Friday, February 1, 2013

Volume LIII, No. 6, February, 2013

Dear Campers, Parents, Alums & Friends,

It’s February.  Spring Training starts this month.  Pitchers and catchers report in 2 weeks.  Trippers and Counselors start reporting in just under 4 months.  Isn’t life in America great?!  In the interest of full disclosure, you may not know this, but I grew up in St. Louis and I love baseball.  I love other sports too, but to me baseball is so much more than a sport.  It can – at it’s best – embody and put on display all that is good in human kind.  Case in point…Stan the Man Musial, who passed away this past month.  In a humble and understated way that became one of Musial’s hallmarks, he managed to break records and leave his mark on the field throughout the 40s, 50s, and 60s.  He won seven batting titles, three MVPs, played in three World Series, and was selected for the All-Star team more than twenty times.  Stan was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969.  His last game was played in 1963, so personally, I never had a chance to watch him play.  But growing up in St. Louis, he was a hero to all fans, and stories of Stan the Man were retold every spring when the new season was budding.  The truly important part of the story of Stan the Man is actually his impact OFF of the field.  As Bob Costas relayed in his eulogy at Stan’s funeral in St. Louis, Stan was interminably decent.  He was a hero without the celebrity.  He was both appreciative and embarrassed by the enormous statue of him placed at the front entrance to Busch Stadium.  Stan was among the very first to welcome African-American players into the big leagues, embracing them immediately, trying to help them feel welcome and confident.  He was a dedicated family man, a husband of more than 70 years.  He was a guy next door, quietly philanthropic, a warm and wonderful human being who happened to be one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the game.  He was a role model to multiple generations of kids, and it sure would be nice for another Stan the Man to surface for our current generation of kids.  We could all use an athlete like that.

January was totally nuts around here.  We had a couple of fun reunions in Dallas and Denver, and only 2 more reunions remain.  They are Los Angeles and Tucson, both coming up this month!!  It has been a whirlwind travel “off-season” for us, and it has been SO MUCH FUN! I was recently back in St. Louis for a camp fair, and had the great fortune of having some guys come by to help out and keep me company.  They included CAMERON & DYLAN STERN, DEVIN SHAW, MARSHALL STRAWBRIDGE, JOEY FLOM, BRETT MILLER (from Omaha!), ARI SINGER, and JACK KAHN.  And get this…two of our STL boys celebrated their Bar Mitzvahs that day.  Ari Singer was at CHARLIE SMOLLER’S service (which explains the fancy threads in the photo), and BEN REMIS managed to escape a house full of family to come by and hang out a bit after his service (Brett Miller was in town to celebrate with his cousin Ben).  That was just awesome.  Thanks to all of you! 

By the time February is over, MICHAEL BREEN and I will have logged over 22,000 miles criss crossing the country for some of the most enjoyable reunions in modern camping history, and to also meet with fantastic new campers.  We appreciate all of our reunion hosts who have welcomed all of us into their homes this year.  And we are also grateful to everyone who has helped us reach out to new families. As you’re about to see, it has really paid off!

Our enrollment heated up even more this past month.  FIRST SESSION IS NOW COMPLETELY FULL!  We have a waiting list already under way.  Second session has some remaining spots in a few age groups, but that will also fill up very soon.  Wow!  Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled this past month: GABRIEL ADLER and BRYAN BERKOWITZ from Los Angeles, CA; ELI SELZ from Chicago, IL; PARKER DAWSON, DAVID GLAZER, and ALEX WISE from Denver, CO; AIDAN DOYAL from Glencoe, IL; CHARLIE DEER and JACK ROSS from Highland Park, IL; ASA HIKEN and CHAD KAMEN from Louisville, KY; JACK LYNCH and TYLER NEWMARK from St. Louis, MO; LUCAS PRIZANT from Northbrook, IL; JULES BLOOM and JACK VAN OOYEN from Brooklyn, NY; MAX GOOTTER of Tucson, AZ; DAVANTE GRACE, from Schaumburg, IL; CONNOR FEHRENBACH from West Chicago, IL; ALEXANDER WEITZMAN from Nashville, TN; BRANDON GOMEL from Bellaire, TX; and AARON & JAKE HOFFMAN from Dallas, TX.  Phew!

