And the march of time goes on! Happy New Year, y’all! There is so much that makes this a great time of year, but of course, we like to focus on the fact that we are now only 6 months away from the start of the camping season! That’s the best news of all! And you know how fast things go once the winter holidays are over….you’re gonna cruise right through the first several weeks of the new school semester, launch right into Spring Break, and then round the corner to summer. Heck…you might want to start finding those duffel bags now and maybe start packing? Or…you know..it can wait a bit. No need to rush things too much.
We had a spectacular family trip to Costa Rica over the holidays…we highly recommend it. It really reminded us a lot about camp, quite
honestly. We went rafting on a very wild river called the Pacuare where we encountered up to class IV rapids. Sorta made the Peshtigo and Brule seem tame. And, of course, that involved some swimming for most of us as we launched out of the raft a few times. For 3 of the nights, we stayed in a “hotel” that was essentially camp cabins. And while it was really very nice, the cabins would not have passed muster for Timberlane cabins. Almost each day we had a different adventure from rain forest hikes to hanging out in the hot springs to zip lining high above the canopy to a tour of a beautiful national park, to swimming and boogey boarding in the Pacific Ocean. Busy days…just like camp! And the food was really great, with lots of rice and beans…sorta like trip food at camp! And of course, we made friends while we were there, including folks from the US, Canada, Israel, Finland, and Mexico. We even bumped into camp people down there, including Kelsey Toner, who was a trip leader back in 2008, and Connor Lehr and his family. Connor was a long time camper and counselor until just last summer. We hope you all had a great vacation too.
We have some really exciting news! Thanks to the help of many of our current camp families and staff, as well as our great alumni, the Timberlane Challenge fund-raiser was a huge success. You may recall that it was a matching challenge created by two of our camp alumni, ROB SCHILLER and MARTY LYNCH. They pledged to match dollar for dollar the funds we raised, and at the conclusion of the challenge, we raised approximately $40,000 for Camp for All Kids! So, with the matching pledge, that equals a total of $80,000 to help send deserving kids to camp! We are so grateful to Rob and Marty and to all who joined in the effort. Thank you very much!!
We will begin closing age groups this month in both sessions, which means our enrollment is still hot! Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who have re-enrolled this past month: CHARLIE WEISS from Chicago, IL; RYAN HEARST and BEN and DAVID TAMSKY from St. Louis, MO; CHARLIE DEER and JACK ROSS from Highland Park, IL; BEN SCHACHTER from Dallas, TX; and DAVID WINE from Oak Park, IL. And welcome aboard to the following first-year campers who will join us this summer: JACOB WILSON from Glencoe, IL; DYLAN and GRANT KAUFMAN of Columbus, OH; CAMERON HARDEGREE of Northbrook, IL; and GAVIN GORDON and MICHAEL GORDON of Nashville, TN. So happy to have you all with us!!
YO CAMPERS: We have scheduled 3 more reunions:
| Tucson | Sunday, Jan. 22nd | 6:30 pm |
| Los Angeles | Wednesday, Feb. 8th | 7:00 pm |
| Atlanta | Wednesday, Feb. 22nd | 7:00 pm |
Calendar, which will be published online in the coming weeks! Gonna be amazing again! And for you big-time trippers, we have returned the long Isle Royale backpack trip to 10 days in 1st session, and the Quetico canoe trip, the grand-daddy of ‘em all, is once again 12 days long in 2nd session!!YO PARENTS:We know how busy everyone gets, so we'd like you to use the dates below as a little reminder about some benchmarks that are coming up for camp. We also want to remind you that you'll be able to order your camp clothing and equipment from the CLOZ website store again this year. If you order too early, your camper could outgrow the cool stuff you buy before camp starts! However, if you order too late, like after May 1st, you run the risk that your order may not arrive in time for your camper to bring it to camp. We'll remind you of this in March, and the Packing list is already online if you wanna have a look.
