Dear Campers, Parents, Alums & Friends,
First of all, we wish all of our camp family good health and happiness in the coming new year. For many of us, when you look at that “2013,” you can’t help but scratch your head and wonder how the time has passed so fast. We were supposed to have Jetson flying cars by now, weren’t we?
Our greatest hope for the coming year is for the return of a stronger sense of balance in our communities and our country. It’s a giant wish,
but it is truly what we believe to be the greatest need out there. We’re big believers in the idea that balance brings with it a sense of thoughtfulness, a willingness to compromise, a notion of empathy for the needs of others as well as our own, and above all else, balance is a natural counter to extremism. Most people deplore extremism, and yet our attention is drawn to it so easily. Over the last year (several years, actually), we’ve all seen extremism grasp the headlines of the news, and it has become commonly accepted that an idea or a person must be “extreme” to be heard. Not only is that nonsensical and unproductive, but it is also dangerous, and it affects our children the most. In an effort to gain attention or notoriety, people of all ages – from our political leaders to our youngest school kids – think more of how their words and actions can make them stand out as extreme rather than how they can truly reach their goals and further the cause of the common good. We’ve talked about this before, but this same process takes place in sports on all levels, where the chest-thumping self-promoters take center stage because they are so “out there” or extreme. This delivers the exact wrong message to our kids if we truly want them to thrive, to be successful, and to contribute to their teams and ultimately to their communities. Perhaps if we all resolve to try and pay more attention to the less bombastic, but more thoughtful among our athletes, leaders, and most importantly, our children, we can help turn this ship around a bit. Camp is surely a place where we can structure our environment to empower thoughtful people by making sure they’re heard, and allowing them to be positive role models for the rest of us. We resolve to continue that effort and to try and make balance as cool as extremism.
The last month of 2012 was a big one for getting around the country and seeing camp people. We were in Houston, St. Louis, Cleveland and Columbus in December, and it was awesome! This month we’ll be in Dallas, Denver, and then back in St. Louis again. Phew! And we still have reunions coming in Los Angeles and Tucson in February. It has been SO much fun getting to see everyone as we criss-cross the nation, and we really appreciate the families who have hosted our gatherings and everyone who has made time in their busy schedules to come on out and hang with their camp buddies.
Our enrollment is cruising! We are actually ahead of last year’s pace, which is amazing. We have closed some age groups in the 1st session already, and 2nd session is filling up as well. We strongly recommend you contact us if your son is not yet re-enrolled, and you’d like for him to join us this summer.
Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled this past month: BEN GOELZ of Boulder, CO; ARI ASARCH of Denver, CO; SAM PALEY of Deerfield, IL; HENRY & JOE & SIMON LEVY of Evanston, IL; MATT MOSSLER of Carmel, IN; JACK BARLOW of Red Wing, MN; BEN & JARED BLOOM and ETHAN TEICH of Highland Park, IL; RYAN HEARST, MAX PUGH, ARI SINGER, BEN TAMSKY, CAM & DYLAN STERN, and ZACHARY ZLEPPER of St. Louis, MO; DAVID WINE of Oak Park, IL; BRETT MILLER of Omaha, NE; CAMERON HARDEGREE and GARRETT SHUMAN of Northbrook, IL; JONAH HOFFMAN of Nashville, TN; and SCOTT GOLD and SAM KAGAN of Houston, TX.
Welcome aboard to the following new campers who will join us this summer: MATT HOWARD and COLE KAPLAN of Atlanta, GA; NOAH GOLDSTEIN of Evanston, IL; SAM SCHNEIDER of River Forest, IL; MATTHEW KALLMEYER of Highland Heights, OH; ZACK CONNELL of Deerfield, IL; and GRAHAM ELLIOT of Nashville, TN. You guys are in for the greatest summer ever!!
WE HAVE A NEW PROMOTIONAL DVD! Over the past several months, “old-timer” RYAN COHEN has been working hard on a new video project for us, and it is incredible! Ryan is unusually talented, and he took on the work of creating a brand new series of videos that tell the story of Timberlane so beautifully. There are 3 short videos in all: A general promotional video, a testimonial video, and a typical day at camp video. We have placed all 3 on the Tour Section of our website and we have also produced a fantastic new DVD with all 3 videos. So, if you’d like to check it out, you can go to the website and watch all 3. They’re amazing! AND, if you know of some prospective families that may want to learn more about us, we’d be happy to send you a copy of the disc so you can share it with anyone you can think of. We’d really appreciate it. Please email us if you’d like a copy of this truly incredible new DVD. Thanks!
