Experience, Wisdom, Appreciation.

Ethan Kripke, a 2nd generation Towanda-er, completed his Club year, is currently in 10th grade and will be back in the future as a counselor! This past July, Ethan wrote the following reflection as his sermon to the rest of camp. 

IMG_7116Lots of camper sermons start out with something along the lines of: the first time I stepped off the bus onto Camp Towanda, I was scared. It was a strange new place, filled with people I didn’t know yet, and I was without my family for the first time. My experience, however, was a little different. I had been raised on stories of camp for my whole life. Thanks to encouragement from my father, my brother, and my sister, I was more than ready to hop on the bus and go. I was excited for the weeks to come, with activities and sports, talent shows, trip days, Olympics, and of course, making new friends.

So, for me, the last time I stepped off the bus onto Camp Towanda, I was scared. It was my final year as a camper, and I knew that after the summer, I might not see some of my friends for a very long time. And though this fear has been plaguing me from the beginning of this summer, I have since come to realize that it has also helped me to appreciate the summer even more. It motivates me to have as much fun as possible while I still can, and to be the best I can be to the people who have been a huge part of my life for seven whole years.

In these years, here at Camp Towanda, I have learned many lessons that I have used and will continue to use throughout my life. In this respect, camp is just as important as traditional schooling. At camp, you learn how to take care of yourself and gain personal independence, while also learning and appreciating the value of trust and teamwork. Camp is a place where you understand that friendship is one of the strongest bonds on Earth, and can overcome any challenge. These types of lessons are never taught at school, yet are seamlessly integrated into the daily life of Towanda, helping you learn from your experiences, whether they are mistakes or successes. That’s the beauty of camp: no matter the activity, you’re having fun while also learning, even if you don’t realize it at the time.

club13One of the most important lessons I have learned throughout my time at camp is to live in the moment. While it would be easy to spend my days reliving the past or only worrying about what is to come, I would find that my summers become less enjoyable, and some important experiences would pass me by. In the end, the advice that I have to give to the younger campers (of which I was one) is to cherish the “now”—not the “then”, or the ‘will be’, and to fully appreciate things as they happen, because before you know it, they will only be fond memories.

My life as an Olympic Judgie

Every year, we look forward to alumni joining us as Guest Judgies during Olympics!  Last summer two alums, Liza “cc” Prussin (Tish) and Tina “cc” Kunkin (Schweid) shared their perspectives on being a Guest Olympic Judgie and experiencing life on “the other side”…as a grown-up at Camp Towanda!

FIRST UP: A Q&A with Liza Prussin Tish (mother of two Towanda kiddies and camp-crazed alumnus)

What is your favorite thing about being a Guest Judgie?

My favorite thing about being guest judge is just having the honor.  I remember as a kid looking up to the Judgies as being the top.  Being able to enjoy Olympics just as much as the kids do is amazing.

How has Camp Towanda Olympics changed? How has it stayed exactly the same?

For the most part Olympics is the same.  The intense feeling across camp is still present today.  The kids say they live 10 months for 2.  Within those 2 they live 7 weeks for 1.  The few changes are really just new sports that have evolved over time.  The Generals and Lieutenants and Sergeants being kept under wraps until break is very different but at the same time it just adds more element of surprise to breakout.

Describe what it feels like to be back at camp as a “grown-up” for 5 straight days?

Being back at camp as a “grown-up” makes me feel like a kid again.  Being able to watch my own 2 kids having the same experiences that I had is an amazing thing.

What was your favorite event to Judge and why?

It’s hard to pick one event as my favorite to judge.  I really enjoyed it all but I would say nothing comes close to the intensity of the Apache Relay.

What is your favorite Olympics memory of all time?

My favorite Olympic memory of all time would have to be hearing my name called as a Camper Captain of the Red Vagabonds.

It is an awesome week!!!

 

AND NOW, Tina’s take on her stint as Guest Judgie, and why she just can’t get enough of Camp Towanda! 

TKS: It is so amazing you can have a full life: an amazing husband, two wonderful kids, a fulfilling job, great friends and be truly happy…yet still when you get to Camp Towanda, within minutes it all disappears…POOF! I am in a whole new world!

There is something so magical about Towanda, the smells, sounds, atmosphere, that when I walk around I feel at peace.  Within minutes of my arriving at camp to be a Guest Judgie, I immediately had a whole crew of people; some of which I just met, yet it felt like I had known them forever.  We ate meals together, shared inside jokes and a bunk!  Some were alumni from a different generation.  Some were spouses of alumni or Senior Staff.  But for those couple of days, we were family!

