Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,
We hope you all had a great start to the New Year! Here’s something to think about. Do you believe that the way someone phrases a statement can be as important as the actual statement itself? Are semantics important? Let’s take the word “away.” Let’s say, for instance, someone is bugging you, and you use the phrase “Go away!”. Your message is clear to a point, but there’s some uncertainty. Where is away? How far away is enough? Now let’s consider the phrase “Throw it away.” “What should I do with this old shirt/cell phone/plastic bag/pair of cleats/etc.?” “Throw it away.” Okay, where is away in this case? Essentially, discarded items have one of two fates. They are either recycled (composted for many organic items), or dumped in a landfill. And in many, many cases, discarded items that end up in a landfill will be there long beyond the lives of our grandchildren’s grandchildren. So back to semantics. What if, instead of using the phrase “Throw it away,” we instead – as a society – say something like “Landfill that thing.” It does take the abstract right out of the picture, doesn’t it? Especially if you’ve ever visited a landfill. "(Have you? Not a pretty thing to see.) Maybe if we’re more clear on the fate of the item we’re preparing to discard, and in our semantics we have a picture of where that item is headed, we’ll be more likely to recycle or repurpose that item. And perhaps, going a bit further, less likely to acquire things that are heavily packaged or have very short periods of usefulness. Thank you for not landfilling this notion.
With less than 150 days left until camp we have rounded second base and are more than half way home; we couldn’t be more excited about the summer! This time of year we really start looking into the future and have been doing a lot to get ready for camp. January was a little repose from our normally full travel schedule, but we did manage to get together with some camp friends right here in Tucson. Thanks guys for the great reunion! This month we will be on the road again with trips planned to New Orleans for the ACA national conference and a camp reunion, Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta (another camp reunion) and Colorado. We look forward to getting together with camp friends, old and new, along the way and to visiting with prospective camp families too. If you know of any folks who are interested in camp, we would love to get in touch with them; so please feel free to pass along our contact to them or theirs to us if they would prefer that, thanks!
Back at camp GREG FUS and MICK WHALEN have been busy with a whole bunch of projects to get camp looking better than ever. They installed new block pillars are under Sioux cabin and completely replaced the retaining wall to divert any run-off water. They also created a deck on Menominee cabin, and will soon be adding railings and steps. And, after many meetings with the American Tushball Association to ensure compliance with strict regulations, they were able to complete the newest and best Tushball roof known to the illustrious organization. And it’ll probably keep the rain out of the Pottery Shop and Rocketry Room too!
Mick Whalen? “Who’s that?”, you might be asking. You may not know it, but Mick is a builder from Irma, WI who has been quietly doing a lot of our off-season building and renovations, working along side Greg, our full time caretaker. Mick is a Northwoodsman, just like Greg. In fact, at his home in Irma he has his own lumber mill, and he spends much of his time harvesting trees that he planted decades ago, and turning them into lumber, which he sells to builders around the area. Not only is he extremely skilled, but he’s fun, he’s honest, and he’s got a passion for working at camp. He loves what goes on there and is always upbeat and happy to add his work to our community. We’re very lucky we found him all those years ago.
Our enrollment continues to be rockin’ and very soon we will have filled age groups in both sessions, though particularly in the first session. Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who have re-enrolled in the past month: JACOB KLINE of Chicago, Il; CHARLIE OLESKER of Glencoe, Il; ETHAN VICTOR of Highland Park, Il; AIDAN YERKES of Chicago, IL; and MATT MOSSLER or Carmel, IN.
Welcome aboard to the following new campers who have recently joined us: ILAN REISS of Pacific Pallisades, CA; SAM KLINE of Chicago, IL, WILLIAM CROSBY of Oak Park, IL, and we’re very happy to welcome NICK VON KUENSBERG SARRE from Fellbach, Germany! He’s traveling a long way to join us! We’re excited to have you all with us! Hope you’re ready for an amazing summer!!!
YO EVERYONE: The annual fund-raising event for Camp for All Kids is coming up in April in Highland Park, IL. Tickets are on sale now! If you can attend, that’s awesome. We hope you will join us, have some fun, and raise some money for this fantastic program that helps so many kids and makes camp special for everyone. If you are unable to join us the night of the event, we hope you’ll still send in a donation to support Camp for All Kids. Thank you!
