Rina
A Rina (Rino being the male equivalent) is a dancer at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet whose summer session is held on the same campus in Carlisle and typically coincides with the first five weeks of CTY. Selected for their ability through a process of comparable rigor to the admissions process at CTY, the Rinas are also rumored to enjoy the perquisites of computer access in the HUB and superior housing facilities. Rinas have appeared at other sites as well.
A history of tension between the camps has in recent years caused the CTY administration to forbid interaction between CTY and CPYB students, a policy that has unfortunately generated further inter-camp misunderstandings, such as the rumor that circulated during 03.2 that the Rinas thought we were an adolescent drug rehabilitation center, which likely originated on Drag Day or a similar eccentric ritual. 'Rina" is obviously short for ballerina; however, this is a backhanded compliment as the technical term for them is 'ballet student'. 'Ballerina' is a term used to describe only the best female soloists.
Carlisle
Rinas think CTYers are overtly-smart-nerd-type people, or else some sort of delinquent (perhaps because of the Center for Troubled Youth acronym), although the latter is more a jest than a serious notion. It's not uncommon to hear "Here comes the nerds!" or "Ahhh! It's an Asian Invasion!" Many CTY traditions, especially Drag Day, are perceived as a bit weird and CPYBers are known to secretly take pictures of men in drag on that day. One person who has been both a Carlisle CTYer and a Rina has reported, however, that the attendees of that camp were not particularly more conservative than CTYers are in general.
Rinas are rumored to get better dorms, unlimited Internet/computers/TVs in their rooms, no real lights out time, no mandatory fun, and the freedom to leave campus whenever. Indeed, the Rinas are allowed access to computers in the HUB; however, they do not have laptops or TVs in their rooms (although some choose to bring electronics themselves). Cellphone use is permitted during the day, probably outside of practice times. They are also allowed to walk basically anywhere unaccompanied anytime including Walmart. They usually travel on their scooters. They do have themed nights but they are not required at all. During the day, they don't have any activities because they usually do ballet 9-3ish or 10-5ish and have one more class at eight.
Rina Interactions
There have been many instances after the interaction ban in which CTYers and Rinas have clashed, including a recent one at CAR.05.1 where ballerinas claimed to have scored higher on the SATs than CTYers did. Another exchange (involving napkins, Sharpies, and the windows between the couches and cafeteria in the HUB) went as follows:
- Rinas [to a group of couching CTY students exhibiting PDA]: EWW, we're trying to eat.
- CTYers: EWW, we're trying to make out.
- Rinas: NO PDA!
- CTYers: I don't have a Palm Pilot.
- etc.
During CAR.05.2, a small group of girls befriended a few Rinas and sat with them at meals (talking about the different programs, etc.) numerous times. The RAs noticed, but because it was purely friendly interaction, they let it go on. Eventually, these CTYers invented a Rina Appreciation Day on the day before the Rinas were leaving. This involved wearing soffes, tight tank tops that looked like leotards, and buns in their hair. To this day, at Carlisle, many CTYers choose to compliment at least one Rina a day and make friends with one Rino who compliments one's outfit.
Another conversation supposedly heard between Rinas:
- Rina1: Which is better for you, carbs or carbohydrates?
- Rina2: Carbohydrates, because they hydrate you!
This is not exactly true. Rina1 asked a CTYer her question and the CTYer (deciding that she wanted to mess with the Rina) told her "Carbohydrates, because they hydrate you too!". Then the Rina went to tell all of her friends...
Some stuff heard in 07...
- Rina x: (about to drink her soda)
- Rina y: EW don't drink that! each of the bubbles is a carb!
- This interaction is comical because she mistakes carbonation with carbohydrates. nice try, rina,
- Rina: I think I know why they call these Washington apples. It's because Washington cut down an apple tree!
- He cut down a cherry tree (or so they say...)
And some legendary quotes heard at CAR 09.2
"If I married a guy with the last name Pitt, I'd name my kid Brad."
"You know what's fun? Destroying food."
At 11.1...
a little 8 or 9 year old Rina stood up in the HUB and chanted CTY! CTY! CTY! I wanna go to CTY! also using letter signals with her hands like those used in the song YMCA
A Rina came up to a CTYer and asked Do you find me creepy?
Rinas took multiple pictures of a group of CTYers on drag day, and got people to take pictures of them posing with the cross-dressers.
At CAR 13.1...