YO PARENTS: Feeling a little busy these days? We’d like to help you out. Please 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 available on your Parent Keylog Page if you wanna have a look.
PARENTS’ IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2013:
| February | 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 17th | 1st Session Begins. Hooooooooraaaaaay! |
| July 13th | 1st Session Ends |
| July 14th | 2nd Session Begins. Woooo Hooooo! |
| July 13th - 14th | |
| August 9th | 2nd Session Ends....bummer! |
| August 10th | Time to sign up for the summer of 2014!! |
YO STAFF: Most of you are on a little winter break right now, right? Well, if you have the time – which you do – how about signing your contract and sending it back to us. We’re flexible…we’ll happily accept contracts via email, fax, US Mail, carrier pigeon, whatever! Go 
ahead…make our day!
STAFF IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2013:
| May 24th (ish) | WFR Course Begins |
| May 31st | Lifeguard Training Course Begins |
| June 1st | Trip Leader Training Begins, Kitchen and Maintenance Staff Start |
| June 3rd | Steering Committee Starts |
| June 4th | Boat Driver Training Course Begins |
| June 5th | Rock Climbing Wall Instructor Course Begins |
| June 7th | LGT Challenge & Recertification Course. |
| June 8th | 1st Year Staff Training Begins |
| June 9th | CPR Challenge and Re-Certification Course |
| June 10th | All-Staff Training Begins |
| June 17th | The Campers Arrive!! Yeeeeehaaaaaa! |
| August 9th | The Campers Depart…..bummer! |
| August 10th | Last Day for all Staff Except Kitchen & Maintenance Staff |
| August 12th | Last Day for Kitchen and Maintenance Staff |
We’re off to another great start for returning staff members for the upcoming summer. We can tell you about many of them, but we have to wait till next month’s issue to tell you about all of the JCs who will be back. We hope you can be patient! First of all, we’re very pleased to tell you that STEVE “HITCH” HITCHENS is back for his 10th summer as our amazing Trips Director. Hitch is a high school History and American Government teacher in Evergreen, CO. He is 55 years old, and he will again be joined for much of the summer by his wife CORRIE, and their two kids Carter and Liam. Corrie is the Assistant Principal at Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch, CO. Say hello to these additional “Old-Timers” who are back again this coming summer:
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| David is back for his 9th summer at Timberlane. He is from Tucson, AZ, is 19 years old, and is a freshman at the University of Arizona, and is a youth football coach. David will be a cabin counselor, will again head up our Weight Training program, and will help out with Cardio, Fishing, and Rock Climbing. David recently paid a visit to a bunch of camp guys in Nashville, which was a blast for everyone. |
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| It’s kinda crazy, but this will be Dusty’s 20th summer at camp! Of course, he’s 19 years old, so figure that one out. Dusty is from Tucson, AZ, and is a freshman at the University of Wisconsin – Madison studying stuff….maybe Sociology. At camp Dusty will be a cabin counselor, and will teach Baseball, Rock Climbing, Waterskiing, and Gymnastics. Dusty had fun attending the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on January 1st, though it would have been a little better if the Badgers had pulled off the win. |
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| Just as crazy, this will be Sammy’s 17th summer at Timberlane, and she’s 16 years old. Sammy is a high school sophomore in Tucson, AZ. She plays club and high school soccer, and she has played competitive baseball and softball. This summer Sammy will help out with Soccer, Rock Climbing, Baseball, Waterskiing, and other activities. |
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| Lauren is from Frontenac, MN and is a freshman at the University of Wiscsonsin – Stout majoring in Interior Design. She will be 19 this summer and this will be her 2nd summer at camp. Lauren will have one of the cutest jobs in camp again, as she helps to take care of some of the youngest kids at camp. Recently, Lauren performed in an Advanced Contemporary dance at the UW-Stout Dance Ensemble recital. She also performed on tour at the Mall of America and UW-Stout commencement with her choir |