PARENTS’ IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2012:
| March | Travel information for boys flying to camp will be sent to you. Tickets should be purchased as soon after as possible. |
| March 1st | 2nd Deposits due. You will receive an invoice next month, and you can pay by check or online with your credit card. |
| May 1st | Order your clothing from CLOZ if you’d like to have them in time for camp! |
| May 15th | Balance payment is due. You will receive an invoice in mid-April for this. |
| May 15th | Lots of paper work is due to our office. This includes medical forms, camper info forms, etc. All of these forms are accessible from your Parent Keylog page. Don’t worry, we’ll send you abundant reminders. |
| June 18th | 1st Session Begins!!  |
| July 14th | 1st Session Ends  |
| July 15th | 2nd Session Begins!! |
| July 14th - 15th | Visiting Weekend |
| August 10th | 2nd Session Ends…Oh No! |
| August 11th | Time to sign up for the awesome summer of 2013!! |
One of our former campers/counselors, Todd Kestin, is now a very skilled social worker and life skills mentor in the Chicago area. Todd spent 13 summers at camp, and he posts a blog that we have found to be very insightful and helps folks keep their feet planted firmly on the ground. In case you’re interested, we wanted to point it out to you and provide a link for you to his blog. We hope you enjoy it.
YO STAFF: If you’re on winter break right now, we know you have a little extra time on your hands, right? So, if you have not already sent us your contract, wouldn’t this be an excellent time to do that?
STAFF IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2012:
| May 25th | WFR Course Begins |
| May 29th | Lifeguard Training Course Begins |
| June 2nd | Trip Leader Training Begins, Kitchen and Maintenance Staff Start |
| June 4th | Steering Committee Starts |
| June 5th | Boat Driver Training Course Begins |
| June 6th | Rock Climbing Wall Instructor Course Begins |
| June 9th | CPR Challenge and Re-Certification Course, 1st Year Staff Training Begins |
| June 10th | LGT Challenge and Re-Certification Course |
| June 11th | All-Staff Training Begins |
| June 18th | The Campers Arrive!! Yeeeeehaaaaaa! |
| August 10th | The Campers Depart…..bummer! |
| August 11th | Last Day for all Staff Except Kitchen & Maintenance Staff |
| August 13th | Last Day for Kitchen and Maintenance Staff |
Ready to be amazed? Just take a look at the huge number of returning staff we already have lined up for next summer!! It’s just incredible…thanks to all of you for the outstanding enthusiasm!! We’re pleased to welcome back STEVE “HITCH” HITCHENS for his 9th summer as our Wilderness Trips Director. Hitch is 54 years old and teaches History and American Government at Evergreen HS in Evergreen, CO. And like past years, his wife CORRIE will join us for a good part of the summer and she’ll pitch in around camp and primarily take care of their 2 kids, Carter and Liam. Corrie is Assistant Principal at Mountain Vista HS near Denver, CO.
DAVID ARTZI: David is a senior at Sabino High School in Tucson, AZ. At 18 years old, David is spending his 8th summer with us and is excited to begin school at the University of Arizona next year. In the meantime, he is kicking butt (his word, not ours) in wrestling as his school is ranked #2 in all of Arizona. At camp, David will be a cabin counselor, helping out our Weights, Cardio, and Rock Climbing program.
BRIAN BROCHSTEIN: Spending his 7th summer with us, Brian is a 17 year old junior from Bellaire, TX and attends Bellaire High School. He has been playing guitar for over eight years and will be a cabin counselor and a huge help for our Guitar program this summer.
JAKE BURSTYN: From Highland Park, IL, Jake is a junior at Highland Park High School. He is excited to spend his 7th summer at camp
and is currently busy writing for the school newspaper, studying hard, and prepping for the upcoming lacrosse season. Jake is 17 years old, and will be a cabin counselor, assisting down at the waterfront in our Waterski program this summer. DUSTY COHEN: Hailing from Tucson, AZ, Dusty Cohen is a senior at Catalina Foothills High School. At 18 years old, Dusty will be spending his 19th summer with us—don’t ask, it works. Dusty is on the high school baseball team and can be found this summer helping out at Baseball, Waterskiing, Rock Climbing, and Weights, as well as being a cabin counselor.
