Author: Elissa

Goodbyes aren’t easy and when our Florida kids had to leave today so that they could start school tomorrow it began the process of leaving the people who we loved spending all summer with. Reality has set in and our summer is coming to a close. There was a mellow vibe on camp today but our hearts full of experiences and memories that has brought us close to one another in ways that is indescribable.

The night was full of surprises as we sent out Seniors, Supers and GC’s out to the movies for one last unexpected trip. They loved it and had an absolute great time out for one last hoorah of summer ’19. Nothing says summer like watching a summer blockbuster with a group of your favorite people. The Freshman – Inters had their own movie but back at camp and outside under the stars. They brought their blankets and chairs and enjoyed The Greatest Showman. It was a perfect night with an outdoor movie and our littlest campers loved their evening. The Collegiate division had their own movie night in the Chen-A-Plex and had a ball. Our CIT’s spent the night stargazing as they BBQ’d and enjoyed s’mores around the campfire. They listened to music, spent time with one another and just enjoyed one of the last few nights of Summer ’19.

It may be winding down but each moment spent together is a a moment we cherish. Two more days with the best people in the best place and tomorrow is Late Night with Leahy. We’re going out with a bang.

Chenny out.

Reality has set in that our last few days of summer 2019 are upon us. It is a mix of emotion here at camp as we are organizing for the end. With Color War behind us and banquet happening tonight, the end of summer 2019 is coming closer. We have a few more days and we are taking advantage of every minute of each remaining day here. It has been an unbelievable

As the sun was setting over Fiddle Lake, we were all dressed up in our best outfits and headed to center camp where we took pictures together with our friends & counselors. Everyone looked beautiful. The vibe was insane and just so full of joy. Kids stood on the dock, arm in arm smiling for that group picture that will be looked at a million times as soon they return home only to remind us of this very night.  It was a night that had a tangible feeling attached to it – we looked gorgeous, felt happy and it showed on every person here at camp.  Living free and happy is how we choose to live up here. This night was perfect and as they walked into the Lodge for banquet dinner we walked into Mardi Gras with beads, boas and masquerade masks.  We grooved to big brass band music and dined on delicious steak sliders, fried chicken Caesar salad, steak fries and corn niblets, The kids loved their meal but the big hit was dessert as everyone went crazy for the edible chocolate chip cookie dough! It was an great meal with our camp family.

After dinner it was off to Shields Hall for our end of the year division Awards. Each Division highlighted the following campers in 3 areas; Honor Camper, Athlete of the Year and All Around Camper. They are truly standout campers and we couldn’t be more proud to highlight and honor them on this great night. To receive an award on this night is the highest honor we can give our campers. These are remarkable campers who deserve all the accolades and praise they were given. We have outstanding campers and tonight the light was bright on the campers we recognized with these extremely prestigious awards. What an honor, what a night and oh what a feeling!!!!

	CAMPERS OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2019 – Girls side
	HONOR		ATHLETE		ALL AROUND
FRESHMEN	Jamie Eber		Brooke Arenberg		Sylvia Milstein
JUNIORS	Jordana Kohen		Mia Donson		Ava Mallin
MIDDIES	Jordana Gomez		Sammie Keane		Maya Tave
INTERS	Hayden Berger		Averie Katz		Mandy Adler
COLLEGIATES	Natalie Portnoy		Brooke Gordon		Dani Glickman
SENIORS	Abby Weiss& Pepper Margulis		Jesse Gatto		Dylan Yonover
SUPERS	Cori Holtzman		Jessie Locker		Jordana Brief
GC’s	Lexi Tave		Maya Grill		Jordan Glickman
CIT’s Of The Year	Charlie Feldman & Abby Baskind
OVERALL CAMPERS OF THE YEAR
	HONOR		ATHLETE		ALL AROUND
Lower Camp	Jordana Gomez		Mia Donson		Mandy Adler
Upper Camp	Coru Holtzman		Jesse Gatto		Dani Glickman

 

