first competition, a relay race! Although our team finished 5th out of the six teams, we had a lot of fun. We split into our rotations, competing against the pink team, which ended up winning the whole weekend. That night, we had our camo carnival. We had a frozen fruit cart, photo booth, Sensei Aidan training room, an inflatable obstacle course, a fire pit, and even hot chocolate. After that, we met in the MAC for presents, where each chapter does a skit/performance. 

Sunday: The last day of convention is always sad. Saying goodbye is always hard, especially when you won’t see them until the International Convention in February. We always wear our convention shirts for the cheer circle on the last day. Following breakfast and awards for excellent programming throughout the term, we wandered to the field, where we split into BBGs and AZAs. The goal was to cheer louder than the opposing side. We then took chapter and convention-wide photos before saying our goodbyes and heading home.

Overall, regional convention is a place to make lifelong connections and memories. This year, we welcomed two new chapters, Wilshire and Icar, and spreading the joy of BBYO to them was unbelievable.