Timberlife!

Volume LII, Number 5, January 2012!

2012-01-01T17:12:00.001-08:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

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

We’ll send notices to you folks living in those cities. See ya there! And keep an eye out for our 2012 Trips 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 8^th 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 7^th 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 7^th 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 19^th 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 8^th 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 2^nd 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 9^th 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 10^TH 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 8^th 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 7^th 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 2^nd 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 2^nd 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 7^th 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 9^th 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 7^th 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 11^th 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 11^th 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 8^th 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 11^th 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 6^th 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 8^th 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 8^th 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 2^nd 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 2^nd 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 1^st 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!

Well, check out this video to see how that all turned out.

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,

Volume LII, No. 4, December, 2011

2011-11-30T14:06:00.001-08:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums, and Friends,

Leadership is a complex and tricky thing. The truth is, it’s a skill like any other. You can legitimately compare leadership to things like shooting a basket, hitting a baseball, or paddling a canoe. It is a skill – maybe not as physical – that can be natural to some people, and completely foreign to others. The good news is that someone for whom leadership does not come to naturally can still develop that skill and ultimately become quite good at it. We’ve had some all-star counselors over the years who you wouldn’t have expected to be so successful when they first started out, but they worked hard and figured it out. Even those folks who come by their leadership skills naturally need to keep sharp and make an effort to improve and enhance those skills. Right?

So…let’s talk about Congress. Naturally, this is a non-partisan publication, but we truly believe that the current Congress, and particularly the now disbanded Super Committee, REALLY NEED A DOSE OF CAMP! This is not a self-serving message because, honestly, we have no desire to play host to those folks at all. But if ever there was a specific group that needed the benefits our campers gain each day over the summer, it is them. What could they learn? Let’s start with the whole notion of listening and compromise. Seriously….let’s see how well they handle cabin cleanup and an inspection from Poppa Strain or something really advanced like planning a Karaoke Night skit at their current level of cooperation. Wouldn’t be pretty. How about keeping their eyes on the big picture? Can you imagine this group of adults working their way through a 10 day backpack trip on Isle Royale or a 12 day canoe trip up in Quetico? The way they have behaved recently, not a chance.

One of the biggest obstacles out there is the practice of taking highly complex issues or problems and trying to oversimplify them. So, maybe we just engaged in a little of that ourselves. We know how complicated it is to run a campfire, so running a whole country must be a tad more challenging. We can cut those folks in Congress a little slack. And we have some reason to be optimistic about all of this. Why? Because leadership is a skill that can be built, strengthened and improved upon. We just have to hope…or insist…that the people trying to lead us are actually interested in improving their leadership. Anyone wanna start a camp for politicians? Anyone?

We’ve been having a blast at our reunions so far. The past month we got together with great camp folks in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Nashville. St. Louis and Dallas are this month, Houston and Denver in January, and more on the way. We’ll keep you posted when we’re coming your direction.

Our enrollment has reached 80% capacity, and in the coming weeks we will begin to close age groups in both sessions. We cannot thank you enough for your enthusiasm and support. Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled this past month: ELI SELZ and ERIC THOMPSON of Chicago, IL; JAMES BOSHES and SAM PALEY of Deerfield, IL; PARKER DAWSON of Denver, CO; ALEXANDER ECHT, DANIEL ECHT, HENRY ECHT, and ARI MAZZA of Highland Park, IL; JACK BARLOW of Red Wing, MN; ZACH ZLEPPER of St. Louis, MO; and JACK ELOWE and CASEY MUTCHNIK of Northbrook, IL.

And welcome aboard to the following new campers who will join us this summer: JOSH MEYER of Chicago, IL; BEN GOELZ of Boulder, CO; JACKSON TURNER of Denver, CO; DANNY SHADE and JESSE STOLBERG of Deerfield, IL; ARDEN GILBERT and BENNETT GILBERT of Nashville, TN; and JARED ORKIN of Houston, TX. It’s still some months away, but get ready for a fantastic summer!!!

If we are going to have a reunion in your home town, we will give you your Reunion DVD there. That way you have the excitement of seeing it for the first time when everyone else does. If, sadly, we’re not coming to your home town, we will send you your DVD copy very soon. If you ordered a Memory Book from last summer, that should have been sent to you also very recently. If you are certain you ordered a Memory Book, and it has not arrived by now, please let us know and we’ll look into it. If you’re not sure if you ordered a Memory Book, send us a quick email and we can check that out and get back to you. Unfortunately, it is not possible to add an order for a Memory Book from last summer at this point. Thanks.

YO STAFF: Very soon you will find some mail coming your way. It’s contract season, and your invitations to return as well as a copy of the awesome Reunion DVD are on the way to you. We know we speak for all of the campers and other staff reading this newsletter when we implore you to send your contract back to us ASAP! There’s already so much excitement for the summer out there, so let’s keep that momentum going!!

Our contracts and invitations to our staff from last year have just gone out this month. Starting with our very next issue of “Timberlife!” we’ll have some names of great folks who are going to be back at camp next summer. It’s exciting to just think about that. And we know our core leadership group is rock solid again. We’re happy to tell you that we will again have RICK & HOLLY JONES with us this summer. This will be summer number 27 for both Rick and Holly. They are both school teachers in Indianapolis, IN. Rick is one of our Assistant Directors, and Holly is our Head Secretary. MICHAEL BREEN is, of course, back for his 17th summer at camp. Michael has grown up at Timberlane, and he is presently living in Chicago and working year ‘round with us as our Associate Director. He’s been traveling quite a bit as well as seeing prospective campers frequently in the Chicago area. And it is summer number 20 (20??!!) coming up for JEFF MELROSE. We can’t believe Mel has been with us for two decades! He is a school teacher in Celebration, FL, and he is an Assistant Director and CIT Director in the summer. If you throw Leslie and I into the mix (which we hope you do), our leadership team includes more than 140 summers of Timberlane experience, so we’re starting to figure things out. And our main mission is to make sure you all have a safe, fun, and meaningful camp experience. Soon we can tell you about all the other people who will play a huge role in that. Coming soon to a cyber mailbox near you.

In Chicago, EDDIE, JONO, & JOEY ROSENBLUM will be taking a trip to the UK over winter break, and will visit with some of our “old-timer” staff there, including JAMES WOOD, CHRIS BARRON, and SAM PROTHERO. Bar Mitzvah congrats to Jono, as well as NOAH KRAUS and BEN BLOOM who all celebrate on the same day this month! A mini camp reunion took place in Chicago last month, that included ZACH WALDEN, LUKE SCLAMBERG, CHARLIE DEER, JONO ROSENBLUM, MICHAEL NATINSKY, JOSH SPAETH, GARRETT SHUMAN, SAM JAFFE, and BEN SCHACHTER, who was in visiting from Dallas. They were also joined by counselors RYAN COHEN and MICHAEL BREEN. Fun times! ADAM SHERMAN is having a great year in school…and growing like a weed. JACK ELOWE is living life…which is good. BEN FELDMAN is enjoying high school . DANIEL FELDMAN says absolutely nothing is new. DANIEL ECHT is happy to be walking an uninjured.l DUSTIN EPSTEIN is enjoying school ZACH COPLAN is playing some tennis. GARRETT SHUMAN has a big part in a play called “13.” JEREMY SPARKS is swimming twice a day, including some early morning workouts. In Milwaukee, AARON GLAZER is playing tennis, involved in BBYO (planning a huge dance party) and excited to have a home gym almost finished. JOSH GLAZER starts basketball this month now that football is over. RICKY ROMERSI is swimming, dancing, and playing piano and tenor sax in a jazz band. Nashville finds ALEX FREEDMAN playing football, lacrosse, and basketball on a team with TYLER JACOBS and MATTHEW SCHWARCZ. TYLER JACOBS is the lone 6th grader playing on his school’s junior high team. MATTHEW JACOBS is playing varsity soccer as a freshman. Wow! IAN JACOBS is playing on his school’s junior high team. And let it be know that IAN, MATTHEW, and TYLER JACOBS have absolutely NO sense of direction on the streets of Nashville. Just saying. ALEXANDER WEITZMAN has been building Franklin Jet models and flying model airplanes. JORDAN FISHEL just finished up lacrosse season. JAKE MAZOW is in Dallas working hard in school and will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah in late January. St. Louis finds ZACH ZLEPPER playing hockey now that soccer season has ended. BEN REMIS made the sweet 16 making him one of the top 16 tennis players in the Missouri Valley Region. In Orlando, IAN SETZER just finished lacrosse season and playing baritone sax in his school’s band. Atlanta boys SAM and JACK PAWLAN visited with their cousins, JOEY and DAVID PAWLAN in Chicago over Thanksgiving.

VICKI SETZER is in Orlando enjoying her work as a school nurse. She and her family spent Thanksgiving at Myrtle Beach, SC. In Del Ray Beach, FL, MARYLYNNE ALLEN is playing rugby, and working on her submarine projects for school. HEATHER WRIGHT is pumped for her trip to the UK over winter break. She’ll spend some time with LAWRENCE TOYE, AUSTEN DRAPER, MIKE DUMENCIC, and JUSTIN LOWRY. JON “EAGLE” WILLIAMS is working hard at school in Phoenix, and is ready for a break. STEPHEN WAYNE is in school in Ohio and spent some time in the North Woods over Thanksgiving. BETHYN MERRICK-NGUYEN is loving life in Chattanooga, TN, doing a lot of climbing and making tons of new friends. MATT RODIN has been a busy student at THE Boston Conservatory, performing in 2 plays, designing lights for shows, and getting involved in BoCo’s student government. He’s also been writing some music. JOEY PAWLAN is loving life at the University of Tampa, where he recently went swimming with manatees. We’ve got bunches of trippers living together and working on the mountain out in Park City, Utah, including CHAD BYLER (and his beard, Samantha), GREG COOPER, and “old-timers” WES HIEB and DAN NEWMAN. Speaking of beards, BRIAN STRAIN is busy in Denver, teaching 2nd and 3rd graders computer skills, reworking the school’s website, and coming close to causing a serious ruckus in the school lunch room. Brian also drives a Zamboni at an ice rink, and recently got together with “old-timers” SAM BLINDERMAN and CODY SCHEYER who are going to Denver University. In Bloomington, IN, RICK JONES, EMILY JONES, SCOTT BREEN, and RYAN COHEN held a mini camp reunion at the Indiana University. KYLE MANLEY is pursuing his career ambition of becoming a music teacher by taking a job as a high school marching band instructor. “Old-timer” JEREMY TODD is in New Zealand and has been thinking about camp as he starts interviewing candidates to work in American camps. He and “old-timer” MICHAEL “SCRAGGY” SCRAGGS have been training hard for an Iron Man competition next month. In Chicago, SCOTT WOLF is singing in an a cappella group at Northwestern, trying to work in more campfire songs. BEN LEVEY is in Milwaukee where he is playing volleyball and tennis. MATT KEARNEY is a high school English teacher in Ashland, WI. In fact, as the only English teacher in the school, he’s the department chair! And he’s really enjoying it!

The Juice

A special section from Michael Breen

Thanksgiving (or as it is known in our home, National Watch Mike Breen Eat A Whole Pumpkin Pie By Himself Day) is always a fantastic time to reflect and appreciate all that we have. So, as November rolls into Chrismakwanzakah time, I thought I would share an anecdote that illustrates why I am thankful (and proud) to have spent the past 16 summers at Camp Timberlane.

So, it had been ~~many~~ a few summers since we had beaten a nearby camp in softball. And yet, somehow the stars had aligned and bottom of the ninth with two outs, we are down by one run; the bases are loaded and Timmy (name changed to protect the innocent) steps up to bat. Now, Timmy was born with some physical and mental disabilities, but what he lacked in physical prowess he more than made up for with his passion for camp and the game of baseball. I watched Timmy step up to the plate and as he took a few practice swings I realized Timmy had probably never had the chance to be the hero in a big game. Many teams would have put in a pinch hitter—or, never even allowed Timmy to play on the team in the first place. Timberlane would offer Timmy his moment in the sun.

Three pitches, three swings, three strikes, and it was all over. Timmy began to kick at the dirt, mumbling to himself in frustration, even hitting his bat against his helmet. Now, while many teams would have turned their back on Timmy, scorning him for their loss, that Timberlane baseball squad was not many teams. Led by the counselor/coach, the entire team rushed around Timmy and started chanting his name, applauding him for the effort and the courage to step onto that plate. Timmy couldn’t help himself; surrounded by his friends, his teammates, all he could do was smile. Then, the bell rang and the team ran off to trampball, the game already a distant memory.

I would love to tell you Timmy became a great ball player. He didn’t. I’d love to say life became easier for him outside of camp. It didn’t. What I can say is that I heard from Timmy last year and he was working as a counselor at a camp out on the west-coast. Hearing this, I smiled, knowing exactly how he would make a camper feel should he strike out with bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. And, I know how all of you would, too—so, for this, I am thankful (and proud) to have spent the past 16 summers at Timberlane.

Alright, that one ran extra-long, so here is a little bit of baseball-related juice for you to wheeze:

· You are a staff member playing against a nearby camp in a staff softball game. It is a close game and the old-timers are salivating at the thought of a victory. A few counselors arrive late and since our policy is to let everyone play, we put them into the lineup. Down by one run, Rafa steps up to the plate—and, you realize he has never played softball in his life! Truly, the man had never picked up a bat until that moment. Two swings, two strikes, but, to your surprise, on that third pitch he rips one to left field for a double and the entire dugout goes nuts. You go even crazier two innings later when he repeats this feat! Viva Rafa!

-Michael Breen

BRAVO TO OUR DECEMBER BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Jake Flom - 12/4/1998, Joseph Fields - 12/7/1998, Ryan Galowich - 12/7/1997, Grant Garland - 12/8/2002, Jeffrey Gold - 12/9/1996, Kyle Gross - 12/9/1999, Jonah Rosenberg - 12/9/1996, Holly Jones - 12/10/1957, Alexander Zlotnik - 12/11/2000, Bill Miller - 12/12/1956, Ben Bloom - 12/17/1998, Jared Margolis - 12/17/1998, Leslie Cohen - 12/18/1961, Scott Stone - 12/19/1995, Mike Whitman - 12/19/1996, Jason Garland - 12/20/2000, Charlie Weiss - 12/20/2002, Jack Baruch - 12/21/2000, Jay Feldman - 12/22/1994, Joey Marks - 12/26/1994, Jake Mazow - 12/26/1998, David Pawlan - 12/26/1996, Kayla Wandsnider - 12/26/1989, Josh Boling - 12/27/1987, Ethan Gordon - 12/27/2000, Danny Zaga - 12/27/1993, Andrew Karmin - 12/28/2000, Jeff Melrose - 12/29/1971, Jacob Rosenstein - 12/29/1997, Ben Skrill - 12/31/1996, Lawrence Toye - 12/31/1989.

That’s about it for this month, folks. We’ll write you again in 2012!! Have a fantastic winter holiday, and if you do something really cool (or even if you don’t), and especially if you get together with some camp buddies, please send us photos!

Benches up,

Volume LII, No. 3, November, 2011

2011-10-27T15:46:00.001-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

This will probably be a shock to some of you, but as a native St. Louisan, growing up watching Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and others (too young to remember watching Stan the Man), I have, from time to time, had a very moderate bias towards that fabled franchise, the St. Louis Cardinals. Most kids at camp would probably tell you they had absolutely no idea I feel this way, as I am careful to not allow these personal biases manifest during the summer. And, as a veteran camp director, I would NEVER use a venue like this newsletter to boast about my Cardinals winning their 11th World Series (Can you believe it? How incredible!! Who’da thunk?)….No, no. I’m much too polished to engage in that sort of unprofessional conduct. HOWEVER, in the role-modeling department, there is certainly a huge lesson to learn from the way those amazing Red Birds (clearly an objective description) conducted themselves this season and post-season. We can save the discussion about stats for this summer while we’re sitting outside the Lodge waiting for a meal to start. And, of course, I will be factual and avoid any chest-thumping type behavior during those discussion. Remember…I’m a professional. If you just consider the way that epic team continued to work hard, face adversity head-on, and ultimately persevere over the course of the last few weeks of the season and throughout the post season, it is most instructional. Winning is not everything, even in the MLB, which might not precisely match our campy non-competitive philosophy. Even if the Cardinals had ultimately lost in Game 7 (an unlikely proposition…neutrally speaking), their spirit and team work would still go down in the books as inspiring. So, when the chips are down, as they were for those lovable Cards (an impartial observation), remember how they pulled it together when they were down to their last strike and their last out (twice!), and never ever gave in or gave up. Let’s all take a moment to dab our eyes and just soak in the whole evenhanded, open-minded wonderment of it all. And let’s also not forget the great effort that the Texas Ranges put forth all season. Their manager, Ron Washington, is such a kid-in-adult clothing, and a true baseball fan at heart. Watching him was one of the best parts of this year’s World Series. Sure, it was serious business to him, but he never let that get in the way of his unabashed love for the game, which you could see with every pitch. Our hats off to all of them!We hope you all had a fantastic month. It was fun for us, but as we do most years, October is the month we tend to miss living in the Midwest. October is a beautiful month up at camp, and back in the old days (read “before we had our own children”), we used to stay up at camp for weeks before heading home to Milwaukee. So we caught the fall colors up north, and then they followed us down to our winter home. We knew we’d miss that when we transplanted to Tucson, and we do. Especially this year since Tucson has had a hard time shaking off that summer heat. We were setting records left and right last month with days in the high 90s, approaching 100 degrees….in October! So, finally it is beginning to cool down here, just as the snow is starting to fly in the Rockies and the east coast, and soon will across much of the country. Then we’ll be in that time of year when we really don’t miss living in the Midwest, thank you very much. One of the side benefits of living in this climate – once it cools down to bearable levels – is how easy it is to be outside. We know it can be tough to plan and do outside activities when the weather turns cold, but we just want to remind everyone to keep an eye on how much time our kids are spending inside watching TV or clicking away on a keyboard. Enough needs to be enough after a little while, and we hope you will remember to encourage your kids to bundle up and step outside. Easy for us to say, of course….

Our traveling has begun, with Michael Breen and I heading to our own respective airports a few times already, including quick trips to Columbus, OH, Boulder, CO, and Houston, TX. This current month we will be in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Nashville, with much more to follow. We have mailed out reunion invitations already to everyone….since everyone is invited, of course! We travel a long, long way to see you, so please make some time in your busy weekends to come by and have some fun with us. PLEASE REMEMBER TO RSVP TO THE REUNION HOSTS IN YOUR CITY! This does NOT apply to Chicago area folks. Reunion invites to St. Louis and Dallas will be coming soon. All other cities will have their reunions after the winter holidays, and we’ll let you know when those are coming up too. We can’t wait to see all you guys!!

And wait till you see the 2011 Reunion Video. Just when you thought there was no way RYAN COHEN, our producer extraordinaire, could top last year’s movie, he proves us all wrong. It is absolutely incredible. You’ll see…

Our enrollment is continuing to set a dizzying pace, and we anticipate filling age groups before the winter break. Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled this past month: JONAH RAWITZ of Buffalo Grove, IL; BLAKE BERKOWITZ, RYAN GALOWICH, and ETHAN GOMBERG of Chicago, IL; ARI ASARCH and DAVID GLAZER of Denver, CO; MATT MOSSLER of Carmel, IN; ZACH ORLOWSKY, MILES PADZENSKY, ALEX POBERESKIN, and DYLAN SALDINGER of Deerfield, IL; ALEXANDER WEITZMAN of Nashville, TN; ROY WALKER of Evanston, IL; NATHAN FRIEDMAN, BEN KITE, HARRIS LERNER, and NICK PAPPAS of Glencoe, IL; GRANT KIBEL of Brookline, MA; JAKE FLOM and IAN & JACK LYNCH of Chesterfield, MO; TYLER NEWMARK, MAX PUGH, DEVIN SHAW, ARI SINGER, and MARSHALL & MICHAEL STRAWBRIDGE of St. Louis, MO; BEN & DANIEL FELDMAN, NOAH KRAUS, MICHAEL NATINSKY, JACOB & MYLES ROSENSTEIN, and ETHAN VICTOR of Highland Park, IL; IAN SETZER of Orlando, FL; DUSTIN EPSTEIN and LUCAS PRIZANT of Northbrook, IL; ZACH KALLMEYER of Highland Heights, OH; GARRETT GLOVER and SAM KAGAN of Bellaire, TX; KESHAV KRISHNAN of Houston, TX; ADAM SUSMAN of Oak Park, IL; DREW SCHWARTZ of Wheeling, IL; MICHAEL WHITMAN of Rockford, IL, and after an absence of two summers, SPENCER LAVIN of Wilmette, IL.

And Welcome Aboard to the following new campers who will join us this summer: PENN BAKAL of Chicago, IL; HENRY LEVY of Evanston, IL; DOX & LEVI RASKIN of Oak Park, IL; and ISAAC BLUE of Louisville, KY. Glad to have you guys with us. What a great summer we’re going to have together!

We are very happy to welcome the following CITs to our 2012 staff: ROSS KRULISKY of Scottsdale, AZ; JACK GOMBERG and DANIEL MOLTZ of Chicago, IL; AARON BERKOWITZ and RICKY JACOBSON of Deerfield, IL; ELIAH HIKEN and JARED LIEBMAN of Louisville, KY; JOSHUA KOHN and EDDIE ROSENBLUM of Highland Park, IL; MICHAEL BLOOM, JOSEPH KUPERMAN, and SAM SPIER of Bellaire, TX; CAMERON CAVALIER of Houston, TX; BRANDON CRAMIN and DANIEL NEWMAN of Northbrook, IL; and DAVID GAIDAMAK of Vernon Hills, IL. This early in the “off-season,” and already we know our staff next summer is going to be fantastic!

St. Louis finds IAN LYNCH playing on a select soccer team. Brother JACK LYNCH is playing oboe and tenor sax in a jazz band and trying out for Honor Band. CARSON ANDERSON auditioned for and got a part in his middle school’s fall musical, “Aladdin.” He’s playing a palace guard with speaking parts! Bar Mitzvah congrats coming up to MAX GOLDENBERG who will be a B’nai Mitzvah with his twin sister Carlye. Max is expecting a big group of Timberlane guys to be there, including MICHAEL NATINSKY, SAM JAFFE, and JONO ROSENBLUM, who are coming in from Chicago. ZAC WARR just finished his first season as a cross country runner. LIAM O’MALLEY is playing tackle football, and his team, the Wolverines, made the playoffs. In Houston, JOEY BURSTEN, JEFFREY GOLD, JOSEPH KUPERMAN, BEN ROBERTS, JONAH ROSENBERG, and Ben & Sam Spier are all playing soccer for the Emery/Weiner High School Soccer Team! Bar MItzvah congrats to GARRETT GLOVER who celebrated at the end of October with a bunch of camp folks in attendance, including BEN SCHACHTER who traveled from Dallas, and AARON & DYLAN KATZ who came in all the way from Salt Lake City. Congrats also to HARRISON ATLAS who celebrated last month and did a fantastic job! Here in Tucson, BEN SKRILL performed in his high school’s production of “Macbeth.” Brother JOSH SKRILL celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at the end of October. Congrats, Josh!! In Milwaukee, AARON GLAZER just finished the high school volleyball season, and is now starting tennis. In Minneapolis, COREY LENDWAY finished 10th for all 8th graders, and 29th overall in K – 12th grades in the World Archery Tournament last month. Way to go, Corey!! The Chicago area finds ETHAN and JARED LETWAT looking forward to a family trip to Turks and Caicos over the winter holidays. Wow! DANNY & SIMON LEVY are both playing hockey, and have had their games refereed by counselor JOEY RODIN. AIDAN LEVYNE ran the 5K Pumpkin Stampede for Cancer last month in Crystal Lake. Aidan can’t remember his time, but he remembers that he finished before his dad! A belated Bar Mitzvah congrats to JACK EICHNER who celebrated in September. He also made his middle school’s basketball team. JACOB ROSENSTEIN recently broke his arm…again…this time in a roller blading incident. It’s actually the other arm this time, and hopefully he still has his sense of humor! And SAM WETZEL is making plans to go to Israel this coming February. Amazing!

JORDAN TAYLOR is spending the semester in Zermatt, Switzerland. We think he’s taking classes, but we know he’s doing fun things like hiking, climbing, and biking. His parents, and his brother JOSH TAYLOR recently paid him a visit there. AARON ZEMACH is at school at Washington University in St. Louis, and with all the World Series excitement going on, Aaron got into it! Is he now a Cardinals fan? Ask him about it! We also thank Aaron for the expertise he loaned to Michael Breen in getting our Facebook Place Page Thingy all set up and making it look nice. You should check it out! In Denver, the HITCHENS’ house is a busy place. Liam Hitchens is walking all over the place and starting to talk a little, and Carter is a busy girl and talks about camp a lot. Hitch and Corrie are doing well too. HANNAH JONES paid a visit with her dad, RICK to the US Military Academy at West Point last month. Hannah has been accepted by the academy, and is almost done with all of the requirements to attend. This would make her one of the very few of the many applicants to be accepted into West Point. A truly remarkable feat…not that anyone who knows her would be surprised. HEATHER WRIGHT is back in Washington, and she writes, “I'm going to be traveling all over England December 19th through Jan. 5th visiting with the Brits from Camp! We're celebrating New Years at JUSTIN LOWRY’S house in Sheffield, and SARAHJANE TIERNEY and JAMES WOODS will be joining us as well. I know AUSTEN DRAPER, MIKE DUMENCIC and LAWRENCE TOYE are coming too...possibly EMILY JONES and JAKOB SCHARNAGL”. Sure sounds like a bona fide camp reunion across the puddle! We know MEGAN HAGER will be joining the mix, as she’s preparing to head toward Europe this month! She just completed a long trip in the back country, and now she’s headed for a party in the UK. You guys better take lots of pictures!!