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| Summer number 12 coming up for Matt, who is a junior at THE Boston Conservatory. Matt is originally from Northbrook, IL., and he is a busy guy this winter, taking on the role of Director for an upcoming performance of “Dog Sees God: Confessoin of a Teenage Blockhead” at the conservatory. Matt is also writing and performing music…while seemingly going to classes. This summer Matt will be a cabin counselor, will head up our wildly popular Comedy Sportz program, and will continue to help out with Guitar, Waterskiing, and Arts & Crafts. |
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| Tripper Chris is back for his 2nd summer at camp. He will be 20 years old this summer, and he is currently a sophomore at Indiana University pursuing a degree in Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Human Ecology. Chris teaches an outdoor course at Indiana, and leads trips for students and the general public, including a recent 5 day trip on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. He plans to further his training this winter on a Expedition Leadership trip to West Virginia. Chris is a certified lifeguard and WFR, and he will again be a Trip Leader at camp. |
We have already been busy talking with some new staff candidates, and so far we have one great new guy to introduce you to:
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| Say hello to Alex. Alex will be 20 years old this summer and he comes to us from a small village in the UK called Uffculme. He is a 1st year student at Staffordshire University majoring in Sports Development and Coaching. Alex has been sailing since the age of 8 and has achieved Royal Yacht Association certification. He has also played various sports including rugby, field hockey, and cricket, and has experience mountain biking. Alex will be a cabin counselor, and will help our with Sailing and Mountain Biking. |
In St. Louis, CAM STERN has been playing fall baseball and basketball and his brother, DYLAN STERN, is also playing baseball as well as
hockey. BEN REMIS just finished his soccer season and will be starting basketball soon. He also continues to play tennis as he prepares for his Bar Mitzvah this month. RYAN HEARST recently took the ACT and is preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, which will take place in June. ZACH ZLEPPER has been wrestling and, unrelated to that, recently ran into a bleacher, which required him to get thirteen stitches. ARI SINGER has been playing a lot of basketball and hockey. MAX GOLDENBERG just finished his football season and is currently on a swim team. His brother, JUSTIN GOLDENBERG, is playing basketball. JAKE FLOM has been seeing a lot of counselor JORDAN TAYLOR in the hallways of MICDS. NOAH FREEMAN has been playing a lot of hockey and hanging out with his cabinmate ADAM POGER. Noah also went to Israel with his family over winter break. ADAM POGER has been playing a lot of hockey and was selected to be captain of his team! He also got to spend 10 days in Florida over the winter holidays. DEVIN SHAW has been enjoying his time on the wrestling team. JACK KAHN has been playing a lot of soccer. WILL COEN enjoyed celebrating his birthday and likes his new school, MICDS. ZAC WARR is wrestling, playing football, and doing well in school. MAX PUGH has been wrestling and started at a new school, Whitfield. JASON GARLAND ended his football season and is now looking forward to playing basketball. His brother, GRANT GARLAND, is enjoying his time playing indoor soccer. In Cleveland, ZACH KALLMEYER is playing soccer, is involved in student council, and is a major wheel in his school’s unicycle club (you read that right). In fact, Zach was on the television news riding his unicycle…he’s a celebrity! Brother MATTHEW KALLMEYER plays soccer on 2 teams. In Columbus, ETHAN BECKMAN is playing travel basketball season, was playing flag football, and had a great time attending the football game when Ohio State beat Michigan. GRANT KAUFMAN is playing basketball, and also went to that awesome football game. Y’know…when Ohio State beat Michigan. DYLAN KAUFMAN is playing basketball on a travel team, working out with an NBA shooting coach, and can you believe it…he also went to that football game and seemed to enjoy it very much. Congrats to KYLE GROSS in Chicago who celebrated his Bar Mitzvah last month. JOSH MEYER has had a fun guy, DANIEL MOLTZ sitting with him and his sister occasionally this winter. (We are truly a full-service summer camp!) SAM PALEY got to spend some time in Disneyland and San Diego over his winter break. And ZACH WALDEN was in Tucson recently with his family, so we got to spend some time with them and go on a quick little trail walk into the mountains.