The relationships that form at camp are so special, so rare that only another fellow camper understands. When I am at camp I am Tina “CC” Kunkin all over again, and for 36 hours this summer that was fantastic!!

Coming back as a Judgie was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. I mean that literally! Watching camp in full swing with all the Olympic spirit and intensity was great. Seeing all the red and blue throughout the camp made me smile. I was so proud to be alumni and to be part of this year’s events.

The Senior Staff reminded me of exactly why I love Towanda- they each get such a sense of joy from making each event special for the kids. The care and thought that they put into every day at camp is so obvious. Each event I judged was special; BUT there was something remarkable about the boys swim meet (sorry I did not get to judge the girls). Watching these young men throw themselves into the pool and swim their hearts out made me so emotional. Maybe it is because I have two boys that will one day be Towanda campers or maybe it was because the amount of focus and joy these kids had for each of the 55 events was inspiring.

Towanda holds such a special place in my heart, it always brought me joy and comfort as a camper; it taught me how to rise above, it taught me that I was good enough and that I had real friends that I could depend on. There is something euphoric about Towanda and all that it continues to bring into my life.

Tina and Liza will be up at camp again this week for Olympics, dressed in black and ready to join the JUDGIES!

Advice for First Time Parents @ Camp Towanda

topenboysWhat an amazing first week at Camp Towanda!  It was action-packed and full of new beginnings and memories for our first-time campers.  You can really feel the energy here at camp by watching our first episode of Friday Nite Flix https://vimeo.com/69361442.  For those of you who don’t know, Friday Nite Flix is a camper AND parent favorite here at Camp Towanda!  At the end of each week, our Media Team presents a very spirited recap of the week that was. Our camp watches this together on the big-screen each Friday.  Our fans at home get their viewing on Saturday (after it uploads to our Vimeo channel ALL NIGHT).  It’s a great way to really feel the energy and excitement we get to experience every day.

We also wanted to share some insight, experience and wisdom from some of our “seasoned” parents to first-time parents with kids at Camp Towanda.  Here are some great letters we received and a video: https://vimeo.com/68894398.

Letter#1:
Dear first year parent,
Our daughter’s first year at camp was in 2006, when she started as a Deb. The first two weeks of camp it never stopped raining. It rained so much there was a picture of Mitch in a kayak on the soccer field! Mitch also had to email the parents asking us to send up “dry” sneakers!   (That will NOT happen this year!!!!!-Mitch)ALL the letters we received the first 2 WEEKS from our daughter said she “misses us so much she cannot stop crying”.  When we heard from the camp after her first week, they said she was “appropriately” homesick.  Throughout that first summer there were always letters saying “camp is fun, but I miss you so much I am crying”.

We believed in the camp, and felt if she could just get past missing us, this camp was the right place for her and she would love it.

As the summers went on, the letters became as short as “too busy to write, camp is GREAT, ttyl” !

Our daughter is now in the Dorm and her 8th summer. To say she “lives 10 months for 2” is an understatment.

Camp Towanda is a very special place. You chose well.

Try really hard to relax and enjoy your summer rather than sitting at the computer waiting for new pictures (as I did her first year), your kids are in great hands!!

Letter#2:

Dear Mitch,
While reading your morning email today (which I look forward to every morning during the summer) I felt the need to respond to you regarding the first 3 letters.

This is my children’s second year at camp and I want to share my experience when it was their first year and even this year.

Every morning I look forward to seeing the pictures posted from the night before. I look through all the pictures, save the ones of my kids to the favorites and go back and analyze their faces.All week long i wait for the first letters to arrive,This summer this is the progression of her letters :

1st letter: I am going to give camp a chance, all my friends are here, regular schedule tomorrow GTG bye.

2nd letter: I miss you so much I wish I was home, but most of the time I don’t.

3rd letter: camp is great,!( then a laundry list of colored loom bands needed & where is her camera).

I can go back to the letters from the previous summer and it is much if the same.

Towanda is an amazing place that my kids look forward to all year, but it takes a few days to get adjusted.

I remember when they got off the plane after camp last year and hugged us so much after saying how much they missed us, the exact words out of their mouths before we walked two feet in the airport is ” can I go back next year,”

Homesickness is part of the adjustment, I,know my kids are having an amazing time and they are in unbelievable hands.

Whether you are a first timer or seasoned parent you don’t sleep well with your kids away, but to paraphrase the constant message my kids wrote last summer, “thank you for sending me here” and ” I am having the time of my life”.