A group of CTYers (all from Victoria's hall) really, really wanted to know what male ballerinas were called. They asked an RA or two, but they didn't know. So one day, one of those CTYers went up to a Rina and asked her. The Rina told her that male ballerinas were called danseurs. That information was spread, but it is unkown how many people actually found out.
When there were two kiddie pools with gallons of ice cream meant for the CTYers, a couple of Rinas had ice cream too.
A CTY student and a ballet student were discussing comics and the Comixology app while in the dinner line; however, after ten minutes, the CTY student was scolded during the conversation by an RA and the conversation stopped.
At CAR 14.1...
A CPYB student asked a CTY student about Love Tape. Appreciating the tradition, the CPYB girl requested some love tape. The CTY student obliged, and the CPYB girl wore it the whole day.
Three CPYB girls mistakenly had their drinks salted during lunch one day; disaster was avoided however, and when informed they laughed it off.
CPYB students also occasionally provided practice for the Assassin game, although this was not allowed by staff.
Saratoga Springs (Skidmore)
At Saratoga, there are not one, but two different camps of Rinas that share the campus. The NYSSSA Rinas with colored lanyards are nice (you can befriend them pretty easily), but ridhonkulously dumb. For instance:
- "Wait.. I get it! CTY must stand for Ceriously Talented Youth!"
- "Yeah!"
- 10 minutes later
- "Actually, I think ceriously might be spelled with an 's'"
- "Really?!"
or...
- "Can you guys take, like...super smart home economics???"
- "Uhm, yeahhh... sure!"
- GASPS "No way!! Could you maybe BAKE me a little FONDUE?!?"
- *This may have been an attempt at a joke, as a fondue is a step in ballet, or it may have been a Briansky Rina who didn't even understand ballet.
- CTYer: Look at the rinas.
- Rina: We are PROUD to be rinas.
or
- Rina: "Rino" you really shouldn't eat that.
- Rino: I can eat whatever I want to.
- Rina: Do you know how bad that is for you? Stop eating that!
- Rino: *leaves*
The (also?) colored lanyard Rinas are Briansky Rinas, and they are mean and anorexic. They are yelled at by their teachers to eat nothing and mock us because they are allowed to carry cellphones, use AIM and Internet, have air conditioning, etc. As of 2007, however, NYSSSA Rinas are at least allowed laptops/Internet, while Briansky Rinas are not and have no air conditioning.
2011: Unfortunately, Briansky Rinas are no longer at Saratoga, having moved their summer session from Skidmore to Mount Holyoke College. NYSSSA Rinas, however, still remain part of the daily scenery at Aikins Dining Hall.
2012.1: During the last supper, there was a flash mob of Rinas who danced to insert song name here much to the surprise of the CTYers and cafeteria staff. It is unknown whether they purposely did it on the last evening.
2012.1: The Rinas were not too fond of the amazing RA Mike Schilling, as he told them not to interact with the CTYers. One said: "Look, the mean RA is wearing a shirt with two rainbows on it."
The rinas also had a dance-off with CTYers, who didn't do too well, except for one fabulous gymnast, but a CTYer responded with trigonometry questions that the rinas were unable to answer, even with the calculators on their iPods.
2013.1: The Rinas had an impromptu dance session on a part of the Quad after lunch. Greatly annoyed, one CTY taunted and challenged the Rinas to a square off, yelling, among other things, "You think you're so cool, huh?!" and "My finger's itching!"
2013.1: A squirrel named Brian Bertrand befriended a group of female Rinas. He always sat with them at meals. He told pretty much the whole camp about his plan to "get" a Rina. No one knows if he actually ended up "getting" her.
Things we like | |
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Activities and Games | The Game · Silent Football · Acting Improv · Agreedball · Art of War · Basketball · Blammo · Four Square · Kill Murray/Save Murray · Malkavian Poking Game · Slackjaw · Pokey · The Really Game · Risk · Ultimate Frisbee · Varsity Catch · Wanna buy a duck? · SNAKES!!! · Quiz Bowl · Mandatory Fun |
Card Games | 1000 Blank White Cards · Egyptian Ratscrew · FLAAR · Illuminati · Kemps · Mao · Scum, Presidents, Speed Capitalism, or Chinese Poker · Scum: The Masquerade · Set · Scroggle |
Movies | Monty Python · The Rocky Horror Picture Show · The Princess Bride · Alice in Wonderland · Dark Side of Oz · Starcrash · Xanadu |
Books | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy · Catch-22 · Ender's Game · Harry Potter |
Other | 42 · Boobtag · Couching · FNORD · Grass orgy · Phone-flipping · Rina · Three |