YO PARENTS! Thanks for remitting your Winter deposit on January 15th. If you have not yet done so, please be sure to do that right away. Also, it’s that time of year when we remind you that the Spring deposit for your son(s) is coming up soon. We will send you all emails with an invoice for your 3rd deposit . Payment is due by March 15th. 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.
A REMINDER ABOUT AIR TRAVEL: We are using Sojourn Travel Service again this year. And it’s sooo easy. You just login to their website, and register your camper set for his flights. A few important points to note:
- The longer you wait to book flights, the higher the fare you may pay. It’s supply and demand, folks. Fewer seats available means higher fares. This is one of many reminders we’ve sent….get your son booked on his flights today!!
- If you have special travel arrangements or you have questions, in the registration form there is a “Comments” box. Enter your special inquiry there, and Mary or Barney from Sojourn Travel will reach out to you to get it all set.
LET’S TALK TRAVEL FOR CITS: CITs start on June 15th, so their travel-to-camp date is June 14th. CITs from Chicago will have a van 
available to transport them and their baggage to camp on June 14th. 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. In the event your CIT’s school calendar gets extended for crazy snow and cold and foul weather days, don’t stress. Let us know and we’ll work out a coordinated travel arrangement for those who need it.
GET INTO THE WILDERNESS!! Our 2015 Trips Calendar is online! It is still early, so there may be some changes before the summer. There are so many great opportunities to get out into the wilderness! This year we have brought back the Superior Hiking Trail Backpacking trip (2nd Session) and plan on adding one more advanced river trip (details to be determined). Remember, if you are interested in the Isle Royale 10 day (1st Session) or 6 day (2nd Session), the Quetico Provincial Park (2nd Session), the Sand River (1st Session), or the Apostle Islands Sea Kayaking (both sessions), you can pre-register for any of those online (www.camptimberlane.com>Current Camp Folks>Trips Info>Advanced Registration). Pre-registration is not required, but is a good idea to secure your spot on the trip, provided that you are, or will be, eligible for the trip based on the trips you have completed ahead of time. In April, we will send you an email that details what trips you are eligible for, but if you have any questions about it, please get in touch with us.
YO OLD GUYS: If you are a returning camper 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. This is a great opportunity to share your camp knowledge and experience! We will connect as many of y’all as possible with new campers, and we try our best to connect you with boys from your hometown. We ask that Big Brothers call (not text, Facebook, or email, please!) their Little Brothers, introduce themselves, and offer to answer any questions that your Little Bro might have about camp. Sometimes Big and Little Bros are even able to get together before camp, which is awesome! If you would prefer NOT to be a Big Brother, please let us 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. Big/Little Bro assignments will be made in April. Thanks very much.
Break out your calculators, folks. We have a record-setting number of returning staff members to tell you about. Just check out all those great people who are going to be back to make every camper’s summer amazing! Some of them are very young (others not so much), most of them have grown up at camp, starting as young campers themselves. Here’s the big number: 220! That’s how many previous camp summers of experience is represented in this illustrious group of returning staff. And that’s just the ones listed this month!! All told, so far, we have nearly 700 years of Timberlane experience ramping up for the upcoming summer. Seems pretty good to us!!