Stay dry and see you on visiting day!

Letter #3:

More than 40 years ago I spent my first summer at Camp Towanda, and to this day I can remember being homesick my first week at camp.  I also clearly remember being watched over with great care by my counselors, by the head counselor, and even by the then directors of the camp, just as I know that new campers are still watched over today.   And I know without hesitation that what was true back then remains true now:  it is crucial to allow time for the new camper to find their own way, to choose their own path of independence, and to come to terms with what may surprise them:  that they can not only go it on their own in an entirely new environment, but that they can (and will!) come to thrive in that environment.

Having two children in camp now, I know that the first few days (and even weeks, and perhaps even the first summer) can be a time of challenging emotions for the new parent.  But the lesson we’ve learned in our family is to have confidence in our children, in our choice to send our children to Towanda for all the reasons we made that choice, and in the recognition that generations of children at Towanda have dealt with and beautifully conquered the pangs of homesickness which are being experienced by many new campers during this first week of camp.

And one other suggestion:  please resist, resist, resist the temptation to gauge what is happening with your child at camp by what you see in the daily photos.  As I’ve come to learn, and also seen first hand during my visits to camp over the last many years, the photos capture at most a split second of time in what is an always fulfilling and activity filled day at camp, and they simply can’t consistently provide the basis for judging what is really going on with your child at camp.  In fact, I have often suggested to Mitch that he experiment with a summer of “old school” at Camp Towanda, where there are no photos broadcast to the parents.  I have always sensed that this would be a relief for the kids – some of whom love to run to the camera and some of whom have zero desire to run to the camera – and a bigger relief to the parents, many of whom plainly spend too much time glued to the computer refreshing their screen as they wait for new photos to be posted.  Yes, I acknowledge that the photos can be fun.  But please consider accepting from someone who has lived, and still lives, with this issue: the photos are not worth the anxiety they can sometimes create.

 lakeboundjuniorsWe hope this helps; please also remember WHY you chose Towanda; WE are parents, too. We empathize with what you are feeling, BUT WE ARE HERE, really taking care of YOUR CHILD. THIS IS an incredible privilege and OPPORTUNITY; when you look back, years from now; you will be proud that you provided this foundation, confidence, nurturing, safe BUILDING experience.

We speak confidently because of the results EVERY YEAR; we look at the BIG picture and we deliver…with love, pride and passion.

And just for some added humor, we thought we’d share this animated perspective on what parents do when they miss their kids and just really wish they were up at camp too! Enjoy (and refresh, refresh, refresh): https://vimeo.com/69413200 .

Towanda has talent…and a lot of HEART

What another great day… we ALL went to the Wayne County Fair. Hot, blazing, 90 degree fun!  Everyone with a  smile, cotton candy, chicken wing pretzel sandwiches or member of our ever-growing non-exclusive root beer mug club!

We had a dance party in the amphitheater as warm-up to the talent show. Of course, the dance party is only to classic rock; I get chills when the whole camp is singing the words to COME TOGETHER, BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP and SWEET CAROLINE!

The Talent show was hysterical, warm and entertaining; so many great acts, but I have to tell you; rather, WE have to tell you about one very special moment.  Picture this…

Two of our 9 year old girls from G-2, cheered on not only by their bunk and groupmates, but the entire camp, on stage, with the spotlights beaming. They single handedly brought down the house while at the same time created a new camp song, one for the ages….  Titled “Fall”….

Oh my, we were all mesmerized…… they wrote this on behalf of all the campers:

Olympics is clashin’
I’m surrounded by magic
Mitch and Casper have passed
You guys have to face it
Something is special to us
Camp Towanda
Big dreams are finally here
Why don’t you come and start to play
Soccer and basketball cover the Towanda Times
That’s what we want
But if you could go inside this camp
Then, you will see…
Camp Towanda won’t let you
Fall, fall, fall
Camp Towanda won’t let you
Fall, fall, fall
Camp Towanda won’t let you fall.
If you could look inside this camp
You will see Camp Towanda won’t let you
Fall, fall, fall
Camp Towanda won’t let you
Fall, fall, fall
Camp Towanda won’t let you fall
If you are new here, what do you do?
You make new friends; then, you come to Bunk 2
Friday Night Flix
It’s the best out of this
We don’t have a favorite pick
I know you’re a light sleeper
I’m kind of getting weaker
For getting you to sleep here
Upper camp: Hershey
Lower camp: Dorney
Everybody…
We can do it for the dreams of…
Music in Olympics
Rope Burning
You’ll have the best time of your life
I’m seeing some Ghost & Gaga
In the All-Star race, gonna run real far
Just for a reminder…
This camp won’t let you fall!!