The Juice

A special section from Michael Breen

I have made camp recruitment history. Yes, I am proud to say that on a recent home visit I leg-wrestled a prospective camper’s mother. Now, while most would be embarrassed to lie down on the floor of a complete stranger’s home and throw their leg up in the air against a woman with surprisingly strong quadriceps, I was not. And, I’ll tell you why—because I was a camper at Timberlane! Take a moment guys; think about all the times growing up or working at camp when you had to expand your comfort zone. Karaoke night anybody (cue Zach Orlowsky’s hip shimmy)? Elaborate costumes for casino night anybody (cue 2011 Hawk cabin’s mega-mustaches)? Wild dancing at a social anybody (cue Jacob Rosenstein—enough said)? Now, take a moment and think of a time you have gone out of your own comfort zone at home, school, or work thanks to the excellent practice at camp. We will all be faced with new challenges and environments as the years go on and I know we will all be better prepared due to the profound goofiness we have experienced, proudly, together at Timberlane. 1, 2, 3, Wrestle!

Now, let’s wheeze some juice from the amazing summer of 2011:

· You are a first session camper and the weather leads us to do the swim assessments at the local high school—you make it through and now consider yourself a lifelong Lakeland Lumberjack supporter

· You are a second session camper and you are little teary-eyed as the guitar music starts at the final campfire. However, tears of sadness quickly transform into tears of laughter as two college graduates (Ryan Cohen and Scott Breen) throw on dresses and do a surprisingly accurate recreation of “Belle” from Beauty and the Beast. (Once when the Breen brothers were both home, Michael caught Scotty hugging the candlestick holder and clock in hopes they would come alive and perform a jaunty choreographed dance. Editor’s note: the editor can neither confirm nor deny the above statement)

· You are experiencing one of the most historic UN Days of all time as Norway, Chad, and Wales are all within a few points of each other going into the tug-of-war. After some of the most epic tugs in UN Day history, you witness Wales achieve the elusive repeat victory. Indeed, the tug is all that matters!

Remember fluffies, if you have a memory you want to share from this past summer, please email it to mike@camptimberlane.com.

-Michael Breen

BRAVO TO OUR NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY BOYS AND GIRLS: Jerris Kirkwood - 11/1/1997, Kyle Benson - 11/3/1998, David Fine - 11/5/1992, Jeff Kaufman - 11/7/1957, Izzy McKenzie - 11/7/1995, Jordan Taylor - 11/9/1995, Zachary Zlepper - 11/9/1999, James Boshes - 11/13/1996, Phil House - 11/16/1987, Noah Kraus - 11/17/1998, Holden Rosenthal - 11/17/1996, Noah Foster - 11/18/2001, Max Goldenberg - 11/19/1998, Ben Spier - 11/19/1996, Asa Hiken - 11/20/1997, Emily Jones - 11/20/1991, Jack Rosenthal - 11/20/1998, Jonas Monieson - 11/21/1999, Josh Siegel - 11/26/1997, Adam Sherman - 11/28/1997, and Norm Dudek - 11/29/1935.

Thanks to all the moms, dads, kids, and staff who sent us some news we could use this month. We appreciate it and hope for more to come. Got any big plans for the holidays? That’s newsletter-worthy material! Please keep us in the loop! Thanks, and have a fantastic November!

Benches up,

(Editor’s Note: This month’s issue was published in Cardinal Red because…uh…the computer ran out of black. Yeah, that’s it. Has nothing to do with the World Series.)

Volume LII, No. 2, October, 2011

2011-09-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums, and Friends,
Well, folks, September was certainly an eventful month around here. We’re kinda used to a laid-back time most years where we get to hang out around the office, sweat a lot ‘cause the air conditioner just can’t cool the place when it is 100 degrees outside, and move pretty slowly. NOT THIS YEAR! We’ve been busy as all get out. As you probably know, our Associate Director, Michael Breen re-relocated to Chicago, so we’ve spent some time getting our technology and other assets all figured out so we can still work closely together even when we’re nearly 2000 miles apart. It’s actually pretty cool….we Skype, we have all of our documents and database files in a cloud somewhere…we’re totally teched out. For some folks, that’s no big deal, but for a tech-resistant camp director, it’s epic! You may not know this, but Michael is a published author and excellent writer. So, he is going to add a little bit each month to these newsletters. Please check it out down the page a bit.
And then there is the matter of our campers-gone-crazy enrollment!! Wow!!! As you’re going to see in just a moment, we have more kids enrolled this time of year than we have had in a long, long time. In fact, camp is already half-filled up in both sessions, which is just awesome. And we’ve been in touch with lots of new families as well from different cities, which is really great news. We’re on our way to a spectacular summer of 2012, and it’s only October!

Our 2011-2012 Reunion Schedule is taking shape. Most of our camp cities’ reunion dates are all set. Please take a look at the schedule below. We thank everyone who offered to host us in their hometowns. We still have dates to set up for Los Angeles, Tucson, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and one or two others. REMEMBER, EVERYONE IS WELCOME AT TIMBERLANE REUNIONS, including campers and staff (duh!), parents, siblings, friends and relatives. About a month before the reunion in your home town, we’ll send you an invitation via US Mail (if it is still functioning then!). And just ‘cause we know what busy people you are, we’ll send you an email reminder a few days before the reunion. Starting times may change once in a while, so we’ll make sure you have the right info before the reunion day arrives. Y’know, some of us travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to visit with our camp buddies at these reunions. So please, mark your calendar now, and be sure to join us.

We have had an advanced viewing of the 2011 Reunion Video, and it is downright fantabulous! You won’t want to miss this, and at the reunion near you, we’ll give you your very own copy of the reunion video to take home and watch time after time after time after time after…

City	Date	Time
Chicago	Sat. Nov. 5	12:00 pm
Milwaukee	Sun. Nov. 6	12:30 pm
Nashville	Sat. Nov. 19	3:00 pm
St. Louis	Sat. Dec. 3	3:00 pm
Dallas	Sat. Dec. 10	2:00 pm
Houston	Sat. Jan. 7	2:00 pm
Denver	Sat. Jan. 28	2:00 pm

Last month, we had the great pleasure of attending the Camp For All Kids “Around the Campfire” event. It was held at a day camp in the Chicago area on a perfect Saturday afternoon and evening. It was sunny and warm, and nearly 500 people from the 5 CFAK camps were there. We were so proud of our guys who joined us and made it fun for us and everyone else around. We did a little hanging out, played a little basketball and ga-ga, roasted some marshmallows and made s’mores, and played in a huge game of continuous dodgeball. It was a seriously good time. After the activities concluded, we had a delicious barbecue dinner, and then enjoyed a short concert with Paul Noel Stookey, of Peter, Paul & Mary. The man is more than 70 years old, and he can still sing and play an incredible guitar! He hit some of the highlight songs including “Puff, the Magic Dragon” and “Right Field.” Admittedly, most of the kids did not have his stuff on their iPods, but they were respectful, and on a gorgeous night like that, you couldn’t help but enjoy yourself.

And, of course, the whole goal of the event was to raise funds for Camp for All Kids, the scholarship program we cooperate with to send deserving and underserved kids to our camp and the other 4 camps involved. When it was all said and done, the event raised nearly $250,000! That’s pretty incredible! We know many of our camp community supported the event even though they did not attend. We just want to extend our thanks to all of you. It really means a lot to us, and we know the program is a benefit to the scholarship recipients as well as our other campers and staff.

THE TIMBERLANE CHALLENGE: We now have 2 alumni from Camp Timberlane who have offered to match, dollar for dollar, any additional contributions made to CFAK between now and Thanksgiving. We know we have asked you often already, but this is a fantastic opportunity that we hope you will help us with. Parents, if you are contemplating making an end-of-year, tax-deductible donation to a worthy cause, we think this is perfect, and remember, each dollar you donate becomes $2! So please forgive us for asking this time, and consider making your donation on the following website: http://cfak.donorpages.com/2011TimberlaneAlumniChallenge/donateonline/. It is easy, secure, and we appreciate it very much.

Whoah! Get a load of this!! Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled this past month: ARI LACKNER of Bannocburn, IL; DANIEL ENGEL and MYER GALIS and SAM & TAYLOR FRISHMAN of Buffalo Grove, IL; JOSH SIEGEL of Tucson, AZ; HENRY LOVETT of Los Angeles, CA; ADAM CORTES-FERRIE, MAX GLICKMAN, ROSS SINAR, JEREMY SUS, and EZRA & GABRIEL WALLON of Chicago, IL; AIDEN LEVYNE of Crystal Lake, IL; CHRIS TOMPKINS and ETHAN LETWAT of Deerfield, IL; JACK KNUETTEL of Denver, CO; JACKSON & SAM PAWLAN of Woodstock, GA; DANNY & SIMON LEVY of Evanston, IL; EVAN & KYLE GROSS, DAVID HEIMAN, DAVID RINGEL, ADAM RUBIN, and ZACK SCHREIER of Glencoe, IL; ZEV BURTON of Carmel, IN; ASA & AVI HIKEN and CHAD KAMEN of Prospect, KY; COREY LENDWAY of Vadnais Heights, MN; DREW & ELI MITCHELL of Glenview, IL; JOE BERNS, ZACH COPLAN, JACK EICHNER, ADAM HOFFMAN, SAM JAFFE, ALEX & ANDREW KARMIN, JOEY & JONO ROSENBLUM, LUKE SCLAMBERG, ETHAN TEICH, and ALEXANDER ZLOTNIK of Highland Park, IL; JASON GARLAND, MAX GOLDENBERG, SAM KAHN, JERRIS KIRKWOOD, BEN REMIS, CHARLIE SMOLLER, and ZAC WARR of St. Louis, MO; JORDAN FISHEL, ALEX FREEDMAN, JONAH HOFFMAN, IAN JACOBS, and MATTHEW & TYLER JACOBS of Nashville, TN; JULES BLUM of Brooklyn, NY; AARON GLAZER and RICKY ROMERSI of Milwaukee, WI; JACOB ELIAS, JAKE FEIGER, SCOTTIE MUTCHNIK, DAVID PAWLAN, ADAM SHERMAN, GARRETT SHUMAN, BRANDON TUCKER, ZACH WALDEN, and SAM WETZEL of Northbrook, IL; and JOEY BURSTEN, JOSEPH FIELDS, JEFFREY GOLD, JARED MARGOLIS, JONAH ROSENBERG, GRAYSON SHEENA, and BEN SPIER of Houston, TX.

And we’re not done yet! Welcome aboard to the following new campers who enrolled this past month: JARED LETWAT of Deerfield, IL; JOE LEVY of Evanston, IL; CHARLIE LOVETT of Los Angeles, CA; GRANT GARLAND, JUSTIN GOLDENBERG, and JACK KAHN of St. Louis, MO; SPENCER COPLAN of Highland Park, IL; NOAH FOSTER of Northbrook, IL, and JOSH GLAZER of Milwaukee, WI.

Does that seem like a whole lot of cool kids to you? It sure does to us! Thanks for the enthusiasm, y’all. Let’s keep it up!!

Way to go, parents! You got our little request for news, and some of you responded with great stuff! GRANT KIBEL is loving life in Boston, where he gets to walk everywhere and is making new friends. “Old-timer” brother JON KIBEL is at a new school that has a pretty strict dress code. And of course, both Kibels are St. Louis natives, and remain loyal Cardinal fans! Speaking of St. Louis, SAM KAHN is playing tennis, has joined BBYO, and recently spent some time with counselor AARON ZEMACH down near Washington University. Bar Mitzvah congrats coming up in November for JACK ROSENTHAL who will actually have a B’nai Mitzvah with his twin sister. COREY LENDWAY is back in the Minneapolis area, and will attend the World Archery Tournament in Orlando, FL this month! Good luck, Corey! In the Chicago area, JONAH RAWITZ is playing the role of Tobias in Sweeney Todd at Drury Lane Theatre. He is in 8 shows a week and it runs through Oct. 9th. ROSS SINAR is playing soccer on the freshman team at Walter Payton High School, and loving it! Bar Mitzvah congrats to JACK ROSS who celebrated on October 1st! Congrats also to SAM WETZEL who celebrated his Bar Mitzvah last month and had a foodie-themed party called SAM v FOOD. Can we assume there was some beanie-weanie served? And more Bar Mitzvah congrats to JEREMY SUS who will celebrate early next month. Way to go, boys!! BEN KITE is staying busy studying, playing XBox, and honing his poker skills that he picked up at camp on Casino Night. Could be one more honorable career developed through the camping experience! (Ben..quick tip…real loan sharks aren’t as nice as the ones at camp. Keep it in mind.) ALEX ZLOTNIK is playing in two basketball leagues at the moment. And now, news from local hospitals and doctors’ offices in the Chicago area: DANIEL ECHT recovered from his Pow Wow Day injury only to break his leg and sprain his ankle while playing football. JOSH SPAETH broke his collarbone from a wipe out on his bicycle. He’s recovering well and is taking a teen chefs cooking class and preparing dinner from the recipes weekly for his family. He’s also looking forward to playing tennis. And MIKE WHITMAN was off to a great start playing football as a freshman until he broke his collarbone. He’s also recovering well and looking forward to playing tennis.

SCOTT BREEN has settled into his International Studies/Law School graduate program at Indiana University. He spent some time recently with IU students JACOB LURIE and EMILY JONES. Also in Indiana, RICK & HOLLY JONES played host to JAKOB SCHARNAGL for a week after camp ended. Rick recently rode in a bike ride event to raise money to buy bikes for villages in the Congo. HANNAH JONES has been accepted into the West Point Military Academy. Congratulations, Hannah!! In Milwaukee, GABE SENNET and BEN LEVEY are both playing volleyball at Nicolet High School. Ben’s team had a game recently against “old-timer” JOEY WERNER’S team. MORGAN REYNOLDS is back in school in Virginia after experiencing some delays from little things like a hurricane and earthquake. BETHYN MERRICK-NGUYEN is back in North Carolina doing some climbing and some cooking, and preparing to move to Chattanooga, TN. RYAN EISENMAN is off to a great start as a freshman at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. In Delray Beach, FL, MARYLYNNE ALLEN just finished work with her ballet company until the winter holidays begin. She has also started doing research at her school on using wave power to generate energy. And one of her two submarine projects was ready for testing in salt water. JEFF “MEL” MELROSE is teaching 5th grade in Celebration, FL and has a nice crop of kiddies in his class. Some very fun, very high energy students. Hmmmmm….sounds familiar….We heard in a round about way that SAM HEWITT is working in a program with Outward Bound leading trips with at-risk kids. KAYLA WANDSNIDER is back at school in Lacrosse, WI and working at the campus rec center’s Outdoor Connection renting camping gear and leading a few trips. She’s also taking a very full load of tough classes. CHAD BYLER has started his own company called Grand River Guides, and led his first trip with about 20 participants on a day paddle. Soon he will join JOSH BOLING, GREG COOPER, and “old-timer” WES HIEB in Park City, UT working at a ski resort. Chad and Greg will be ski instructors, and Josh and Wes will be snow makers. JEREMY SUTTON is in his 2nd year at McGill University, and he decided to try out for the baseball team. Well….HE MADE IT! Jeremy is a red-shirt on the team, catching a lot of bullpens, and getting to work out and practice with the team. That’s awesome!! Around the rest of the world, LUTH NOLASCO-RUIZ (Luuuuuuuth) is back in Mexico going to school and feeling bored. KATHY LEVERTON trotted around the States for a while after camp, visiting with JOEY PAWLAN, JAY FELDMAN, and BETHYN MERRICK-NGUYEN in Chicago, and randomly bumping into OLA ALEKSANDROWICZ and NATALIA BERECHULKA in the city. She then visited with “old-timers” JAKE & SIOBHAN KLECKNER in New Hampshire, then to New Jersey, and then for a little jaunt to Egypt. Not to get too sedentary, Kathy went on some dives in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh, and hiked up Mt. Sinai under a full moon. And finally, she returned home to South Africa. Anyone else think they should have Kathy as their travel agent? JUSTIN LOWRY is back in school in the UK, trying to arrange things so he can be back at camp next summer. LAWRENCE TOYE is also back in the UK, and has given a few informal presentations about his time in the US. He is looking for seasonal work to keep him busy so he can return to camp next summer. RAFA RODRIGUEZ is back in Bogota, Columbia continuing his work for CCUSA, and looking forward to hosting some traveling Timberlane guys this winter, including MICHAEL BREEN, SCOTTY BREEN, and JORDY SHARLIN.

The Juice

A special section from Michael Breen

Much like dial-up internet and VHS tapes (junior village, ask your parents), wheezing the juice has become a morsel of nostalgia condemned to ridicule. For those unaware, wheezing the juice was the glorious process of picking up a nearly empty bug juice container, placing the faucet under your mouth, and sucking out those last few drops of succulent deliciousness. Sadly, this art-form has been banned by certain camp directors and relegated to no more than a silly pastime of our Timberlane ancestors. However, with my new power as Associate Director, I now have the ability to resurrect wheezing the juice—through print, at least.
Mike has asked me write a little piece in the “Timberlife!” every month; while camp may be over, I will try and bring back some memories from summer 2011 in each issue that you can wheeze on during those long school days and cold winter months:

1. You are at the first session Agawak social deciding between a game of tetherball or standing awkwardly when suddenly Scott Wolf jumps in front of the rec hall and a rendition of “Double Dream Hands” blares across the speakers. Suddenly, 50 campers begin a choreographed dance that lasts several minutes and the girls are not sure whether to laugh or cry.

2. You are stretching for the start of the Timberloop between Shawnee and Arapaho cabin when you look to your left and see….Ryan Cohen’s abs! Wow, when did that happen? Seriously, you could grate Wisconsin cheddar on those things.

3. It is second session and the third day in a row of crazy hot temperatures (thanks a lot global warming!), when you find out Evening Program has been cancelled and the entire camp is being turned into a water park!!! You spend the rest of the night throwing water balloons, gliding through the slip ‘n’ slide, getting tossed around in the human washing machine, and making GIANT bubbles with Jeff “Bubble Czar” Melrose.

Hey cool guys, if you have some suggestions of juice we can wheeze, feel free to send some memories to mike@camptimberlane.com. Thanks! Wheeze on my good friends, wheeze on.

-Michael Breen

BRAVO TO OUR OCTOBER BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Jack Reed - 10/3/1997, William Tu - 10/3/1997, Daniel Moltz - 10/4/1995, Jono Rosenblum - 10/5/1998, Jonah Hoffman - 10/6/1998, Kathy Leverton - 10/7/1984, Joseph Trujillo - 10/9/1997, Michael Breen - 10/11/1985, Ari Lackner - 10/11/1996, Jack Thompson - 10/11/1996, Jake Burstyn - 10/13/1994, Joey Pawlan - 10/16/1992, Montrell Watson - 10/17/1995, Alex Pobereskin - 10/18/1997, Scott Breen - 10/19/1988, Cokey Platanias - 10/19/1994, Jack Barlow - 10/20/1998, Nick Pappas - 10/20/1998, Ethan Teich - 10/21/1999, Daniel Newman - 10/23/1995, Michael Strawbridge - 10/23/1996, Sam Spier - 10/24/1995, Jack Kahn - 10/25/2001, Ryan Eisenman - 10/27/1992, Rafael Rodriguez Diaz - 10/27/1986, Ryan Wagner - 10/27/1994, Ross Krulisky - 10/28/1995, Garrett Glover - 10/29/1998, Jonah Rawitz - 10/29/1997, Ari Mazza - 10/30/1998, Clay Castronovo - 10/31/2001, Joseph Kuperman - 10/31/1995.

We can’t remember a newsier newsletter than this one. Sure has been fun to write, and we hope you enjoy reading it. Have a great October, everyone. Please keep in touch!
Benches up,

Volume LII, No. 1, September, 2011

2011-09-02T12:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

And so begins another exciting “off-season!” It starts with our return to Tucson, where it is a million degrees all the time. A slight exaggeration. But it is crazy hot here right now. It was hard leaving camp…so mild up there, and even though it was far too quiet, we had lots of great memories to dwell on as we walked around. Of course, it doesn’t take too long before we start contemplating the summer ahead, and 2012 is – FOR SURE – going to be our best summer ever! I know, I know…you hear that every year. Well, that’s the way we look at it, and all indicators agree.

Already we’ve met with a few contractors to start our improvements schedule. Much of the work this year will be focused on the Lodge, both outside and inside. Included will be a complete re-siding of the outside of the Lodge on the front door and window sides. The old paneling will be removed, and it will be replaced with half-log siding and cultured stone. Many photos will be taken of this beautiful building when its completed, and we just hope it doesn’t go to its head. On the inside, there’s not much left to do, but we are replacing the big counters between the dining area and the kitchen with stainless steel. We know that doesn’t mean a lot to the average camper or counselor, but the folks who work in the kitchen are gonna LOVE it. So easy to keep clean!

Of course, there’s much more in store. Our caretaker, GREG FUS, has already been hard at work, and has already replaced the bathroom floor in Blackfoot with ceramic tile. Other new bathroom floors will include Winnebago and Iroquois, and perhaps Cherokee as well. If he gets to all of those, then every cabin will have beautiful (and durable) ceramic floors in their bathrooms. No, it ain’t the Ritz, but we like it to be nice and low, low maintenance.

In case you had not heard, this year we are offering all of our returning campers – and their siblings who will join us for their first summer, an EARLY ENROLLMENT DISCOUNT! We have sent you an email and a packet via US Mail very recently with all the information you need. Just bear in mind that this program will come to an end on October 1st. We must have your application by that date to take advantage of this discount. If you have any questions at all, please let us know.

For the first time in years, I’m working all alone here in the Tucson office. Don’t worry, it’ll be good. Our year ‘round Associate Director, MICHAEL BREEN is a native of the Chicago area, and so he’s going to live there this winter. We’re all teched out here in the office, so it’ll be just like he’s right here anyway. You can reach either of us just by calling the Tucson number or sending us an email. We’re all connected!

We will start off our reunion schedule in early November:

City	Date	Time
CHICAGO	Saturday, November 5th	12 pm – 4 pm

As we schedule reunions in our other cities, we’ll post them in the newsletters. A month prior to the reunion near you, we’ll send you a notice via US Mail and an email reminder too. We can’t wait to see you guys!

And as a little reminder, I’m headed to Chicago soon for the huge “AROUND THE CAMPFIRE” event on September 10th. Lots of you have made a donation to Camp for All Kids and are planning to join us. We’d really love to see as many of you there as possible, including campers, parents, staff, and alumni. This is an important event to support our work with CFAK, and it’s gonna be tons of fun. Please…join us!

So, clearly several of you have gotten the message and are already on board for next summer. Wow! Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who have re-enrolled: DILLON GROSS of Bannockburn, IL; JORDAN ALLEN of Evanston, IL; WILL COEN and JACK ROSENTHAL of St. Louis, MO; DILLON BERLIN and JONAS MONIESON of Glencoe, IL; HARRISON ATLAS of Houston, TX; JONATHAN BLOOM and HAYDEN TURK of Bellaire, TX; JACK BARUCH, ETHAN GORDON and KEVIN TU of Buffalo Grove, IL; MIKE SHKLYAR of Riverwoods, IL; JAKE MAZOW of Dallas, TX; JOAQUIN GRACE of Schaumburg, IL, and ANDREW CRAMIN and JOSH SPAETH of Northbrook, IL.

Welcome aboard to the following first-year campers who will join us in 2012: OWEN MONIESON of Glencoe, IL; ARI GORDON and WILLIAM TU of Buffalo Grove, IL; and ALEX PECK of Deerfield, IL. We’re so pleased to have you all with us! It’s gonna be epic!!

Some kids can’t get enough of the Northwoods! Shortly after camp ended, JUSTIN GALOWICH and DREW SCHWARTZ were up in Minocqua running in the Minocqua Triathlon. Both boys did really well, with Justin finishing 3rd in his division and 84th overall, and Drew finishing first in his division and 85th overall. Amazing! BEN SCHACHTER was traveling from Dallas with his family, and visited with some camp buddies in Denver, including JACK KNUETTEL and DAVID GLAZER. GRANT KIBEL and his family have moved from St. Louis to the Boston area. Wow! We hope the move goes well and those Red Sox fans can handle a die-hard Cardinal boy in their midst! Congrats to ARI LACKNER in Bannockburn, IL who worked hard and made his high school soccer team! We know the rest of you guys are very busy doing some great stuff! WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT!! Please keep funneling us your news and events big and small that take place in your lives during the “off-season.” That’ll sure make the newsletters more enjoyable to write and to read. Thanks very much.

And this would be the part of the newsletter where we write about all of you awesome staff members doing fun, exciting, and role-modelish things in your “off-season” lives. So….Well, we know that here in Tucson, DUSTY COHEN is in his senior year of high school, and already starting baseball workouts. Baseball being a spring sport, of course. MAX WEINTRAUB and RYAN ELIAS are students at the University of Arizona. Max is actually in Leslie’s class in the business school. DAVID LANGEBARTEL is busy in his senior year and starting to look at colleges for next year. And DAVID ARTZI is coaching a youth football team and loving it! DAVID FINE is enjoying the start of his academic career at the University of Michigan. SAM KAHN has completed his City Year training, and begins teaching in the classroom in Chicago. RICH MCGOWAN is back at work in the Chicago area shooting video at weddings and other events. After departing camp, LAWRENCE TOYE joined RICK, EMILY, & FLETCHER JONES for a Doobie Brothers concert in Indianapolis. HANNAH JONES has completed and surpassed all of the physical tests required of prospective students at West Point Academy. That’s fantastic! JUSTIN LOWRY is back in the UK and studying hard for his full teaching credential. We’d love more news from you all….please keep us posted. Thanks.

BRAVO TO OUR SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS! Kaley Kellenburger - 9/1/1990, Jake Feiger - 9/2/1997, Greg Fus - 9/4/1955, Morgan Reynolds - 9/7/1990, Rick Jones - 9/9/1957, Ben Percifield - 9/10/1993, Jeremy Sus - 9/10/1998, Kevin Tu - 9/11/2000, Scott Wolf - 9/11/1991, Jay Humphreys - 9/14/1989, David Langebartel - 9/14/1993, David Tamsky - 9/15/1999, David Artzi - 9/17/1993, Dusty Cohen - 9/17/1993, Jordan Fishel - 9/17/1997, Jack Ross - 9/17/1998, Ludwig Nolasco Ruiz - 9/18/1987, Jack Eichner - 9/19/1998, Ari Singer - 9/19/1999, Jordan Allen - 9/20/1997, Ross Sinar - 9/21/1996, Andrew Cramin - 9/22/1999, Zev Burton - 9/23/1999, Aaron Katz - 9/24/1996, Dylan Katz - 9/24/1996, Ian Brown - 9/25/1986, Lee Goodman - 9/27/1996, Chris Tompkins - 9/28/1998, Josh Skrill - 9/29/1998, Max Weintraub - 9/29/1991, Jack Elowe - 9/30/1997.

