On Behalf of Carol and Phil, Alan, Sharon, Lenny, Mike, Jay, and everyone else at Camp Lakota I want to thank the campers, parents and staff for making 2008 a remarkable and memorable Summer.

Has it really come to an end.  It seems like just yesterday we were waiting on the front lawn and the buses rolled on in.  We said hello to old friends and welcomed new campers with open arms. 

This Summer saw our campers participate in an unprecedented number of intercamp games.  Maybe we didn’t always win, but nobody enjoyed ices like our kids.  There were more outside shows coming into camp this Summer than ever before.  There were old time favorites like Unique Entertainment and Steve Max.  There was a hypnotist, Magician, Bubble Man, Wendy the Wildlife Lady, the Court Jesters and many more.  July 4th continued our new tradition of a water carnival on the lowers.  I hear next years waterslides are going to be even bigger and better then this year’s.  Who could forget Alan going down in the dunk tank. 

We had our annual events, Birthday Ball, Olympics, Color War and Mr. Lakota.  Our theme night this year was Music through the decades.  Congratulations to our Watermelon and Victory League winners.  Ending Mike Stern’s 5 year run was Adam Rudin’s team.  Danielle Koves team won Victory Leagues.

This year we introduced our new elective intstructional period and from all of the feedback we have received, it was a hit and will be back next year.  The pools and lake were enjoyed by all.  More campers enjoyed lake activities this year then ever before.

We all went to Mountain Creek in the first half of the summer.  Our younger campers enjoyed the Bronx Zoo, while our older campers ate with their hands at Medivial Times and enjoyed Powerstation in Paramus for indoor games and fun.  Everyone had an opportunity to go bowling.  Our chiefs and CIT’s enjoyed their extended trip to Boston.

To the parents thanks for keeping me busy this Summer on the bulletin board.  It was nice on visiting day to put faces and real names to your bulletin board screen names.  Some of you, well ok just me and photofam have exceeded 200 posts this Summer.  Others have reached and passed the 100 post mark.  I hope you will continue to enjoy the new parent forum once Gregg gets it set up.  Hopefully the kids will make use of the Camper forum.  I am working on the camper directory and over 70 families have signed up already.  Going to give everyone to the end of the week to sign up and work on it next weekend with plans to send it out the following week.

Finally, I am sure everyone will agree that this year’s pictures were beyond incredible.  Alright maybe there was not one everyday of your camper but the quality and quantity of pictures this summer was beyond anyone’s expectations.  We surpassed the 10,000 mark in pictures or we are real close.  The campers enjoyed a slide show of 800 pictures set to music the last night of camp.  We are checking with Gregg to see if we can post the slideshow to the website somehow.  Stay tuned.  Thanks go out to Emily for taking these pictures and getting to so many different activities every day and Jay for staying up all hours to get them posted for the parents who check every morning.

The Summer of 08 definitely had it’s memorable moments. 

We of course are looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion in January, time and place to be determined shortly.  We will update you on what’s going on over the winter at camp through email’s and the forum’s.

We now have 45 weeks to plan for 2009 and trust me we are already hard at work to make 2009 even better and more memorable than 2008.

Carol and Phil Hager, Alan Rosenfeld, Sharon Keck, Lenny Durante, Mike Levy, Jay Cohen and Mike Wurtzel.

Color War is my favorite time of the summer.  I remember as a camper sitting around and trying to figure out when it would break, debate on who the officers would be, and if it would be me to get the honor of being a Captain or Lieutenant.  Looking back at my 16 summers at camp, each and every Color War has left me with at least one fond memory.   I can also appreciate how hard all the Color War Officers are working. I was the former General of Gray Mystics in 2000.  It was the most fun I have ever had. It also provided many stressful moments.  But in the end, it helped teach me life skills and gave me the confidence that has stayed with me to this day.

These days I along with many other senior staff members and ex-officers are the silent participants of Color War.  We are the Judges!! We work very hard to instill fairness and justice in every game we officiate.

Everything in Color War is judged. We don’t just simply judge the games. We judge the teams marching up to breakfast.  We inspect the bunks and teams may lose points based on the cleanliness of bunks (No sand in beds!). We judge the teams marching to line up. We judge their behavior during rest hour and free time. The kids are always on their best behaviors during Color War.  We judge their sportsmanship during games. They can get plus points for their team for showing good sportsmanship.  We judge their marching to dinner and their marching to evening lineup.  We judge the night activities as well.  Life as a Judge, can be fun because I get to see all the children trying their best to compete. I love competition and seeing your kids shine and rise to the occasion when moments get tough is what camp is all about.   But, I would be lying if I didn’t say the little kid in me misses being on a team, cheering and playing.

