Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,
My brothers and I could never wait till spring, growing up in the Midwest. Pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training camp in 
February was the first signal. Then came March, and some hints of warmth in the air, and the snow melting away. For some reason, one memory that stands out from those days is playing a game that we called “Wall Ball.” As soon as it was warm enough to get outside, we would go into the driveway behind our house, and play this game. It had baseball references as the main backdrop of the game, but the rules tended to flex from day to day. The “batter” would throw the ball as hard (or not) as he could against the wall, and if the ball fell in front of the “fielder”, it was a hit. If it went over the fielder’s head, you touched ‘em all. There were no bases, no umpires. We’d get angry at each other, but not that often; say….every 2 or 3 plays. Arguments ensued, they were settled, and the game went on. Some drawbacks included the fact that the “wall” we used was the garage door, and that took a pretty good beating. But we only really got in trouble one time (that I can remember) when one of us (it was me, but please don’t say anything) threw the ball in from the “outfield,” overshot the target, and shattered the window above the garage door, which was our parents’ bedroom.
I also remember lying on my back in the backyard, playing a game with a baseball (sensing a trend?) where I’d throw the ball up, and catch it. It sounds simple, but there were goals. The ball had to go a minimum height (shall we say 6 feet?). And you’d try to catch 5 or 10 in a row with the same hand that threw the ball, then 5 or 10 with the other hand, switch it up, etc. Saw some pretty cool cloud formations during those times laying in the yard.
Any guesses where this is going? It’s spring! It’s warm outside (almost) everywhere. Campers….get out there and play!! If you have a wall….and a ball….or just a ball with no wall…..you could have a game!! Parents, point them to the door, give ‘em a loving little push, and let the good times roll. Time does seem to be tighter for kids these days. We noticed that raising our own two kids. They have a lot going on between school and sports and other activities. However, if you have the stomach for it, and you made an effort to count how many hours in a week your kids COULD be outside playing, but were inside instead, it would probably break your heart a little. Is Wall Ball for everyone? Probably not (athough I Googled it, and apparently there are leagues all over the place…though the game looks different, AND IT’S PLAYED INDOORS!!). If you boot your kiddies outside, give them some space, they’ll probably make up their own games, their own
rules, begin and settle their own arguments, and y’know what? They’ll grow from the whole process. The fresh air and unstructured time will do them some good.
Our office is just about ready to head north!! Boxes have been shipped, others are waiting to be stuffed into the trunk for the long drive from Tucson to camp. Honestly, my mind has been in Wisconsin for the last few weeks. It started getting hot here recently, and that means the Northwoods are calling! We will close the Tucson office right around May 5th, and open the Woodruff office right around May 12th. If you have any concerns or questions during that period, please email or call us. Jake will remain in Telluride for another week after that, and either he or I can answer your calls and emails.
We still have some space open in our 2nd session, so if you know of anyone 
who has expressed interest, but had some doubts about availability this late in the spring, please steer them our way. Welcome back to EMILIO RODRIGUEZ of Puebla, Mexico.
Welcome aboard to the following first-year campers: JEREMY STROUSE of Deerfield, IL; ETHAN PRAGER of Encino, CA; AIDEN HOLSTEIN of Wilmette, IL; ZAVION STEELE of Cleveland, OH; and DECEAL BURGESS and CONNOR LANDER of St. Louis, MO. Get ready, boys….summer is a comin’!
May is final billing month and paper work month for camp parents. Yay! If you have not yet paid your camp balance, please remember that it is due by May 15th. You can always access your statement on your Keylog Page from our website. If you’d like to pay by check, you can mail that to our Summer address in Woodruff. If you’d like to pay by credit card, you can click here, and pay it securely. Remember that credit card payments incur a 2.75% surcharge. Thank you very much.
A few other reminders for parents:
- Many forms are also due on May 15th. We cannot stress enough how important this information is to our preparations. Even if your son is a 2nd session camper, those preparations happen now, before camp starts, so your cooperation is critical and very much appreciated.
- If you are going to mail any payments or forms to us, please stop using our Winter address now, and direct all mail to our Summer address.