Nothing else to say, but it has been a great summer.

Standing Ovation MITCH and A Shining Moment STEPHANIE

Letters from Parents

Throughout the 2012 summer, we have received hundreds of wonderful emails from parents, capturing the Camp Towanda experience through their eyes (and their children’s).  We wanted to share a few of these letters with you:

LETTER # 1

Dear Mitch & Stephanie,
How do you do it?  Are you sure there is nothing in the water or bug juice up there?  As a first year parent at Towanda, we received a letter from our child today proclaiming, “Camp is now my 2nd home.”  While I can’t wait to have my baby back on Friday, I am now certain that whatever has been going on at camp this summer has had a remarkable and lasting impact .

Thank you!

Letter # 2:

Hi Mitch and Stephanie,

I have wanted to write this since the first week of camp, but every time I went to start, something new happened at camp, or I got an even better letter from my daughter than the week before, so I thought, I should just wait to write this until she gets home, because every week seems to bring her  camp experience, and ours as parents, to an even higher level.  But now with only days left until when I planned to send this, I can’t hold it in anymore…  THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE CAMP TOWANDA.  OK, that said…

I will tell you that from the first day we signed her up for camp, you have made our family feel like family.  She has always been very attached to us, doesn’t really love to have sleepovers out of our house, prefers playdates at our house, and in the past has had some transition issues with new things.  You made the transition to camp absolutely seamless.  Of course she was nervous when she got on the bus, but she was so prepared with all of the information and hand holding that you provided, she got on the bus with a big hug, wave and a smile.

Of course we were nervous those first few days.  And then we got the first letter…  “I am having SUCH a good time.  My bed is so pretty!  I’m friends with everyone in my bunk.  ”  Next (our favorite) was a fill in the blank…  Biggest surprise so far – “I don’t miss anyone and I do not want to go home”.  What I like most about camp – “Everything”.  What I like least about camp – “Nothing”!!!

They only got better and better from there.  And then we saw her on Visiting Day, and she exuded confidence and happiness that I had never seen in her before, as well as a new level of independence that she could not have achieved at home.  Plus, the campers and counselors in her bunk were all AMAZING.  What an incredible group of down-to-earth girls and counselors and CITs who were absolutely wonderful with them.

What is so amazing about Towanda, is that it truly balances it all.  The need for kids to develop friendships on their own, develop independence, learn new skills in sports, arts, and more, to feel comfortable enough to just be kids and be themselves, and just have FUN – and that balance is SO hard to find.  There is a depth and richness in your program that I don’t think exists anywhere else.  Because it works for the athlete, the non-athlete, the outgoing child, the more reserved child, it is a remarkable formula.

When I look at her smile beaming in all the pictures, it’s more than just happiness, she looks so RELAXED.  So comfortable, and with the pressures of school, and activities, and social things, and all the other “stuff” kids have to deal with throughout the year, I can see on her face that she truly got a needed break from it all.  I can see on her face that Towanda will be for her what it was for me – a special home away from home that she will always treasure.

I spent 9 wonderful summers at Towanda and all I can say is that you have honored the traditions and history of Camp Towanda and then made it even better.  I am so happy for my daughter (and soon my son in 2014) that they will have this experience.

And I am so happy for us, as parents, that we can give our children the gift of Camp Towanda.  Twenty three years since my CIT summer, my favorite childhood memories are from Camp Towanda and my camp friends are still my closest of friends.  We really do share something that no one else can understand.  And nothing makes me happier than knowing that my children will have their friends and these amazing memories that will last a lifetime.

So this is as long of a “thank-you” as I’m sure you wanted, but to say that the summer exceeded our expectations would be an understatement.  We are overwhelmed.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you,

LETTER # 3:

Dear Mitch & Stephanie,

Please share this with parents considering camp for next year.

If you have a parent who is questioning whether or not Camp Towanda is for their child, send them my way because I would NEVER have thought my daughters  would be able to separate and love camp the way they do!   I mean never!  They are different here at Towanda!  Confident, willing and happy to try new activities and new friends; separate from home!

Truly amazing….words cannot express our gratitude.

Warmly,
2 Very Happy Parents (write that instead of our names)!!

S’more about our S’more Tour!

Many of you have been asking to hear S’more about our S’more tour!  So here’s a taste of what it was all about from two of our favorite former camper/counselors in the Towanda Family who were on hand to help make sure it was a great day!