And welcome aboard to the following guys who will join us for their first time this summer: TAIT GRAY and JASON WISE of Denver, CO; JACK LEMBECK of Chicago, IL; ZACK CONNELL, MATTHEW PALEY, and SPENCER VERNIER of Deerfield, IL; GUS MERVIS of Carmel, IN; ELI DAUER of Cincinnati, OH; ARI & SETH BERK of New Orleans, LA; JONAH GERSTEIN and DANIEL GREENWALD of Evanston, IL; MILES GOTTESMAN, MATT JARVIS, and ALEC SCHLOSSBERG of Highland Park, IL; WILLIAM COOVERT, DANNY FISCHER, MICHAEL LYNCH, and OWEN TAYLOR of St. Louis, MO; ZACK PIELL of Northbrook, IL; and JOSH BLUM and AIDAN FELDMAN of Houston, TX.  This is shaping up to be the absolute greatest summer ever!  We’re so glad you’ll all be with us!!

YO PARENTS: We have some very exciting news that affects all campers and parents.  This summer we will put in place an electronic medical charting system in our Infirmary.  This is huge for us as it finally gives our nurses some modern technology to track patients that visit them in the Infirmary, automatically check for allergy information, provide follow up reminders and info, etc.  We’re the only Wisconsin camp authorized to use electronic charting, and if it goes well, the state will allow all camps to use this technology. 

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU: Very soon, families of enrolled kids will receive a password for the website of our technology partner, CampDoc.com.  Starting now, when you login to your Parent Keylog page and click on the Health History link to submit your son’s medical history to us, you will be taken to their website as well.  From there, you will login to your Camp Doc account, and you can submit your son’s Health History and more.  The Health History form includes immunization history, current medications, etc.  It is very comprehensive and extremely user-friendly.  From your page on the Camp Doc website you will also be able to track what has and has not been received yet in health-related paper work for your son.  This includes easy ways to upload your Medical Recommendation form, Clinic Data form, and health insurance card copy.  We think this is a very positive change for us, and we think you’ll find it a better way to get your information to us in a timely way.

Speaking of your Parent Keylog Page, our resident web genius, AARON ZEMACH has kindly re-designed it to make it SO MUCH EASIER TO USE!  Login and take a look.  It’s more organized and easier to navigate.  AND, you can now TRACK YOUR PAPERWORK from your Keylog page in the new “Track Your Info” section.  So this is how you know what we have and have not received from you regarding paper work.  This includes medical paper work (also trackable from the CampDoc.com website – as noted above), as well as Camper Info Form.  All that info in one place!  Your current account balance is also displayed in this new section.

It’s also that fun time of year when we ask for the 2nd deposit for your kid(s). Very soon we will send you emails with a 2nd Deposit Invoice attached, and you can also download it from your Parent Keylog Page. Payment is due by March 1st. We have also posted all charges on your statements, which you can view anytime online. And, if you are unclear about some charges, we have also posted the updated Billing Information sheet on your Parent Keylog Page. Of course, you can certainly feel free to call us or email us if you have questions.

Whenever we post new information to your Parent Keylog Page, there will be a small icon next to that link that looks like this: . So as you periodically login to your Parent Keylog Page, have a look for that little logo, and you’ll know what new forms or information have been posted.

PARENTS OF CITS: CITs start on June 10th, so their travel-to-camp date is June 9th. CITs from Chicago will have a van available to transport them to camp on June 10th. CITs from all other cities will fly into the Central Wisconsin Airport in Wausau, and we’ll have our staff there to greet them and drive them to camp.

YO CAMPERS:  It is still a little tentative, as we wait for some permits to be confirmed, but our 2013 Trips Calendar is now online for your review. 