DREW DAVIS: From Deerfield, IL, Drew is a 17 year old junior at Deerfield High School where he participates in the school’s musical productions. In his 8th summer with us, after years of participating in our camp radio station as a camper, Drew is excited to run KTIM (uh-huh…uh-huh, uh-huh) this summer. He will also be a cabin counselor.
MIKE DUMENCIC: All the way from Warrington in the UK, Mike Dumencic will be joining us for his 2nd summer as a cabin counselor and our Guitar Director. At 22 years old, Mike has been working furiously doing several jobs at once so that he can save up the money to enjoy his time in the Northwoods and spend some time traveling the States.
JAY FELDMAN: Jay is a 17 year old junior at Stevenson High School in Buffalo Grove, IL. Jay has been busy wrestling and is excited to join us for his 9th summer at camp where he will be a cabin counselor, helping out our Weights, Cardio, Guitar, and Rock Climbing program.
DAVID FINE: Very excited to celebrate his 10TH SUMMER with us, David Fine will be joining us from Ann Arbor, MI where he is currently a freshman at the University of Michigan (this year’s Sugar Bowl winner—Breen made me add this). David is very active in the living-learning community in his dorm and is busy studying for his pre-med courses. David will once again be a cabin counselor, running our Rocketry program this summer.
JORDAN FINE: At 17 years old, Jordan will be spending his 8th summer with us. He is a junior at Deerfield High School at Deerfield, IL. Jordan played soccer for about ten years but has been playing volleyball intensely in past years, playing for his high school team. This summer, Jordan will be a cabin counselor in addition to assisting our Volleyball, Waterskiing, Athletics, and Soccer programs.
RYAN GERSOWSKY: Ryan is a 17 year old from Deerfield, IL, in his junior year at Deerfield High School. He has spent many years playing soccer, but has recently switched his focus to track, running for his varsity team. In his 7th summer at camp, Ryan will be a cabin counselor and help out at our Basketball, Athletics, Soccer, and Volleyball programs.
JAY HUMPHREYS: Jay is a 22 year old Central Systems Operator for an irrigation planning company all the way down in Shepparton, Australia. Jay spent time touring all over the US after camp last summer and he is excited to return to us in his 2nd summer as a cabin counselor. Jay will be a big help at camp driving our ski boats, teaching Waterskiing and Archery.
KALEY KELLENBURGER: In her junior year at Indiana University, Kaley, originally from Fulton, IN, is studying Human Development and Family Studies while also working as a caregiver at Trinity Episcopal Church. Kaley will be joining us for her 2nd summer at camp, once again acting as the camp photographer and assistant in our Infirmary. She is 21 years old.
BEN LEVEY: Ben will be 17 this summer and is from Milwaukee, WI, currently in his junior year at Nicolet High School. Ben plays both tennis and volleyball for his high school teams. In his 7th year at camp, Ben will be a cabin counselor and will help out with the Volleyball, Athletics, and Tennis programs.
JOEY MARKS: From Deerfield, IL, Joey is a 17 year old junior at Deerfield High School. At home, Joey works as a lifeguard at the Sachs Rec Center and plays on his high school volleyball team. In his 9th summer he is excited to join us once again as a cabin counselor and an assistant in our Tennis, Baseball, Waterski, and Athletics programs.
SCOTT MAYER: Scott is a freshman at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. He will be 19 years old this summer. Originally from Northbrook, IL, Scott is looking forward to joining us for his 7th summer at camp, where he will be a cabin counselor and again act as our Pottery director.
JOSH MCGRATH: In his sophomore year at Duke University in Durham, NC, 20year old Josh will be joining us for his 11th summer at
camp. Originally from Phoenix, AZ, Josh will be joining us as a cabin counselor and will continue his excellent turn as one of our Waterski directors. JOEY PAWLAN: Currently a freshman at the University of Tampa, 19 year old Joey Pawlan will be joining us for his 11th summer at camp. Joey studies biology in college and is the founding president of the Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) Fraternity at the University of Tampa. Joey will again be a cabin counselor and is looking forward to assisting our Fishing, Skiing, and Athletics programs.