Without further delay, welcome back to the following “old-timers” who are joining us again this summer:
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| Brian will be returning for his 7th summer at camp and will again be one of our Wilderness Trip Leaders. He will be 20 years old this summer and hails from Red Wing, MN. Brian is a 2nd year student at St. Cloud State University, and has been studying in the UK this semester. He’s been living in Alnwick Castle, where “Harry Potter”, “Robin Hood”, and “Downton Abbey” were all filmed. | |
 JACK BARLOW | Jack is joining us for his 8th summer at camp and will be a Junior Counselor. He is a junior at Redwing High School in his hometown Red Wing, MN. Jack is 16 years old and will be helping with Soccer, Sailing, Rock Climbing, Gymnastics, and Ropes Course. | |
 ERIC BROWN | Eric is an Outdoor Education Coordinator from Northwest Ohio and is back for his 4th summer at Timberlane. He is 29 years old and will again be a cabin counselor and the Director of our Mountain Biking program. In addition, Eric will be helping with Basketball, Baseball, Comedy Sportz and Ropes Course. | |
 JOEY BURSTEN | Joey is a senior at the Emery Weiner School in his hometown of Houston, TX. He is returning us for his 11th summer at camp as a Junior Counselor, and will be helping with Skiing, Athletics, Fishing, Volleyball and Soccer. Joey will be 18 years old this summer. | |
 AIDAN DOYAL | Aidan is a 17 year old junior at Lake Forest Academy hailing from Glencoe, IL. He’s back for his 4th summer at camp as a Junior counselor. He will be helping with Floor Hockey, Golf, Comedy Sportz and Baseball this summer. | |
 JACOB ELIAS | Jacob is in for his 8th summer at camp. He’s from Northbrook, IL. and is a junior at Glenbrook North High School. Jacob will be a junior counselor and helping out with Waterskiing, Rock Climbing, Floor Hockey, Pottery and Fishing. Jacob is 17. | |
 JAKE FEIGER | Jake is a 17 year old junior at Glenbrook North High School from Northbrook, IL. He will be returning us for his 8th summer at camp and will be a junior counselor. In addition, Jake will help out with Archery, Floor Hockey, Tennis, and Basketball among other activities. | |
 JORDAN FISHEL | Jordan is from Nashville, TN where he is a junior at the University School of Nashville and plays on the lacrosse team. . He will be a Junior Counselor this year and helping with Pottery, Basketball and Lacrosse. Jordan is 17 years old and this is his 9th summer at camp. | |
 TAYLOR FRISHMAN | Taylor is returning for his 8th summer at camp as a Junior Counselor. He is 16 years old and comes from Buffalo Grove, IL where he is a junior at Stevenson High School. Taylor will be a cabin counselor and helping with Cardio, Water Skiing, Athletics, Ropes Course and Soccer. | |
 AARON GLAZER | Aaron is from Mequon, WI and is back for his 9th summer at camp. He is a senior at Homestead High School and will again be a Junior Counselor and helping with Baseball, Basketball, Waterskiing, Golf, Tennis, Disc Sportz and Volleyball among other activities. Aaron is 17 years old. | |
 MAX GLICKMAN | Max is from Deerfield, IL and is back for his 8th summer at camp where he is a senior in High school. He will be 18 years old this month and will be a Junior Counselor. Max will be helping with Rocketry, Floor Hockey, Golf, Pottery, Ropes Course, Tennis and Waterskiing. | |
 DILLON GROSS | Dillon returns for his 9th summer at camp and will be a Junior Counselor. He is soon turning 17 years old and is a junior at Deerfield High School near his hometown Bannockburn, IL. Dillon will be helping with Tennis, Ropes Course, Fishing, Pottery and Volleyball. | |
 IAN JACOBS | Ian is back for his 10th summer at camp and will be a junior counselor. He is a junior at the University School of Nashville, TN. Ian will be helping with Lacrosse, Soccer and Basketball this summer along with other activities. He will be 18 years old this summer. | |
 SAM KAHN | Sam is from St. Louis, MO and is back for his 7th summer at camp. He will again be a Junior Counselor and this year be directing our revived Disc Sports program in addition to helping with Waterskiing, Athletics, Ropes Course and Golf. Sam is a senior at Ladue High School and is 17 years old. He will be a freshman at Vanderbilt University next fall. | |
 KATHY LEVERTON | Kathy is returning for her 10th summer! Oh yeah! She will be co-directing the Rock Climbing program in addition to helping with Waterskiing, Swimming and other activities. Kathy is 30 years old and lives in Cape Town, South Africa where she is a freelance guide and camp facilitator. | |
 DANNY LEVY | Danny returns to us from his new home in Seattle, WA where he is a junior at Garfield Academy. This will be his 8th summer at camp and he will be a Junior counselor in addition to helping with Guitar, Pottery, Floor Hockey and Water Skiing. Danny is 17 years old. | |