  • Most trips do not have pre-registration.  You can sign up for them after you’re at camp.  Exceptions to that include:
    1. Isle Royale Backpack Trips: one 1st session, one 2nd session
    2. Sand River Canoe Trip: 1st session
    3. Quetico Provincial Park Canoe Trip (The Canadian!): 2nd session
    4. Apostle Islands Sea Kayak Trips: one 1st session, one 2nd session
  • Pre-registration for the trips above is open now on our website.  YOU DO NOT NEED TO PRE-PAY FOR THESE TRIPS. We will bill you after your son’s session[s] at camp. To pre-register on our website, click “Current Camp Folks,” then “Trips Info,” then “advanced registration” and you’re there.  Campers must be qualified for these trips.  If you’re not sure, ask your son.  We will send you an email soon with your son’s trip history so you can determine which trips he may be eligible for.  NEW CAMPERS ARE NOT YET QUALIFIED FOR THE TRIPS ABOVE.  Some day, though.  Some day.

YO OLD GUYS: If you are in 8th or 9th grade this school year, we are hoping to have you serve as a camp “Big Brother” to a new camper this summer. We’ll try to pair everyone up if we can, and we’ll also try to pair as many from the same city as we can. We ask Big Brothers to call (not text or email, please!) their Little Brothers, introduce themselves, and offer to answer any questions that your Little Bro might have about camp. Some guys are even able to get together before camp and talk for a bit, which is awesome! If you would prefer NOT to be a Big Brother, we need to know that as soon as possible. You can email or call us, and that’s perfectly fine. There is no obligation whatsoever, but we think it is a fun thing to be a part of, and we know it really helps our new guys out. Thanks very much.

We sorta hit the mother lode this past month, with a huge number of returning guys and some great new guys joining the staff this summer.  Our group of Junior Counselors is rock solid, as you’ll see below, and that’s just the start. In this issue alone, we have 240 summers of Timberlane experience represented.  Combine that with our previously noted returning staff, and we’re at 429 Timber-summers of experience.  And we’re not done yet.  Seriously…it’s going to be another amazing summer.  Say hello to the following “old-timers” who are back again this summer.

Berkowitz
AARON BERKOWITZ

From Deerfield, IL where he is a junior in high school, 16 year-old Aaron will be joining us for his 7th summer at camp. He is looking forward to joining us as a Junior Counselor and assisting the activities he loved taking so much as a camper, including Photography and Rocketry.

Bloomberg
MICHAEL BLOOM

16 year-old Michael is a junior at the St. John’s School in Houston, TX. Michael is really looking forward to returning to camp as one of our Junior Counselors and will be assisting our Tennis, Rock Climbing, Sailing, Ropes Course, Athletics, Fishing, and Volleyball program (phew—that’s a lot of stuff!).

Brown
ERIC BROWN

Back for his 2nd summer, Eric Brown is a 27 year-old from Cleveland, OH. Eric works at a few other camps during the off-season but is most looking forward to his return to Timberlane where he will again be a cabin counselor and our Mountain Bike director.  Incidentally, Eric is also a wealth of Cleveland knowledge for anyone interested….particularly when it comes to the Browns.

Cavalier
CAMERON CAVALIER

Currently a junior at Emery High School in Houston, TX, Cameron will be joining us at camp for summer number 9. During the school year, Cameron plays on his high school soccer team and this summer he will be working as a Junior Counselor and helping with our Waterskiing and Soccer program.

Cramin
BRANDON CRAMIN

A 16 year-old junior at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, IL, Cameron is excited to return to camp for his 8th summer. During the off-season Brandon enjoys working at his family’s restaurant over the weekends. He will be joining us as a Junior Counselor and will be a great help with our Rock Climbing program.

Elias
RYAN ELIAS

After a whirlwind tour with his brother throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia (and seeing a bunch of international camp alums along the way), 20 year old Ryan is looking forward to returning to Woodruff, WI for summer number 12. Ryan will be attending Colorado Mountain College this fall where he will study Ski Resort Management. He will again be one of our Waterski Directors and will also be a cabin counselor.

