Hello Canadensis…
So, I just logged onto www.canadensis.com and saw that there are only 57 days until camp! Woo Hoo! Tomorrow, I will actually get up to camp for a preliminary sneak peak. If you don’t know, we host many groups up at camp before and after our summer season. And, our first group arrives this weekend. For this group, I actually get to be down at the lake helping out, which is one of my favorite areas of camp. I will post some pictures in a future blog.
Some of our pre-camp staff and counselors have already arrived this week to help us out with these groups and assist with setting up camp for the summer. In fact, Matt Unger has been up at camp for a few weeks already preparing and getting camp into summer shape. Be sure to check out the Twitter feed, http://twitter.com/#!/Canadensis , which now has all the updates coming directly from the 18325.
Eric, Pam and I have started to work on and have almost completed our 6-Day Master Schedule. This really gets us excited for the summer as we are setting the schedule for all of the fun that will take place. However, putting together a balanced day for 400+ campers is one heck of a task! But, we are almost done. On top of that, I just got back a list of all of the Pike County Inter-Camp Tournaments we will be participating this summer. Looks like we will have basketball, baseball / softball, swimming, dance, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse and soccer games for many of our age groups.
Also, in talking about the summer, campers can once again look forward to outside guests coming into camp. Already booked for the summer are Brad Henderson magic workshops (www.bradhenderson.com), Adam Issadore’s Path To Rhythm Drum Circles (www.pathtorhythm.com), Rak Dan Dancing (www.rakdan.com) and Future Fashionistas (new for 2011 Girls Side) workshops (www.futurefashionistas.com). Of course, these are just a few of the many exciting things we have planned for the summer.
There are definitely some more wonderful home visits to report on as well. In Merrick, NY, I saw the Talarico Family, which will now have all three of their children at camp this summer. Oldest brother Ross, who will be a Lower Senior this summer and returning for his five year jacket, and sister Paige, who will be an Upper Inter in her fourth summer at camp, will be joined by their younger brother Drew, who is currently in the 2nd grade and will be in our Junior Boys division. All three Talaricos had great things to tell me about all they have been up to. In the fall, Ross played his first year of tackle football as an offensive lineman for his team, the Rams. He also played basketball and baseball this year. He can’t wait for his new journey over to Senior side this year, the Hondas elective and having his younger brother at camp in 2011. As for Paige, she has been rehearsing for her school music production of “Hank and Gretchen,” which is a take on Hansel and Gretel and will premiere in June. She is also very busy with all kinds of dance classes and competitions in hip hop, jazz, tap and ballet. This summer, she can’t wait for the go-karts elective and a later bedtime. She also wanted to say hello to all of the girls from Summer 2010’s Bunk 7. And for Drew, he just started baseball season on his team, the Orioles, where he plays pitcher, first base and outfield. He also played soccer this year on his team the Dominators and played on a basketball team, too. At camp this year, he looks forward to all of the sports, making new friends, the trip to Dorney Park and being with his brother and sister. Here is a picture…
Me with Lower Senior Boy Ross Talarico (left), Junior Boy Drew Talarico (center) and Upper Inter Girl Paige Talarico (right).
In Philadelphia, PA, I met up with Luke Jaspan, who is a second generation Canadensis camper, as his mom Jodi was a camper. Currently in 3rd grade, Luke will be in our Junior Boys division this summer. At home, his big passion is ice hockey and he plays on a team, the Warriors, which posted a 30-4-1 record this season. Luke plays wing, defense and goalie on the team. Luke also participated in the “Mites on Ice” at a Philadelphia Flyers game this year, where he played goalie and earned the “Mite of the Night” honor. Luke also plays baseball and lacrosse. He is a huge Flyers and Harry Potter fan. When he gets to camp this summer, he is excited for the inter-camp athletics against other camps, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, gaga, waterskiing / wakeboarding, fishing, woodworking and ceramics. Here is a photo…
Me with Junior Boy Luke Jaspan. To answer your question, "Yes. I was able to smile even while Luke proudly wore his Philadelphia Flyers shirt."