We will write a new issue of this (newly designed – hope ya like it!) newsletter each month, and we’ll send you an email to let you know it is up. Have a great September everyone!

Benches up,

Volume LI, Number 10, June 1, 2011

2011-05-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

They don't call 'em the "Great North Woods" for nothing! It is soooo good to be back home. Camp looks absolutely beautiful, even though the trees have not really leafed out yet. BILL MILLER, our cook-extraordinaire, the 2 dogs, and I arrived in camp on May 12th after a grueling drive from Tucson. We were followed a day later by our Associate Director, MICHAEL BREEN. When we arrived, it still looked like winter up here. It was fairly warm, but there were no buds or anything on the trees and bushes. Since that time we've had a heat wave, a cold front, and now we're warming up again, so we've seen a lot of interesting weather. The trees are almost fully green, and the fields - oh, wait till you see the fields! Lush green grass awaits you all, and they have not looked this good in years. And speaking of looking good, Lake Towanda has made a comeback reminiscent of the Dallas Mavericks. For about 8 years, drought had taken its toll on our quiet lake, and the water levels dropped progressively. This year, it is back, and not too far from its historic high water marks. The lake is healthy and happy, and so are we! We just hosted our lake association meeting in the Lodge, and you could just feel the joy in the room with the water level so much higher. Skiers, sailors, fisherman, boaters, and swimmers....you're in for one heck of a great summer!

Back on land, the new climbing surface on the 70' tower is finished, and it is a dramatic transformation. The slide show attached to this posting shows how the whole process evolved. The technology is cool,

but the finished product is even cooler! This is climbers' paradise, and we can't wait to get you guys up on that new surface...not that the old surfaces are shabby or anything. Good climbing all around!

Progress is slow on our batting cage, but it is moving forward. We're awaiting the arrival of the pitching machine, the electricity to run the pitching machine, and the fencing and netting for the cage. It is early June now, and we're a little nervous, but it should all be ready to roll by the time our 1st session kiddies roll into camp.

And speaking of kiddies rolling into camp, our first camper of the summer arrived in camp on May 27th...just a tad early. It was fun to have ALEXANDER ZLOTNIK in camp for an hour or so to have a look around with his parents and siblings. They were driving through the area, so they stopped in and Alexander was the first camper to lay eyes on all the stuff going on around here. Just a few days later, JUSTIN & RYAN GALOWICH came by for their annual May visit to the North Woods. We really love it when we get camper previews!

YO PARENTS: A few things for you to note this month:

TRAVEL INFO:

1. Travel information for 1st Session/Full Season campers was mailed out at the end of May. If your son is flying en route to camp, he should have 2 baggage tags (one card stock, one plastic) for each of his two bags. If your son is riding the bus from Chicago, Milwaukee, or your meeting the Minneapolis buses, you should have 1 card stock baggage tag for both duffels. If we sent you the wrong stuff, please let us know right away.

2. If your camper is flying from Houston, we will have a staff member meet you at the airport the morning of your flight. Please get to the Delta ticket counter no less than 90 minutes before your flight and meet RYAN EISENMAN there. He will accompany the group to Minneapolis on the way to camp, and back to Houston at the end of 1st session.

3. If your camper is flying to camp, and you choose to ship his duffels to camp (via Fed Ex Ground), please be sure we have the bags at least 3 days prior to his arrival (we prefer a week), and ship to our physical address:

Camper’s Name
Camp Timberlane
11400 Airport Rd.
Woodruff, WI. 54568

SUMMERTIME COMMUNICATION:

1. If you have something important to share with us, please pick up the phone and call us. We do have email here, but we are not as vigilant about monitoring it during the summer as we are during the "off-season." If we had 160 kids running around our winter office, we'd be less vigilant then too. So please don't rely on email for pressing or time-sensitive communications with us.

2. During the camp season, if you do call camp, please try to do so during normal business hours. Our phones are manned from 9 AM - 6 PM every day. We do eat 3 delicious meals each day, so during those times, the phones are not manned. We have voice mail, so if there is something urgent, we will be able to respond quickly.

3. We are the ultimate "mom and pop" operation. That means that if you call our camp line after hours, the phone will ring at our house...right next to my head. If you have an emergency, please call and don't worry about the hour. Otherwise, please refer to point 1 above, and try to call during regular hours. Thanks.

4. If your contact information has changed, or will change during the summer, WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT! If you are traveling while your campers are having their fun times with us, we think that's great. But if it means we cannot reach you via home or mobile phone, please send us an email with your travel dates, and whatever contingent contact information you might have. THIS IS HUGELY IMPORTANT. Thanks.

YO OLD GUYS: A few little reminders for you too:

1. If you are qualified for any of our bigger trips, including the Boundary Waters, the Quetico, the Sand River, the 6 or 9 Day Isle Royale, the LSPPBP, or the Apostle Islands Sea Kayak trips, you can pre-register for these. We have several guys already signed up, and that's great! If you are a first-year camper and you are finishing with 6th grade or older, while it is possible to get out on one of these trips, it is a bit unlikely. Please feel free to call us if you want to talk about it or have any questions.

2. If we have assigned you a new camper to be your camp Little Brother, we hope and expect that you have contacted him already. If you have not yet done that, please do it today. Thanks very much.

That's really all the news we have for now. If we're going to be ready on June 20th (and we will!), we have lots to do outside, so we're going to post this baby online, and head out. Starting later this month, we will begin posting Director's Journals online every other day or so to keep you apprised of all of the events at camp. Stay healthy, everyone! We can't wait to see you smiling faces, and that's gonna happen really, really soon!! BRING ON THE SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh...one more thing....

"Around the Campfire" is a Camp for All Kids event being planned for this coming September, and it's gonna be huge! This is a multi-camp, mega social that will take place at Banner Day Camp in Chicago, and will include our camp, Camp Birch Trail, Chippewa Ranch Camp, Camp Kamaji, and North Star Camp. Think of hundreds of camp folks all together having a great time. And perhaps the greatest part of this event is the concert that will take place that evening. We will have a private show with PETER YARROW! Okay, most of you campers are probably thinking "Peter who?" But we more seasoned music lovers know him to be the Peter of Peter, Paul & Mary. Calm down, parents, calm down. It is exciting, of course, and we can't wait for that. Kids, Peter, Paul & Mary are the original artists who wrote and performed songs like "Puff, the Magic Dragon," “Right Field,” "Leaving on a Jet Plane" (written by John Denver), “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” (written by Pete Seeger), and much, much more. They were among the earliest "rockers" back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and their music is still loved world-wide. Peter is a great guy, a great musician, and a great supporter of summer camping. It's going to be a night to remember.

As you might imagine, since this is a Camp for All Kids event, it is designed to be a major fund-raiser so we can continue this vital program that enables well-deserving kids from under served communities to attend the 5 camps involved. So very soon you will receive an email from us detailing how everyone can help...campers, parents, staff, camp alumni, friends, relatives, acquaintances, you name it. We're excited about the event, and about the opportunity to keep Camp for All Kids vital and sustained. Stay tuned.....

BRAVO TO OUR JUNE BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS! Warm up those singing pipes! In-person Bravos from here on out!! Jordan Fine - 6/2/1995, Hayden Turk - 6/3/1997, Chris Stevens - 6/5/1988, Myer Galis - 6/9/1998, Marylynne Allen - 6/10/1989, Ricky Jacobson - 6/10/1996, Grant Kibel - 6/12/2001, Austen Draper - 6/13/1987, Josh Spaeth - 6/14/1999, Justin Galowich - 6/15/1996, Ryan Hearst - 6/15/2000, Marshall Strawbridge - 6/16/1999, Sasha Salk - 6/18/1998, Ari Asarch - 6/20/1998, Zack Schreier - 6/20/1998, Roy Walker - 6/20/1999, Mike Cohen - 6/23/19??, Eli Selz - 6/23/1999, Parker Dawson - 6/24/1999, Max Kaplan - 6/24/1994, Josh Kayne - 6/24/1994, Diego Rodriguez - 6/24/1998, Drew Mitchell - 6/26/1997, Adam Cortes-Ferrie - 6/27/1999, Asa Saperstein - 6/27/2001, Alex Freedman - 6/28/1999, Avi Hiken - 6/28/2001, Tyler Newmark - 6/28/2001, Joey Rosenblum - 6/28/2001, Spence Litow - 6/29/1999, Miles Padzensky - 6/29/1998, David Wine - 6/29/2001.

See y'all soon!

Benches up,

Volume LI, Number. 9, May, 2011

2011-05-01T16:50:00.001-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

It's May everyone!! Did ya notice? Well we sure did. Ya wanna know why? Because this is the very last issue of "Timberlife!" that we will write and post from Tucson! And ya wanna know why that's true? BECAUSE WE ARE OUTTA HERE!!!!! Well, most of us are almost out of here. I leave Tucson on May 10th, and will arrive at camp no later than the 12th. I have the pleasure of loading up the car with all sorts of stuff, cramming the two dogs in there, picking up our fantastic Kitchen Manager, BILL MILLER at his house in Tucson, and pointing the car NORTH! Although I really cannot wait to get up to camp, I have to say that the 32 hour drive has lost some of its appeal after doing it round trip for about 15 years now. Fortunately, the car has satellite radio, so we can listen to ballgames when they're on. The dogs travel pretty well, and Bill's not a bad passenger to road trip with. So we'll make the most of it. Leslie and Dusty will arrive a few weeks after I do, and Sammy will be a week or so behind them. Soon after we get there, we'll have some staff trickling in, and before you know it, we are rolling!

When we get to camp, we are gonna be busy! Bill will set to work doing some clean up in the kitchen, and this is one of those lucky years when he gets to paint some shelving in the bakery area. As you should already know, we are doing a HUGE improvement on our HUGE climbing tower this year. We are replacing an entire side of climbing with a cutting-edge surface that will have all sorts of features, including nearly 50' of crack climbing. BUT, before the company (coming all the way from Oregon) can install the new stuff, someone has to remove the old stuff. So the day after I arrive, I'll be harnessing up and pulling down the plywood sections on that side of the tower. Look out below! Then it will be time to set up the new baseball batting cage and get that all ready. Phew! So much to do, so little time.

One of the best parts of getting to camp in early May is watching how the North Woods transforms from late winter into spring. May is that transition month up there, and we'll see the trees change from bare limbs to buds to fresh and vibrant green leafy trees. As that happens, you just can't help but appreciate more and more how beautiful it is up there, and how lucky we are to spend our summers in that gorgeous natural environment. In case your winter months in more urban and suburban environs have faded your recollections about the unparalleled beauty of the North Woods (or if this will be your first summer up there), we've got some photos in this month's newsletter to give you a taste of what you're in for this summer! Enjoy.

We are really pleased with how strong our enrollment has remained this year. And our geographic representation is also very impressive. This summer we'll be joined by kids from Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and also boys from Mexico. Amazing!! Welcome back to the following "old-timers" who re-enrolled this past month: DAVANTE GRACE from Schaumburg, IL; JACK POLSTON from Winnetka, IL; RYAN GARLAND from St. Louis, MO; and JAKE HOFFMAN from Dallas, TX.

Welcome aboard to the following campers who will join us for their first summer at camp: NATHAN FRIEDMAN and MATTY RAKESTRAW from Glencoe, IL; CLAY CASTRONOVO from St. Cloud, MN; COREY LENDWAY from Vadnais Heights, MN; and DEVIN SHAW and ZAC WARR from St. Louis, MO. We can't wait to have you all arrive at camp!

YO PARENTS: Well, the good news really is that it's May, and summer is almost upon us. Your kids are probably bouncing off the walls in their excitement to get to camp. Be assured that we're equally off-the-wall in our own excitement. The bad news is, it's time to pay the bill. If you have not yet paid the balance on your son's camp account, please remember that it is due by May 15th. You can access your statement from your Parent Keylog Account. You can even print it out if you like by clicking on the link on the statement that says "Click here to to print this Statement." As a reminder, payment can be made by check, or if you prefer to pay by credit card, you can do so on Google Checkout by clicking the link on your statement that says "Click here to make a payment online using Google Checkout." REMEMBER, the online transaction is assessed a fee of 2.25%. If you are using AOL's web browser, or Mac's Safari browser, they sometimes don't play well with newer technology sites like ours. So if you're having problems with that, please try to use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox as your browser. And, as always, please feel free to call us if we can be of assistance.

CAN'T REMEMBER YOUR KEYLOG PASSWORD? If you're like most people, you have tons of usernames and passwords for various purposes. In the event you cannot remember your password for your Keylog account, it's easy to get. Just click on the blue "Keylog" tab in the top-right corner of every page on our website. Then click the "Forgot your password?" link. Enter your email address and make your selection in the "I am a" field (Parent, Camper, Staff, etc), and you will receive an email right away with your password. So easy!

A few other reminders for parents:

Many forms are also due on or before May 15th. You will receive an email from us this month listing which forms we have and have not yet received from you. 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 after May 8th, and direct all mail to our Summer address.
REMEMBER THE DEADLINE FOR FILLING PRESCRIPTIONS AT GROUPRX PHARMACY FOR 1ST SESSION IS MAY 20TH. 2nd session deadline is June 17th to get your prescriptions to them.
If your son will take non-pill form medications this summer (which you do NOT fill at GroupRX), please be sure to send those up to camp to arrive at least 1 week before your son arrives. So the deadlines are June 13th for 1st session/8 week campers, and July 10th for 2nd session campers.
ANOTHER DEADLINE: If you are going to buy logo’d items from the Cloz website, you should place your order in the next few days to assure receipt of your items before the start of camp
We have uploaded our General Healthcare Info to your Parent Keylog page. This document (a.k.a. "Notes from the Nurse") is an explanation of some of our health care procedures, how we communicate with you if your son visits the Infirmary, etc.
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. 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 - 9 Day trip (1st Session)
Sand River Canoeing (1st Session)
Apostle Islands Sea Kayaking (1st and 2nd Session)
Quetico Provincial Park - The Canadian! - 10 Day trip (2nd Session)
Isle Royale Backpacking - 6 Day trip (2nd Session)
Lake Superior Provincial Park Backpacking - 8 Day trip (2nd Session)

You can pre-register for these trips by clicking here, then clicking "Trips Info" and then clicking "advanced registration." We do require parental permission for this. If you prefer, your parents can just email us and tell us which trip you have permission to pre-register for. Some trips include extra fees, but payment for these is not required until the end of the summer. These trips are incredible opportunities. C'mon you guys....GET OUT THERE!!

YO STAFF: We've sent many of you some snail mail recently. All first-year staff have been mailed (or emailed to those from other countries) a copy of our First Year Staff Manual. We have also mailed out manuals to our Nurses, Rock Climbing Director, Waterfront Director, Waterski Directors, Timberbat Director, Trip Leaders, and Cooks. Phew! 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 room in our American Red Cross Lifeguard Training school from June 1 - June 6th. If you are NOT a trip leader, and you are not a certified life-guard, please sign up! It will cost you nothing, and the certification is valid for 3 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. HOWEVER, your CPR will expire at the end of the summer, so your LGT will then be invalid. If you want to stay current all year long, you should sign up to take our CPR challenge class, which will renew your CPR for 2 years! CPR Challenge this year is all day on June 9th.

If your LGT will expire before the end of the summer, you must re-certify. You can do that at camp FOR FREE! That class is all-day on June 10th. The cert will then be good for 3 years.

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.

Some other reminders for our staff:

If you are a cabin counselor or activity specialist and you have not yet completed your Activity Expertise Survey, we need you to do that TODAY! This includes CITs.
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 have had the most productive and enjoyable time lining up our staff for this summer. It's amazing, as you will see. Welcome back to the following "old-timers" who are with us again:

RYAN COHEN – He’s baaaaaaaaack! Ryan is returning for his 16th summer at camp. If you're from the Chicago area, you may have seen Ryan this off-season as the video production company he works for creates montages for Bar Mitzvahs as well as films the actual event. Originally from Riverwoods, IL, Ryan studied at Indiana University in Bloomington and is trying his hardest to get through a busy month at work so he can come back to his favorite place in the world—camp! Ryan is 25 years old and will be a cabin counselor, help out with Ropes Course and other activities, and will again produce our reunion video.

MEGAN HAGER – Megan is 27 and is returning to us for her fourth summer at camp. This past year Megan lived in Flagstaff, AZ, working as a recruiter for First Things First External Evaluations, a state-wide child study used to improve early childhood development and the services that aid them. Megan has had many hats during her camp camp career, but this summer she is excited to work as the caretaker for the the Hitchens' children.

MARYLYNNE ALLEN – Hailing from beautiful Daytona Beach, FL, Marylynne is a senior at Florida Atlantic University, studying ocean engineering and dance (we’re curious to see how she will combine those two). She will be 22 years old this summer. She has worked with kids in the past, spending summers at a Girl Scout camp in Kentucky and working with her church youth group. Marylynne absolutely loves the water, working as a lifeguard these past years; this summer, she will be joining us as our Waterfront Director.

MICHELLE HASKELL – Michelle will be 20 years old this summer and is currently a sophomore at Saint Norbert College in Wisconsin, but originally comes from Mt. Prospect, IL. She is studying psychology and has aspirations to either become a teacher or a child psychologist. She comes to camp with experience in and a passion for skiing, gymnastics (specifically the trampoline and floor), and pottery. In the past she has worked with kids in various capacities, whether it be babysitting, providing swim lessons, or acting as a teacher’s aide at a local pre-school. This summer, Michelle will be joining us as our Pottery director.

SAM HEWITT – Sam is 22 years old and comes to us from Nelsonville, OH where he is studying Eco-Tourism/Adventure Travel at Hocking College (sounds like he has some awesome coursework!). He wants to get involved in experiential education and has tried his hand at this by working at a nearby adventure park and the school’s indoor climbing wall. Nature is really his thing—he has spent time camping in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area in West Virginia and near the Buffalo River in Arkansas. We’re excited to have Sam join us as one of Trip Leaders this summer.

SHEA RAFTUS – Shea is a 20 year old freshman studying Communications at Navaro College in Corsicana, TX. Shea is a sports fanatic and especially loves to play basketball. He has also gotten involved in sports journalism, writing several articles; in fact, he hopes to one day make a career out of this. We’re thrilled to have him as part of our kitchen staff for this summer.

MORGAN REYNOLDS – Originally from Midlothian, VA, Morgan is a sophomore at Old Dominion University studying Speech Pathology. She is 20 years old. Morgan played a lot of softball growing up and also enjoyed helping to take care of her two younger sisters. Speaking of softball, she also coaches a softball little league team and holds softball clinics for kids. She is extremely excited to meet everyone at Timberlane. Morgan will be joining us as part of our kitchen staff this summer.

HEATHER TILLMAN – Heather comes from Three Lakes, WI, which is right in our neck of the Northwoods. She is 38, and she has worked as an emergency room nurse for four years as well as a triage nurse and has various other certifications she has worked for over the years. She has three children and is proud to be a grandmother as well! When not working at the hospital, Heather loves to scrapbook, dance, read, and spend time with her husband and toy poodle, Lily. We’re thrilled to have her join VICKI SETZER as a nurse in the Infirmary this summer.

STEPHEN WAYNE – Stephen will be 22 years old this summer, and comes to us from Clinton, MD. He is currently studying accounting in his senior year at Bluffton University. While focused on school at the moment, Stephen also enjoys weight-training, basketball, and being with his friends. Stephen has worked at week-long camps in the past, working as the basketball director at one of them. Stephen will be joining us as part of our kitchen staff this summer.

In Orlando, FL, IAN SETZER has been a busy guy with lacrosse and boy scouts (starting work towards Eagle Scout), and he even had a nice trip to visit his grandmother in Nevada over spring break. Early Bar Mitzvah congrats to JACOB ELIAS, who will celebrate next month. JULES BLUM got to go on a trip to Costa Rica over spring break. Sounds fantastic!

JOSH BOLING is looking forward to camp this summer. Last month he traveled to Nepal to help move kids into a new home that - incidentally - was built in part by GREG COOPER and "old-timer" DAN NEWMAN. Good works by Timberlane folks world-wide!! Way to go, guys.

Get ready folks....the biggest camping event you have seen in many, many years is coming soon. This coming September is the month. Stay tuned......

BRAVO TO THE MAY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS! Starting next month, we'll get to sing to lots of our celebrities! Woooo Hoooooo! Adam Susman - 5/1/1999, Ben Tamsky - 5/1/1997, Chad Kamen - 5/2/1998, Adam Wasserman - 5/2/1998, Jules Blum- 5/3/1999, Jack Kaplan - 5/3/1996, Zac Warr - 5/3/1998, Bethyn Merrick-Nguyen- 5/5/1989, Vicki Setzer - 5/6/1956, Emilio Madrazo - 5/7/1998, Brandon Tucker- 5/11/1998, Blake Berkowitz - 5/12/1998, Adam Hoffman - 5/12/1999, Jacob Kline- 5/13/2002, Steven Cooke - 5/15/1991, Corrie Hitchens - 5/15/1971, Ben Kite -5/19/1999, Eliot Padzensky - 5/19/1996, Luke Sclamberg - 5/19/1999, Ben Schachter - 5/20/1999, Dan Shelanski - 5/20/1999, Jake Hoffman - 5/22/1999, Ryan Elias - 5/24/1993, Michelle Haskell - 5/24/1991, Stephen Wayne - 5/24/1989, Jacob Elias - 5/27/1998, Rich Mc Gowan - 5/27/1972, Henry Echt - 5/29/2002, Ian Jacobs - 5/30/1997, Ben Levey - 5/30/1995.

Congratulations to all of our 2011 high school and college graduates!! We have made a donation to Camp for All Kids in your honor, and we're proud of every one of you!

We hope you all have a very positive, and healthy May. Finish the school year on a strong note, and stay healthy 'cause we're gonna see many of you very, very soon when 1st session starts, and the rest of you in mid-July when 2nd session starts. Our next posting will come from the spectacular North Woods of Wisconsin!! Yahooooo!

Benches up,

Volume LI, Number 8, April, 2011

2011-04-04T11:37:00.001-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

The mercury in Tucson is rising. We've already hit the mid 80s a few times in the past weeks, and the weather guys are already talking 90s! That's actually a coded message for all Northwoods camp directors. It means GO NORTH!! And very soon, we're looking forward to heeding that call. In the meantime, all around Tucson you hear people saying things like, "This is why we live here!" Spring in Tucson is so beautiful. The days are warm, but not so stiflingly hot. The evenings are cool, but still very comfortable outside. Most years, spring is also filled with the scent of desert wildflowers in bloom all over the place. This year is a little less fragrant, and there are some signs of distress for much of the desert plant life. Back in February, we had a very hard freeze (well, by Tucson standards, anyway), and it lasted for 3 or 4 days. That may have been enough to do some permanent damage to many of the cacti, the palm trees and citrus trees, and other plants. We have to wait and see what happens around here. Up at camp, it's a different story. The snow had largely melted until the last week in March when another big storm blew through dumping about 18 inches on the ground. It has been a wet winter and we're hoping the spring continues that way to help our lake continue to gain back the water that had been declining over the past 8 or so years of drought. Last summer, you may recall, for the first time in memory, our lake level actually went UP over the summer months. That was so odd, and yet so great to see. We hope that's the continuing trend.

Our builders have been up at camp a bit over the winter months, and now that spring has arrived (almost), they'll kick it into high gear to complete a complete renovation of the bathroom in Chippewa cabin. We are also well underway in the design phase of the new section of our amazing 70' tall climbing tower, and it's gonna be outrageous! Soon we'll finish the design work, and the company building it (way out in Bend, OR), will build the sections and then stick 'em on a semi truck to head for Wisconsin. Installation is set to begin on May 15th, and take about 2 weeks. That's cutting it a bit close to the start of our Rock Climbing Instructor course that we run for our staff and other camp staff, but we think it'll be done in time. Wait till you see it! We are also working out final arrangements on the fence that will surround our new baseball batting cage, and we're shopping at the moment for the pitching machine. How's that for busy times?!

Folks, we have some news that is exciting and bittersweet all at the same time. Johnny and Rachel Waszczak are following their dream and they are moving on to a different camp effective next month. As you know, Johnny has been interested in running a camp for the past several years, and an opportunity has come up for him. So he and Rachel are moving to Pennsylvania to Lake Owego Camp. Owego is owned by folks we have been friends with for many years, and we have the utmost respect and admiration for them. We know it will be an excellent spot for Johnny and Rachel, and likewise, they will make a very positive and lasting impact on their new camp. We are, of course, very sad to see them go. Johnny has been with us for more than 11 summers, and Rachel for 9. In many ways, even though they were both adults when they started at camp, they have grown up with us. That kind of loyalty is exceptional, and no one could spend time at camp without feeling their friendship, their energy and enthusiasm, and their passion for kids and camping. Our memories of the two of them only make us smile....from Johnny somehow making it fun for campers to shuck corn, to Rachel getting all dressed up for the "garage sale" during the 20th celebration for Rick & Holly Jones. You bet we're gonna miss them and their sweet baby girl, Emma. It is our good fortune, however, to be in a position to move forward without missing a beat. As you know, Michael Breen has been working with us all year 'round, and is quite ready to step in to Johnny's role as Associate Director. Michael has been with us for 16 summers, and has been instrumental this year in our camper and staff recruitment, designing our staff training, and learning all the ropes of the "off-season" camp operations. He is going to be an exceptional Associate Director, and will of course have the support of our Administrative team during the summer, including Rick Jones (26 summers at Timberlane), Jeff Melrose (19 summers at Timberlane), our Trips Director Hitch (8 summers at Timberlane....the new guy), Leslie and I. So we wish Johnny & Rachel the very best of luck! We know we will stay in touch, and they know they can move forward reassured that we will do the same. BRAVO!

Johnny and Rachel have written a letter to all of our camp family. Please click here to read it. Thanks.

We've had an unusually busy March, and the result is our first session is full in all but a few age groups, and our second session is catching up! If you've been working on your summer plans, and you now have them set and you want camp to be a part of that, don't give up! Give us a call, and if we have room in either session for you, we'd love to have you join us for the best summer ever!