Fine, J
JORDAN FINE

Jordan is a 17 year-old high school senior from Deerfield, IL who is looking forward to his 9th summer at camp!  Jordan plays for his school's varsity volleyball team and besides being a Junior Counselor this summer he will assist our Volleyball, Waterskiing and Athletics programs

Gaidamak
DAVID GAIDAMAK

Summer number 7 is on tap for 17 year old David. David is a junior at Vernon Hills High School where he plays on the high school tennis team. David will be joining us this summer as a Junior Counselor and will be helping with our Tennis, Climbing, Sailing, and Archery program.

Gilbert
SAM GILBERT

Back for his 2nd summer, 21 year-old Sam is a junior at Indiana University studying Outdoor Education. Sam is excited to apply all of his lessons from school as he joins us once again as one of our trip leaders.

Jacobson
RICKY JACOBSON

At 16 years-old, Ricky will be joining us at camp for his 9th summer. Ricky is a junior at Deerfield High School where he plays recreational volleyball and performs and directs improv comedy games. Ricky will be working at camp as a Junior Counselor and will be helping out with Comedy Sportz, Waterskiing, Sailing, and Volleyball.

Kearney, M
MATT KEARNEY

Originally from Neenah, WI., Matt is a high school teacher in Ashland, WI and at 24 he is already the head of the entire English Department.  This will be Matt’s 5th summer at camp and he will be a cabin counselor and the director of our Golf program.

Kearney, S
SARAH KEARNEY

Sarah (also hailing from Neenah, WI)  is a 21 year-old junior at Carroll University in Wisconsin where she studies Exercise Science and is Pre-Physical Therapy. During the school year Sarah is a TA for the school’s chemistry department and volunteers with the Big Brother/Big Sister program. For her second summer, Sarah will once again be our Volleyball director.

Krulisky
ROSS KRULISKY

Hailing from Phoenix, AZ where he is the captain of his Varsity soccer team, 17 year-old Ross is looking forward to his 7th summer at camp. He will be working at camp as a Junior Counselor and will be helping out with our Waterskiing, Soccer, and Cardio programs. Ross is a high school junior.

Kuperman
JOSEPH KUPERMAN

Joseph is a 17 year-old junior who attends the Emery High School in Houston, TX were he also plays on his school soccer team. We are looking forward to having Joseph back for his 6th summer where he will be one of our Junior Counselors and assist with a variety of activities.

Leverton
KATHY LEVERTON

So, Kathy has been our Waterfront Director and a Trip Leader and now she is excited to try something new for her 8th summer at camp—she will be our Rock Climbing director. During the winter (or…her summer), Kathy lives in Cape Town, South Africa where she is a freelance camp facilitator for school groups, running activities for kids like high/low ropes, climbing, games and team building exercises.

Levey
BEN LEVEY

Ben will be spending his 8th summer at camp. He is a 17 year old senior at Nicolet High School in Milwaukee where is the captain of BOTH the tennis and volleyball teams. He will be joining us as a cabin counselor and helping to teach tennis, volleyball, weights, and cardio.

Marks
JOEY MARKS

An 18 year old senior at Deerfield High School, Joey will be spending SUMMER NUMBER 10 at camp this year. Besides being a cabin counselor, Joey will also be our Athletics director. During the school year Joey plays on the high school soccer team as the goalie, teaches swim lessons, and works with people with special needs at the Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association.


KYLE MANLEY

After a summer’s absence, we’re thrilled to welcome back 23 year old Kyle for his 2nd summer at camp as one of our trip leaders. Kyle recently graduated in December with a Bachelors of Music Education Degree from University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. He is currently conducting musicals for local theater companies in the Chippewa Valley and substitute teaching.

Mayer
SCOTT MAYER

Scotty is a 20 year old sophomore at Tulane University in New Orleans where he is pre-Med and studying economics. Originally from Northbrook, IL, Scotty will be joining us for his 8th summer at camp where he will be a cabin counselor and the director of our Pottery program.

Pawlan
JOEY PAWLAN

Back for his 12th summer at camp, 20 year-old Joey is a sophomore at the University of Tampa where he studies Biology and was the founding president of his Zeta Beta Tau fraternity chapter. He will once again be a cabin counselor and will provide excellent support to our Waterskiing and Fishing programs.