For those that are interested my Color War Stats: 5-0 as a camper, 0-3 as a counselor, and Undefeated as a Judge!

-Mike Levy

P.S. Can’t Wait until Lazy Day!!!!

In addition to sports there are several other activities that can earn a team points. One is the bake off.

This blog will be written by Tracker girl Alexa Hirschberg and Scout girl Jessica Pollack…

We are both on the Blue team. We competed in a Bakeoff vs. the Gray team.  One camper from every division was involved in this contest.  The goal was to bake the best apple pie and also the best clean up.  Alexa had to cut the apples up and pour the cinnamon on them.  Jessica peeled and cut the apples.  The Apple pies are currently baking.  It takes 45 min. to bake.   Everyone at the the table had to do a job.  We all needed to work as a team.  Each team had a counselor supervising.  We were very proud of our work.  We finished just in time before the time limit.  We had so much fun and can’t wait to eat our pie win or lose.

-Alexa and Jessica

This blog will be written by Chief boy, Angel Valdes.

Color War is very intense.  It is usally at the end of camp and it lasts for 5 days.  In it there are a series of different sports such as soccer, basketball, hockey, volleyball, tennis, and softball.  There is also singing involved in color war.  Both teams need to make up an entrance, march, comedy, and alma mater.  I am on the Blue team.  We are losing by 57 points.  It is a very close match between both teams.  I enjoy the intensity of Color War because it pumps all the kids up to sports and be active.

I played in a JV basketball game.  It was a very close game.  Both teams were trading baskets.  I got the ball with ten seconds left and dribbled it half court.  I saw the clock clicking down.  5, 4, 3, 2,1…I shoot the ball and swish, it goes right in. We won the game 20-17 with my half court shot!! Go Blue!!

-Angel Valdes, Chief Boy

Color War is in its last day.  It has been a very exciting competition so far.  The Gray Team stormed out to a comanding lead.  However, the Blue team has made a dramatic comeback and has closed the gap. It is now anyone’s ball game leading into Sing Night.

This next section is written by Warrior Girl, Amanda Small.

The Warrior girls’ softball game on 8/11/08 turned out to be very intense.  It started out with the Gray team in the field.  In the beginning the blue team scored runs.  We (Gray) got up to bat and scored one run.  In the fourth inning we surprisingly caught up to them.  Throughout the rest of the game blue kept getting ahead and Gray kept getting close and somewhat catching up.  Finally in the last inning Blue was ahead by two runs and we needed three to win.  Sami Papkin and Simone Epstein were on base.  Anna Aguila got up and got a hit to load the bases.  It was bases loaded and two outs and it was my turn to bat.  My legs were shaking.  The ball came and I wacked it right to the outfield, scoring three runs that were needed to win the game!  Great plays in the field made by Alex Alberecci, Haylee Pollack, and Sarah Appleblatt.  Excellent pitching by Anna Aguila and Amanda Small.  For the Blue team, very good pitching Julia Balter and Ricki Rothchild.  It turned out to be an amazing game.

-Amanda Small, Warrior Girl

So some of you have been asking so let me be the first to tell you that Color War broke out tonight at Camp Lakota.  Tonight’s night activity was a basketball game between the Court Jester’s and our Lakota Counselor’s.  The Court Jesters are a team similar to the Harlem Globtrotters.  After a fun game that included the cha-cha slide, the macarena and some other dance, the final quarter of the game was the officers of color war and Hawk Group Leader Toby vs. the Jester’s.  After a few minutes a rukus started on the court and the officers revealed their shirts underneath. 

Papers went flying and the kids were looking to see which team they were on.  As always it is the Blue vs. the Gray.   This years officers are:  For the Blue team Generals Jamie Feldman and Ryan Marsh.  Lieutenants Lindsay Weinberg and Adam Rudin.  The Camper Generals for the Blue team are Lexi Grossman and Omri Saadi.  The blue team this year is the Blue Inferno.  The Gray team Generals are Danielle Koves and Chris Baker.  The Lieutenants are Sam Cooperberg and Ben ball.  The Camper Generals for the Gray team are Madison Armston and Brian Lagrua.  The gray team this year is the Gray Explorers. 