Welcome back to the following "old-timers" who re-enrolled this past month: SCOTT STONE of Buffalo Grove, IL; DANIEL CALVILLO of Veracruz, Mexico; after a summer's absence, WILL GOMBERG of Chicago, IL; KYLE BENSON (after a summer's absence), CARTER ECKEL, and BEN & JOSH SKRILL of Tucson, AZ; AARON DEMBSKY of Glencoe, IL; AARON JAFFE and JACOB & MILES ROSENSTEIN of Highland Park, IL; ARI ASARCH and DAN SHELANSKI of Denver, CO; DAN NEWMAN of Northbrook, IL; LEE GOODMAN, BEN & DAVID TAMSKY, and MONTRELL WATSON of St. Louis, MO; DAVID GAIDAMAK of Vernon Hills, IL; and JOSEPH TRUJILLO of Houston, TX.

Welcome aboard to the following new campers who will join us this summer: JOSH SIEGEL of Tucson, AZ; JORDAN KAUFMAN of La Quinta, CA; GABRIEL ADLER and BRYAN BERKOWITZ of Los Angeles, CA; ASA SAPERSTEIN of Santa Monica, CA; CHARLIE WEISS of Chicago, IL; AIDAN LEVYNE of Crystal Lake, IL; ZEV BURTON of Carmel, IN; TYLER NEWMARK and ARI SINGER of St. Louis, MO; ALEX GELIN of Cedarburg, WI; and SEBASTIAN KURI and DIEGO RODRIGUEZ of Puebla, Mexico. Are you guys psyched?! Bring on the summer!!

YO PARENTS: Lots of stuff for you again this month. First of all, in a few weeks we will send you an email with notice that your balance payment is due on May 15th. You can always check your current account balance via your Parent Keylog page on our website.

We have posted a few new things for you on your Parent Keylog Page. New this month are the “April Information,” the “Unplugged Policy,” and the “Packages Policy” links. Please click on them and read all of that important information. We have also updated the information about GroupRx’s Pharmacy under the “Required Pharmacy Info” link. Remember, if your camper will take any kind of pill-form medication on a regularly scheduled basis, that medication MUST be filled by the GroupRx Pharmacy. This applies to prescription or OTC medication (such as Zyrtek). This policy helps us continue our error-free dispensing of camper medications. We can make no exceptions in this policy. We have also updated our information for campers who will be flying en route to camp under the “Info for Campers Flying to Camp” link. If your camper is flying to camp this summer, be sure to read that information, and then call our travel agent as soon as possible. Our agent again is Marie Gunwall at Travel One; (800) 245-1111.

And finally, please note that you can order logo'd items as well as many other camp essentials through our approved vendor, The Cloz Company. YOU MUST PLACE YOUR ORDER NO LATER THAN 4 WEEKS PRIOR TO WHEN YOU NEED YOUR STUFF! So for a first session camper, packing around, say, June 15th, you should place your order no later than May 15th for Cloz to be sure to get you your order in time. Thanks.

YO OLD GUYS: We have mailed Little Brother information to most of our returning campers who are finishing 8th and 9th grade this year. Every returning camper that age will have a little brother, so if you don't get a notice right away, please be patient. We have more new campers on the way, and you will be assigned a little bro. It is really important that you CALL (which is different from texting, emailing, Facebooking, etc) your little brother in the next week or so. Please reach out and make a new friend. It may feel a little awkward at first, but you have the bond of camp with each other, you're just getting it started a little early. Parents, if your son is a Big Brother, please help him remember to make that call. If your son is a new camper, please let us know if you don't hear from his big brother by the end of this month.

YO STAFF: You know how we LOVE paper work! If you have any certifications that are relative to camp, please be sure we have copies of those. If you are a returning staff member, and the copies we have from last year are still valid, you're set. If there are any changes, we need a copy of the new card or certificate. If you have certifications that will expire before the end of the summer, please be sure to contact us and either sign up for one of the courses we are offering at camp (Lifeguard Training, Lifeguard Challenge, CPR Challenge, etc), or tell us what course you will take before you arrive at camp. If you have already taken care of this and informed us, you don't have to do so again. REMEMBER, WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO BECOME A CERTIFIED LIFEGUARD! The more, the merrier, and this certification, which lasts 3 years, is FREE!. Beat that deal! To see who we have signed up for certification courses at camp as of the publication of this issue, please click here. Thanks very much.

GREG COOPER - Greg is 24 years old, and is returning for his 4th summer as a Wilderness Trip Leader. Greg has had quite the exceptional "off-season" this year. He has traveled a lot again, including time spent in Thailand among other places. He is now back in New York, and has a job. Banker, stock broker? Nah, no way. Greg is working at a trapeze school training trapeze artists and working as a trapeze catcher. That's more like it.

RYAN EISENMAN - Ryan is back for his 10th summer at camp! He is 18 years old and is graduating from high school in Houston, TX, looking forward to starting college at Vanderbilt University in Nashville next fall. Ryan will again be a Trip Leader this summer.

RAFAEL RODRIGUEZ DIAZ - All the way from Bogota, Columbia, Rafael is 24 years old. For the past few years, Rafael has been working for CCUSA, helping to place Columbian counselors into American camps. He is also an English teacher, and he works as a guard at the Ciclovia in Bogota, which is a cycling park. Rafael has been mountain biking since age 10, and through his work at the Ciclovia, has learned the ergonomics of cycling, how to repair bikes, and he now trains other guards. And on top of all of that, Rafael has also been a television actor, and loves kayaking, bungee jumping, and hiking. This summer he will be a cabin counselor, and will head up our Mountain Biking program.

MIKE DUMENCIC - Mike is 22 years old, and he joins us from Manchester, England. He is in his 4th year at the University of Manchester, studying Computer Science. Mike has two passions, guitar and soccer. He has been playing guitar for more than 8 years, plays with a band, and has taught several people how to play. Mike has also played soccer his whole life, and has coached at a soccer school. He has also tutored grade school kids in math. Mike will be a cabin counselor, will head up our Guitar program, and help out with Soccer, Basketball, and Riflery.

SARAHJANE TIERNEY- Sarahjane is 24 years old, and is from Limerick, Ireland. She has been living most recently in Lilyfield, Australia as part of her world travels. She has a degree in Biochemistry, and will return to university in Ireland in September to study for a Masters degree in Immunology and Global Health. In addition to science, Sarahjane is into Yoga, having done it for more than 8 years and taught many friends and family members. She also has experience with guitar and digital photography, as well as working on a ropes course. This summer Sarahjane will head up our Yoga program, and help out with Guitar, Photography, and other activities.

JANE YOUNGBERG - Jane is from New Haven, CT. and is a sophomore at Williams College studying English and Psychology. She also works in the admissions office at Williams, and she has had some food prep experience preparing meals at a shelter while she was in high school. Jane also loves cooking and baking, and this summer she joins our Kitchen Staff.

We had a fun little impromptu camp reunion recently on the slopes of Vail, Colorado. While out there on spring break, we managed to do some skiing with JACOB & RYAN ELIAS, DAVID GLAZER, JAY FELDMAN, along with their parents and "old-timer" NICK ALPE . It was snowy and windy, but that didn't stop us a bit! What a blast!! Busy times in Milwaukee for AARON GLAZER. He just finished volleyball season, and is starting tennis. He also joined a BBYO chapter that includes GABE SENNETT and DANIEL SHOVERS. Aaron is off to Washington D.C. spring break, and he traveled to Israel with his class last February. Globe trotting also going on from the Chicago area by EDDIE ROSENBLUM who was selected to go to Italy over spring break with the Highland Park High School band. Okay, y'all...that is not enough info for a respectable camp newsletter. Parents, this is your opportunity to brag on your kids! Please send us an update about the happenings in your (or your kids') lives. We need good stuff to print! Thanks.

Across the "puddle" in the UK, JAMES WOOD and JUSTIN LOWRY attended the NBA game together in London last month. Both guys are planning to head to the US a bit early this year and take in the Indianapolis 500 race before arriving at camp. Out in California, CHRIS STEVENS has taken a job with Naturalist at Large to fill the time before he comes to camp. Likewise, IAN BROWN has a job with an outdoor education program with a YMCA camp in Michigan that he will leave to join us for the summer, and then return to next fall. COLBY SHARLIN spent some time last month in New Orleans building a project with Habitat for Humanity. SCOTTY BREEN is preparing to graduate from Georgetown University in DC, and deciding where to go to law school next fall. He ran a marathon in DC last month! Congrats to FLETCHER JONES on being accepted into pharmacy school at Purdue University. HANNAH JONES just finished tennis season, and is working on a senatorial nomination to West Point beginning in the 2012-2013 academic year. EMILY JONES recently returned from a school canoe trip down the Rio Grande river as part of her outdoor education program at the University of Indiana. Out in Colorado, DEBBIE PURCELL continues to work hard with 4 different jobs, and is excited about heading back to camp very soon. She also made it to opening day for the Colorado Rockies.

BRAVO TO OUR APRIL BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS!! Jordan Kaufman - 4/1/1997, Sam Pawlan - 4/5/1999, Logan Seiden - 4/5/2000, Carson Anderson - 4/7/2000, Ethan Letwat - 4/10/2001, Jeremy Tubbs - 4/10/1993, Brian Barlow - 4/11/1995, Matt Mossler - 4/12/2000, James Wood - 4/12/1990, Jane Youngberg - 4/12/1991, Jake Stein - 4/13/1997, Ryan Bronston - 4/14/1999, J.L. Ramirez - 4/14/1989, Joey Bursten - 4/15/1997, Henry Lovett - 4/16/2001, Matt Kearney - 4/17/1988, Dylan Silver - 4/19/1998, Brandon Gomel - 4/21/1999, Zach Kallmeyer - 4/21/2001, Jack O'Malley - 4/21/1999, Alexander Weitzman - 4/21/2000, Sam Kagan - 4/26/1998, Hitch Hitchens - 4/27/1957, Bryan Berkowitz - 4/29/2001, David Gaidamak - 4/29/1996, Sebastian Kuri - 4/30/1998, Joey Rodin - 4/30/1995.

That's the news for now. Next month's issue will be the LAST one we write you from Tucson! Hang in there, y'all! Summer's coming!!

Benches up,

A Note from Johnny & Rachel

2011-04-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

To Our Camp Timberlane Family,

As you may know from the recent email sent out by Mike and Leslie, Rachel, Emma, and I are writing to let you know of a big change in our lives. We wanted to personally write a note to share the news, and let all of you know how much all of you and Camp Timberlane mean to us. First of all, Rachel, Emma, and I would like to thank all of you for the best summers of our lives over the past 10+ years (though just one great one for Emma). It is hard to imagine what a summer away from camp would be like. That is why it is with some difficultly and mixed emotions that we write to tell you that we will not be returning to Camp Timberlane this summer. We are sad to think that we will not be with the camp family that we love so much and have shared so many great times with, but we are also very excited to take these experiences, and what we have learned from all of you, and face the challenge of sharing those things with another great group of campers, families, and camp staff.

We will be joining the Black family and another fantastic group of camp people at Lake Owego Camp for Boys in Pennsylvania, and we look forward to a great future with them. Making camping and working with people our life’s work has long been our dream and passion, and this is the opportunity for us to make it a reality. We are very enthusiastic and optimistic about this big step, and we are able to take it with confidence because we know that we have been so well prepared for it by all of you. We would like to thank the entire Camp Timberlane community, past and present, for all the memories that we have shared, all that we have learned, and for the pieces of all of you that we will take with us to our new home at Lake Owego Camp.

We can’t express in words how much all your support, guidance, and friendship means to us, but we will try to express it through the work we do at Lake Owego Camp by bringing the magic of Camp Timberlane and our summers there to our new camp community. We do know that we will be sure to keep in touch, and we hope that you do the same. We wish all of you a fantastic summer, and we know that there is plenty of camping left to be done for all of us. Just as we would end a campfire, one of Rachel’s and my favorite nights of each week, I’ll finish with some words that seem more fitting than ever; “May the trails that we follow, though they be of different paths, lead straight unto him.”

Until our paths cross again,

Johnny, Rachel, and Emma Waszczak

Volume LI, Number 7, March, 2011

2011-03-02T10:04:00.001-08:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums, and Friends,

It is March! Spring may not be officially here yet, but March is spring-ish enough for us! Summer is on the way!! If you were here in our office the day before this newsletter was written, you would have looked out the windows and seen snow-covered mountains. That's right...it snowed here in late February. That doesn't happen too often, and the really quirky thing is, that 2 days afterward, it is 80 degrees. Crazy out there, but when you have 350 sunny days a year, you can cope with a little hiccup now and then. This is also a fun time of year because Spring Training has started. We used to have 3 teams practicing here in Tucson. Last year it was just one, and now they've all flown the coop and relocated in the Phoenix area. So it is harder to get to games now, but still very exciting to have the season getting cranked up again. Isn't this a fantastic time of year?!

In spite of some very serious cold weather up north, work continues on cabins and other projects. Our caretaker, GREG FUS, had to put on his snowshoes a few times and trek out to the climbing tower to get some measurements and take some photos for us. We've got such a cool project in the works for the climbing program, and you guys are gonna be blown away when you roll into camp and get a look at the new surface on the center section of the tower. We really can't wait to see it all unfold. Greg also had to get some measurements out at the main basketball court for us, as we are replacing the backboards with some brand new glass boards and new rims. For you guys who love to play hoops, this should be a great improvement out there. And you may have heard the rumors already, but last month at the ACA conference in San Diego, we saw a very cool new toy for camp. It is, if you can believe it, a 4-way Ping Pong table. "Impossible!" you say? Oh yeah...it's real, and it'll be in the Rec Hall this summer. Approach it with caution.

Speaking of the ACA Conference, we had such a great time and really learned some great stuff there. Our group was pretty big this year, including RICK JONES, JOHNNY WASZCZAK, RACHEL WASZCZAK, JEFF MELROSE, MIKE BREEN, and VICKI SETZER. We attended seminars on topics ranging from waterfront safety and camper health & safety to helping kids develop coping and resiliency skills and much more. There were some outstanding speakers this year, including Joe Ehrman, who is an accomplished athlete, coach, and author. Joe spoke about the opportunities we have to teach boys the true meaning of becoming men, which is often so different from the messages they get through the media. We also heard from Kristina Ripatti and her husband Tim Pearce, who were both LA Police working the gang unit until Kristina was critically wounded in the line of duty. In spite of being paralyzed from the waist down, Kristina has found a way to stay fit, stay positive, and continue her life's ambition of helping others. If anyone was looking for inspiration that day, they found it. And throughout our 4 days there, we also managed to enjoy life near the ocean in San Diego. The weather was fantastic, and we concluded the visit with a nice visit to Coronado Island, walking the beach, and soaking it all in. Good times.

Many age groups in the first session are now filled. 2nd session still has openings in every age group, though they are becoming scarce in the older ages. We are well aware of how things are going in the economy, and we feel very fortunate to have as strong an enrollment as we do, particularly with the great number of new campers we have joining us this summer. We truly appreciate the enthusiasm you all have generated out there.

Welcome back to the following "old-timers" who re-enrolled over the past month: DANIEL MOLTZ of Chicago, IL; JAMES BOSHES of Deerfield, IL; JARED LIEBMAN of Prospect, KY; TYLER GELLMAN and JACK LYNCH of St. Louis, MO; DANNY & SIMON LEVY of Evanston, IL; JOSHUA KOHN, MICHAEL NATINSKY, and ETHAN TEICH of Highland Park, IL; RYAN BRONSTON and JONATHAN STEIN of Bellaire, TX.

Welcome aboard to the following new campers who will join us this summer: CARSON ANDERSON, IAN LYNCH, and MAX PUGH of St. Louis, MO; MYER GALIS of Buffalo Grove, IL; SPENCE LITOW of Glencoe, IL; JULES BLUM of Brooklyn, NY; LUCAS PRIZANT of Northbrook, IL; AUSTIN AVIZA and JACOB KLINE of Chicago, IL; JOSH SIEGEL of Tucson, AZ; MICHAEL SHKLYAR of Riverwoods, IL; and KESHAV KRISHMAN of Houston, TX. We're so pleased to have you all with us. Get ready for an amazing summer!!

We have completed our last camp reunion, which was here in Tucson. It has been a busy winter, with lots of traveling, but every reunion has been such a blast! We want to thank our reunion hosts in all of the cities across the country for allowing us to gather in your home (or Whirlyball Center, as the case may be) and share some fun times together. Thanks to the Garlands in St. Louis, the Elias' in Chicago, the Dawsons in Denver, the Bronstons in Houston, the Jacobs' in Nashville, the Mazows in Dallas, and the Leveys in Milwaukee. We are grateful to have such fantastic camp families supporting us.

YO PARENTS: There is tons of new information available to you now that Spring has arrived. We're sorry to inundate you with this, but please bear with us and read all the information below. We have posted all of the Spring Information online for you. Please go to your Parent Keylog Page, and there you will find links down the left column. These links take you to very important information. You may notice we have organized the page to help you make sense of it all. The links you need to pay attention to now include:

GETTING READY FOR CAMP:
*Spring Information - This is a one page PDF document that offers a general overview of the documents that we need you to fill out and return to us. Please print this out and post it on your refrigerator! Some of these are online forms, and others are PDF files that must be printed out, read, and completed. Here's the great news: if your son was a camper last year, and you completed the online Health History form and/or the Camper Information Form, all of your data is still there! All you have to do is update it and submit it to us!! This Spring Information document also has our contact info and mailing address info to use based on when you wish to contact us, as we will move our offices to camp sometime between May 10th and May 15th.

*Packing List - This is your guide to the clothing and equipment your son will need for either 4 or 8 weeks with us. Please follow it carefully.
*Order Timberwear Online - A link to the Cloz website where you can buy most everything your son will need, as well as camp logo'd items.
*Camper Information Form - Good stuff for us to know about your son to help us get ready for him. Also your 2nd (and last) opportunity to make cabin mate requests. Please review this carefully as it has been redesigned this year! THIS FORM IS NOT REQUIRED FOR CITs.
*Activity/Trip List - A 2 page PDF file for you to read or print out and discuss with your son. Get the ball rolling on activities and trips your camper may be interested in. Remember, there are no activity sign ups until the kids arrive at camp.
*Visting Weekend RSPV - If you have a full season camper(s), or CIT, and you plan to join us for our Visiting Weekend, please let us know as soon as you can by filling out this form and submitting it.

CAMPER TRANSPORTATION INFO:
*Travel Form - This is an online form to confirm your son's method of traveling to and from camp. Please submit this to us no later than May 15th. Please also remember our policy regarding changes in bus travel, "Withdrawal from bus travel within 1 week of travel days will still incur full bus fares. Additions to bus travel within 2 weeks of travel days cannot be guaranteed a seat on the bus."

*Info for Campers Flying to Camp (NOTE: This information is coming soon. As of the publication of this newsletter, is isn’t quite ready. Please be patient and check back to your Parent Keylog page in the coming days for this info. And we’ll email you once it is ready for you to download) - This is a PDF file with so much information about flying to camp, you need time to digest it. Some highlights:

**Flying is not easy in this day and age. We do the best we can to make it secure, convenient, and affordable. Travel One is our travel agency, and they work hand-in-hand with Delta Airlines. Delta is the ONLY airline flying large aircraft direct and NON-STOP into Minneapolis from all of our camp cities.

**In cities from which we have more than 15 - 20 campers, Travel One blocks seats on our flights to make sure all of our campers can get on. The airline is interested in making money, of course, so they will not allow such a large percentage of their seats to be blocked off at their lowest fare. To address our needs and balance them with the airline's needs, Delta charges our families from these cities a fare that is an average of their lowest fares (early booking fares) and the higher fares they may be able to charge for later bookings. So it may be higher a fare you can find online. What do you and we get from that?

1. All of our kids are together and on flights that work for our schedule to arrive at camp at a reasonable time and depart from camp at a reasonable time.
2. All of their baggage is pulled from their flights and loaded onto one designated carousel that our staff uses to retrieve our bags. So far, we have lost ZERO bags this way.
3. Our travel agents alerts you of any schedule changes, flight changes etc.
4. For the return trip home, our campers are pre-checked-in with boarding passes issued before they arrive at the airport. That means no standing in line at the ticket counter with 100+ kids.
5. Also for the return trip home, our campers' baggage is checked in behind the scenes and loaded on their flights. Again, no standing in line to check 200+ bags.

**The travel document details the Unaccompanied Minor program. It is a valuable service that is not cheap, making it even more important that our families collaborate to share that cost.

**The reservation form for Travel One is also included. Print this out, complete it, and return it to Travel One as soon as possible. Fares will go up as the time to fly approaches. You can also make your reservations by calling Travel One at (800) 245-1111. Our agent is Marie Gunwall.

**In cities where Delta competes with Southwest Airlines, they may waive the fee for checking bags. We will let you know if/when that happens.

YO OLD GUYS: If you will complete 7th grade or older this summer, you may be eligible for one or more of our "Big Trips" this summer. You've certainly heard older campers talk about these trips a lot during prior summers, so you know how special they are. Next month we'll send you a letter that will note what trips you have already completed, and what trips you are eligible for. Have a look, and if you'd like to pre-register for a big trip that you are (or soon can be) eligible for, you can do that from our website. The link for that is here.

We also want to remind you this one last time that if you will complete 8th grade or older this summer, you are a candidate to be a Big Brother for a new camper. As we noted last month, if you would prefer NOT to be a Big Brother, that's fine, but you need to let us know by March 15th. We will begin making Big Brother/Little Brother assignments after that, so we can send those assignments out in early April. Thanks very much.

YO STAFF: There is another camping conference that takes place in the Chicago area from March 10th - 12th. If you'd like to attend, please let us know right away. We will pay for the registration fee at the conference for you. You will be responsible for your own lodging and food while you're there. More information about the conference is available by clicking here.

We also want to remind you of the training opportunities available to you this summer. These include Lifeguard Training certification, challenge courses to renew your LGT and/or First Aid and/or CPR for the Professional Rescuer. Remember, your LGT certification is NOT VALID unless your CPR Pro is current. CPR Pro must be renewed every year. How do you sign up? Log in to your Staff Keylog Page, and click the "Extra Training" link. Please do this as soon as you know you can make those training dates.

More returning staff? Yep, if you can believe that. Welcome back to the following "old-timers" who are returning to camp:

CHAD BYLER - Chad is 24 years old, and is returning for his 2nd summer as a Wilderness Trip Leader. Chad is a graduate of Hocking College in Ohio, and is now working as a Ski Instructor at Park City Mountain resort in Park City, Utah.

STEVE "HITCH" HITCHENS - Hitch is back for his 8th summer at camp. He is 53 years old and is a History and Government teacher in Evergreen, CO. He will again head up our gynormous Trips Program as the Trips Director. Hitch's wife, Corrie, and their 2 kids, Carter and Liam (New This Year!), will also join us for at least half of the summer.

RICH MC GOWAN - The big guy is back for his 15th summer at camp! Amazing!! Rich is 38 years old and is from Tinley Park, IL. He has been a school teacher, and is currently working as a SCUBA instructor in a very warm pool in Illinois. He is also shooting video for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Rich will be a cabin counselor, and will continue to head up the Digital Photo (Doto) program he started at camp, as well as helping with Rock Climbing and Swimming.

LUTH NOLASCO-RUIZ - All the way from Mexico, Luth is back for his 5th summer at camp. He is 23 years old and is an Engineering student at Instituto Technologico de Monterrey. Once again this year, Luth will be cranking out some fantastic food as our Assistant Cook.

JEREMY SUTTON - Jeremy is back for his 8th summer at camp. He will be 19 years old this summer, and is currently a freshman at Mc Gill University in Montreal, studying Political Science and History. Jeremy will be a cabin counselor, will again head up our Baseball program, and will help out with Basketball, Athletic, and Waterskiing.

ALEKSANDRA ALEKSANDROWICZ - Alek joins us from Luban, Poland. She is 23 years old and is a 4th year student at the University of Economics in Wroclaw, majoring in Management. In addition to school, she plays handball and other sports. She has worked in a restaurant for 2 years, and she joins our Kitchen Staff this summer.

NATALIA BERECHULKA - Also from Luban, Poland, Natalia is 23 years old and studying Management at the University of Economics in Wroclaw. Natalia was a track athlete in high school, and now enjoys reading and cooking. She has worked in a kitchen before, and she too joins us this summer as a member of our Kitchen Staff.

AUSTEN DRAPER - Austin will be 24 years old this summer and he joins us from Tyne and Wear in the United Kingdom. He is in his 3rd year at Northumbria University, studying Media, Culture and Society. He has done some volunteer work with weekend camps for scouts, and he is currently a Gunner in the
101st Regiment of the Royal Artillery . Through his military background, Austen has worked and instructed on army rifle ranges. He is also experienced with soccer and mountain biking. Austen will be a cabin counselor, will head up our Riflery program, and help out with Soccer, Mountain Biking, Guitar, and more.

NORM DUDEK - Norm is one of the friendly locals who lives close to camp. He has been a long-haul truck driver for many years, covering thousands of miles. For the past 9 years, he has been a school bus driver for the local company we use to periodically transport our campers to events during the summer. So Norm has years of experience driving school and camp kids around the North Woods. He is the perfect guy to help our trips program out this summer as our camp Driver.

BILL DUFFERT - Bill is 22 years old and is from Ramsey, MN. He is a graduate of St. Mary's University in Winona, MN. with a degree is Elementary Education. Bill has worked as a counselor at a summer camp, and as a tutor and student teacher. He has experience with riflery through hunting with his family, and he has also done a lot of mountain biking and rock climbing. Bill will be a cabin counselor helping out with Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, and Riflery.

JEFF KAUFMAN - From Palm Desert, CA, we are joined by Jeff who will be our Lead Cook this summer. Jeff is 53 years old, and has been a chef for many, many years. He currently owns a catering company, and recently hosted a dinner party for Arnold Palmer and his 200 guests at a charity event. Jeff is originally from New Jersey, and last summer worked at a camp in Colorado that was very rustic, and at over 10,000 feet of elevation. We're very fortunate to have him with us working with our Kitchen Manager, Bill, and our other cook, Luth!