We welcome you to Camp Towanda, we’re mighty glad you’re here!!

by Lauren Cohen and Hannah Lyons

The S’more Tour was this past Saturday and it gave us the chance to invite up future campers to spend the day with our Towanda family– and what a day we had! Aside from filling up on sun and blue skies (don’t worry, we didn’t forget our sunscreen!) we also filled up on Jonesy’s chocolate-chip cookies with milk, s’mores, and a BBQ lunch.

After all of the families arrived, we ditched the parents for some tye-dye Towanda Tees and started activities! (Rumor has it Mitch gave a great walking tour of camp for the parents!)

We really did it all– climbed the rock wall and cruised down the zipline, dodged the ball at Ghost and Gaga and had some downtime in Arts and Crafts just before jumping right into the foam pit in the brand new Gymnastics Pavilion! At the end of the day, we got a chance to cool down at the waterfront where we slid down the big slide in Sunset Lake, chilled out on the beach and swung off the Tarzan swing. The only thing missing from our day was the rookie campers at Square Dancing that night! We hope you’ll be there next year!

We want to send out a very special thank you to the Debs, Dillies, Jets, and Cadets who were every bit as welcoming, friendly, fun, and happy as they are everyday to the rookie campers. Our youngest age groups made the newcomers feel like old friends. That is the Towanda way!

All we have to say at the end of the day is– give us S’more of Camp Towanda!!

See you soon Rookies-

Hannah and Cohen

Happy 4th of July!

Hot summer days full of fun!!! Yesterday we enjoyed intercamp tennis, intercamp play date and water-skiing!  Last night our 5 year club took their annual trip to the Binghamton Mets (a good game plus a bonus fireworks show) while the non-5 year clubbers played “human games” and then “UTL” for  Lower Camp (Under The Lights).

Human Games are charades, dizzy bat, gigantic twister, anagrams, parachute tennis, human bingo  and relay races; good silly fun (by the way, with no electronic or digital assistance!). UTL was a special bonus before milk and cookies. Everyone smiles as we live, play, learn and grow together!

This morning we plan to skirt around the weather and sleep in till about 8:45am (well at least the campers will sleep in!) and have a outdoor buffet breakfast with a carnival planned for tonight.

Of course, here at camp we celebrate the 4th of July on the 5th with a day full of coed activities, which we call COEDING, then an elaborate fireworks show and luau and… a Camp Towanda favorite!

And now for the part of my blog where I love to share emails we get from our parents who often say it best:

“I just received my fist letter from our son that said “THIS IS OFFICIALLY THE BEST SUMMER EVER!”  I have received this type of letter from him every summer…how do you do it?  Better than the best summer for 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008…?  All I can say is thanks for putting this all together.  He had a very crazy year in school filled with a ton of school work and he really buckled down and did beautifully.  I am more happy than ever that he is having a great, stress free, happy-summer.  He really loves the “Towanda Experience”.  The nonstop activities with his best friends are right up his alley.

We are also happy to hear that he is going to try out for the  Play.  We are very glad to see him venturing off the playing fields where he is most comfortable and  into new activities at camp.  You have an atmosphere established where he is not afraid to go out and try something new like this.  That is really great and I thank you for that.”

Okay and just one more letter from one of our parents about telling their friends about touring Camp Towanda:

“Dear Mitch & Stephanie,
One of our friends asked us what was special about Towanda; we told them to visit and they did.  After their visit, they told us they can see why  kids love Towanda! They said all the campers seem so well adjusted and in the groove (even after just a few days)!  They said our son said “it’s awesome” (which was confirmed on FNF)!!!  They also asked him if he had anything to tell his parents and he said, “Yeah tell them I am great and happy!”  What better endorsement?!

They said they had some concerns for their younger one who is only 6 and who does not really know what he likes yet.  He isn’t sports and they were worried that he wouldn’t have enough to do. The older one loves sports so they were thrilled for him but wanted the boys to go together to camp. I told her about cooking, gardening and pottery.

I told her that you and Stephanie think of things parents don’t even realize!  She couldn’t believe the camper to counselor ratio.  I also told them how we look forward to your nightly emails and how you don’t get this kind of communication anywhere else!  I explained how you are strict but with good reason and have the safety and happiness of our children in mind at all times. I always feel secure that my kids are in good hands!”

So on that note everyone, have a Happy 4th of July and make sure you are following us on Facebook and Twitter (@camptowanda) for bonus updates in real-time.

Uncle Sam Mitch and Bestephanie Ross