Purcell
DEBBIE PURCELL

Spending her 11th summer at camp, Debbie comes to us from Aurora, CO. During the off-season, Debbie works as a manager with Corporate Kids Events, running conferences all over the country. Debbie will once again be working as one of our office managers.

Rodin, J
JOEY RODIN

Joey, a 17 year-old Senior from Northbrook, IL, will be joining us for his 9th summer at camp. He is spending his senior year reffing a lot of hockey games, counting down the days until he begins his freshman year at the University of Arizona. Besides being a Junior Counselor, Joey will also be a huge help to our Waterski program and be the co-director or our Timberbat Waterski team with Ryan Elias.

Sharlin
COLBY SHARLIN

Currently a junior at the University of Illnois—Urbana-Champaign where he is studying Molecular and Cellular Biology (piece of cake!) with plans of going to medical school one day, Colby is returning to camp for his 12th summer. This winter Colby is studying for the MCATs and perfecting his bacon-cheese omelet. He will once again be a cabin counselor, helping in our Waterskiing program, and acting as one of our Village Directors.

Slattery
SEAN SLATTERY

Sean is really looking forward to his second summer at Timberlane. Originally from South Bend, IN, at 19 years-old, Sean is a sophomore at Indiana University. This summer he will again be one of our wilderness trip leaders.

Spier
SAM SPIER

Joining us for his 7th summer, Sam is a 17 year-old junior at Emery High School in Houston, TX. Sam recently joined his school’s golf team and was recently elected the President of the Houston Council of his youth group (hail to the chief!). He will be working with us as a Junior Counselor and assisting our Guitar, Comedy Sportz, Archery, Athletics, and Ropes Course programs.

Strain
BRIAN “POPPA” STRAIN

31 year-old Brian is an elementary school Technology teacher in Centennial, CO and a Zamboni driver at a local ice rink. Back for his 12th summer, Brian will again be a cabin counselor, our Fishing director and (1…2…3…Strain Nation!) our Junior Village Director.

Taylor
JORDAN TAYLOR

Back for summer number 9, Jordan is a junior at MICDS high school in St. Louis. Jordan plays soccer for his high school team and stays busy babysitting for some of our high school families. Jordan will be working as one of our Junior Counselors and will be a big help to our Sailing and Waterskiing program.

Tubbs
JEREMY TUBBS

Summer number 11 lies ahead for Jeremy.  During the year, he attends the University of Missouri where he is a sophomore.  This summer, Jeremy will once again be a cabin counselor and is looking forward to being our Archery director.

Zemach
AARON ZEMACH

Aaron will be returning for his 12th summer at Timberlane. Originally from Deerfield, IL, 21 year-old Aaron is a junior at Washington University in St. Louis where he is studying Computer Science, Writing, and Music…or, as Aaron explains, “I’m writing stories, making electronic music, and designing video games...the tough life of a college student.” Aaron will again be a cabin counselor, the director of our Ropes Course, and one of our PA Directors.

And join us in welcoming the following new folks who will be with us this summer:

King
ROSS KING

Ross is one cool dude, having spent the past year in France teaching English as he anticipates entering Oxford University this fall. At 19 years-old, Ross has learned how to play guitar, piano, and saxophone, and has performed his own concerts in London. Ross will be working this summer at camp as one of our cabin counselors and our Guitar director (We hope he’s happy moving his concerts from London to the campfire area).

Van Buren
DANIEL VAN BUREN

28 year-old Daniel just completed a successful career in the Army and will begin university this fall. Daniel is so excited to be part of the camp community this summer and will be a vital part of our Maintenance team.  He is already connected to camp via his friendship with John “Eagle” Williams.