KALEY KELLENBURGER - Kaley is 20 years old and joins us from Lucerne, Indiana. She is a Sophomore at Indiana University studying Human Development and Family Studies. Kaley has worked with kids in Sunday schools and youth groups, and has volunteered with the Special Olympics. This summer Kaley will be our photographer taking and posting online thousands of pictures of our campers, and she'll also assist the nurses in the Infirmary.

KYLE MANLEY - Kyle is 21 years old, and he is a Junior at UW-Eau Claire in Eau Claire, WI. He is studying General Music Education with a focus on Instrumental Music. Kyle has extensive experience with kids as a camp counselor, orchestra coach, and private music teacher. He also has extensive background in backpacking and kayaking, and he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. This summer, Kyle joins us as a Trip Leader.

BETHYN MERRICK-NGUYEN - Bethyn will be 22 years old this summer and comes to us from Asheville, NC, where she is a Senior at UNC - Asheville majoring in Environmental Economics. She also happens to work at Climbmax Climbing Center, which is a rock climbing gym owned by our former Trips Director Stu Cowles. Bethyn caught Stu's eye as a great camp prospect, told us about her, and we were very happy to welcome her to camp. She is an accomplished climber and instructor, and has also worked at a summer camp for 3 years. Climbing is Bethyn's passion, which is great as she joins us as our new Rock Climbing Director.

CHRIS STEVENS - Chris will be 23 years old this summer, and he is from Sacramento, CA. He is a graduate from Hocking College with a degree in Eco-Tourism and Adventure Travel. Chris has worked with kids at 3 different summer camps in Ohio and California through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. He has backpacked on the Appalachian Trail, and in the Ozark Mountains. He is also an avid paddler, certified in river rescue, and has participated in and guided multiple river trips through Hocking. Chris joins us as a Trip Leader.

LAWRENCE TOYE - Lawrence is 21 years old, and he joins us from Hampshire in the United Kingdom. He is currently working as a bartender, but his true passion is Archery. Lawrence is a Grand National Archery Society qualified instructor, and has taught on a professional range for about a year now. In addition to that, he is a circus performer, with skills in staff spinning, juggling, plate spinning, devil sticks, and much more. And Lawrence has experience working in a small village in Malaysia renovating a water reservoir, rebuilding a kindergarten, and working with 5th grade kids there. This summer Lawrence will be a cabin counselor, will head up our Archery program, and will help out with Mountain Biking, Riflery, and Comedy Sportz.

Here in Tucson, JOSH SKRILL is playing baseball, basketball and tennis, and is also working out. BEN SKRILL is performing in the local Gaslight Theater, playing saxophone, and also working out. STEVE WEZELMAN is in his school marching band, and is working on the lighting and electrical crew for the high school theater. MARIO GADEA is playing lacrosse for an elite team of southern Arizona all-stars. Up in Scottsdale, ROSS KRULISKY played varsity soccer for his high school as a freshman, and is doing a lot of homework. In Chicago, LOGAN SEIDEN is having fun with his enormous puppies. JOSH SPAETH was managing his 6th grade basketball team until his teammates asked him to suit up and play the last game with them, whereupon he promptly put the ball in the hoop. There's been a lot of snow in Chicago, and JAKE FEIGER spent some time shoveling his family out of their driveway. Such a good guy! Okay, folks, we could use a bit more news about you all. It's so darn easy....just send us an email with some info about anything going on in your life, and we'll print it. Okay?

Tripper IAN BROWN was living in San Francisco, but decided it was time to start heading east towards Missouri, and then ultimately camp. He got an early start on it because he is making the trip on his bicycle! Ian rode into Tucson and spent a few days with us here before moving on. It was fun hanging out with him. Another visitor to Tucson recently was RYAN ELIAS. Ryan has been accepted to the University of Arizona, so he was here checking it out. He had a nice tour on campus...in 70 degree weather....before it snowed....and spent some quality time with "old-timer" ZACH BYK. Also in Tucson, DUSTY COHEN is playing baseball for his high school team, and JORDAN HERZ is playing tennis at the same school. DAVID ARTZI has finished a successful wrestling season, and finally gets to eat!! Good thing he works at Frost, a gelato store. DAVID LANGEBARTEL is busy with school and kickboxing. MAX WEINTRAUB is playing roller hockey. CRAIG HAUPTMAN is working in the DC area for a company doing business development work for government agencies. AMY EIDSON is student teaching and applying to be a school teacher in North Carolina. HEATHER WRIGHT has landed a job working with kids in before/after school programs as a teacher in Washington. KATHY LEVERTON is in Cape Town, South Africa trying to stay warm as they progress from summer into fall. She is working for a camp program called High Africa where she has groups of school and corporate groups for whom she facilitates ropes course, climbing, and raft building programs. Sounds like a blast! Okay y'all...you can also let us know what's up with you so we can share it with your camp family. Any of you 2nd year JCs going to college next year? Wanna tell us where? That's good news to share!!

BRAVO TO THE MARCH BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRSL! David Doner - 3/1/1995, Alexander Echt - 3/1/1999, Christian Norfleet - 3/1/1998, Dillon Berlin - 3/4/2002, Jacob Lurie - 3/5/1991, Scottie Mutchnik - 3/5/1997, Eddie Rosenblum - 3/6/1996, Barry Cohen - 3/10/2001, Liam O'Malley - 3/12/2001, Sarahjane Tierney - 3/12/1987, Harris Lerner - 3/14/1999, Natalia Berechulka - 3/15/1988, Jake Gordon - 3/15/1993, Jonathan Bloom - 3/20/1999, Sam Jaffe - 3/20/1999, Brian Strain - 3/22/1981, Ryan Gersowsky - 3/26/1995, Daniel Calvillo - 3/27/1997, Matt Rodin - 3/27/1992, Danny Shovers - 3/27/1995, Joe Berns - 3/28/2001, Brandon Cramin - 3/28/1996, Joshua Kohn - 3/28/1996, Aaron Berkowitz - 3/29/1996, Michael Bloom - 3/29/1996, Adam Rubin - 3/29/2000, Greg Cooper - 3/30/1987, Zach Coplan - 3/31/2000.

We'll write you again next month. Have a happy March, everyone!!

Benches up,

Volume LI, Number 6, February, 2011

2011-02-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

We hope you all have had a nice January and start to the New Year. As you no doubt have read, we had some eventful days here in Tucson last month. The tragedy struck fairly close to home for most of our camp friends here in town, though thankfully none were at the scene when it happened. In the aftermath, it has been easy to be proud of our city and the people here. Hopefully, in other parts of the country, it has been apparent that the people here have tried hard to pull together, be supportive, and to come back strong. Leslie and I visited the very large vigil that was being held outside the hospital where the most critically wounded victims were being treated, and it just took our breath away. It was very sad, and yet it felt very strong all at the same time. This sense of pulling together is not unusual after a good community suffers a bad loss. And yet, it seems unfortunate that a loss is required for that to happen on a large scale. There are certainly more positive experiences that can bring a community together, of course. At camp, we experience that nearly every week at our campfires. Those fun and upbeat gatherings often serve to remind us very explicitly that we are, above all else, a camp family, a community that cares for all its members. The campfires serve to mark the passing of another week of camp, and a chance to reflect, and take stock of our good fortune for being in that beautiful place with so many great people whom we all care about. Maybe the city council ought to consider implementing city-wide campfires every once in a while to pull us all together. It could work!

It has also been a busy travel month for we camp folks. January included trips to Dallas, Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. Anytime you travel in January, the weather can be iffy, and this time around was no exception. While in Dallas, we had a beautiful Saturday that was sunny and warm. And then on Sunday it snowed…..a lot. I think it would have been really fun to watch those Dallas boys play around in the snow since they don’t see it too often. Then it was on to Chicago and Milwaukee. I landed at O’Hare late on a Friday morning, and the temperature was 0 degrees. No matter how you look at it, that’s not a lot of degrees. Walking out of the airport terminal to the rental car shuttle was like taking an upper cut to the chin. It was crazy cold! And of course, driving up to Milwaukee, it didn’t get any warmer. On the up side, though, it was sunny the entire time, and I can take just about any amount of cold if there’s a little sunshine to soak up. So it wasn’t really that bad. It was also a really nice reunion, but I got so caught up in the great company, that I forgot to take a photo of our Milwaukee guys. Fortunately, they sent me some recent photos of themselves so we could include them in the newsletter. Phew! Thanks for having my back!!

This past weekend was a trip to St. Louis, for Dusty and I, and while there was snow on the ground, it was just beautiful outside. Again, we had a weekend full of sunshine! Our time there included a visit to Washington University and an afternoon spent with AARON ZEMACH, who is a freshman there. We also attended the St. Louis Camp Fair, and we had all sorts of great visitors to our table, including CHARLIE TIPTON, JAKE FLOM, BEN REMIS, WILL COEN, JERRIS KIRKWOOD, MARSHALL STRAWBRIDGE, CHARLIE JONAS, and IZZY MCKENZIE. Thanks to all of you for making the fair much more fun!!

We are on a big roll now with our enrollment, 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: JOHNNY & MICHAEL GROSS, CHRISTIAN NORFLEET, ELI SELZ, and ERIC & JACK THOMPSON of Chicago, IL; DAVID GLAZER and JACK KNUETTEL of Denver, CO; ADAM WASSERMAN of Deerfield, IL; after a summer’s absence, NICK HAMBURGER of Glencoe, IL; JAKE FLOM and RYAN HEARST of St. Louis, MO; BEN BLOOM, ALEXANDER & DANIEL ECHT, and JACK ROSS of Highland Park, IL; BRANDON GOMEL, SAM KAGAN, and GRANT ZUCKER of Bellaire, TX; SAMMY DRAZNER and GARRETT SHUMAN of Northbrook, IL; ADAM SUSMAN of Oak Park, IL; BEN SCHACHTER of Dallas, TX; BEN CHESKIS of Riverwoods, IL; and AARON GLAZER of Mequon, WI.

Welcome aboard to the following new campers who have recently joined us: SAHSA SALK of Chicago, IL; ALEX POBERESKIN of Deerfield, IL; ALEXANDER WEITZMAN of Franklin, TN; SAM & JACKSON PAWLAN of Woodstock, GA; ETHAN VICTOR of Glencoe, IL; JARED BLOOM and HENRY ECHT of Highland Park, IL; JAKE GREENBERG of Bellaire, TX; CASEY MUTCHNIK of Northbrook, IL; and ZACH KALLMEYER of Highland Heights, OH. We’re really happy to have you all with us! Hope you’re excited for an amazing summer!!!

YO PARENTS! It’s that fun time of year when we ask for the 2nd deposit for your son(s). We have sent you all 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.

YO CAMPERS: Our 2011 Trips Calendar is now online! It is still early, so there could be a few small changes here and there, but it is up and it is awesome! A few notes:

1. Our grand-daddy trips are just a bit shorter this year. In recent summers, we’ve found that more kids are reluctant to be out of camp for those long, long stretches. So, we’ve listened, and tried to make the trips fit better with your other needs for your summer at camp. For example, the 1st session Isle Royale Backpacking trip has been shortened from 10 days to 9. That’s still plenty of time to see this extraordinary island in Lake Superior. The 2nd session Quetico Canoe Trip in Canada has gone from 12 days to 10. Again, plenty of time to explore that big, beautiful wilderness up there. And parents, the fees for these trips have been reduced accordingly, which is more good news.

2. Remember, the only trips for which there is a charge include the trips to Isle Royale, Quetico Provincial Park, the Sand River, and the Apostle Islands Sea Kayaking. Those are also the only trips that you can pre-register for if you wish. 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. If you wish to pre-register for a trip, click here, then click on “Trips Info”, and then on “Advanced Registration.” If you have any questions, please call or email us.

YO OLD GUYS: If you are in 8th or 9th grade this school year, we are planning 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 continue to see an unusually large return of staff this summer. It is just amazing, and we know this means our 51st summer (What? It’s the 51st?!) is going to be the best. Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who will return to camp.

JOSH BOLING	Josh is 22 years old, and is a recent graduate from the University of Georgia. He makes his home in Cadwell, GA, and is currently working hard as an “adventurer.” This will be Josh’s 2nd summer at camp, and he will be a Trip Leader.
SCOTT BREEN	After a summer’s absence, Scotty is back for his 12th summer at camp. He is 22 years old, and will graduate this spring from Georgetown University with a degree in Political Economy, and an eye toward law school. While finishing up school, Scotty is also working at the Environmental Protection Agency, for a student-run grocery store, and he’s training for the DC National Marathon next month. Scotty will be a cabin counselor, will be our Senior Village Director, and will help out with Volleyball, Timberman-Cardio, and Waterskiing.
IAN BROWN	It is summer number 4 coming up for Ian! He is 24 years old, and is currently living in San Francisco whipping up hot dogs for a vendor called “Let’s Be Frank.” Ian will again join our Trip Leading Staff this summer.
STEVEN COOKE	It is Steven’s 2nd summer coming up at camp. He will be 20 years old this summer, and he is a sophomore at Arizona State University, studying Applied Computer Science and playing soccer. He is also actively involved in building houses with Habitat for Humanity. This summer Steven will join our Maintenance Staff.
EMILY JONES	Emily is 19 years old, and is currently a freshman at Indiana University in Bloomington, studying Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Studies. Emily knows camp, having literally grown up with us since she was born. This will “officially” be her 19th summer at Timberlane where she will head up our Sailing program. In Bloomington, she has been working at the Scholar’s Inn, which is a restaurant owned by a camp alumnus. This spring, Emily will canoe the Rio Grande with her school’s outdoor group.
SAM KAHN	Sam will be 22 years old this summer, and this will be his 13th year at camp! Sam will graduate this spring from Syracuse University with a degree in Finance Real Estate. His plan is to work for City Year Chicago, as a teacher and tutor at inner city schools. Sam will again be a cabin counselor, will co-head our PA Program, and help out with Swimming and Waterskiing.
MATT KEARNEY	Matt will be 23 years old this summer, and he returns for his 3rd year at camp. He graduated recently from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse with a degree in English Education. He’s currently working as a substitute teacher and looking for teaching jobs for the next school year. Matt will again be a cabin counselor, will head up our Ropes Course program, and help out with Waterskiing, Climbing, and Basketball.
JUSTIN LOWRY	Justin is back for his 3rd summer at camp. He is 21 years old, and will again travel all the way from England to join us. Back home, Justin teaches swimming, PE, math and sciences in high school. He is also currently playing for 3 soccer teams, 2 of which are 6 per side, and 1 is 11 per side. Justin will again be a cabin counselor, will now split the leadership of our Tennis program with Jovan McGee, and this year Justin will head up our Soccer program.
JACOB LURIE	Summer number 10 coming up for Jacob! He will be 20 years old this summer, and is currently a sophomore at Indiana University studying Legal Studies. This summer, Jacob will be a cabin counselor, will head up Weight Training, and he will also be our Intermediate Village Director.
JOVAN MC GEE	Jovan is 28 years old, and is returning for his 8th summer at camp. He recently moved from Minneapolis to Pompano Beach, FL, which was a very smart thing to do. He’s loving Florida, where he is coaching gymnastics and working as a teacher’s assistant. Jovan will be a cabin counselor, will continue to head up our Gymnastics program, and will also co-head Tennis with Justin Lowry.
MATT RODIN	It is summer number 10 coming up for Matt! He will be 19 years old this summer, and is currently a freshman at the Boston Conservatory studying Musical Theatre. He is currently working as a technical assistant in his school’s mainstage theatre and will be a part of two shows this semester. At camp, Matt will again be a cabin counselor, will head up our Comedy Sportz improv program, and help out with Waterskiing, Guitar, Yoga, and Arts & Crafts.
MAX WEINTRAUB	Max is 19 years old, is from St. Louis, and is currently a freshman at the University of Arizona studying business. This will be Max’s 5th summer at camp, and he will be a cabin counselor, will head up our Basketball program, and help out with Baseball, Athletics, and more.

And welcome aboard to JONATHAN WILLIAMS, who joins us this summer. Jonathan is 26 years old, and is taking classes in Mechanical Engineering at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Chandler, AZ. Jonathan served in the military as a military police officer. He works on cars, has masonry experience, and is otherwise very mechanically inclined. This summer he will join our Maintenance Staff.

In St. Louis, JON KIBEL had a great lacrosse season with his team, even making it all the way to the state finals. Do not mess with the STRAWBRIDGE brothers—MARSHALL became Grand Champion during a Karate tournament and MICHAEL managed to get a concussion while wrestling. Down in Dallas, JAKE MAZOW has had a busy fall, making high honor roll at school and raising money for First Tee and North Texas PGA as part of his Bar Mitzvah project—all on a broken ankle! JAKE HOFFMAN has been playing indoor soccer and will be starting lacrosse in the spring. Also playing some indoor soccer, as well as tennis and basketball, is BEN SCHACHTER. In Milwaukee, AARON GLAZER is playing basketball at the JCC and for his school; he’s looking forward to a trip to Israel with his class in just a few weeks. GABE SENNETT has been enjoying his time playing floor hockey at the JCC.

Out in Colorado, ADAM ELIAS is excited to attend several hockey officiating camps in effort to move to the NHL level. In St. Louis, CHARLIE JONAS has been busy with his hockey season. NICK MORLEY has been training hard for the Madison and Chicago marathons in hopes to qualify for his ultimate goal—the Boston marathon. Truly incredible, JAKE “BIRDMAN” POURCHOT will be participating in a cross-country bike tour with his brother and father to raise money for a disease known as Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T). BEN LEVEY has been enjoying his temporary driver’s license, as well as his time at tennis, school, and working out. Blondes do have more fun—JOEY PAWLAN can be spotted with electric yellow hair these days, having dyed it for the swim team. Tripper RYAN EISENMAN participated in a program called No Impact Week and blogged about his experience (here is the link to his blog: http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/ryan-blogs-on-no-impact-week). Down in South Africa, KATHY LEVERTON will be camping over the next few weekends with friends. Tripper DAN NEWMAN is extremely excited to begin his year-long experience with the Ameri Corp. volunteer program.

BRAVO TO THE FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Garrett Shuman - 2/2/1999, Jackson Pawlan - 2/6/2001, Kevin Daily - 2/8/1999, Max Glickman - 2/8/1997, Chad Byler - 2/9/1987, Cameron Cavalier - 2/9/1996, William Henley - 2/9/1998, Sammy Drazner - 2/10/1997, Jonah Landy - 2/12/1996, Megan Hager - 2/14/1984, Jack Lynch - 2/15/1999, Sarah Olson - 2/15/1991, David Ringel - 2/15/1997, Ben Remis - 2/16/2000, Daniel Feldman - 2/17/2000, Dillon Gross - 2/17/1998, Eric Thompson - 2/17/1999, Zach Walden - 2/17/2000, Dési Heinen - 2/19/1986, Daniel Engel - 2/20/1998, Jared Liebman - 2/20/1996, Ethan Glasberg - 2/23/1999, Jack Gomberg - 2/23/1996, Sam M Kahn - 2/23/1989, Santi Silva - 2/23/2000, Adam Kaz - 2/24/1997, Casey Mutchnik - 2/25/2001, Nick Hamburger - 2/26/1998, Grayson Sheena - 2/26/1998, Charlie Deer - 2/28/1999, Jack Polston - 2/28/1996, Seth Gross - 2/29/1992.

That’s it for now, kiddies. We know many of you are having a chilling cold snap come through, but hang in there….once we get through this, summer is right around the corner!! We’ll write you again next month.

Benches up,

Volume LI, Number 5, January, 2011

2010-12-29T14:45:00.001-08:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

Happy New Year, y’all! We hope it is off to a fantastic start, and brings you all much happiness and success!!

There are certain expressions that parents tell their kids that we all tend to pass down from generation to generation. I’m talking about things like how important it is to eat your vegetables, dress for the weather, how to treat others as we would want to be treated, all that jazz. When I was a kid, I’d say I paid attention to approximately 0% of that stuff coming from my parents. Now that I have kids of my own, however, this all takes on much more urgency, and naturally, it is ALL true and vital to successful growing up for my own kids. So, campers, as your camp director, let me share with you the really vital ones. Ready?

December was a Snowy Month at Camp!

Let’s start with one that may not be so true…”If you’re too full for dinner, you’re too full for dessert.” Now, that’s sensible from a nutritional standpoint, but has nothing to do with volume. As we all know, dessert goes into a completely separate stomach…or at least a section of the stomach that is exclusively reserved for dessert. You with me? Okay. “Put on a coat or you’ll catch cold.” Now, many doctors will dispute the validity of this one, saying that colds are viruses or bacteria or something like that. However, my theory – well tested during my days as a ski instructor in Colorado – is that if your body has to work extra hard to keep you warm because you dressed like a goof ball, then it has less resources to use when fighting those cold viruses. See? So chalk one up for parental wisdom, even if the medical community may disagree.

Here’s one that is indisputable, regardless of the physics. The older you get, the faster time goes. Want proof? Okay…it’s already 2011!! You can’t need more proof than that! It was waaaay less than a year ago that it became 2010, so something’s up. I think this phenomenon is directly related to the fact that pro athletes now look to me like they’re young enough to be in middle school. I remember when I was a kid, the guys playing high school baseball and football looked SO OLD! Some of them had moustaches! Now I watch the NFL and MLB and NHL, and it looks like some of those guys could be campers at camp. It’s freaky. This one is totally true, so when your parents tell you that the years only go by faster and faster, you ought to believe them. And then you should eat all your dinner…including the veggies.

December was a snowy one at camp. Our phenomenal caretaker GREG FUS has sent us some photos to help us see how beautiful it is up there this time of year. The highs have been hovering in the teens, so it sure likes nice in the pictures, but I think we’ll stick around Tucson. Actually, that hasn’t really happened that much. We had some fantastic reunions last month in Houston and Nashville, and we thank the Bronstons in Houston and the Jacobs’ in Nashville for their hospitality. I’d have said “warm hospitality”, and it was, but as usual, I brought some wintery weather into Nashville, including several inches of snow on the day of the reunion. Very unusual down there, and also very pretty. We have some fun reunions coming up this month in Dallas and Milwaukee…..I can’t wait!

It was a busy December, and we’re planning on an even busier January. We’re right on target to exceed last summer’s overall enrollment, and we’re really pleased with how many first-year kids are joining us so far. Welcome aboard to the following “Old-Timers” who re-enrolled last month: ETHAN GLASBERG of Glencoe, IL; ARI MAZZA of Highland Park, IL; IAN SETZER of Orlando, FL; MATT MOSSLER of Carmel, IN; JACK ELOWE of Northbrook, IL; JORDAN ALLEN of Evanston, IL; ASA and ELIAH HIKEN and CHAD KAMEN of Prospect, KY; DREW SCHWARTZ of Wheeling, IL; IZZY MCKENZIE of St. Louis, MO; ELIOT and MILES PADZENSKY of Deerfield, IL; and GARRETT GLOVER, BRANDON GOMEL, and HOLDEN ROSENTHAL of Bellaire, TX.

Welcome aboard to the following new campers who will join us this month: EZRA and GABRIEL WALLON of Chicago, IL; SAM PALEY of Deerfield, IL; AVI HIKEN of Prospect, KY; ZACHARY ZLEPPER of St. Louis, MO; ROY WALKER of Evanston, IL; CHARLIE DEER of Highland Park, IL; JAKE MELTZER of Bellaire, TX; and DUSTY EPSTEIN, JACK HAYES, and BRANDON TUCKER of Northbrook, IL. Glad to have you all with us!

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 2011:

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 20th	1st Session Begins. Hooooooooraaaaaay!
July 16th	1st Session Ends
July 17th	2nd Session Begins. Woooo Hooooo!
July 16th - 17th	Visiting Weekend
August 12th	2nd Session Ends....bummer!
August 13th	Time to sign up for the summer of 2012!!

STAFF IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2011:

February 1st	SCs, Trippers, Activity Specialists, Nurses, and Steering Committee must have their contracts into us by this date to guarantee their spot this summer.
March 1st	Kitchen and Maintenance Staff must have their contracts into us by this date to guarantee their spot this summer.
May 27th	WFR Course Begins
June 1st	Lifeguard Training Course Begins
June 4th	Trip Leader Training Begins
June 4th	Kitchen and Maintenance Staff Start
June 7th	Boat Driver Training Course Begins
June 6th	Steering Committee Starts
June 8th	Rock Climbing Wall Instructor Course Begins
June 10th	CPR Challenge and Re-Certification Course
June 11th	LGT Challenge and Re-Certification Course
June 11th	1st Year Staff Training Begins
June 13th	All-Staff Training Begins
June 20th	The Campers Arrive!! Yeeeeehaaaaaa!
August 12th	The Campers Depart…..bummer!
August 13th	Last Day for all Staff Except Kitchen & Maintenance Staff
August 15th	Last Day for Kitchen and Maintenance Staff

Wait till you have a look at this awesome list of returning staff members! And we’re just getting started!! This is going to be one of those amazing summers with so much tradition and experience represented in our staff. First of all, say hi to this fantastic group of Junior Counselors….all guys who have grown up with us at camp:

DAVID ARTZI	This will be David’s 7th summer at camp. He is 17 years old, and is a junior at Sabino HS in Tucson, AZ. David is on the school wrestling team, and he also has a job at our favorite dessert place, Frost, a gelato store.
LUCAS BESLOW	Lucas will be 17 years old this summer, and is from Bannockburn, IL where he is a junior at Deerfield HS. This will be his 9th summer at camp.
RYAN ELIAS	Summer number 10 coming up for Ryan, who will be 18 years old this summer, and is a senior at Glenbrook North HS in Northbrook, IL.
DAVID FINE	David is 18 years old, and is a senior at Deerfield HS in Deerfield, IL. This will be his 9th summer at camp.
ZACK FRIEDENBERG	This will be Zack’s 8th summer at camp. He is 17 years old and is a junior at University School in Nasvhille, TN. He is on his school’s golf team and also in the rock climbing club.
JAKE GORDON	Jake will be 18 years old this summer, and he is a senior at Glenbrook North HS in Northbrook, IL. This will be his 7th summer at camp where he will again head up our Guitar program. In addition to music, Jake is into theater and will be performing in in the production of "Spelling Bee" at the Illinois Theatrefest this month.
JORDAN HENRY	Summer number 10 on deck for Jordan! He is 18 years old and is a senior at Clayton HS in St. Louis, MO. where he is captain of the wrestling team.
MAX KAPLAN	Max is from Houston, TX and is a junior at Emery Weiner. He will be 17 this summer, and it is his 9th summer coming up!
JOSH KAYNE	This will be Josh’s 7th summer at Timberlane. He is a junior at Deerfield HS in Deerfield, IL, and he has a job at a bike shop called Deerfield Cyclery. Josh also played for his school’s hockey team. He will be 17 years old this summer.
DAVID LANGEBARTEL	David is 17 years old and is a junior at Catalina Foothills HS in Tucson. This summer will be his 6th at camp.
SCOTT MAYER	Scott will be 18 years old this summer, and is a Senior at Glenbrook North HS in Northbrook, IL. He is getting ready to play tennis for his school this spring. It is summer number 6 coming up for Scott,
JOEY PAWLAN	This will be Joey’s 10th summer at camp!! He is 18 years old and he’s a Senior at Glenbrook North HS in Northbrook, IL. We are so proud to tell you that Joey took 1st place in a belly flop contest while on vacation in Nueva Vallarta, Mexico. Keep up the great work!
BEN PERCIFIELD	Ben is 17 years old and is a junior at New Trier HS in Wilmette, IL. This will be Ben’s 8th summer at camp. This past fall, Ben had the chance to visit China for 9 days where he honed his Chinese language skills.
JEREMY TUBBS	Jeremy will be 18 years old this summer, and he is a senior at Clayton HS in St. Louis, MO. This will be Jeremy’s 9th summer at camp.
DANNY ZAGA	Danny is 17 years old, and is a junior at Milken Community HS in Los Angeles, CA, where he plays basketball and volleyball. This will be Danny’s 9th summer at camp.

Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who return to camp in various positions:

KATHY LEVERTON	Kathy is back for her 6th summer, and 3rd as our Waterfront Director. She comes to us from Cape Town, South Africa, where she has completed a mountain guiding course and works as a climbing instructor at a climbing gym and she is working with outdoor school camps. Kathy is 26 years old.
JOSH MC GRATH	Josh is 19 years old, and is from Phoenix, AZ. It is his 10th summer at camp coming up! He is a freshman at Duke University in Durham, NC., where he is majoring in Engineering and playing Ultimate Frisbee. Josh will be a cabin counselor, and will be co-head of our huge Waterskiing program.
DEBBIE PURCELL	Debbie is back for her 9th summer at camp. She lives in Aurora, CO where she has multiple jobs, including working with elementary school kids with special needs, and at Young Chef’s Academy teaching kids how to cook. Debbie will again help out in the office, and handle our daily runs into town. She’s been enjoying the mountains of Colorado, doing some snow shoeing, but she really can’t wait for camp!
VICKI SETZER	Vicki is back for her 2nd summer at camp. She lives in Orlando, FL, where she is a school nurse at Dr. Phillips Elementary school (Home of the Flying Eagles!). She again joins us as one of our camp nurses.
COLBY SHARLIN	Summer number 10 coming up for Colby! He is 19 years old and is a freshman at the University of Illinois, studying Biology. Colby will be a cabin counselor, and will help out at Swimming, Waterskiing, and the Ropes Course.
JORDY SHARLIN	After a summer away, Jordy is back for his 12th summer at camp. He is 21 years old, and is a junior at the University of Illinois studying Molecular and Cellular Biology. Jordy will be the co-director of the PA program, and will help out with Weight Training and Waterskiing. He tells us: “I just recently got back from a skiing trip in Utah (Park City) and saw Ross Sinar at the airport! And recently I have been actively training to re-claim my Casino Night Arm Wrestling Championship Belt from the one whose name cannot be spoken...BREEN!”
BRIAN STRAIN	Summer number 10 on deck for “Poppa” Strain. Brian will be 30 years old this summer, and he lives in Denver, CO. He works at an elementary school handling all of their technology needs and teaching computer class. He is also taking education classes and drives a Zamboni in the evenings. Brian will again be our Junior Village Director, and will head up our Fishing program.
KAYLA WANDSNIDER	Kayla is 21 years old and returns to us from her home town of Milwaukee, WI. She is currently a Junior at UW- Lacrosse, studying Biology, Spanish, and Environmental Studies. She is also planning to participate in the world-famous Birkebiner cross country ski race up in Hayward , WI this winter. This will be Kayla’s 2nd summer at camp, and she will again be a Trip Leader.
SCOTT WOLF	Summer number 10 is coming up for Scott! He is 19 years old, from Highland Park, IL, and is a freshman at Northwestern University, studying Theatre. At Northwestern, Scott is roommates with “old-timer” Noah Rawitz. Scott will be a cabin counselor, head up our Athletics program, and help out with Ropes Course and Fishing.
JAMES WOOD	James is returning to us from Thrapston in the United Kingdom for his 2nd summer at camp. He will be 21 years old this summer, and currently teaches gymnastics in different schools and at a gymnastics club. James will again be a cabin counselor, and will teach Gymnastics and Waterskiing, as well as other activities at camp.
HEATHER WRIGHT	Heather is 23 years old and is a graduate of Central Washington University with a degree in Theatre Technology and Design. She is currently an intern as a props artisan at Stone Soup Theatre, Annex Theatre, and Seattle Music Theatre in Seattle, WA. This will be her 2nd summer at camp where she will again head up our Arts & Crafts program.
AARON ZEMACH	Summer number 9 coming up for Aaron. He will be 19 years old this summer, is originally from Deerfield, IL., and is currently a freshman at Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in Computer Science. He has been involved in Wash U’s improv group called “Suspicious of Whistlers,” where they make up 30 minute shows based on suggestions of a single word from the audience. Aaron will be a cabin counselor, and will help out with Ropes Course, Photography, Comedy Sportz, and he may even help us re-start a program at camp that hasn’t been seen in more than 25 years………

BEN REMIS and his family recently traveled from St. Louis to Arizona for winter break, and we were able to spend a little quality time in our favorite Mexican restaurant with them. That was a fun surprise! In Orlando, IAN SETZER is a patrol leader for his Scout den’s patrol, and went camping recently with his scout troop. BEN SCHACHTER is in Dallas, but while he was in Chicago over Thanksgiving visiting family, he bumped into MIKE BREEN at a hotdog joint in Northbrook. Ben was also in Houston in November and visited with a bunch of kids at GARRETT GLOVER’s house. In Houston, RYAN BRONSTON is playing club basketball on a team with BRANDON GOMEL, JONATHAN STEIN, and GARRETT GLOVER. Ryan also has the role of “Horton” in the JCC play, and he is his school’s student council president. He and his family moved into a new house that used to belong to Texan quarterback Matt Schaub. JONATHAN STEIN is playing golf as well as basketball, and seems to be on TV a lot at Houston Rockets games. GARRETT GLOVER is playing hoops and baseball. BEN ROBERTS is playing basketball and is on a travel soccer team. JEFFREY GOLD is playing basketball and was bracing for mid-term exams. Yikes! CAMREON CAVALIER is playing on a basketball team that was undefeated. GRANT ZUCKER is also playing basketball. JOSEPH KUPERMAN is playing basketball, watching a lot of football, and finally made it to his first camp reunion. Loved it! HARRISON ATLAS is playing basketball. HOLDEN ROSENTHAL is…wait for it….playing basketball. JONAH ROSENBERG is NOT playing basketball. He’s playing lacrosse and soccer. JOEY BURSTEN is playing soccer also. SAM SPIER is playing a lot of guitar and starting a band. BEN SPIER is playing soccer. GRAYSON SHEENA finished soccer season and now…he’s playing basketball. MICHAEL KAPLAN was playing fall baseball, and loved the socks he got for Hanukah. HAYDEN TURK is playing basketball and baseball and can’t wait for camp! JOSPEH FIELDS ran in a 5K race recently, finishing near the top 200 out of 10,000 runners. BRIAN BROCHSTEIN is having a great school year. He’s also playing golf. SAMMY DRAZNER and DAVID PAWLAN are from Chicago, and were in Houston for our reunion there! Awesome!! Sammy is wrestling at the 95lb weight class and playing volleyball. David is playing basketball. In Nashville, MATTHEW JACOBS loves his new braces! Okay, maybe not. He’s playing basketball after soccer season ended. He’ll be training with the high school soccer team this year, even though he’s in 8th grade. Amazing! TYLER JACOBS is playing indoor soccer and basketball. ALEX FREEDMAN was a linebacker on his tackle football team. He’s now in basketball season. JORDAN FISHEL has been going to Hebrew school, and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah last November. Congrats, Jordan!! JAKE SPRINTZ is busy with school, guitar, and tennis….not necessarily in that order. BRIAN GORDON is on his school’s bowling team and has been hanging out with friends. IAN JACOBS is getting ready for lacrosse season and is doing some acting and improv at school.

Some of our Chicago area guys have been traveling a bit. RYAN ELIAS spent part of his winter break at a barefooting camp in Florida, and LUCAS BESLOW paid a visit to ZACK FRIEDENBERG in Nashville over the holidays. JOSH HALPER is playing guitar, in his school’s jazz band, and on the bowling team. He’ll play on the tennis team this spring. Tripper JOSH BOLING is in Cadwell, GA, and is an official college graduate! Congtats!! Congrats also to SAM KUSIN in Houston who recently earned his Eagle Scout. Also in Houston, Tripper RYAN EISENMAN has been applying to colleges, playing soccer, and running cross country. He spent winter break skiing in Colorado. JEREMY “JEMS” TODD was such a rock star counselor that he is now interviewing staff candidates for IEP in New Zealand, the agency that he came to camp through. CHRIS BARRON has been digging out of a massive snowfall in Glasgow. Meanwhile, he participated in a tryout for a high octane basketball team in Scotland, and is awaiting the results. In November, Chris played host to traveling camp folks KATHY LEVERTON, JUSTIN LOWRY, and JAMES WOOD. While there, James taught Justin how to powerkite, which he says was a very muddy experience, and got to watch a few of Chris’ basketball games. James also got to visit with MAX KAPLAN while Max was traveling in London. MICHAEL “SCRAGGY” SCRAGG spent a little time mountain biking in Canada after camp, and is now back home in Australia working and getting back into shape after eating all that “good American food.” He’s also training for Ironman Western Australia, which will take place next December.

BRAVO TO OUR JANUARY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS! Michael Natinsky - 1/3/1999, Cole Eckel - 1/4/1997, Adam Elias - 1/4/1989, Perry Oster - 1/4/1996, 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, Justin Zaslavsky - 1/8/1997, Peter Goldberg - 1/10/1985, 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, Gabriel Wallon - 1/17/2001, Michael Scragg - 1/18/1984, Jeremy Todd - 1/18/1987, Craig Hauptman - 1/20/1986, Jonah Kaplan - 1/20/1995, Thomas Murdoch - 1/23/1991, Ricky Romersi - 1/23/1999, Charlie Smoller - 1/23/2000, Lucas Beslow - 1/24/1994, Scott Mayer - 1/24/1993, Davante Grace - 1/26/1998, Drew Hyman - 1/26/1998, Aaron Dembsky - 1/29/1999, Sam Kahn - 1/30/1997, Eli Mitchell - 1/30/1999, Dan Newman - 1/31/1985.

We hope you all start the New Year off well, and we’ll write you again next month.

Benches up,

Volume LI, No. 4, December, 2010

2010-12-01T10:20:00.001-08:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Alums & Friends,

The Cheyenne are credited for creating the adage, “Do not judge your neighbor until you walk two moons in his moccasins.” It seems sensible, and it is particularly germane to a discussion of understanding and working with children. This topic came up in a recent issue of Parade Magazine, entitled “What’s Really Going On Inside Your Teen’s Brain.” The article is interesting in that much of the behavior that we see in kids that age is explained in terms of human brain development, and where it is in that process when people enter their teen years. Modern science is providing us with a window into the physical reasons why teens behave the way they do. What struck me in reading that article was how adults tend to view teenagers as somehow being aliens…so different and foreign from themselves. Really, the question I would ask is what has this new science taught us that we didn’t already know from our own experiences? Where’s the revelation? For instance, one of the headings in the article asks, “Why Can’t She Rise and Shine, Darn It?” This section addresses the fact that most teenagers need at least 8.5 – 9 hours of sleep each night, and that their bodies don’t tend to produce the hormone to wake them up till fairly late in the morning. Anyone with kids knows this is fact….our own teenage kids are sluggish every school day morning. And apparently, it frustrates lots of parents. The thing is, any adult (who was once a teenager) experienced this in their own teen years, though they may prefer to remember it differently. C’mon, folks, you can admit you could sleep through lunch on weekends when you were a teen, can’t you? I sure can, and I remember well being frustrated when my parents would throw my door open and make me wake up because I was “wasting the day away.”

Is it right for teens to sleep all day on the weekend? No, probably not, but it is not without some logic, and most – if not all – of us were there once. So I don’t get why adults can become SO frustrated with their teenage kids. We have, ourselves, walked many moons in those teenage moccasins. Whether it is inconvenient sleep rhythms or other typical teenage behavior that gets under the skin, we think it makes sense to pause, try to remember what it was like for you when you were that age, and then respond accordingly. It’s the same principle we hope to see in our camp counselors. Those who have a strong recollection of what it was like for them when they were kids tend to make the very best counselors. Certainly this doesn’t mean they are more lenient or forgiving of transgressions….they just have a more intimate grasp on what kids are thinking and going through, so they’re better equipped to make a connection and provide appropriate and positive guidance. Wouldn’t it be great if all teacher, coaches, and parents could do the same? We think they can….they just have to remember those moons they walked in those moccasins.

Our camp office has been a busy place lately. We’ve been traveling around for reunions, and all the while we’ve been meeting with new families. We’ve had some help from lots of our current camp families in reaching out to new kids, and we appreciate that very much. We also want to thank the Elias family in Chicago, Lovetts in Los Angeles, and the Dawsons in Denver. We appreciate the hospitality. Up north, the snow has been flying, and camp is under a beautiful white blanket. The weather has been a little bizarre at the same time up there, with strong rain storms hitting between snow flurries, but it seems the snow has settled in for the foreseeable future, and we’re hoping for a lot of it. The weather has not slowed down our caretaker, GREG FUS, from continuing his work on several of the cabins this winter. We’ve got some major projects lined up for the early spring, and we’ll tell you about those in the coming months leading up to camp.

We’re really pleased with how strong our enrollment is thus far, and we appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm. There is still room in all age groups for either session, so if you have not yet enrolled for the upcoming summer, there’s no reason to fret. Remember, you can enroll or re-enroll online by clicking here. Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled this past month: JUSTIN & RYAN GALOWICH of Chicago, IL; DYLAN SALDINGER of Deerfield, IL; NICK PAPPAS of Glencoe, IL; MAX GOLDENBERG, JACK & LIAM O’MALLEY, JACK ROSENTHAL, and MICHAEL & MARSHALL STRAWBRIDGE of St. Louis, MO; BEN & DANIEL FELDMAN and JEREMY SPARKS of Highland Park, IL; JONAH HOFFMAN of Nashville, TN; JAKE MAZOW of Dallas, TX; ANDREW & BRANDON CRAMIN, DAVID PAWLAN, MASON ROSENBERG, JOSH SPAETH, and SAM WETZEL of Northbrook, IL; HARRISON ATLAS & BEN ROBERTS of Houston, TX; MIKE WHITMAN of Rockford, IL; and RICKY ROMERSI of Bayside, WI.

Welcome aboard to the following new campers who recently enrolled: JACK BARUCH of Buffalo Grove, IL; HARRIS LERNER of Glencoe, IL; CHARLIE SMOLLER of St. Louis, MO; AARON & DYLAN KATZ of Salt Lake City, UT; and ADAM & BEN KRAMER of Highland Park, IL. We’re so pleased to have you all join us this coming summer. What a blast we’re going to have!!

YO EVERYONE: If we are going to have a reunion in your home town, we will give you your Reunion DVD there. That way you have the excitement of seeing it for the first time when everyone else does. If, sadly, we’re not coming to your home town, we will send you your DVD copy very soon. If you ordered a Memory Book from last summer, that should have been sent to you also very recently. If you are certain you ordered a Memory Book, and it has not arrived by now, please let us know and we’ll look into it. If you’re not sure if you ordered a Memory Book, send us a quick email and we can check that out and get back to you. Unfortunately, it is not possible to add an order for a Memory Book from last summer at this point. Thanks.

YO STAFF: Very soon you will find some mail coming your way. It’s contract seasons, and your invitations to return as well as a copy of the awesome Reunion DVD are on the way to you. We know we speak for all of the campers and other staff reading this newsletter when we implore you to send your contract back to us ASAP! Let’s kick off our 2nd 50 years in typical Timberlane style! We look forward to printing your names in our next newsletters.

We have just sent out invitations to our staff from last summer this month, but we can already say welcome back to some of our key folks who will return next summer. Welcome back to RICK & HOLLY JONES for their 26th summers at camp. Yep, you read that right…not a typo. Both Rick & Holly live in Mooresville, IN where they are high school teachers. During his free time, Rick also works through his church to provide meals for homeless people in the Indianapolis area. Rick will again be one of our Assistant Directors, and Holly will return as our Office Manager. JOHNNY & RACHEL WASZCZAK are also planning to return to camp in 2011. Johnny is one of our year ‘round Associate Directors, and this will be his 12th summer at camp. Rachel is a nurse here in Tucson, and after spending last summer taking care of newborn Emma Waszczak, this summer she will again be one of our camp nurses. This will be Rachel’s 9th summer at camp. Johnny and Rachel are actively seeking a camp of their own, so if that opportunity comes up before the summer, it will be a bittersweet moment for them and for us. But for now, we’re planning on spending another summer with them. JEFF “MEL” MELROSE is back for his 19th summer at camp. Again…we mean that for real. Mel is an elementary school teacher in Celebration, FL, and he also returns as one of our Assistant Directors and head of our CIT program. It is summer number 16 coming up for MICHAEL BREEN. Mike has joined our year ‘round staff in Tucson as an Associate Director this year, and has been busy on the recruiting trail. He will return to camp again as our Activity Advisor. STEVE “HITCH” HITCHENS and CORRIE HITCHENS are back for their 8th and 6th summers respectively. They’ve had quite an “off-season” so far, moving into a new house and welcoming a new baby boy into their family. Hitch teaches high school history in Evergreen, CO., and Corrie is a principal at a school in Denver. Hitch will once again oversee our enormous wilderness trips program as our Trips Director. And we will again be ridiculously well-fed this summer with the return of our awesome Kitchen Manager, BILL MILLER who is back for his 19th summer at camp. Bill is living in Tucson this winter where his two children also live, and enjoying the grandpa business while he’s here. Wow…in this little paragraph alone we have 142 summers of camp experience represented! That’s amazing, and we’re so lucky to have such a loyal group of people to work with.

It is early, but we are already learning about and interviewing candidates to join our staff, and we’re happy to welcome on new staff member already:

JAY HUMPHREYS: Jay is 21 years old and comes to us from Katandra West in Australia. He currently works as a water distribution officer for a water company, but he really prefers to ski on water than anything else. Jay has been on the water for much of his life, is an experienced boat driver, and has competed in skiing and wake boarding tournaments . Jay has also taught at a waterski school and taught tons of friends to ski. As you might have guessed, Jay will be a cabin counselor and help out at Waterskiing. Welcome aboard, Jay!

In the Chicago area, ETHAN LETWAT has been playing travel baseball. SAM JAFFE had a great season playing Little Giant’s football. MICHAEL NATINSKY also played Little Giants and had a great season. ADAM RUSH has been hanging out with family and playing too much X Box. ZACHARY COPLAN is doing well in school and he now has braces! CHRIS TOMPKINS has been playing football at school. JEREMY SUS is busy with school, family, friends, and his dog. RICKY JACOBSON is busy with band, improv and school. DANIEL ECHT’s football team finished the season 5 – 3. Pretty good! JAKE SCHLOSSBERG is continuing to save Jack Gomberg’s life every day. JACK GOMBERG is telling Jake Schlossberg to leave him alone every day. That seems to be working out nicely. ALEX KARMIN is bummed he missed the Chicago reunion due to a trip, but can’t wait for camp this summer! NATHAN REIFF has a part in the play “Good News” at the Children’s Theater of Winnetka. Break a leg, Nathan! ELI SELZ continues to participate in rock climbing competitions. In Los Angeles, HENRY LOVETT has been playing tons of tennis, and is going to Belize over the winter break. We recently had our Denver area reunion, and it was cold! Of course, most of the kids showed up in shorts. Those are our boys!! PARKER DAWSON is playing forward on his hockey team, and enjoying his new school. DAVID GLAZER was wide receiver on his football team, and is now playing basketball. JACK KNEUTTEL is playing tennis. CHARLIE HIGHUM is also playing tennis as well as soccer. GAVIN FLEISHMAN is busy with school and with lacrosse. ARI ASARCH has kept busy with karate and hiking 14K foot mountains. Wow! DAN SHELANSKI is busy with lacrosse, and is getting ready for a tournament in Dallas. Speaking of Dallas, BEN SCHACHTER got to spend a weekend with his buddies from camp down in Houston, and then spent Thanksgiving in Chicago.

AARON ZEMACH is at Washington University in St. Louis doing long-form improv in a Wash U improve group. In Chicago, DAVID FINE is working hard and applying to colleges. RICH MCGOWAN has become a certified SCUBA Dive instructor and is working at a dive shop. COLBY SHARLIN is doing well at the University of Illinois, and enjoying his time with roommates SETH GROSS and “old-timer” CORY LEVY from Houston. DANNY ZAGA is working hard at school in Los Angeles, and getting ready for soccer team tryouts. In Denver, CONNOR LEHR has a big part in his school’s musical “Guys and Dolls.” HITCH and CORRIE are busy with Carter and Liam as well as school. The Hitchens’ recently played host to HARRIET WALSH for several weeks while she was on a trip from the UK. She helped them out with their kids, and then made a quick visit to Tucson so we all got to hang out with her a bit too. DEBBIE PURCELL is currently working 5 different part-time jobs. Good thing there’s no real need to sleep! BRIAN STRAIN continues to take classes, teach computer technology at an elementary school, and – of course – drive a Zamboni at an ice rink….every guy’s dream job. ADAM ELIAS is going to the University of Colorado, where he is reffing hockey games, climbing several times a week, and happy that ski season has arrived. Tripper WES HIEB has moved to Park City, UT where he has a job as a snow maker at Park City Mountain Resort. Tripper CHAD BYLER is also moving to Utah, rooming with Wes, and looking for employment out there. Tripper IAN BROWN has concluded some long travels after camp, and is now running hot dog carts around the city of San Francisco with a company called Let’s Be Frank. And tripper MEGAN HAGER is re-relocating back to Flagstaff to work with the youth study program at Northern Arizona University.

BRAVO TO OUR DECEMBER BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Diana Cardona - 12/2/1985, Jake Flom - 12/4/1998, Seth Brock - 12/6/1993, Joseph Fields - 12/7/1998, Ryan Galowich - 12/7/1997, Charlie Jonas - 12/8/1994, Jeffrey Gold - 12/9/1996, Kyle Gross - 12/9/1999, Jonah Rosenberg - 12/9/1996, Holly Jones - 12/10/1957, Alexander Zlotnik - 12/11/2000, Derek Goldstein - 12/12/1996, Jordan Henry - 12/12/1992, Bill Miller - 12/12/1956, Dalton Roth - 12/12/1996, Grace Mc Gowan - 12/14/1987, Anton Sanders - 12/14/1997, Ben Bloom - 12/17/1998, Jared Margolis - 12/17/1998, Leslie Cohen - 12/18/1961, Scott Stone - 12/19/1995, Mike Whitman - 12/19/1996, Gavin Fleishman - 12/20/1997, Jason Garland - 12/20/2000, Jack Baruch - 12/21/2000, Jay Feldman - 12/22/1994, Nathan Reiff - 12/24/1996, Matt Sloan - 12/24/1990, Joey Marks - 12/26/1994, Jake Mazow - 12/26/1998, David Pawlan - 12/26/1996, Kayla Wandsnider - 12/26/1989, Josh Boling - 12/27/1987, Ethan Gordon - 12/27/2000, Sam Kusin - 12/27/1993, Danny Zaga - 12/27/1993, Andrew Karmin - 12/28/2000, Jeff Melrose - 12/29/1971, Jacob Rosenstein - 12/29/1997, Marcelo Garza - 12/30/1998, Ben Skrill - 12/31/1996.

We hope you all have a very happy and healthy holiday season, a well-deserved break from school or work, and a wonderful New Year. We’ll write you again next year!!

Benches up,

Volume LI, No. 3, November, 2010

2010-11-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

On July 4th we have a traditional quote for grace at breakfast, “We are thankful to live in a country where we choose our leaders with ballots instead of bullets.” So even in the midst of a particularly unfriendly and ugly election cycle, we know it could be a lot worse. And thankfully, this year’s elections will be completed very soon. If you’ve followed the news, you’ve seen that Arizona politics is

Wisconsin Knows How to do Fall!

interesting, to say the least. The campaign here has been long and really, really awful. Having followed many campaigns, I have to admit that I can be a bit of a political junky….I actually like politics. This year, however, at least in our state, it seems that Anger has held center stage for too long and in an entirely unproductive and destructive way. And the only reason I bring it up here is that I think it can be especially destructive to our kids. My kids and I recently watched our beloved Packers beat the not-so-beloved Vikings on Sunday Night Football (and there was much rejoicing). During each television break, there were multiple political ads, and Anger was the star. It was served in super-sized helpings. And this occurs at all hours on television and beyond. If you drive any direction from our house here in Tucson you can read countless banner ads along the roadway, many of which express anger at someone. There is very little in the way of debate….even in the debates! I’ve been paying attention, and while I’m keenly aware of who is angry at whom, I have no idea what anyone plans to do to improve the situation. That sort of information is apparently not as appealing as raw emotion—Anger is King.

Anger is a natural emotion. It can even be an effective motivator in someone with the maturity and self-awareness to harness it in an appropriate and positive way. What we are seeing on television and reading in the paper and magazines is completely raw, unexplained, unexplored anger being expressed by adults who are to be role-models for our children. So if they are unwilling or unable to clearly define what they are angry about and how they plan to respond to that anger, what can we expect from our children? Our kids are being taught that it is adult to rage, and that rage is all you need. Please.