Tomorrow starts the first of five full days of color war.  I will post in the forum tomorrow all the campers and which team there on.

good luck to both teams

Wurtz

This Blog will be written by CIT Robby Miller…

On Monday, August 4th, the CIT’s ran Camp Lakota’s annual college hall theme night.  In the past, theme-making extraordinare Mike Levy thought of such themes as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Wizard of Oz and Disney.  This year, Levy did not fail to rise to the occasion choosing Music Through the Decades as this years theme.  With some help from Lakota’s wonderful arts and crafts crew, the CIT’s decorated different rooms in college hall specific to a different decade’s music. In addition to decorating the rooms, the CIT’s dressed up as famous musical artists such as Brett Michaels, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West. The night kicked off with a CIT performance highlighting different music and dances through the ages. After the CIT’s dispersed into college hall, it was time for the fun to begin. Each division explored college hall, playing the various music-related games each room had to offer.  In the 90’s grunge room, Micky Silverman and Justin Reisman (sporting flannel shirts and ripped jeans) had a CD-tossing game, while in the hip-hop room, Evan Sporer and Alissa Elfant ran a dance off to find the top “Soulja Boy” dancers in each division.  All the while, kids received candy such as Pixie Stix and Ring Pops.  As campers explored fifty years of music in the rooms of college hall, our very own Jay Cohen (AKA DJ Demand) was outside with his turntables for those who had not yet entered the building.  After every division had passed through college hall and the night activity appeared to be over, campers and counselors alike continued to dance outside to more recent tunes. When it was announced that DJ Demand was looking for the best male and female dancer in each division, the crowd gathered in a circle, allowing every camper to fight for the coveted title.  In all, Music Through the Decades was a huge success leaving many to proclaim it “the most fun night activity of the summer”.

This blog is written by Evan Sporer, a CIT Boy.

The trip began early on July 30th, with all the Chiefs and CITS making their way to the buses with their bags, pillows, and tired faces. (After all, it was 6AM).  After a quick cold cereal breakfast, we boarded the buses.  A bus for first-year Chiefs and a bus for second-year Chiefs and CITS, and our journey to Boston began. The bus ride went very smooth, with a quick stop in Conneticut for a bite to eat, and before we knew it, we were in Boston witnessing decades past in Salem.

We were given a walking tour by two very knowledgable guides, and after a trip to the Salem Witch museum which included an educational show, and a trip to the gift shop, we were back on the bus headed to Chicago Bar and Grill Pizzeria for dinner (Sometime on that bus ride, we were informed that Ivan Rodriguez was traded to the Yankes; minor stir).

We ate a pizza dinner, while watching a Red Sox game on a big-screen television, and we were finally on our way to the hotel. The hotel, a Sheraton, had a waterpark which we enjoyed our first night, and was probably the nicest hotel I’ve stayed at during my three years of Camp Lakota trips. The first night at the hotel, we were allowed to order-in food, to the delight of most of the trip goers, and all were able to go to sleep on a full stomach.

The second day, we were allowed to sleep until 8PM, and after a buffet breakfast, we were off to Quincy Markets for a quick shopping excursion. Quincy Markets is a small area which includes both outdoor and indoor shopping, (although indoors is primarily the foodcourt) and included some camper favorite stores such as Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie and Fitch, and American Eagle. (And for the girls, Victoria’s Secret) After 4 hours of shopping, we got back on the bus and traveled to our next destination; the Boston Duck Tour.  The Duck Tour starts out in a bus, but in little time you are on the sea as the bus can also serve as a boat. After a nice float across a bay in Boston, another knowledgable tour guide passing on what they know, and a few laughs, we were off to see Shear Madness; an interactive murder mystery in which the audience actually votes on who committed the murder. After we shared some laughs, and a Camp Lakota shirt made a cameo via one of the actors outfit changes, it was time to get back on the bus and head for the Hardrock Cafe in Boston. We had a fixed menu on which you could order a burger, a chicken or pork sandwhich, or a salad. It was a tastey meal, and once everyone had chowed down it was time to return to the hotel for some much needed sleep after a full days activities.

We awoke our final morning, went to the dining hall for our final breakfast, dropped our bags in the loby, a got to say our final goodbyes to the Sheraton. From there, we put our luggage under the bus, and were off to our final destination before Wurtsburo, Six Flags. Many of the campers gathered their courage up and rode rides such as Superman, Batman and Cat Woman. Even myself who does not enjoy rides found fun in the park via impossible amusement park games and some decent food. Many came back to the bus holding souveneir stuffed animals and basketballs, and finally it was time to return home. I would like to personally thank all chaperones who accomponied us on the trip and were very accomodating throughout. I would also like to thank Jason Cohen, camp activites director, who organized the trip. As always, thanks for reading, and please log back on for our next session.