	CAMPERS OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2019 – Boys Side
	HONOR		ATHLETE		ALL AROUND
FRESHMEN	Zach Capon		Nate Isaacson		Ryden Rubovitz
JUNIORS	Tyler Roth		Alex Berger		Jordan Morris
MIDDIES	Zack Jacobsen		Tyler Sugarman		Dylan Adler
INTERS	Max Eber		Owen Isaacson		Chase Goldman
COLLEGIATES	Sam Brief & Zack Worth		Anthony Scarcella & Jordan Tave		Austin Berstein
SENIORS	Drew Schimer		Jacob Pinsk		Juston Horowitz
SUPERS	Ethan Simpson & Max Gutman		Holden Baris & Jonah Marcus		Jake Fersko & Max Leff
GC’s	Ryan Bornstein		Jace Nadboy		Sam Chaskin
CIT’s of the Year	Parker Moritz & Dylan Bortnick
OVERALL CAMPERS OF THE YEAR
	HONOR		ATHLETE		ALL AROUND
Lower Camp	Zach Capon		Tyler Sugarman		Chase Goldman
Upper Camp	Drew Schimer		Jace Nadboy		Jake Fersko

After the Awards, it was party time and we danced all night long. Shields Hall was full of campers who let loose and danced until their feet hurt. It was over the top fun having our last true dance party with our summer family. It’s so hard to believe the summer is coming to a close for many of our Florida campers as they head out tomorrow morning. It just doesn’t seem real. As campers headed back to their bunks full of glow sticks, T-shirts, glow rings and other items that were given out at the party, everyone was exhausted and elated and had the times of their life tonight. It was a party like no other as we celebrated an amazing summer ’19. It was just an incredible way to celebrate with the most amazing people on the planet. Life is great.. A few more days to go and we don’t want to blink because before we know it, our summer is coming to an end.

Chenny out

We Bleed Red & Gold. We fight for something we believe in. We are passionate about a common goal that drives us to be the best we can be. We give it all we’ve got and leave it all on the fields and courts. We sing, chant and cheer with our brothers and sisters. We are superstars every single day. We feel pure exhaustion but slowing down is just not an option. We put our arms around our opponents after a battle well fought. We are a valued team member and we count.  We win and we lose but the journey is what matters. We are part of something bigger than ourselves. We speak the same language and understand why color war rules everything.  We are better together than apart. We love apache. This defines Color War. From our youngest Freshman to our most seasoned CIT’s and everyone in between play an integral role in our Color War. Every point, every basket, every lap and every goal matters and the end result builds character and pushes us to places that we didn’t know we could go. This is Color War.

Everyone counts in the Apache Relay and every camper plays a key role. No matter if you are part of the elephant walk or being wrapped in toilet paper, running around the quad track, painting an entire oak tag board or are heading into the School of Rock for the infamous “unknown”, you count. It is a race that includes every single camper. It is fun, it is intense and it is Apache. When you think of the true meaning of this camp wide relay, you understand how connected we all are and how each part makes up the whole. Campers have spectacular moments that will forever stay with them and today that moment happened for Freshman camper Asher Goldstein. He and 3 teammates from the Gold team were on the dock and the task was that one of them had to catch a fish. He put a worm on the hook and stood on that dock waiting for the fish to bite. He waited and waited and waited some more. He was the youngest kid on that dock (actually 2 of his fishing teammates were his older siblings) and all of the sudden Asher shouted, “I did it, I think I caught a fish.” There wasn’t a kid or counselor on that dock and beach that wasn’t screaming with excitement for Asher. His smile was huge and said it all. The littlest kid was able to do the biggest thing.. he caught the fish.

Tonight was staff game night. It was Red vs. Gold in Wiffle Ball, Softball, Basketball, Volleyball and Soccer. They had the best time playing and our kids had the best time supporting them. To watch out staff get out there and play themselves was priceless. Color War brings out the best in all of us and this War is oh so close. Before Staff Game night the scores wer announced and only 18 points separated the teams. We have a War on our hands as we enter the 5th and final day. It will all come down to SING!

Chenny out.

It was a glorious morning and a perfect day for more color war games and contests. Everyone was feeling the spirit with their faces painted and their hair sprayed with their team colors. Spirit and team pride runs deep here and everyone feels the excitement. There is nothing quite like Color War and it’s hard to explain but living it is dream like. The competition, the spirit and the fun makes this week the absolute BEST!