So the answer to this conundrum? I wish I knew, but I have 3 suggestions: 1) Celebrate the arrival of November 3rd. Things will tone down (but not go completely away) then. 2) Turn the TV off! That is the media that is most susceptible to this nonsense. I know we probably sound like broken records around here, but that box causes problems. It came with an on/off switch for a reason! 3) Talk about this with your kids. They’re hearing it for sure. Are they noticing the anger? Maybe consciously, maybe sub consciously, maybe not at all. But if they are, someone should explain to them that this is NOT how responsible adults should express and act on their anger. You can talk a little about how television news is now designed as much to entertain as to inform, so it is important to be careful in deciphering what you hear and how you formulate your opinions while very loud people are trying to influence you. At the very least, it makes for fascinating discussions, which is more than we can say for the election process in its current state….at least in our current state.

Enrollment is really cooking! We’re having a great Fall, and we have lots of interested new families as well. Welcome back to the following “old timers” who re-enrolled last month: ARI LACKNER of Bannockburn, IL; DANIEL ENGEL and SAM and TAYLOR FRISHMAN of Buffalo Grove, IL: GRANT KIBEL and JERRIS KIRKWOOD of St. Louis, MO; BLAKE BERKOWITZ and JACK GOMBERG of Chicago, IL: ADAM “RUSH” CORTES-FERRIE, JOSH SOMMERFELD, and CHRIS TOMPKINS of Deerfield, IL; KENDALL FEARN of Williamstown, NJ; IAN JACOBS of Nashville, TN; AARON and DILLON KATZ of Salt Lake City, UT; SAM WETZEL of Northbrook, IL; SAM JAFFE, ALEX and ANDREW KARMIN, and LUKE SCLAMBERG and JEREMY SPARKS of Highland Park, IL; JAKE STEIN of Bellaire, TX; JARED MARGOLIS of Houston, TX; and after a summer’s absence, NATHAN REIFF of Wilmette, IL; Welcome aboard to the following first-year campers who will join us this summer: ETHAN GORDON of Buffalo Grove, IL; ETHAN GOMBERG of Chicago, IL; JOE BERNS of Highland Park, IL; and JACK REED of Nashville, TN. We’re so happy to have you all with us. You’re in for the greatest summer ever!!

We are also pleased to welcome back the following CIT’s for the 2011 summer: BRANDON AXE and JAY FELDMAN of Buffalo Grove, IL; JORDAN FINE, RYAN GERSOWSKY, and JOEY MARKS of Deerfield, IL; COKEY PLATANIAS of Glencoe, IL; JAKE BURSTYN of Highland Park, IL; JOEY RODIN and RYAN WAGNER of Northbrook, IL; DREW DAVIS of Riverwoods, IL; BRIAN BARLOW of Red Wing, MN; CHARLIE JONAS and JORDAN TAYLOR of St. Louis, MO; and BEN LEVEY of Milwaukee, WI. It’s only November, and already our staff for next year is off to a phenomenal start!!

REUNION NEWS: We had such a great trip to St. Louis last month. The weather could not have been more beautiful, and everyone was so enthusiastic and supportive. On Friday, October 15th, we attended a fund-raising event for Camp

for All Kids, and that was fantastic! Our own impartial judgment was that MARSHALL and MICHAEL STRAWBRIDGE, two of our CFAK kids from St. Louis, were the hands-down stars of the night. Both boys spoke about what their experiences at camp have meant to them, and all they have learned in their summers at Timberlane, completely wowing the assembled group. We were just amazed, and very very proud of those guys. The event raised $75,000 for CFAK, which is awesome. We also want to thank our St. Louis area parents who volunteered their time to put this event together, including Emily Coen, Jill & Ben Crane, Amy Garland, Renee Sigel Hearst, Barbara Kahn, Sharon Remis, and Michelle Strawbridge. You folks are amazing!

The next day we held our St. Louis reunion, and the premier screening of the 2010 Reunion Video. To help with the premiere, RYAN COHEN – video producer extraordinaire, drove in from Chicago, and JEFF MELROSE – camp-guy extraordinaire, flew in from Florida!! Both Ryan and Jeff attended the CFAK event on Friday as well as the reunion, which was so much fun! While we were in town, we saw lots of new kiddies, had fun showing Mike Breen around my home-town, and just had a blast! Thanks to everyone there for making our weekend so enjoyable and productive!

Upcoming reunions are listed below. We mail out invitations about a month ahead of time with address and RSVP information, so please be on the look out for that when the reunion near you is coming up. Our Tucson reunion will be in February, and we’ll let everyone there know well in advance.

City	Date	Time
Chicago	Saturday, November 6th	12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Denver	Saturday, November 13th	2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Houston	Saturday, December 4th	2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Nashville	Sunday, December 12th	12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Dallas	Saturday, January 8th	2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Milwaukee	Saturday, January 22nd	2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Just a quick reminder to all of our campers, parents, and staff. If you have not yet completed the online questionnaires we asked about after your session at camp ended, it’s not too late. You can use the links below to do that, and it only takes a few moments. We thank you in advance for your feedback.

Camper Questionnaire: http://forms.camptimberlane.com/camper-survey.html
Parent Questionnaire: http://forms.camptimberlane.com/parents-survey.html
Staff Questionnaire: http://forms.camptimberlane.com/staff-feedback.html

In St. Louis, JASON GARLAND is a tackle on his football team. GRANT GARLAND is playing soccer and scored a goal in a recent game. BEN REMIS is playing tennis and having fun. He also got to see Rick Riordan, author of The Lightning Thief. WILL COEN is playing tennis and missing camp. We know the feeling! SAM KAHN is playing tennis and staying busy with school. RYAN GARLAND is playing soccer and swimming on a swim team. JERRIS KIRKWOOD is at a new school, and playing football. RYAN HEARST is hanging out and recently went boating on a lake outside of St. Louis. DAVID TAMSKY is hanging out with friends. BEN TAMSKY is playing hockey. LIAM and JACK O’MALLEY are doing a lot of bike riding. JAKE FLOM is playing soccer. LEE GOODMAN is busy with photography, Boy Scouts, and working on his website. MAX GOLDENBERG is on a swim team. MICHAEL STRAWBRIDGE is recovering from a sprained ankle, and getting ready for wrestling season. MARSHALL STRAWBRIDGE is into Karate, and competed in a tournament in Columbia, MO. GRANT KIBEL is playing soccer and lacrosse. JON KIBEL is playing soccer, refereeing soccer, and played in the state finals for his school’s varsity lacrosse team. JACK LYNCH is playing soccer. TYLER GELLMAN is playing soccer and played in a tournament in Rockford, IL., IZZY MCKENZIE is working hard at school and is experiencing camp-sickness. A few “old-timers” attended our reunion, including ANDREW LUX, GABE GRAND, and RYAN MILLER. Gabe played American Legion baseball last summer, and is playing basketball now. Ryan is a defensive end on his football team. The Chicago area finds JAMES & WILL BOSHES on a school trip to Washington, DC recently. Bar Mitzvah congrats to JOSH SOMMERFELD who celebrated last month, and to ADAM SHERMAN who will celebrate this month and then go on a trip to Israel! Last month, BLAKE BERKOWITZ, BEN CHESKIS, DANIEL ENGEL, TAYLOR FRISHMAN, DREW MITCHELL, MILES PADZENSKY, ZACH ORLOWSKY, and ADAM WASSERMAN got together to see “The Social Network.” In New Jersey, KENDALL FEARN is playing basketball and emailing his camp friends a lot. He was also nominated by his math teacher to visit Princeton University for a leadership conference.

First of all, we sorta missed the boat with this one, and we apologize to all y’all. In Denver, HITCH & CORRIE HITCHENS welcomed their son, LIAM HITCHENS to their happy household way back on August 19th. Everyone is happy and healthy, and Liam even made it to a Colorado Rockies game, and watched them blow their playoff chances. In St. Louis, CHARLIE JONAS is playing hockey and lacrosse. In the Chicago area, RYAN COHEN is now shooting video for RAM Racing, which is organized by alumnus Paul Rosenblum (who happens to be Eddie’s,Jono’s, and Joey’s dad). ALLI DOYLE has relocated to Wellfleet, MA – on Cape Cod -- where she is working backstage at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors theater company. AMY EIDSON is in Wilmington, NC, and recently had her first intercollegiate horse show of the season. She will actually organize and host a horse show this month. Mooresville, IN finds a busy Jones Family. HANNAH JONES is playing varsity soccer and her team won sectionals and was on the way to regionals…last we heard. EMILY JONES is a freshman at Indiana, and in addition to her full course load, she is working at the Scholars Inn Bake House, which is a restaurant in Bloomington owned by camp alumnus, Lyle Feigenbaum. FLETCHER JONES has a job in the pharmacy at a hospital in Indianapolis. HEATHER WRIGHT is working as a Marketing/Education Outreach intern at Stone Soup Theatre in the Wallingford area of Seattle. She’s also Props Master for their fall production and will also be Assisting Director for their children's production of "A Child's Christmas in Wales." MORGAN ANDERSON is living in Savoy, IL. taking classes and working at Champaign Country Club. Nurse VICKI SETZER has joined the ACA and plans to attend a camp nurse symposium in San Diego this winter. In Wausau, WI., JAKE “BIRDMAN” POURCHOT is doing a lot of running, and has organized a marathon runners’ club at UW- Stevens Point. He’s also been biking a ton, and fitting in some school and working as a math tutor. DIANA CORDONA is in Bogota, Columbia working as a data analyst for Columbia’s central bank. KATHY LEVERTON has finally arrived back home in South Africa after leaving camp, traveling around the US and Europe, and hanging with lots of camp folks including JUSTIN LOWRY, CHRIS BARRON, and DESI HEINEN. She is back to work at the climbing gym she worked at last year between camp summers. JEREMY “JEMS” TODD is back home in New Zealand, and is trying to counsel himself through his camp-sickness. He is also returning to school to complete a degree in business, and is working as a mentor for kids. He writes, “Part of my decision to get involved is no doubt based on having had such a positive experience at Camp working with kids.” No doubt he’ll be an excellent mentor for some lucky kid in New Zealand! In the “old-timers” department, JARED KAPLAN is a freshman at the University of Texas, hanging with MAX HOFFER and having a blast. SCOTT BREEN is living in Washington, DC, in his senior year at Georgetown. He recently took the LSAT and is awaiting acceptance at Harvard Law or some other acceptable institution.

BRAVO TO OUR NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Jerris Kirkwood - 11/1/1997, Jake Pourchot - 11/1/1988, Ben Kuhn - 11/2/1996, Ryan Schwartz - 11/3/1995, Zsolt Abraham - 11/4/1990, David Fine - 11/5/1992, Jordan Herz - 11/6/1993, Izzy McKenzie - 11/7/1995, Jordan Taylor - 11/9/1995, James Boshes - 11/13/1996, Brett Zaslavsky - 11/13/1998, Noah Kraus - 11/17/1998, Holden Rosenthal - 11/17/1996, Max Goldenberg - 11/19/1998, Ben Spier - 11/19/1996, Asa Hiken - 11/20/1997, Emily Jones - 11/20/1991, Jack Rosenthal - 11/20/1998, Jonas Monieson - 11/21/1999, Jake Sprintz - 11/25/1994, Dougie Moss - 11/27/1992, Adam Sherman - 11/28/1997.

We’ll write you again in a month! Have a great November, everybody!!

Benches up,

Volume LI, Number 2, October, 2010

2010-10-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

Our newspaper recently ran a very interesting article it picked up from the AP. Given all the national attention lately about adding days to the school year, I thought this article was illustrative of the need for more kids to experience camp, rather than the need for more days in traditional schools. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that Leslie and I are, in fact, camp directors, so we may have a bias. Still…

The article relates to a book written by Mark Bauerline entitled “The Dumbest Generation.” It is a provocative title, and we do not – at all – believe that all members of this current generation of kids is less capable than their predecessors. What did catch my attention is the connection it establishes between all the technology at our kids’ finger tips and their utter inability to handle simple mechanical tasks….such as using a can opener, a clothes hanger, an ice cube tray, etc. As I read the article and thought about kids I know (kids from camp, kids who live in my house), I could see his point to an extent. My own kids and their friends sometimes approach a mechanical challenge with trepidation. And yet, by the same token, this picture of complete ineptitude in the typical teenager seemed to miss the mark when compared to these kids we personally know so well. And why is that, you might ask? Well, not surprisingly, I think its because our camp kids have camp! Camp is a place they learn to rise to challenges, be they social, physical, or mechanical (think trips….tents, stoves, canoes, rivers, etc). Camp is where they learn to think on their feet. Camp is a place where technology cannot do everything for them because THEY DON’T HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY AT CAMP!!! There may be “an app for that,” but it ain’t at camp!

The article paraphrases the book’s author; “He says that growing up with cell phones and Google means kids don't have to figure things out or solve problems anymore. They can look up what they need online or call mom or dad for step-by-step instructions.” Again, may I point to the camp experience? No cell phones, no Google, and in place of parents, there are counselors trained to help kids find their way, not by holding their hands, but via guided discovery. So, while the challenges certainly arise in the camp setting, the approach to resolution seems much different, more productive and much healthier, for our camp kids than the article portrays.

The CEO of the American Camp Association, Peg Smith, wrote a very concise and smart article about how all of this applies to the issue of extending the school calendar. She contends that a quality camp experience actually helps kids become more prepared to learn when they’re back in school. If you’re interested in having a look, you can find it here.

Meanwhile, it is hot still in Tucson, and cooling off at camp. September was a wet month up there, and that has helped the lake continue its positive trend of filling up. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a very wet “off-season” up there. Come on snow! There’s been a ton of activity going on up there, and we’ll catch you up on those details in future issues.

Our enrollment is off to a great start, already ahead of the pace we had last year. We have emailed all of you our re-enrollment information as well as a link to the Camper Application page on our website. We have also mailed you all paper information and a paper application so you can choose your preferred method. Either way, we encourage you to send us your application at your first convenience. Thanks!

Welcome aboard to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled this past month: ZACH OLRLOWSKY and JONAH RAWITZ from Buffalo Grove, IL; ROSS KRULISKY, after a summer’s absence, from Scottsdale, AZ; from Chicago, IL; JACK BARLOW from Redwing, MN; MAX GLICKMAN, ETHAN LETWAT, and JEREMY SUS from Deerfield, IL; SAM KAHN and CHARLIE TIPTON from St. Louis, MO; EVAN and KYLE GROSS, DAVID HEIMAN, and BEN KITE from Glencoe, IL; JONATHAN and MICHAEL BLOOM, JOSEPH FIELDS, and BEN and SAM SPIER from Bellaire, TX; DREW and ELI MITCHELL of Glenview, IL; and ZACH COPLAN, ADAM HOFFMAN, EDDIE and JONO ROSENBLUM, and ALEXANDER ZLOTNIK of Highland Park, IL.

And welcome aboard to the following new campers who joined us last month: DILLON BERLIN of Glencoe, IL; and JACK EICHNER and JOEY ROSENBLUM of Highland Park, IL. Glad to have you all with us!

Our schedule of reunions is still being developed, so we appreciate your patience. The St. Louis reunion is this month (October 16th), and the Chicago reunion is early next month (November 6th). Once the rest of the schedule is done, we’ll do the following things to make sure you know about the reunion coming to a home town near you:

1. We’ll post the entire reunion schedule online.
2. We’ll send you an invitation!
3. We’ll send you an email reminder about a week before the reunion.

Here’s what we can assure you: YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THE REUNION VIDEO THIS YEAR! It is nothing short of amazing. As you may know, our videographer, RYAN COHEN decided to portray a day in the life at camp. To say he succeeded would be a complete understatement. It is so entertaining, and so completely captures the essence of camp from sun-up to sun-down, that you truly will want to turn off the TV and DVD player, and head straight to camp!

If you are unable to attend the reunion near you, we will mail you a copy of the DVD as soon as the reunion is over. But please….there is something truly special about watching this for the first time with your camp friends around you, so we hope you’ll make every effort to attend the reunion near you.
YO PARENTS: We know camp is a long way off, but we strongly suggest you book your campers' doctor appointment now! While we only need a physical for the kids every 24 months, some docs like to see them every year. No problem. However, since our medical forms are due May 15th, AND our pharmacy service needs prescriptions to be submitted to them 30 days prior to the start of your son's session, getting kids into the doc early is important. We suggest trying to book the appointment for March or April. Thanks!

In Los Angeles, HENRY LOVETT is playing tennis. Bar Mitzvah congrats go to AARON GLAZER in Milwaukee who celebrated on September 25th. As a part of his mitzvah project, Aaron hosted a basketball tournament that raised money for Camp for All Kids. Thank you, Aaron! Congrats also to JAKE FEIGER in Chicago, who celebrated his Bar Mitzvah last month. And still more Bar Mitzvah congrats go out BEN FELDMAN who celebrated last month, and in attendance – all the way from Houston, TX – were JOEY BURSTEN, JONAH ROSENBERG, HOLDEN ROSENTHAL, BEN SPIER, and JAKE STEIN. The boys spent a night at DAVID PAWLAN’S house while they were there. For Ben’s mitzvah project he raised money for Global Camps Africa, the program started by a friend and colleague of ours that enables kids in very poor villages in Africa attend camps where they learn about keeping good hygiene and other important life skills, while they eat well, play, and have fun. Thanks, Ben! EDDIE ROSENBLUM is in his high school’s marching band playing bass drum. Brother JONO is playing soccer and running cross country.

KAYLA WANDSNIDER is in her junior year at UW-La Crosse, studying biology. She is also teaching swim lessons at the YMCA and working with the university to find more ways for it to operate in an environmentally sustainable way. From England, JUSTIN LOWRY writes, “I have been very busy working at school and visiting Chris Barron and Kathy in Scotland! Kathy Leverton has now been at my house for a couple of days and were travelling to see James Wood tomorrow. Were then jetting off to Barcelona for her birthday and then travelling through Switzerland to Germany to visit Desiree! Were just about managing to extend camp into October!” Not a bad way to go! Justin is continuing his work to become a fully qualified teacher. KATHY LEVERTON has, indeed, completed her US travels and is now in Europe. That is after a whirlwind US tour, culminating in some time spent in the Magic Kingdom – which is the house of JEFF MELROSE, and that happens to be near Disney World outside of Orlando. She also spent a little time with GREG COOPER and “old-timer” JEREMY SLAWIN while in New York, and with “old-timer” SCOTT BREEN while in DC. DEBBIE PURCELL is working hard in Denver as the director of a child-care center while also serving as a program manager for an organization called Corporate Kids Events. This group cares for kids while their parents attend conferences in Denver and other cities. HUGE congratulations to NICK DARLEY and RACHELLE ROSSA who had their baby on September 27th. It’s a boy (future camper!) named Hayden Nicholas LaFond Darley. Everybody is back home and doing well!! NICK MORLEY has applied to be a tour guide at UW-Madison where he is in school.

BRAVO TO OUR OCTOBER BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Daniel Moltz - 10/4/1995, Jono Rosenblum - 10/5/1998, Jonah Hoffman - 10/6/1998, Kathy Leverton - 10/7/1984, Joseph Trujillo - 10/9/1997, Michael Breen - 10/11/1985, Ari Lackner - 10/11/1996, Jack Thompson - 10/11/1996, Jake Burstyn - 10/13/1994, Evan Mihalakakos - 10/14/1999, Chris Barron - 10/15/1989, Joey Pawlan - 10/16/1992, Montrell Watson - 10/17/1995, Cokey Platanias - 10/19/1994, Jack Barlow - 10/20/1998, Nick Pappas - 10/20/1998, Ethan Teich - 10/21/1999, Daniel Newman - 10/23/1995, Michael Strawbridge - 10/23/1996, Alanna Dillon - 10/24/1988, Dan Kick - 10/24/1989, Sam Spier - 10/24/1995, Ryan Eisenman - 10/27/1992, Ryan Wagner - 10/27/1994, Ross Krulisky - 10/28/1995, Joe Shaver - 10/28/1979, Garrett Glover - 10/29/1998, Jonah Rawitz - 10/29/1997, Ari Mazza - 10/30/1998, Jake Schlossberg - 10/30/1995, Joseph Kuperman - 10/31/1995.

That’s it for this month. It’s REUNION SEASON! We hope to see all of you in the coming months. We’ll write you again in early November.

Benches up,

Volume LI, Number 1, September, 2010

2010-09-09T14:24:00.001-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

We are back in the desert, and it is hot, hot, hot! We know we’re going to be happy being back in Tucson in a month or so when things cool down, but for now we sometimes have to scratch our heads and wonder. It is so beautiful in the North Woods this time of year, and we really miss it. All the more difficult to pack up and leave camp when we have just experienced such a fun, happy, and meaningful summer. We didn’t want to make too big a deal about it, but we may have mentioned a few hundred times that last summer was our 50th year of camping, and there’s just no doubt that it was our best ever in all respects. Great kids, great staff, great weather, and fantastic energy all summer long!

And we had the great pleasure of following up the summer with our 50th Anniversary Reunion at camp, which began the day after our campers went home. It could not have been a more enjoyable weekend. We had about 125 alumni join us. The weather was perfect for all of our outdoor activities, including skiing, climbing, mountain biking, and much more. We got completely poured on that first evening, but that’s okay…we were in the Rec Hall watching the 50th Reunion video anyway. It cleared up on Saturday and we had such a great time. And the best news was we had only one pulled hamstring the whole weekend long! Not bad for a bunch of geezers pretending that they were campers again. Bill Miller and the kitchen crew did an awesome job of feeding us, including appetizers each night before dinner. On the 2nd night, they really outdid themselves with the delicate cuisine of sliced corn dogs and dipping sauce! Yummy and very campy all at the same time. We had a great campfire on the 2nd night, and on the last night of the event we had a little talent show that was fantastic. One of our illustrious alums is actually a stand-up comedian, and he emceed the show for us. He was hysterical, and all of the acts were really great! We had a silent auction during the weekend, and all together, we raised nearly $5000 for Camp For All Kids, which we truly appreciate. We want to thank our alumni and the staff who stayed and worked for making the weekend so enjoyable and successful. We’re including some photos from the event which we hope you like.

Of course, 2011 is going to be our 51st summer of camping (okay, okay, let’s not make a huge deal of that either!), and we believe our best summer ever is coming up in a mere 9 months!! First of all, it has been exciting to welcome our newest Associate Director, MIKE BREEN to our year ‘round team, and he, Johnny, and I have been figuring out how we can all fit in the winter office at the same time. A few elbows and forearm shivers have been thrown, but otherwise, we’re setting in well, and very happy to have such an excellent crew helping us out here. And we have been making some big plans for the program and facilities, which we’re so excited about it. We like to leak a little information here and there, and try not to get too far ahead of ourselves. So, for now how ‘bout we just tell you that we are already working on the construction of a brand new batting cage for our baseball program! Pretty sweet!! We’re locating it between the Weight Shack and Bouldering Cave, and we’re going to equip it with an Iron Mike pitching machine (only the best in the biz!). This will give us lots of opportunities to work with you baseball players and give you plenty of swings. And you have to know that this is not our biggest project for the upcoming summer, right? So read your newsletters, come to the reunions near you, and you’ll learn all the juicy details as the summer approaches.

WE HOPE YOU’LL JOIN US IN 2011 AND BRING A FRIEND OR TWO FROM HOME!! We have emailed all of you with re-enrollment information, and we just recently sent out a packet via US Mail to you as well. As you’ll see in a few lines, we already have several kids signed up for next summer, and we truly appreciate all the enthusiasm we’re hearing out there. If you’re ready to fill out an application online, it’s easy! You can just click here, and fill out the form from there. Once we receive your submitted application, we’ll send you an email confirming it, and you’ll be on your way to another awesome summer!!

If you know of any friends or relatives who might be interested in camp, we’d love to hear about them too. As you may know, nearly 100% of our new campers come to us from referrals made by current campers and parents. That helps to keep our camp community close and friendly, and we truly value and appreciate the help and support we receive from so many of our camp families. We truly could not do this without your help! You can tell us about any prospective campers you may know either by sending us an email, or by completing our online Prospective Camper form. Either way, we thank you in advance.

REUNIONS START SOON! In the coming weeks, we’ll be lining up our list of camp reunions around the country. Once we have that set, it will be posted online on our Reunions Link. A months or so before the reunion near you, we’ll mail you a notice/invitation, and we hope you can free up your time to join us. We only get to do this once each winter in the various cities we travel to, and it’s so great getting together with everyone. We know you all have very busy schedules, both on weekends and weekday nights, but we urge you to free up the time to reconnect with camp this one time each winter. It means a lot to those of us traveling long distances to see you, and we think it will also be very meaningful to all of you. So we’ll see you this winter, right? So far , here’s what we know:

City	Date	Time
St. Louis	Saturday, October 16th	2:00 pm
Chicago	Saturday, November 6th	12:00 pm

WELCOME BACK TO THE FOLLOWING “OLD-TIMERS” WHO HAVE RE-ENROLLED: DILLON GROSS of Bannockburn, IL; LOGAN SEIDEN of Buffalo Grove, IL; HENRY LOVETT of Los Angels, CA; AARON BERKOWITZ and RICKY JACBOSON of Deerfield, IL; WILL COEN, JASON GARLAND, and BEN REMIS of St. Louis, MO; JONAS MONIESON, DAVID RINGEL, and ZACK SCHREIER of Glencoe, IL; NOAH KRAUS of Highland Park, IL; ALEX FREEDMAN and MATTHEW & TYLER JACOBS of Nashville, TN; JAKE FEIGER and ZACH WALDEN of Northbrook, IL; JOEY BURSTEN, CAMERON CAVALIER, JOSEPH KUPERMAN, GRAYSON SHEENA, and HAYDEN TURK of Bellaire, TX; JACK KAPLAN and JONAH ROSENBERG of Houston, TX; and JEFFREY GOLD of Sugarland, TX.

And welcome aboard to ADAM RUBIN of Glencoe, IL, who will join us for his first time this summer! Glad to have you all with us!!