- REMEMBER THE DEADLINE FOR FILLING PRESCRIPTIONS WITH THE CAMPDOC PHARMACY FOR 1ST SESSION IS MAY 22ND. 2nd session deadline is June 19th to get your prescriptions to them.
- If your son will take non-pill form medications this summer (which you may, but are NOT required to fill at CampDoc), please be sure to send those up to camp to arrive AT LEAST ONE WEEK BEFORE YOUR SON ARRIVES if you fill the prescription at a different pharmacy. So the deadlines are June 15th for 1st session/8 week campers, and July 12th for 2nd session campers.
- ANOTHER DEADLINE: If you are going to buy logo’d items from the Everything Summer Camp website, you should place your order by the middle of this month to assure receipt of your items before the start of camp
- If your son is or may be planning to participate in one of our trips to Canada, HE WILL NEED HIS PASSPORT! We ask that you err on the side of caution and send his passport to us even if he is only considering such a trip. We ask that you mail the passport to us when or shortly after your son is coming to camp. Please address it to Leslie's attention. We hold all passports in a safe place until the boys need them. The Trip Leaders hold the passports during the trips into Canada, and then after the trip, we mail the passports back home. So your son is never responsible for the safe-keeping of his passport.
YO OLDER GUYS: 2 reminders for you:
- If you have been assigned a camp Little Brother, please remember that you are to CALL (not text, email, tweet) your little bro as soon as possible. Please try to get that done by May 15th. Thanks very much.
- We have had a very good number of guys pre-registering for our big trips this summer. If you are eligible for one of these trips and you want to go, we recommend your pre-register to help assure you will have a space on the trip available to you. THIS IS FOR RETURNING CAMPERS ONLY. Trips eligible for pre-registration include:
- BWCA Canoeing (1st and 2nd Session)
- Isle Royale Backpacking - 10 Day trip (1st Session)
- Sand River Canoeing (1st Session)
- Apostle Islands Sea Kayaking (1st and 2nd Session)
- Quetico Provincial Park - The Canadian! - 12 Day trip (2nd Session)
- Isle Royale Backpacking - 6 Day trip (2nd Session)
- Lake Superior Provincial Park Backpacking - 8 Day trip (2nd Session)
YO STAFF: Our new Staff Manuals (there are 3 of them) are published online. You can access them and download them from your Staff Keylog page on our website. AND THEN YOU CAN READ THEM!! If you are a CIT, we have mailed you a great little book to help you start thinking about how to communicate well with kids. That's just a little platform that we'll build on throughout Staff Training, so read up, and everyone - please be sure to bring all the manuals and books we have sent you to camp. Thanks.
CERTIFICATIONS: We still have a few more spots in our American Red Cross Lifeguard Training school from June 10th – 12th. The course will cost you nothing, and the certification is valid for 2 years. We pride ourselves on having a staff full of lifeguards (more than 40 
each summer), and it is so vital to our program. So even if you're primary role at camp is not on the water, we want you to get this training. You can sign up from your Staff Keylog page. Click the "Extra Training" link.
- If you are a first-year Junior Counselor (CIT last year), your LGT and CPR certs are valid through this summer.
- If your LGT and/or CPR will expire before the end of the summer, you must re-certify. You can do that at camp FOR FREE! That class is on June 12th and 13th. The cert will then be good for 2 years.
- If you will be a member of our Ski Staff and are not a certified Boat Driver, that course, also at camp, also FREE, runs from June 6th - 9th.
- You know we think this is important, right? Why else would we make this so easy for you and so affordable (FREE!). Please sign up today if you haven't already. To see our list of who we have signed up, please click here. Thanks.
STAFF TRAVEL TO CAMP: Do you know how you’re getting to camp? If you have not yet completed your Travel Plans form, please do so. You can access that from your Staff Keylog Page. We need that one REALLY SOON! Thanks.