Boy’s side had their track meet today and girls side battled in the pool with their swim meet. The kids had so much fun as they relayed to their finish lines getting cheers praise for their hard work and effort. To sit back and watch the encouragement we all give one another here is life changing. There was a little girl who was lagging far behind in her event and she was getting discouraged.. Her teammates started to chant her and name and then within moments the kids and staff on the other team joined in and soon every single female in and around the the pool was chanting her name.. This little girl finished her event with a crowd cheering her on. She got out of the pool and was jumping up and down with excitement even though she lost her race, she won!

Tonight was a great event as we all headed to see the long-standing camp tradition of Rope Burning and Water Boiling. Counselors for both teams have been collecting wood and preparing for tonight. Their faces are painted with zinc to protect them from the burning fire that they have created and the entire camp, watches with great anticipation as to which team while burn the rope and boil the water first. It is a race to build the perfect fire and Gold Sci-Fi Fantasy’s fire went up first. They crowd went nuts but just 2 minutes later Red Medieval Madness’s fire was blazing. The lead went back and forth 7 times tonight. The tiniest shift in wood placement changed the direction of the fire. The crowd would go bananas each time their teams fire looked as if it was going to burn that rope. Reds rope burned first followed by Golds within minutes. Then it was Reds water that boiled over and just moments later Gold’s water boiled. It was an incredible Rope Burn and a perfect Color War Night. There are only 11 points that separate Red & Gold. It’s anyones War but we everyone knows, It ALL Comes Down To Sing!!!

Life is so Great at Camp Chen-A-Wanda!

Chenny out.

Every summer is different and each Color War has it’s own character and feeling as well. The only way to fully describe what is happening here at camp is INSANE SPIRIT & ENERGY and It’s CONTAGIOUS. The campers are 100% into it and the staff has enough energy to power up an entire city. The feeling is fun not fierceness, camaraderie not cut throat competition and spirit prevails over all. It is palpable and you can’t walk 10 feet  without seeing the energy and feeling the fun. Teams are cheering on one another and encouraging everyone around them to be involved and be a part of something pretty special. Everyone matters in Color War. Every at bat, every catch, every basket counts. You are part of something bigger than yourself and that is why Color War is so special to each and every one of us. It is why we come together and have each others back during Color War. It is how we bond and how we play that defines the brilliance of Color War. No matter a win or a loss, we keep going and do our part for the greater good.

The Senior girls were at Wiffle Ball and as I walked up to watch their game, I couldn’t quite tell if it was a game or a dance party. The fun all of these girls were having was the story of the day. The girls were dancing in between each at bat and even the batter got in a few moves before she swung the bat. It was a party up at Wiffle Ball with one of the kids saying to me, “I had no idea Wiffle Ball was this much fun.” You just couldn’t help but smile and nor could they. It was contagious and what this War is all about. Our kids are loving life and feeling free. They are experiencing intense fun and joy. It is why we send them to camp and they are at the pinnacle of happiness. If we could bottle up the spirit and energy here at camp it could move mountains. What is happening here at camp is what we all want and desire for our kids – to feel joy, to have purpose and to be surrounded by the most supportive and energetic community. There is nothing quite like the feeling of Color War and we have 3 more days of pure joy.

This Color War is so close and the teams are within a mere 31 points of each other. Red Medieval Madness has earned 1396 points with Gold Sci-Fi Fantasy  just in their rear view mirror with 1365 points. It is anyones War as these teams head into Quiz night tonight. Tonight was all mental as campers and staff had to answer questions about anything and everything from pop culture to math equations to Camp Chen-A-Wanda facts and everything in between. All day, our bodies were challenged and tonight we stretched and challenged our minds.  There isn’t a camper or staff who isn’t giving it their all and pushing it to the limit. It is an outstanding Color War and with just 3 more days to go and the scores so close, it is anyones game. So here is to 3 more amazing days of exhaustion, exhilaration, competition and meaningful moments. Bring it on!

Chenny out.