JOEY RODIN: From Northbrook, IL, Joey is a 17 year old junior at Glenbrook North High School. Joey is in an Advanced Development hockey referee program and gets a chance to see a lot of Timberlane campers on the ice. He will be returning for his 8th summer at camp, working as a cabin counselor and assisting in our Waterski, Weights, and Rock Climbing programs.
MATT RODIN: A proud member of THE Boston Conservatory, Matt is a sophomore studying dramatic arts. Originally from Northbrook, IL, Matt will be 20 this summer and is returning for his 11th summer at camp, acting as a cabin counselor and once again running our Comedy Sportz program.
GABE SENNETT: Gabe, from Fox Point, WI, is a 16 year old junior at Nicolet High School. He plays both volleyball and baseball for his high school teams. He is looking forward to joining us for his 6th summer at camp; he will be working as a cabin counselor and helping at our Baseball, Athletics, and Volleyball programs.
VICKI SETZER: Vicki is in her 3rd year as the school nurse at Dr. Phillips Elementary (home of the Flying Eagles). When not working, Vicki spends her time walking her three dogs and attending IAN SETZER’s (her son’s) lacrosse games. This will also be her 3rd summer at Timberlane and we are so thrilled to welcome her knowledge and experience back into our Infirmary as one of our nurses this summer.
JORDAN TAYLOR: Fresh off of a semester studying in Switzerland, Jordan is a junior at MICDS high school in St. Louis, MO. Jordan will be spending his 8th summer at Camp Timberlane and is looking forward to working as a cabin counselor as well as helping our Mountain Biking, Sailing, and Waterskiing programs. He is 16 years old.
RYAN WAGNER: Ryan is a 17 year old junior at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, IL. Ryan is very active in his school’s drama program and just completed a starring role in a production of “Of Mice and Men.” In his 8th summer at camp, Ryan will be a cabin counselor and assist our Weights, Athletics, Yoga, and Comedy Sportz programs.
STEPHEN WAYNE: An Accounting student originally from Clinton, MD, Stephen is in his final year at Bluffton University in Ohio. Stephen is very excited to join us for his 2nd summer at Timberlane—he will again be part of our amazing kitchen crew. Stephen will be 23 this summer.
JONATHAN WILLIAMS: Jonathan, or Eagle as he is known around camp, is a 26 year old student at Arizona State University. Eagle served proudly in the United States Army for five years and had an absolutely amazing time as part of our maintenance team last summer. He is equally excited to join us for his 2nd summer; he will be returning once again as part of our hard-working maintenance crew.
HEATHER WRIGHT: 24 year old Heather is very excited to join us for her third summer at Timberlane. From Bellevue, Washington, Heather currently works as a Site Teacher for the Northshore School district in Bothell, Washington, organizing before and after school activities for primary school-age kids. She is already thinking of new projects as she enters the summer once again as our Arts & Crafts director.
Even though it is early, we’ve been busy reaching out to some great new folks to join us this summer. The process takes time, but we’re pleased to introduce you to SANDRA EASLEY. Sandy, hailing from Tucson, AZ, is very excited for her 1st summer at Camp Timberlane. She has years of experience as a Pediatric/Adolescent Nurse and Camp Nurse in addition to 14 years Trained Cardiac and Pediatric Nursing at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN. She will be our new Mountain Bike director…just kidding; we are very pleased to have Sandra join us as one of our nurses in the Infirmary this summer.