In Dix Hills, NY, I spent some time with Alexa and Tyler London. Tyler, currently in the 6th grade, returns to camp for his fourth summer as part of our Freshman boys division while Alexa, now in the 4th grade, will be in our Lower Inter girls division in her first summer. Tyler has been playing a lot of USTA tennis tournaments lately and also been involved with basketball and flag football. At camp, he can’t wait for hondas, waterskiing and his division’s trip to Cooperstown the the Baseball Hall of Fame. Tyler wanted to give a shout out to his bunkmates from Summer 2010’s Bunk 9. Alexa plays a lot of basketball and just recently finished up her team’s season, which made it to the championship game. The coach even created a special “hotness” play for her this season. Alexa also enjoys bike riding, going to the movies, swimming, being with her friends and family vacations. When she gets to camp in 2011, she is excited about the climbing wall, the Dorney Park trip and “getting away from home.” Here is a pic…
Me with Lower Inter Girl Alexa London and Freshman Boy Tyler London.
In Northport, NY, I got to see the Kahane brothers, Sam and Max. Sam joins us for his third summer at Canadensis as part of the Lower Senior Boys division while Max is coming for Summer #1 and will be in the Junior Boys division. Now in 7th grade, Sam has been attending some bar mitzvahs of some of his bunkmates which he was really excited about. At the same time, he has been playing numerous USTA tennis tournaments. In the winter, he loves snow skiing and has even been skiing double black diamond trails. At camp this summer, he looks forward to cooking, the Tennis Academy and of course, being on Senior side. He certainly wanted to say hi to all of his bunkmates from Summer 201o’s Bunk 14. Max, who is in the 2nd grade, likes lacrosse, basketball, tennis and snow skiing. He, too, skis double black diamonds. He is also a big fan of WWE wrestling and his favorite wrestler is Batista. When he gets to camp, Max will be all about trying activities like waterskiing, cooking, flag football and lake boats. Here is a picture…
Me with Lower Senior Boy Sam Kahane (left) and Junior Boy Max Kahane (and their dog Cooper).
Last weekend, I also had lunch with the Shaw Family, who are from Caldwell, NJ. It was great catching up with Oliver Shaw, who is back for his fourth summer as part of our Upper Inter Boys division, and his younger sister Avery Shaw, who will be joining us for her first of many summers at camp as part of our Junior Girls division. Avery told me all about how she loves gymnastics, dance and art. She also told me that she just can’t wait for the summer since she has been hearing about all the good things that Oliver has told her each year. Avery attended last summer’s Tour and More Weekend and has already connected with some of the girls that will be part of her division this summer, which has gotten here even more excited. On top of that, she told me that she can’t wait to try “everything!” As for Oliver, he had some very exciting news! For the past year, he has been part of a band called Going Dark. A few months ago, the band entered “The Break” Contest, which started with close to 500 bands competing for the grand prize…a chance to play at the Bambooze Festival and the New Meadowlands Stadium. After several rounds, Going Dark won the competition!
Here was their promotional video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpKP1cvDmvY&feature=related
Here was when they won “The Break” Competition at the Stone Pony in NJ…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbnW7nRm9ic&feature=related
Oliver Shaw and Going Dark will now be playing Sunday, May 1 at the Bamboozle Festival. More info here: http://thebamboozle.com/ .
Congratulations, Oliver!
Here is a picture, too…
Me with Junior Girl Avery Shaw and Upper Inter Boy Oliver Shaw.
I also got to have lunch with the Greenspan family, who were in town from North Bethesda, MD, visiting relatives. It was great to see Marshall and Haley, both who are joining us for their second summers at Canadensis in our Junior division. Both Marshall and Haley are excited for their return to camp and told me all about what they have been up to, including recently getting a new dog and a family vacation they went on in the winter. Here is a photo…
Me with Junior Girl Haley Greenspan and Junior Boy Marshall Greenspan.
On a final note, I wanted to wish Will Armon and his soon to be wife a CONGRATULATIONS! Will and Amy will be married tomorrow, April 30 in Missouri. Many Canadensis staff will be in attendance! I hope everyone has a great time!
Well, that’s all for now. More blogging next week.
Have a great day…Brian