We’re down to less than a handful of open spaces on our staff this summer, and it looks like an amazing group! We’re strong on returning folks, and our new staff is awesome. Say hello to these folks who have joined the staff in the last month:
|
|
| Prestin is from Tucson, AZ where she is graduating from high school and she will attend Northern Arizona University in the fall. Prestin has many skills, including soccer and running, and she has also worked for years with Habitat for Humanity’s Tucson office. She joins us this summer as our Town Runner and Office Staff. Prestin is 18 years old. |
|
| It has been a while, but Steven is back for his 3rd summer, 2nd on our Maintenance Staff. Steven attended the Barrett College at Arizona State University, and has been working as a computer code writer up in Phoenix. The man needs to spend some time outdoors, so he’s excited to be back at camp this summer. Steven will be 24 this summer. | |
|
| Ryan joins us for his first year as a Wilderness Trip Leader. Ryan is heavily involved in the outdoor pursuits program at Hocking College where he is a Sophomore eco-tourism major . He is 23 years old and comes from Milforde, OH. | |
|
| Mitch joins us for his first summer from Wynne AR where he is a senior Music Education Major at the University of Arkansas Monticello. Mitch will be helping with Guitar, Swimming and Archery this summer in addition to being a senior cabin counselor. Mitch will be 27 this summer. |
It’s been quiet out there……too quiet. Ain’t nothin’ good comes from things bein’ too quiet. We know that GRAHAM & MAX ELLIOT hosted a visit from JACK & SAM KAHN in Nashville. And that was good. It was fun. It wasn’t….too quiet. DAVID BERK hasn’t been too quiet. He and his family recently ran in a charity mini-triathlon in Tucson. In New Orleans, ARI & SETH BERK have been playing a modified version of Trampball in the pool. Seth has started baseball season.
JACOB ROSENSTEIN, DAVID RINGEL, and ARI LACKNER played a big part in the successful Camp for All Kids event in the Chicago area last month. They volunteered their time to help raise a bunch of money for CFAK. Of course, they had no choice….”old-timer” MICHAEL BREEN was the volunteer coordinator, and roped ‘em right in. They did it willingly and did an excellent job. Thanks to all of the Timberlane crowd who participated and volunteered. DAVID PAWLAN’s DECA team won first in Illinois and was awarded with a trip to Florida for the national competition. Not sure how that went, but he fit in a trip to the Magic Kingdom with JEFF MELROSE. DAVID ARTZI is finishing his sports representative internship in Indianapolis, and has taken advantage of being in the Midwest, visiting camp folks all over the place. He recently spent time with JORDAN HERZ and JOEY MARKS in Bloomington.
BRAVO TO OUR MAY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS!Adam Susman - 5/1/1999, Chad Kamen - 5/2/1998, Adam Wasserman - 5/2/1998, Rayj Rikimaru - 5/3/2001, Joey Devine - 5/5/1993, Jackson Turner - 5/6/2004, Daniel Katzman - 5/11/1991, Alfredo Kuri - 5/12/2004, Leo Sclamberg - 5/12/2004, Jacob Kline - 5/13/2002, Steven Cooke - 5/15/1991, Corrie Hitchens - 5/15/1971, Charlie Olesker - 5/15/2004, Joseph Lourie - 5/17/2005, Tyler Borstein - 5/18/2004, Eddie Tepper - 5/18/2004, Luke Sclamberg - 5/19/1999, Ben Ellis - 5/20/2004, Ben Goss - 5/20/2005, Ben Schachter - 5/20/1999, Dan Shelanski - 5/20/1999, Jake Hoffman - 5/22/1999, Mitch Mitchussun - 5/23/1988, Jack Van Ooyen - 5/23/2002, Stephen Wayne - 5/24/1989, Jacob Elias - 5/27/1998, Rich Mc Gowan - 5/27/1972, Chelsea Cobb - 5/29/1991, Henry Echt - 5/29/2002, Owen French - 5/29/2003, Ian Jacobs - 5/30/1997, Robbie Petrie - 5/30/2003, Lucas Levy - 5/31/2005.
CONGRATS & BRAVO TO ALL OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE GRADS! Life is full of watershed moments, and those are two big ones! We’re proud of all of you!
Our next (and final for the “off-season”) newsletter will be drafted up in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin! At the beginning of June, we will also mail camper travel information (already posted on your Keylog page) and baggage tags to all of our first-session and eight-week camp families. For second-session families, that info will come your way in early July. Have a great month, everyone! We’ll see many of you NEXT MONTH!!
Benches up,