 JOVAN MCGEE | Jovan is returning for his 12th summer at camp and will again be our PA Director and the Director for our Gymnastics and Tennis programs. Jovan is 32 years old and lives in Pompano Beach, FL. where he is an elite girls’ gymnastics coach. | |
 DAVID PAWLAN | David is back from Northbrook, IL for his 10th summer at camp!! David is an 18 year old senior at Glenbrook North High school. He will again be a junior counselor helping with Volleyball, Swimming, Gymnastics and Waterskiing. David will also be a freshman at Vanderbilt University next fall. | |
 DAVID RINGEL | David will soon be turning 18 years old and is a senior at New Trier High School. He is returning for his 9th summer at camp and will again be a Junior Counselor and the Director of our Rocketry Program. He will also be helping with Rock Climbing, Swimming, Archery and Waterskiing. David is from Glencoe, Il and will be attending Dartmouth College after camp. | |
 BEN ROBERTS | Ben returns to us for his 6th summer at Timberlane from Houston Texas. Ben is back after being sidelined from camp last year by an untimely high school soccer injury. He will be 18 years old this summer, and will be helping with Soccer, Basketball, Waterskiing, Floor hockey and Volleyball. Ben is a senior at Emery Weiner School. | |
 ALEJA RODRIGUEZ | Alejandra joins us for her 2nd year all the way from Pasto, Columbia. She is a 4th year student of language at the University of Nariño. Alejandra will again be a part of our Kitchen Utility team. She is 22 years old. | |
 JONAH ROSENBERG | Jonah is returning to camp this year for his 10th summer! He is an 18 year old Junior Counselor and is from Houston, TX. where he is a senior at Emery Weiner and plays soccer and lacrosse. Jonah will be the director of our Lacrosse program as well as helping out with Athletics, Mountain Biking, Riflery, Soccer and Waterskiing. | |
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| Eddie returns to us after a 3 year hiatus for his 8th summer at camp. He will help with Rock Climbing, Ropes Course, Sailing and Yoga and will be a Senior Counselor. Eddie will be 19 this summer, is from Highland Park, IL and is currently studying abroad in Shanghai, China. He plans to attend Grinell College in the fall. | |
 JACOB ROSENSTEIN | Jacob is a 17 year old junior at Highland Park High School in Highland Park, IL. He is returning to us for his 8th summer and will be a Junior Counselor. Jacob will be helping with Athletics, Water Skiing, Comedy Sportz and Volleyball. | |
 EMMA SMITH | Emma returns to us all the way from Scotland where she is a graduating senior at the University of Dundee with a degree in Interior Environmental Design. Emma will again be our Arts and Crafts Director in addition to helping with Pottery, Swimming and Soccer. Emma is 21 years old. | |
 JORDAN TAYLOR | Jordan is returning for his 11th summer at camp from St. Louis, MO. He is a freshman at Duke University where he studies Economics and Spanish. Jordan will again be a senior counselor and will be co directing the Waterski Program at camp in addition to helping with Sailing and Mountain Biking. Jordan is 19 years old. | |
 SAM THIEL | Sam is back for her 3rd year at camp and she will again be the care taker for Liam and Carter Hitchens (son and daughter of Hitch Hitchens and Corrie Hitchens). Sam is from Wausau, WI and currently attends the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh where she studies Criminal Justice. She is 20 years old. | |
 JEREMY TUBBS | Summer number 14 coming up for Jeremy. He will again be a Senior Counselor and the Director of our Archery Program in addition to helping with Basketball and Fishing. Jeremy will be 22 years old this summer and comes from St. Louis, MO. He will graduate from the University of Missouri this spring. | |
 EZRA WALLON | Ezra is a junior at Walter Payton College prep in his hometown of Chicago, Il. Ezra will be a Junior counselor in his 5th year at camp and will be helping with Waterskiing, Volleyball, Disc Sports, Mountain Biking as well as other activities. Ezra will be 17 this summer. | |
 ADAM WASSERMAN | Adam is back with us for his 8th summer at camp from Deerfield, IL. He will be 17 years old and will be Junior Counselor helping with Ropes Course, Waterskiing, and Fishing. Adam is a high school junior and also teaches Sunday School. | |
 SCOTT WOLF | Scott is back for his 13th summer! Scott will be the Senior Village Director, a Senior Counselor and the Director of our Athletics program. Scott is an Actor, Director, Teacher and Literary director in the Chicago area. He will also be helping with Comedy Sportz, Baseball and Ropes Course. Scott is 23 years old. |
Our outreach and interview process is a well-oiled machine! Clearly we’re not looking for lots of new folks, so we can be oh-so-picky. You can bet the new folks who join our staff are amazing!! Welcome aboard to the following new staff who will join us this summer.