Hi to all of our Rookie parents out their in the real world.  If you want a little taste of whats been going on today.  Check out my forum post under Rookie Weekend information 2008.  Its the latest post on there unless someone else has already left a comment.  I will try to get someone to blog about rookie weekend tomorrow morning.

Wurtz

Camp has been so busy this past week that I haven’t had a free 5 minutes to blog!  We’ll start off with our annual superstars competition this past tuesday.  Campers spent the day competing in various sports skills events, ranging from free throws and soccer skills to jumprope and frisbee throw!  At the end of the day, all of the points were added up and the top 8 in each division competed in a obstacle course finale.  The winner of each division would be crowned the title of “2008 Lakota Superstar” and will be receiving a t-shirt during the reunion in January.  The winners were (in order from braves to chiefs) Alex Quadrozzi, Brian Dubinsky, Mallory Russo, Zach Ames, Shana Ranauto, Jordan Reid, Sydney Oshinsky, Brian Kasdan, Rachel Alfassy, Jason Dubinsky, Jessica Jachemczyk, and Max Linden.  Thanks to all of the CITs for running the days events!

The fun doesn’t stop there.  The next day was our trip day!  Braves, Hawks and Scouts went to the Bronx Zoo and had a blast!  Some of the favorite exhibits were the Madagascar exhibit and the birds of prey (with the most popular one being the bald eagle).  The campers were also excited to see the gorillas and the reptile house.  Trackers and Warriors had a two part trip.  First we went to Medieval Times for a feast and show.  For the first time all summer everyone was allowed to eat a full meal with their hands!  Our section was rooting for the blue knight, who lost in the joust but in the end we were all winners.  Our very own Emily Nitzberg was honored by our knight and given the Queen of Love and Beauty sash.  After the show we headed 15 minutes down the road to Powerhouse Studios in Paramus.  We came in and had to walk through a hallway with spinning walls and stars all over.  Then we were directed into the game show room for the main event - the Bullseye game show.  The group was divided into two teams and the goal of the game was to get the most bullseyes by answering questions and winning challenges.  These included trivia questions in many subjects, a music game, human scrabble, and many more events.  After the game, we were invited to the other room which had an arcade with free play, soft drinks, and a ton of cool scenery!  There was an exact replica of the De Lorean from Back to the Future, 6 foot oscar awards, dinosaurs from Jurassic Park, an Indiana Jones wall that shoots air when you walk past it, and other fun objects from movies.  The Chiefs and CIT’s are still on their trip to Boston and the surrounding area and having a blast from what I hear.  When they get back I’ll have one of them write all about the trip, and try to gather some of their own pictures together to post on the photo site.

Just when the campers thought you couldn’t cram any more excitement into one day, they were surprised to find out we had a huge event planned for them back here at night!  As lots of you saw in the photo gallery we had a show by Geoff the bubble juggler.  He made bubbles of all different shapes and sizes including something that nobody thought could be done, a square bubble!  The campers were mesmerized by his show, and aside from all of the cool tricks he also brought a positive message with him.  Instead of the magic words abra cadabra, he used “anything is possible” and had the audience repeat that several times throughout the show.  He also explained his journey of how he became the “bubble juggler” and showed us all how he could make his famous square bubble while everyone else said it was impossible.  He brought up several campers on the stage to help him out with his show.  At the end everyone was surprised to find out we had a special treat - every camper had the chance to be put in a huge bubble!  We posted a whole folder of the pictures from that on the gallery.

Just to give everyone an idea of what is coming up here at camp, tonight we have wildlife wendy and her exotic birds doing a show for the campers.  She came yesterday and has been walking around the camp giving the kids a chance to see some of the birds and even feed a baby one!  Everyone is excited for that show tonight.  Of course the rookies are arriving as we speak so they will be excited once they find out what we have in store for them.  The fun continues tomorrow night with a Luau at the lake!  Festivities include a tiki pole ring toss, hula hoop contest, finding buried treasure, exotic drinks (non-alcoholic of course), hula dancing, and other fun activities.  Sunday my DJ company, Mystical Entertainers (here comes the plug - available for bar/bat mitzvahs and sweet 16s), will be running our 2nd Disco of the summer, which is always a big hit.  Monday we have our annual college Hall theme night.  This year’s theme is music through the decades and the kids will get a taste of many different genres of music by walking from room to room in the building.  Tuesday night the upper half of camp will be going bowling and the younger half will be doing activities in camp.  As you can see we haven’t slowed down one bit here at camp, and are all keeping busy with one exciting event after another.  Stay tuned for the Chief CIT trip blog which will be coming in the next few days.  Hope everyone is having a fun summer, I know we all are!