Okay, folks, we’re gonna need some help from you to fill in the blanks in this section of the “Timberlife!” each month. It’s easy to send us information about you. You can just email us, or you can give us a quick call. We hate to make stuff up about you, but we’re willing to if we have to. So let’s not get to that point, okay? We have heard that RYAN WAGNER is in Chicago and auditioning for a play at his high school. RYAN & JUSTIN GALOWICH were up in the north woods near camp for a weekend back in August. In St. Louis, MAX GOLDENBERG is having a great start of the school year at his new school. Here in Tucson, MARIO GADEA is playing football on his high school’s freshman team. COLE ECKEL was spotted heading out to either tennis or cross country practice at his school. Yep…that’s all we’ve got. We definitely need more for next month, okay?

Same message for you staff-types too! We’d love to hear from you and keep the kids posted on your life away from camp. Yes, we know you all actually have a life during the “off-season,” and we love hearing about it. So please, don’t be shy! MAX KAPLAN is in Houston and working on his Eagle Scout project, helping to raise money to support patients receiving advanced medical care at a hospital in Houston. RICH MC GOWAN is in Chicago “knee- deep” in job searches. JEREMY SUTTON has arrived at school in Montreal, and just beginning classes at McGill University. MAX WEINTRAUB has started classes here at the U of A, and he must be having a lot of fun, ‘cause we can’t seem to get him to return phone calls! JEFF MELROSE has been playing his traditional and annual host and tour guide of Walt Disney World, so far showing JEMS TODD and JAMES WOOD a great time. KATHY LEVERTON is on her way to Florida to hang out with Mel, and has so far hit up national parks like Yosemite, Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon. She’s also visited San Francisco, and New Orleans and hung out with ALLI DOYLE in Seattle. What a tour!

BRAVO TO OUR SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY BOYS! Jake Feiger - 9/2/1997, Greg Fus - 9/4/1955, Fletcher Jones - 9/6/1987, Rick Jones - 9/9/1957, Ben Percifield - 9/10/1993, Jeremy Sus - 9/10/1998, Scott Wolf - 9/11/1991, David Langebartel - 9/14/1993, David Tamsky - 9/15/1999, Steve Wezelman - 9/16/1995, David Artzi - 9/17/1993, Dusty Cohen - 9/17/1993, Jordan Fishel - 9/17/1997, Jack Ross - 9/17/1998, Ludwig Nolasco Ruiz - 9/18/1987, Jordan Allen - 9/20/1997, Ross Sinar - 9/21/1996, Max Westmark - 9/21/1998, Andrew Cramin - 9/22/1999, Noah Kerwin - 9/22/1996, Ian Brown - 9/25/1986, Lee Goodman - 9/27/1996, Noah Lowenstein - 9/27/1996, Chris Tompkins - 9/28/1998, Josh Skrill - 9/29/1998, Max Weintraub - 9/29/1991, Jack Elowe - 9/30/1997.

Folks, please be sure to let everyone in your family and the range of your voice know that the newsletter is posted. We will email you each month after the newest issue is ready for you, but we can use your help to make sure everyone is paying attention. Thanks very, very much. Have a great remainder of September, and we’ll write you again early next month.

Benches up,

Volume L, No. 9, May, 2010

2010-05-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums, & Friends

I would guess that a vast majority of you campers, and probably a large chunk of you staff members will disagree with what I’m about to say. I’ll also guess that most of you camp parents will agree with me. Here goes: I have to believe that the very best music ever played was written, performed, and recorded in the 1970s. There, I said it. That’s not to say that ALL the music in the 70s was great, nor is it to say that all of the music recorded these days is bad. Not at all. It’s just that the 1970s brought us so much great music. It had rhythm. It had melody. It had soul. It had musical richness. And it wasn’t all about calling attention to the person who was writing it. It told stories about love and protest and peace. And the guys singing it had their pants up where they belong…but that’s another story.

I don’t say all of that just to sound like some old curmudgeon. I do sound like that, though, I know. Last month, we had the opportunity to go see one of the 70s’ greatest bands in concert. It’s one of the few bands still playing, and still very much in tact. We saw The Eagles, and they were nothing short of amazing! At 60 something years old, they still sound great! Their voices are still strong and clear (Joe Walsh…not so much, but the others for sure!), and if anything, they’ve actually polished and perfected the harmonies over the decades. They’ve added horns and violins to the arrangements, and it was full and beautiful, and so very familiar and comfortable. Leslie and I just kept saying to ourselves that it sounded like we’re listening to it back in high school, only much, much clearer (vinyl records back then, boys…nothing digital at all!). There was a definite and distinct moment in the show when I just knew everything was right. Early in the show The Eagles played “Hotel California.” Moms and dads out there, I promise you this; there is NOTHING like hearing that song live, singing along, and then looking down the row of seats next to you and seeing your children sitting up tall, smiling widely, and singing right along with you…..and the band. It was one of those moments when we could think, “Maybe we have raised them right.”

Okay, enough of that. Let’s get to camp, shall we? As we speak, we are packing up the office and shipping stuff to Wisconsin. I will leave Tucson on May 14th, and arrive at camp very late on the 15th. En route I’ll pick up our awesome cook, BILL MILLER, so you moms out there don’t have to worry about me being all alone at camp. We’ll eat very, very well. I’ll have the camp office up and fully functioning by May 17th. So, if you can please hold your emails and faxes till then, I’ll be able to respond if needed.

YO PARENTS: A few reminders for you:

Payment is due for this summer by May 15th. We will always keep your account updated on your Parent Keylog page if you ever have questions about your balance, payments received, etc.
Many forms are also due on or before May 15th. You will receive an email from us this month listing which forms we have and have not yet received from you. 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 after May 10th, and direct all mail to our Summer address.
REMEMBER THE DEADLINE FOR FILLING PRESCRIPTIONS AT RAPP’S PHARMACY FOR 1ST SESSION IS MAY 22ND TO REGISTER, AND MAY 29TH TO GET PRESCTIPTIONS TO RAPP’S. 2nd session deadlines are June 19th to register, and June 26th to get your prescriptions to them.
If your son will take non-pill form medications this summer (which you do not fill at Rapp’s), please be sure to send those up to camp to arrive at least 1 week before your son arrives. So the deadlines are June 14th for 1st session/8 week campers, and July 11th for 2nd session campers.
ANOTHER DEADLINE: If you are going to buy logo’d items from the Cloz website, you should place your order in the next few days to assure receipt of your items before the start of camp.

YO STAFF: Your reminders are:

If you are a cabin counselor or activity specialist and you have not yet completed your Activity Expertise Survey, we need you to do that TODAY! This includes CITs.
If you are planning to attend our pre-camp training classes – LGT, Boat Driver Training, Climbing Wall Instructor, LGT or CPR Re-certification – please be sure to send us your Extra Training form. Guess when we need that? TODAY!
Do you know how you’re getting to camp? If you have not yet completed your Travel Plans form, please do so. We need that one REALLY SOON!
If you are a first-year staff member, you will soon receive a manual from us in the US Mail. Please be sure to bring that to camp with you. Thanks.
And finally, if you have not yet sent us an email with your t-shirt size, please do that……TODAY! Thanks.

YO CAMPERS: A few for you too….we don’t wanna leave anyone out:

If you qualify for one of our “Big Trip,” remember that you can pre-register for those by clicking here, or by just having your parents email us. Have you checked out the Trips Calendar online yet? It’s pretty amazing.
If you are a camp Big Brother this summer, PLEASE be sure to call your little brother in the next few days. The sooner, the better. Thanks.
If you haven’t yet gotten crazy, ridiculous excited about camp yet, now’s as good a time as any! It’s our 50th summer!! Think we may just go a bit overboard this summer? Woooooo Hooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As we mentioned last month, we have filled just about every age group in the 1st session. There is still room in our youngest age group 1st session. 2nd session has room in several age groups still. So, if you know of a family that has recently decided that camp could be a good idea for their son, please let them know that we have room! At this date, lots of families may think it’s too late, but there’s still time. Thanks very much.

Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled last month: PHILIP SIEGEL of Denver, CO; DALTON ROTH of Long Grove, IL; DREW HYMAN of St. Louis, MO; and after a summer’s absence, GABE SENNETT of Milwaukee, WI.

And welcome aboard to first-year camper LEE GOODMAN of St. Louis, MO. We’re very happy to have you all with us this summer.

Our staff is all set, and has never looked better. Later this month we’ll start seeing folks arriving at camp ready for training, and kick-off the most exciting start of the most amazing summer ever! Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who will be back again:

CRAIG HAUPTMAN: Craig is 24 years old, and is back for his 2nd summer at camp. He lives in Manassas, VA where he is a graduating senior at Old Dominion studying Education. Craig returns as a Trip Leader again this summer.

THOMAS MURDOCH: Tom is back from Auckland, New Zealand. He’s 19 years old, and this will be his 2nd summer at camp as a cabin counselor and co-head of our Waterski Program. In New Zealand, Tom has been spending a lot of time on the water skiing and wake boarding/wake skating. He’s also been busy doing plenty of dirt-biking. Sounds like fun!

Welcome aboard to the following folks who will join us for their first summer:

CLAYTON KAISER: Clayton is 21 years old and joins us from Sammamish, WA. He attends Central Washington University and is majoring in Philosophy with a minor in History/Russian Studies. Clayton has been a camper and volunteer at camps in the past, and truly loves the camp environment. He joins our Maintenance Staff this summer.

CATHERINE “CAT” JONES: Cat is 20 years old and she joins us from Charlotte, NC. She is a Sophomore at Cabarrus College of Health Science studying Surgical Technology. Cat is a certified nursing assistant and is pursuing a career as a surgical nurse. This summer she will be our Nurses’ Assistant, and she’ll also take photos and help us post ‘em on the website.

In the Chicago area, SCOTT MUTCHNIK won gold medals at local and district science fairs. He’ll compete state-wide this month. Congrats, Scott!! ARI LACKNER and some of his colleagues at school won a video contest sponsored by Clorox, and the prize is a visit from Danny Gokey (former American Idol contestant). Congrats to you too, Ari!! ADAM KAZ co-starred as the Genie is a Northbrook Theatre presentation of “Aladin.” Perfect role for you, Adam. JORY and JESS NATHAN recently went on a cool rafting trip on the Colorado River, and sported their Timberlane sweatshirts to help us reach out to the rafting public.

SAM KUSIN is in Houston and working on becoming an Eagle Scout. JEREMY SUTTON will be leaving Houston next fall and going to school at Mc Gill University in Montreal. In the meantime, before camp starts, he’s traveling with his school to Israel and Poland. Nice! ALANNA DILLON has made the most of her semester in Edinburgh, traveling last month to Greece and Spain! In Chicago, SCOTT MAYER has applied to be part of the National Honors Society. CONNOR LEHR made his school’s varsity dive team….never been on a diving board before. JAKE GORDON was involved in a drama competition for his high school, and his group’s performance finished in 2nd place. Pretty amazing! In Mooresville, IN, HANNAH JONES is playing #3 singles on her school’s tennis team and – at last check – was 10 – 1 on the season. Last month, JAKE “BIDMAN” POURCHOT went on a 3 day bike trip around Lake Superior (actually starting out at camp!) and other than freezing at night, had a great time. He’s now focusing on running, and planning to run in a marathon in Ohio this month. KATHY LEVERTON is in South Africa getting ready to head to camp. She has been working with Chilli Adventures, which is a company that sends counselors from South Africa to American camps. She’s also been camping recently in the desert. Ready to cool off in Lake Towanda? NICK DARLEY is planning an epic tour of national parks on his drive from Utah to camp early next month. MICHAEL SCRAGG made the short trip from Australia to New Zealand last month to run in the New Zealand Ironman, which he completed in 13 hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds. Amazing.

BRAVO TO OUR MAY BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS! Get ready for some Bravos!! Adam Susman - 5/1/1999, Ben Tamsky - 5/1/1997, Chad Kamen - 5/2/1998, Adam Wasserman - 5/2/1998, Jack Kaplan - 5/3/1996, Steven Cooke - 5/5/1991, Vicki Setzer - 5/6/1956, Charlie Highum - 5/7/1997, Emilio Madrazo - 5/7/1998, Connor Lehr - 5/9/1994, Blake Berkowitz - 5/12/1998, Adam Hoffman - 5/12/1999, Corrie Hitchens - 5/15/1971, Ryan Miller - 5/16/1996, Ben Kite - 5/19/1999, Eliot Padzensky - 5/19/1996, Luke Sclamberg - 5/19/1999, Ben Schachter - 5/20/1999, Dan Shelanski - 5/20/1999, Jake Hoffman - 5/22/1999, Ryan Elias - 5/24/1993, Andrew Lehr - 5/24/1995, Sam Rakestraw - 5/26/1996, Jacob Elias - 5/27/1998, Rich Mc Gowan - 5/27/1972, Jon Kibel - 5/29/1995, Ben Gordon - 5/30/1991, Ian Jacobs - 5/30/1997, Ben Levey - 5/30/1995.

Alrighty folks! This is our last desert edition for the time being. Our next publication will originate inside the friendly confines of CAMP!! Please, everyone, stay healthy, and we will see you very, very soon! Wisconsin! Get ready, here we come!!!

Benches up,

Volume L, No. 8, April, 2010

2010-04-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,

Have we mentioned lately that this is our 50th summer coming up? We have? It really is the sort of thing we should make a big deal of, so we’re mentioning it again. 50 summers is a pretty major milestone. We’re making sure that camp is looking its very best for the big occasion, and we have been working particularly hard lining up our staff for the summer too. And as it turns out, we have filled just about all of our staff spots already. We have a huge return of staff, including some folks who have taken a summer or two off, and are returning this year. No doubt, for camp directors like us, watching our campers grow up and become counselors and then move out into the world as adults is far and away the most rewarding aspect of our profession. So we love it when we have so many former campers now filling the ranks of our staff.

Most people who interact with kids think about what kind of adult this or that particular child might become. As I just noted, we have the great honor and pleasure of seeing that play out all the time. What’s just as interesting and exciting is seeing adults whom you knew well when they were children, and remembering what that adult was like when he/she was a kid. At the end of this summer, we’re hosting a reunion for our alumni at camp. The place will be filled with grown-ups, many or most of whom we will have known as children. And for us, it is impossible to look at one of those guys and not still see their 8 or 9 or 10 year old face. We’ll talk with them, learn about their adult lives, their accomplishments, their ambitions, and we’ll remember seeing them climbing out of a van completely caked in dirt and smiling ear to ear as they recount the tales from their canoe trip, or seeing them climb out of the lake after an awesome ski run. So we’re very excited about this coming summer, and also very excited for the reunion that will follow camp.

YO PARENTS: Lots of stuff for you this month. First of all, we have posted a few new things for you on your Parent Keylog Page. New this month are the “April Information,” the “Unplugged Policy,” and the “Packages Policy” links. Please click on them and read all of that important information. We have also updated the information about Rapp’s Pharmacy under the “Required Pharmacy Info” link. Folks, if your camper will take any kind of pill-form medication on a regularly scheduled basis, that medication MUST be filled by Rapp’s Pharmacy. This applies to prescription or OTC medication (such as Zyrtek). This policy helps us continue our error-free dispensing of camper medications. We can make no exceptions in this policy.

We have also updated our information for campers who will be flying en route to camp under the “Info for Campers Flying to Camp” link. This information arrived a bit late this year due to the merger of Northwest and Delta airlines, but it is all set now. If your camper is flying to camp this summer, be sure to read that information, and then call our travel agent as soon as possible. Our agent again is Marie Gunwall at Travel One; (800) 245-1111.

What else? Well, you should already have received an email from our Wilderness Trips Department detailing what trips are available to your son this summer. Of course, there’s all sorts of information online about the trips including the complete Trips Calendar for this summer, as well as a description of our Trips Progressions for paddling trips and for backpacking and rock climbing trips, so you know what trips are within your son’s reach for the upcoming summer. If your camper is new to us this summer, that’s great! All sorts of great trips are open to him, and those are all listed in the email we sent you. Please review this information with your son.

As a reminder, if your son is a returning camper and he has completed 6th grade or higher this winter, he may be eligible for one of our “BIG” trips this summer including:

1st Session:		2nd Session:
10-Day Isle Royale Backpacking		12 Day Quetico Canoeing
7 Day Sand River Canoeing		6 Day Isle Royale Backpacking
4 Day Apostle Island Sea Kayaking		4 Day Apostle Island Sea Kayaking

There are lots of other big trips too (including BWCA, Pictured Rocks, and more), but the trips above are available for pre-registration. So give it some thought, and if you’d like to pre-register, you can do that from the website by clicking here.

And finally, please remember that your final payment for this summer is due on or before May 15th. We’ve sent you an email about that, and we’ll send you reminder on May 1st. Your son’s billing statement is on your Parent Keylog Page under the “View Your Statement” link. You can pay with your credit card on Google Checkout, or you can mail a check to the appropriate address below:

Before May 5th:		After May 5th:
Camp Timberlane		Camp Timberlane
6202 N. Camino Almonte		PO Box 1188
Tucson, AZ. 85718		Woodruff, WI. 54568

Thank you very much.

YO OLD GUYS: If you are going to be a camp Big Brother this summer, we have mailed you some information (in the US Mail) about that, along with the contact information for your very lucky Little Brother. Please be sure to CALL (not email or text) your little brother in the next few weeks. If you have any questions, feel free to call us anytime. You guys are making a big difference for our new campers, and we really appreciate it. Thanks.

YO STAFF: We’re not leaving anyone out this month! You, too, have lots of new information posted to your Staff Keylog Page, including:
*Spring Information – Important stuff to read and think about as we prepare for the summer.
*Health History Form – Please download and fill this form out and return it to us by May 15th. If you are not from the US, you can use the form provided to you by your placement agency.
*Tax Forms – US Citizens only. Please download and fill these out and return them to us by May 15th.
*Packing List – Good guidelines for you to use when you pack for camp.
*Activity Expertise Survey – Counselors and Activity Specialists only. Please submit this survey to us at your very first opportunity.
*Extra Training – Sign up for Lifeguard Training, re-certification for Lifeguard Training and/or CPR for the Professional Rescuer, or if you are part of our Ski Staff, sign up for Boat Driver Certification.
*Travel Plans – Fill us in on your plans for getting to camp. If you need a ride, let us know on this form, and we’ll try to help you find one.

CITs: We have mailed via US Mail your travel-to-camp form. We will also need you to complete the Activity Expertise Survey, and we’ll email you a link for that.

YO EVERYONE: This is just a friendly reminder that you can join our Timberlane Fan Page on Facebook! We’ll post some fun stuff up there, so we hope you’ll join us there. We’re also tweeting away on Twitter, so you can follow that too. Thanks.

Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who re-enrolled last month: JAKE SCHLOSSBERG of Chicago, IL: after a summer’s absence, AUSTIN FELDMAN of Deerfield, IL; RYAN HEARST, DREW HYMAN, and, after a summer’s absence, CHARLIE JONAS of St. Louis, MO; ETHAN GLASBERG and COKEY PLATANIAS of Glencoe, IL; GRANT ZUCKER of Bellaire, TX; JOSEPH TRUJILLO of Houston, TX; BEN BLOOM of Highland Park, IL; JAKE HOFFMAN and JAKE MAZOW of Dallas, TX; DANIEL NEWMAN of Northbrook, IL; JAY CHESKIS of Riverwoods, IL; and DANIEL SHOVERS of River Hills, WI.

Welcome aboard to the following new campers who will join us this summer: JACK KNUETTEL of Denver, CO, and RYAN GARLAND of St. Louis, MO. We’re so happy to have you guys with us! Only a coupla months left to go!!

We are so pleased with how well our staff has come together for this summer. We have a huge return of folks from prior summers, and we’ve enjoyed the luxury of being very choosy in hiring our new staff. Welcome back to the following “old-timers” who are returning this summer:

GREG COOPER: It is summer number 3 for Tripper Greg. He is 22 years old, and he has just recently returned to the US. This winter, Greg has been been working on an olive farm in Turkey, traveling through Syria and Jordan, and scuba diving between days of rock climbing on the Sinai Peninsula. Sounds like a fun life! Not nearly as fun as leading campers on trips, so Greg is very excited about his return to camp. So are we!

ALANNA DILLON: It is also summer number 3 coming up for Alanna. She is 21 years old, and she is a Junior at Vanderbilt University, and has been studying abroad in Edinburgh this past semester. She is majoring in Political Science and Environmental Studies. Alanna tells us she has been writing papers in cafes where J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series. This summer Alanna will again head up our Sailing program.

PETER GOLDBERG: That’s right, folks, after a 2 year absence, Peter is back for his 11th summer at camp. For the past two years, Peter has been serving in the US Peace Corps in South America. He is currently working for the US Census, and is preparing to go to business school. Peter will be a cabin counselor, will head up our Rocketry program, and help out with Gymnastics and Sailing.

MEGAN HAGER: Megan is back for her 3rd summer, and this year she’ll spend more time out of the kitchen and out on trail. Megan is going to be a Trip Leader this summer! She is 26 years old, and she lives in Flagstaff, AZ working for the Coconino Rural Environmental Corps. Part of her job is supervising younger folks in trail building and maintenance in the White Mountain range. Meghan will take her WFR course this summer and be ready to go!

JOVAN MCGEE: Summer number 7 coming up for Jovan. He will turn 28 years old this summer, and he lives in St. Paul, MN where he is a gymnastics coach. Life is pretty busy for Jovan these days as he eats, sleeps, and lives gymnastics all day, every day. This summer Jovan will be a cabin counselor, will again head up our Gymnastics program, and help out at Tennis. You may find him from time to time in the Rec Hall playing a little table tennis too.

Let us introduce you to the fine folks who have signed on with us this past month:

ZSOLT ABRAHAM: Zsolt is 19 years old and is from Helvicia, Hungary, where he is a university student majoring in Business Administration and Management. Zsolt has visited the US before as an exchange student, and he has worked with children as a volunteer PE instructor. Zsolt is a cook and baker, and has worked in some catering situations with his church. He joins our Kitchen Staff this summer.

MORGAN ANDERSON: Morgan is 18 years old and she comes from Savoy, IL. She attends Parkland Community College and is studying Sports Management. Morgan has worked at a day camp as a Junior Counselor, and she has also worked with a child-care service. In addition to that, Morgan has worked in various restaurants and bakeries, and this summer she will also join our Kitchen Staff.

DÉSI HEINEN: Dési is 24 years old and she joins us all the way from Munster, Germany. We actually were able to meet with Dési right here in Tucson this winter. She is friends with Rachel Waszczak’s brother, so Rachel and Johnny have known her for years. Among her many valuable experiences, Dési was a student-director of a camp in Germany. She helped organize and run the program, communicate with parents, the whole deal! She has a degree in Social Sciences from the University of Osnabrük, and will start graduate school after the summer. She played volleyball through high school, still plays now, and has coached youth volleyball teams. This summer, Dési will head up our Volleyball program and help out with Arts & Crafts, Horseback Riding, and Swimming.

DAN KICK: Dan is 20 years old and joins us from Dublin, OH. He is a Sophomore at Miami of Ohio studying Political Science. Dan’s family owns a bakery where he has worked during this time away from school. He has also worked at a country club poolside grill. Dan has been a big brother and worked as a junior counselor at a small overnight camp. This summer Dan will join our Kitchen Staff.

SARAH OLSON: Sarah is 19 years old, and she is from Woodbury, MN. She is a Sophomore at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, studying Food Science. Sarah has been involved in 4H for many years, assuming leadership positions as she got older. Cooking and baking have been hobbies of hers as well for many years, and she has cooked for literally thousands of people at a time. She aspires to become a commercial chef, and she joins our Kitchen Staff this summer.

JILL VIERGUTZ, RN: Jill is 47 years old and she comes to us from Wausau, WI. Jill is a Registered Nurse and an EMT. She has worked in summer camps for 4 seasons, starting as a cabin counselor and ultimately working as a camp director. Prior to becoming a nurse, Jill acquired a degree in Social Work and was a social worker. She’s very familiar with our little part of the North Woods, and has a house on a lake nearby. Jill rounds out our health care staff as one of our Camp Nurses.

HARRIET WALSH: Harriet is 19 years old and joins us from Gloucestershire, in England. She works in a child care center and is studying childcare learning and development. Harriet is very athletic, playing field hockey and rounders in school, and she currently involved in aerobics and yoga classes daily. This summer she will head up our Yoga program, and help out with Tennis and Photography.

BRITTANY WELCH: Brittany is 23 years old and lives in Tucson, AZ. She is originally from Overland Park, KS. and has a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Kansas. She is now at the University of Arizona studying Nursing. Brittany went to summer camp herself, and is into several camp activities including horseback riding and yoga. This summer Brittany will spend part of her day as a Nurses’ Assistant working in the Infirmary, and part of her day taking and posting photographs on our website.

JAMES WOOD: James will be 20 years old this summer, and he comes from Northamptonshire, England. He is currently working as a gymnastics and soccer coach at sports college, and he has also coached gymnastics at a gymnastics club. James is also into tennis and mountain biking. This summer he’ll be a cabin counselor, and will assist in Gymnastics, Tennis, and Mountain Biking.

BRAVO TO THE APRIL BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS: Ben Lurie - 4/2/1993, Jay Cheskis - 4/4/1996, Rachelle Rossa - 4/4/1990, Logan Seiden - 4/5/2000, Ethan Letwat - 4/10/2001, Jeremy Tubbs - 4/10/1993, Brian Barlow - 4/11/1995, Brian Gordon - 4/11/1995, Matt Mossler - 4/12/2000, James Wood - 4/12/1990, Jake Stein - 4/13/1997, Ryan Bronston - 4/14/1999, Joey Bursten - 4/15/1997, Henry Lovett - 4/16/2001, Matt Kearney - 4/17/1988, Dylan Silver - 4/19/1998, Brandon Gomel - 4/21/1999, Jack O'Malley - 4/21/1999, Amy Eidson - 4/22/1989,Siobhan Connelly - 4/25/1987, Sam Kagan - 4/26/1998, Hitch Hitchens - 4/27/1957, David Gaidamak - 4/29/1996, Joey Rodin - 4/30/1995.

Our May edition of “Timberlife!” will be the last one we write in Tucson. May is moving month for us, and we can’t wait!! Try to stay focused on your school work, y’all! Before you know it, summer will be here!!!

Benches up,