In Tucson, AIDAN MEASE is in a bowling league, has made his school’s honor roll, and went to Flagstaff for his winter vacation…nice place to see some snow! DAVID BERK has continued taking archery lessons and swimming, and is training for a kids’ triathlon. In the Chicago area, TRE SMITH has been playing basketball for his school and learning Spanish. ARI & SETH BERK were on their way to winter vacation in Florida when their car got hit by another car on the highway. It was a scary accident, but everyone is doing fine, and both boys are looking forward to getting back to camp this summer. In St. Louis, LUCAS LEVY is playing basketball. Later this month, HENRY LOVETT will be making the trip from Santa Monica to Tucson to play in a tennis tournament. His Tucson fan club will be out there cheering him on!
In the Chicago area, DAVID RINGEL has started a Relay for Life Team and col-lead a fundraising drive for his school’s bone marrow cancer club. He and DAVID PAWLAN competed in a DECA regional competition last month. TAYLOR FRISHMAN has been teaching swimming and lifeguarding at a pool in Buffalo Grove. MAX GLICKMAN got to spend a week in Costa Rica recently, and is working on making his final choice for college for next year. JACOB ROSENSTEIN is playing on an Ultimate Frisbee team and recently did well in a tournament. Jacob also went to visit camp buddies in Houston, and spent time with BEN SPIER, JONAH ROSENBERG, BEN ROBERTS, and JOEY BURSTEN, as well as some “old-timers.” HARRISON METCALF is in Austin, TX where he got a job with the Texas Conservation Corps Emergency Response Team through Americorps. Milwaukee finds AARON GLAZER participating in BBYO and attending the International Convention this month. He is also involved in his high school’s journalism program. In Nashville, IAN JACOBS is prepping for the spring soccer season for his high school team. In Seattle, DANNY LEVY is settling into life, playing hockey, and rowing crew. KATHY LEVERTON has been doing some traveling from her home in South Africa, visiting camp folks in Australia and New Zealand, including “old-timers” ANDREW STEVENS, TOM MURDOCH, and NICK ALPE. DAVID ARTZI has started his sports management internship in Indianapolis, and recently spent some time with RICK JONES driving race cars around a track. Out in North Carolina, JORDAN TAYLOR is enjoying life at Duke, and has gotten involved in intramural flag football, an investment club, a consulting club, and volunteering as an ESL tutor. He recently saw “old-timer” MATT SLOAN who is a law student at Duke, and on his winter break he bumped into EVAN & KYLE GROSS and NICK PAPPAS at Ocean Reef in Florida. JAMES WOOD went on a little trip to visit with “old-timers” JUSTIN LOWRY and SARAHJANE TIERNEY. He also got to see JEMS TODD.
BRAVO TO OUR FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY BOYS! Calico Alvarez - 2/1/2004, Max Pugh - 2/1/2001, Garrett Shuman - 2/2/1999, Gus Mervis - 2/3/2003, Charlie Herz - 2/4/2004, Massimo D'Agaro - 2/6/2003, Jackson Pawlan - 2/6/2001, Harry Smith - 2/7/2007, Max Glickman - 2/8/1997, Cameron Cavalier - 2/9/1996, Will Henley - 2/9/1998, Ethan Deutsch - 2/10/2003, Tyler Deutsch - 2/10/2003, Gabriel Adler - 2/14/2001, Jack Lynch - 2/15/1999, David Ringel - 2/15/1997, Connor Fehrenbach - 2/16/1999, Tommy Holland - 2/16/2003, Daniel Feldman - 2/17/2000, Dillon Gross - 2/17/1998, Eric Thompson - 2/17/1999, Zach Walden - 2/17/2000, Keshav Krishnan - 2/18/1999, Daniel Engel - 2/20/1998, Erik Hotaling - 2/21/1994, Ethan Glasberg - 2/23/1999, Sam M. Kahn - 2/23/1989, Henry Tarr - 2/23/1995, Lorenzo Wilson - 2/23/1992, Casey Mutchnik - 2/25/2001, David Friedland - 2/26/2003, Carlos Dorantes Bañuelos - 2/27/1994.
Enjoy your February, everyone. Next month we’ll be talking about Spring, baseball, camp….all of our favorites!
Benches up,