We had a HUGE turnout for the reunion in St. Louis last month. There we find JACK LYNCH is playing lacrosse and indoor soccer. IAN LYNCH is playing indoor soccer on his brother’s team. WILL COEN is playing basketball and missing camp (we know what you mean!). RYAN GARLAND is swimming, playing basketball and indoor soccer. RYAN HEARST is playing middle school football. ARI SINGER is playing hockey with the high-powered Rockets team. JACK ROSENTHAL celebrated his Bar Mitzvah back in November (congrats, Jack!), and is playing basketball. ZAC WARR is working on an architecture project online. BEN REMIS is playing tennis (of course) and had fun playing fantasy football with some of his camp buddies from Chicago. SAM KAHN is involved with BBYO and playing tennis. He misses Max….LEE GOODMAN is working audio, electric, and publicity for his school’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” He’s also added to his website and is working in panoramic photography. LIAM O’MALLEY is playing basketball and was a wide receiver for his football team. JACK O’MALLEY is involved with Lego Robotics and enjoyed watching the Cardinals win the World Series (hey, who didn’t?!). IZZY MCKENZIE is on his school wrestling team and just got his
driver’s license. MAX PUGH is playing hockey and hanging with his camp buds. DAVID TAMSKY is playing hockey and lacrosse. BEN TAMSKY is playing lacrosse and hockey. TYLER NEWMARK is playing soccer and basketball. JERRIS KIRKWOOD is looking forward to playing baseball this spring. He’s also doing lots of homework. CHARLIE SMOLLER is busy with school. He has finished baseball and soccer seasons. JASON GARLAND finished football season and is now playing basketball. DEVIN SHAW is playing soccer. MARSHALL STRAWBRIDGE is involved with robotics, and MICHAEL STRAWBRIDGE is wrestling. JAKE FLOM celebrated his Bar Mitzvah last month. Congrats, Jake! Some “old-timers” joined us at the reunion too. CHARLIE JONAS is playing hockey and lacrosse. GABE GRAND is playing basketball and baseball. RYAN GRAND is a student at the University of Texas. And COBY GRAND has graduated from Tufts University where he was a fraternity brother with “old-timer” JAKE SEIDEN. Coby is now enjoying applying to medical schools. In Dallas, JAKE MAZOW is playing soccer and working hard at school. He recently celebrated his Bar Mitzvah (congrats, Jake!), and really enjoyed his trip to Chicago for MAX GLICKMAN’s Bar Mitzvah. JAKE HOFFMAN will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah in May (early congrats, Jake!), and is starting indoor soccer season. He made the all-star list for football this past season. BEN SCHACHTER is playing basketball on his school team and a travel team. He is also playing tennis.
Elsewhere, JULES BLUM is doing well in Brooklyn, and spent the holidays in Israel. In Chicago, ADAM KRAMER, ANREW KARMIN, and ALEXANDER ZLOTNIK were playing basketball together. ZACH and SPENCER COPLAN spent part of their vacation in the Northwoods and paid a visit to camp! It really is beautiful in the winter….cold, but beautiful!
AARON ZEMACH wrote a play for a class he was taking last semester at Washington University, and it may be performed. He’s also doing some work on the camp website for us. Multi-talented guy. JOSH TAYLOR returned from Spain and will start at USC this semester. JORDAN TAYLOR spent the semester studying (we think) in Switzerland. In Chicago, RYAN COHEN is moving quickly through a film school program and will complete the 2 year program in just under one year. RYAN WAGNER had the lead role in his school’s production of “Of Mice and Men.” JEREMY SUTTON had a busy finish to the semester up at Mc Gill University in Montreal. Baseball season finished well with his team making the playoffs. EMILY JONES finished a busy semester at Indiana University, taking a ceramics class, and hiking along the trails of Indiana interpreting nature and ecosystems. She was also working on an ecosystem management proposal for tuning a local park into a wetlands. And now she’s in Europe traveling and visiting with camp friends. Speaking of European camp reunions, HEATHER WRIGHT, MEGAN HAGER, AUSTEN DAPER, JAKOB SCHARNAGL, MIKE DUMENCIC, LAWRENCE TOYE, SJ TIERNEY, JUSTIN LOWRY, JAMES WOOD, and “old-timer” CHRIS BARRON, along with Emily Jones all spent the holidays together in the UK. Fun times! Also traveling the world together, or at least most of the Columbian nation, were MICHAEL BREEN, SCOTT BREEN, JORDY SHARLIN, and their Columbian tour guide, RAFA RODRIGUEZ DIAZ. They had a fantastic time together.