In Dallas, ZACH RUDNER is involved in student congress, is running triathlons, and playing basketball.  BEN SCHACHTER is playing basketball and tennis.  AARON HOFMAN went skiing over winter break in Vail, and is playing soccer and getting ready for baseball in the spring.  JAKE HOFFMAN also went to Vail over winter break, and is playing soccer and basketball.  JAKE MAZOW is playing golf, played volleyball and his team won a tournament and made the playoffs, and is getting ready for spring baseball season.  In Denver, JACKSON TURNER is playing drums and hanging out with next door neighbors.  After camp last summer, Jackson went on a trip to Hong Kong, and this winter break he went to Amsterdam where he ate some very strange food.  ARI ASARCH is still involved in Karate (he’s a black belt!), playing soccer, and had a great time at the Broncos game against the Steelers.  (No comments about the next Broncos’ game…).  DAN SHELANSKY missed camp last summer, and is sooo happy to be returning.  He’s playing lacrosse, and also went to the Broncos-Steelers game.  DAVID GLAZER is playing basketball and practicing already for spring baseball.  He’s playing tennis also.  PARKER DAWSON is playing basketball and skiing.  He’s ready to move into his new house in May…been living in his grandparents’ basement for too long!  ALEX WISE is playing basketball for his high school team.  JASON WISE is playing soccer and basketball and also swimming.  BEN GOELZ is in Boulder, CO and is on a climbing team at his local climbing gym.  He’s also been skiing and biking.  In St. Louis, MARSHALL STRAWBRIDGE is playing lacrosse.  MICHAEL STRAWBRDIGE is wrestling, as is DEVIN SHAWJAKE FLOM is playing soccer and JOEY FLOM is his lacrosse team’s goalie. And as mentioned earlier, Bar Mitzvah congrats to CHARLIE SMOLLER and BEN REMIS!  NOAH FREEMAN got to spend his winter break with his family in Israel.  BRETT MILLER lives in Omaha, where he’s been talking up camp to his buddies and taking Tae Kwon Do.  ZACH WALDEN traveled from Chicago to St. Louis to play in a hockey tournament that included ZACH ZLEPPER’S team and DAVID TAMSKY’S team.  Elsewhere in Chicago, Bar Mitzvah congrats to ELI SELZ who celebrated last month!  MASON ROSENBERG played freshman football this winter at Glenbrook North High in Northbrook, and ended the season with 12 touch downs and loads of tackles.  For winter season, Mason has been wrestling 138 and is freshman team captain, and this spring he will run track.  Chicagoan JOSH SPAETH got to hang out with ETHAN BECKMAN of Columbus, OH in Florida over winter break.  RICKY ROMSERSI made the short trip from Milwaukee down to Chicago where he hung out with LUKE SCLAMBERG, MICHAEL & JOHNNY GROSS, and “old-timer” RYAN COHEN

  While in Denver last month, I had the good fortune of catching the first half of the Broncos football game at the STRAIN NATION winter residence, and grabbing some dinner one night with BRIAN and with HITCH & CORRIE HITCHENS. Hitch & Corrie had just finished helping to run a high school wrestling tournament in Evergreen, CO.  DREW DAVIS has continued his tour of colleges, most recently at Denver University, and while there he got together with BRIAN STRAIN, DEBBIE PURCELL, and HITCH. Last month, MATT RODIN and JOEY PAWLAN were back in Chicago from their respective schools, and had dinner with MICHAEL BREEN and SAM “PICKLES” KAHN. Pickles is teaching at an inner-city school in Chicago. Early next month, Michael will be joining a mini-camp reunion at Indiana University, to include SAM GILBERT, SEAN SLATTERY, BRIDGET MASUR, EMILY JONES, RICK JONES, and “old-timers” SCOTTY BREEN, JACOB LURIE, ZACK FRIEDENBERG, and JORDAN HERZ.  SCOTT WOLF is directing a play for the theater department at Northwestern University in Evanston.  COLBY SHARLIN is having a lot of fun studying for the MCATs. AARON ZEMACH has been helping to conduct auditions for his improv theater group at Washington University in St. Louis. 