Timberlane folks have been traveling and hanging out together! DAVID ARTZI took off right after classes let out and spent some quality time in Nashville hanging out with “old-timer” AARON ROSEN and some of our Nashville boys, even taking in a Titans game. SAM “PICKLES” KAHN was just minding his own business on a vacation trip to Israel when he bumped into BEN & DANIEL FEDLMAN. If that ain’t a small world, we don’t know what is. Just to help relax a bit after a busy first semester as a West Point Cadet, HANNAH JONES went rock climbing and winter camping with her brother, “old-timer” FLETCHER JONES. And while they were there they hung out with DEBBIE PURCELL and BRIAN STRAIN. On a recent trip to Florida, SCOTT WOLF stopped by to visit with JEFF & ANDY MELROSE in Celebration. EMILY JONES & Family played host to traveling “old-timer” JAKOB SCHARNAGL who came for a visit all the way from Germany. RYAN ELIAS, along with his brothers JACOB ELIAS and “old-timer” ADAM ELIAS were traveling in Australia where they met up with “old-timer” JACK WOODS. And, a bunch of Timberlane guys got together recently in Chicago, including JEREMY SUTTON, COLBY SHARLIN, SCOTTY MAYER, MICHAEL BREEN, as well as “old-timers” RYAN COHEN, SCOTT BREEN, SETH GROSS, JORDY SHARLIN, JACOB LURIE, JAKE SEIDEN, and MATT SLOAN. JEREMY SUTTON is preparing for a semester of study abroad in Canberra, Australia. SETH GROSS will be studying in Florence, Italy this coming semester. You guys….WE LOVE THIS STUFF! Anyone else hang with camp buddies over the winter break? Congratulations to JORDY SHARLIN who was accepted into the University of Illinois College of Medicine! That’s awesome news, and we are really happy for Jordy. Congrats also to HEATHER WRIGHT who has taken a teaching job with Bright Horizons in Seattle.
THE JUICE
A Special Section from Michael Breen
When we bear witness to such unimaginable horror as occurred at an elementary school in Connecticut last month, it is often difficult to remember that there are incredibly powerful influences of unconditional good surrounding us and your children. The best example of this influence that I can think of comes from our counselors. And now, to celebrate the fresh start of a new year and remind us all of the good that still surrounds, influences, and inspires us, here are some of the most inspiring counseling moments I have witnessed during my tenure at camp:
A camper tries out for the Timberbats at least a dozen times during the summer. On his last day of waterskiing, though he tries his best, he still is not able to be a Timberbat. On that day, his counselor, well aware of his camper’s goal for the summer, takes it upon himself to give his camper his Timberbat team shirt from the first summer he made the team. A note was pinned inside that said, “Keep trying.” Sure enough, the camper did, making the Timberbats the first week of the next summer—becoming the proud owner of two Timberbat shirts.
A homesick camper had a small machine that would play back a recorded message from his parents saying that they missed him; he would listen to it several times a day, often exacerbating his homesickness. By accident, the camper’s bunkmate erased this message, leaving the homesick camper distraught. That night, the counselor took the machine and recorded a nice, long message explaining that he was so happy that his camper was in his cabin and how much he liked him as a person. Soon after the homesickness began to dissipate and the camper had a new message to listen to several times a day.
-Michael Breen
BRAVO TO OUR JANUARY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS! Jared Orkin - 1/1/2002, Michael Natinsky - 1/3/1999, Sam Schneider - 1/3/2001, 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, Will Sexter - 1/7/2004, 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, Alex Karmin - 1/14/1997, Mike Shklyar - 1/15/1999, Gabriel Wallon - 1/17/2001, Jared Bloom - 1/18/2001, Jonathan Williams - 1/22/1985, Ricky Romersi - 1/23/1999, Charlie Smoller - 1/23/2000, Daniel Warshauer - 1/23/1991, Scott Mayer - 1/24/1993, Justin Goldenberg - 1/25/2003, Davante Grace - 1/26/1998, Aaron Hoffman - 1/26/2001, 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 start of a fantastic year ahead! We know it’s gonna be awesome….why? Because camp is coming in only 6 months!! Any year with camp is a great year! We’ll write you again soon.
Benches up,