The Juice
A special section from Michael Breen
So, there we were—Scotty Breen, Jordy Sharlin, Rafael Arturo Rodriguez Diaz, and myself—rafting down the Fonce River in Colombia as a large series of rapids loomed ahead of us. Scotty and I looked to each other and exchanged a smirk, expressing to one another that these rapids were nothing compared to those we had tackled on the Brule and Peshtigo Rivers in summers past. OWLS had equipped us with expert “J” and “C” strokes; the Fonce River was nothing—bring it on! 
Those in the boat who had not attended Timberlane were severely freaked out, frantically searching for some life-line to cling onto. Not us. We were smiling, giggling, having the time of our life the second our raft went vertical in the air.
As a camper (and especially as a counselor/administrator creating various programs), some of my favorite moments at camp were when plans went awry. Not only does camp create an atmosphere that allows for the unexpected, but we are all taught to embrace it. Think now to some of your favorite moments during the summer; I bet they were times that grew organically in the moment. Camp has taught us that in life, every so often, you will get thrown from the raft. Now, your choice is to smile and let the rapids carry you on or struggle as you swim against them—I think you all know what’s more fun.
And now, some juice of a time when everyone swam with the rapids and had an absolute blast:
· You are a second session camper, bleary-eyed as your counselors wake you up to watch the Northern Lights. You are brought to the middle of the athletic field and stare and stare into the night sky; while you find the stars pretty, you can’t seem to make out the Northern Lights. Is that it?! Nope, just a beacon from the airport. Is that it?! No…wait, what is that? It’s a series of people outlined by glow-sticks dancing to the Rec Hall roof as the sound of the Black Eyed Peas pumps across the athletic field. The Rec Hall doors swing open and…it’s pizza heaven! Pizza as far as the eye can see as well as soda, candy, and other sweets that could cause a dentist to break into a cold sweat. As hundreds of people storm the pizza as if it were the last remaining slices in existence, you find yourself uncontrollably dancing as DJ Matthew “Wales” Rodin is blasting music over the speakers. Pizza in one hand, fist pumping in the other, the entire camp begins to bounce up and down to the beat for what may be the greatest pizza party in recorded history. As DJ Matt fades the music out after a climactic version of “Shout,” you and all the other over-excited, over-adrenalized, and over-fed campers are corralled out of the rec hall and back towards the cabins. From then on, you find yourself salivating and tapping your foot whenever you hear the Northern Lights mentioned.
-Michael Breen
BRAVO TO THE JANUARY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Jared Orkin - 1/1/2002, Michael Natinsky - 1/3/1999, Arden Gilbert - 1/4/1998, Aaron Zemach - 1/4/1992, David Glazer - 1/5/1999, Josh Mc Grath - 1/5/1992, Ian Setzer - 1/5/2000, Colby Sharlin - 1/5/1992, Charlie Tipton - 1/5/1996, Eliah Hiken - 1/8/1996, Matthew Jacobs - 1/8/1997, Debbie Purcell - 1/8/1969, Danny Levy - 1/11/1998, Will Coen - 1/12/2000, Sam Frishman - 1/12/2001, Zack Friedenberg - 1/13/1994, Alex Karmin - 1/14/1997, Mike Shklyar - 1/15/1999, Gabriel Wallon - 1/17/2001, Jared Bloom - 1/18/2001, Jake Greenberg - 1/21/1999, Jonathan Williams - 1/22/1985, Ricky Romersi - 1/23/1999, Charlie Smoller - 1/23/2000, Lucas Beslow - 1/24/1994, Scott Mayer - 1/24/1993, Justin Goldenberg - 1/25/2003, Joaquin Grace - 1/26/1998, Aaron Dembsky - 1/29/1999, Sam Kahn - 1/30/1997, Eli Mitchell - 1/30/1999, Lucas Prizant - 1/31/1999, Ethan Victor - 1/31/2001.Have a great January, everyone, and we’ll be back at ya next month.
Benches up,