The Juice
A special section from Michael Breen

I have a nomination for the most impressive person in the history of the universe. Any guesses? Okay, a few clues: 1) he’s a male (no, it’s not Greg Fus), 2) he’s British (no, it’s not Mike Dumencic), 3) he has red-hair (no, it’s not Eliot Goldfarb), 4) and he recently became the first man to travel to every country in the world without using an airplane! Still stumped? It’s none other than Graham Hughes.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…Who the heck is Graham Hughes?! Well, over the course of four years, three months, two weeks, and two days of continuous travel Graham traveled to all 201 countries without the use of an airplane. Now, you may be thinking…What’s so difficult about that!? Well my good friends, just think about a country like Cape Verde—a tiny African island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that is 400 miles from the closest country. The only way to get there without a plane is to hire a fishing boat to take you across the massive swells of the ocean for three whole days. Except in Graham’s case, after three days on the water, he stepped onto Cape Verde soil only to be thrown in jail by Cape Verdian (Cape Verdese?) forces for six weeks without ever being charged with a crime (still preferable to Capture the Flag Jail). And, this is just one of 201 epic stories of adventure.

So, I would like to officially nominate Graham Hughes for the most impressive person in the history of the universe.

However, I far from idolize his accomplishment.

While he has been to every country in the world, he has not EXPERIENCED every country in the world. There would be times Graham would simply step one foot into a country, cross it off his list, and step back out to quickly head over to the next nation.

Now, Woodruff may not be as exotic or mysterious as Uzbekistan, Suriname, or Burma, but it is the home to Camp Timberlane—the one place I’ve found where you don’t need to travel the world to experience it.

In every activity, every evening program, every song, cheer, joke, and moment I get to see and be part of a community of people who experience everything this world has to offer—and I wouldn’t trade that for every country on the map!

And now, let’s wheeze some juice:

· You are a first session camper and you gather on the tennis court for a new EP called Alien Invasion. You spend the whole night fortifying your city of cups and trying to demolish the other cities with tennis balls, bombardment balls, and even a neutron bomb (aka Jeremy Sutton’s exercise ball). You’re having a blast but the highlight is when there is a hush over the crowd and the entire camp slowly, quietly begins chanting, “Godzilla, Godzilla.” The chant picks up speed and fury, “GODZILLA! GODZILLA!” until the monster (adorable Carter Hitchens) awakens from her slumber and kicks over all the remaining cups. She was the cutest little monster that you ever did see!

· You are a second session camper and are at the bell tower, standing at the back of the all-camp-Tush line that weaves allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the way to the Tushball roof. Over the course of an hour, you watched campers and counselors be weeded out one-by-one, leaving a handful of counselors in one of the most epic all-camp-tush endings on record: spin shots, knickage, nature balls—an onslaught of one great shot after another. That is, until out of the melee, our champion finally emerged victorious—Mr. Athletics himself, Scotty Wolf!

-Michael Breen


BRAVO TO OUR FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Calico Alvarez - 2/1/2004, Max Pugh - 2/1/2001, Garrett Shuman - 2/2/1999, Gus Mervis - 2/3/2003, Massimo D'Agaro - 2/6/2003, Jackson Pawlan - 2/6/2001, Max Glickman - 2/8/1997, Cameron Cavalier - 2/9/1996, Miguel Gonzalez Baca - 2/9/1999, Gabriel Adler - 2/14/2001, Jack Lynch - 2/15/1999, David Ringel - 2/15/1997, Connor Fehrenbach - 2/16/1999, Ben Remis - 2/16/2000, Daniel Feldman - 2/17/2000, Noah Goldstein - 2/17/2003, Dillon Gross - 2/17/1998, Santiago Terrazas - 2/17/1999, Eric Thompson - 2/17/1999, Zach Walden - 2/17/2000, Keshav Krishnan - 2/18/1999, Ashleigh Brown - 2/19/1992, Will Hale - 2/19/1990, Desi Heinen - 2/19/1986, Jack Lembeck - 2/19/2002, Daniel Engel - 2/20/1998, Ethan Glasberg - 2/23/1999, Jack Gomberg - 2/23/1996, Sam M Kahn - 2/23/1989, Casey Mutchnik - 2/25/2001, Charlie Deer - 2/28/1999.

Well, folks, we think this month’s issue had something for everyone!  We hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we did writing it.  Have a fantastic February, send us your updates (and photos), and we’ll write you again next month!

Benches up,