Author: Glenn Smith

Yes, turn on ESPN 8 “The Ocho” as yesterday was Alternative Sports Day! Gone were the traditional games like soccer and football and in came human foosball, water quidditch, and more.

After a B-day morning and cabin picture taking, the day changed. For the afternoon, campers competed in alternate dodgeball, ultisoccermate (a cross between rugby and ultimate Frisbee but played with a soccer ball), handball, curling, human foosball, and water quidditch (with pool noodles in lieu of brooms).

Following the competitive afternoon of Alternative Sports, we had a cookout before beginning another fun CTT campfire. Keeping with the theme of being outside the box, the campfire began with teams coming with skits. The skits were not just about anything though, each group had to tell the story of a great moment in alternative sports history. While all the skits were hilarious, Justin Leibow’s skit about spaceballs won the award for best storytelling about alternative sports. After the skits, it was time for alternative sport contests. Matt Kasoff won the standing on one leg while holding things competition. Ian Osterman won the ping-pong bouncing contest, but since ping-pong is so close to tennis, it is not really a surprise. Xiaoyu “Jelly” Chen won the cup pouring contest and Ethan “EPT” Polk-Trauman won the screaming competition. EPT and Matt Kasoff also demonstrated their guitar prowess by playing a stellar jazzy version of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.” The night closed (as all great campfires do) with s’mores.

Today, our older campers get prepared for the life of driving ahead of them on the go-karting trip and the rest of camp has an A-day. The Futsal tournament is already in playoffs and the CTTFFL begins playoff seeding today. Girl Power Hour is building spirit for Girls Side, and today, they play dodgeball. Tonight is Board Game Night, but I have a strange feeling that we are in for a surprise tonight. I can’t wait to see what the weekend brings!

The past couple days of CTT have been filled with adventure. From heading over to Atlantic City, to seeing the Winchester Royals gracefully lose to the Strasburg Express, we’ve had a whirlwind of enjoyment.

Let’s start with Tuesday Night: Atlantic City Night. Starting with $1000 on their CTT Credit Card, campers entered Atlantic City wearing bowties for boys and pearls for girls, with the goals of winning the most money for their cabin and getting a chance to enter the esteemed high rollers club. They partook in blackjack, texas hold ‘em, roulette, the ball-and-cup game, name that tune, and craps to win money for their cabin. Not just being about the thrill of gambling, Atlantic City also had a juice bar (with a soda bar in the high rollers club), an interdenominational chapel for that classic Atlantic City wedding, fortune telling, and a guess how many jar of candy game (won by Eric Seigle for only being off by 41 Smarties in a jar of 441 Smarties.). The night was won by Cabin F who had an average of over $1500 at the end of the night.

Yesterday was a special day for some of our older campers in the Leadership program. As a special treat for stepping up and making the camp environment even better than it was already, the current and future CTT leaders headed to Hanging Rock Trail for a hike. At the end of the hike, Danny Walsh, Josh Arnold, Ethan Weinstein, and Spencer Leibow were feeling particularly manly and swam across the south branch of the Potomac River.

Last night, we went to see the Winchester Royals take on the Strasburg Express in a double-header. Cabin 4 had fun getting autographed balls from the Winchester Royals players. Kyle Solomon and Spencer Smith had the biggest smiles on their faces after befriending a concessions worker and being able to eat extra nachos and watch the game, and our international campers and counselors had a blast seeing their first American baseball game.

These past few days have been great for other camper accomplishments as well. Kyle Solomon got a goal in ultimate Frisbee, no he didn’t just pass it to someone in the end zone, he actually threw it from one side of the field INTO THE GOAL of the next field. Speaking of Kyle Solomon, he and Aaron Mendelsohn won a game of 2 v. 4 lacrosse. Brady Osterman shot par in Frisbee Golf and hit the hill in golf, as did Katherine Barnes. Justin Lasker shot two bullseyes. Noah Hayes made it up the climbing wall and Robert Bell, Garrett Duncan, Emily Walke, and Ian Osterman hit cans in riflery.

Today is Alternate Sports Day where campers try new sports for the afternoon and in the evening, we have a classic CTT campfire. Don’t forget to like Camp Tall Timbers on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page to see all new episodes of Good Morning Tall Timbers and have a great day with a can-do attitude!

It’s hard to beat a Superhero themed skating night. Owen Matthews got the chance to show off his Captain America suit. Ethan Harrison and Spencer Leibow were Supermen. Grayson St. Aubin came as CTT SockMan and Carl Lasker and Brady Osterman went as the Wonder Twins. Best of all (at least from my perspective), I got to be CTT’s greatest superhero, Mark Clark. DaShaun Merrick lost a tooth. Gabe Margolis learned how to skate. Emily Smith went over a dozen times around the rink without falling once. When we weren’t skating, we got to enjoy the snack bar and the arcade games with Irina Bookman and Reese Rosenbloom getting glow-in-the-dark mouthpieces that they love to flaunt. All had a fun time and even those that fell down got right back and up and tried again.

Yesterday, Taryn Dalton won a game of jail. Jasmine Whims made it up the climbing wall blindfolded. DaShaun Merrick learned his first chords on the guitar. Vance Pallone won the choomster contest (for those unaware of food-based contests, the choomster is the biggest chip not consumed at a meal) as well as getting first place in the Frisbee throwing contest. Andrei Hoffman, DaShaun Merrick, Owen Matthews, Hannah Miles, Irina Bookman, and Reese Rosenbloom learned how to play ultimate Frisbee and to throw and catch a Frisbee, with Hannah winning her division of the Frisbee throwing and catching competition.

Tonight, CTT takes another trip up the highway, but this time to Atlantic City. Okay, well not exactly, but it certainly will feel like it as tonight is Atlantic City Night where campers will get their fortunes told by Madam Marie, hope for a royal flush, and roll the dice at the Roulette table. Who’s feelin’ lucky tonight?

A little rain never ruined our fun here. While Cabin Night was sadly called off, it meant Game Show Night was happily called on. With their cabins, campers duked it out in CTT Wheel of Fortune, The Newlywed Game, Name That Tune, Charades, and Jeopardy. Though we have to wait a week for our s’mores and cabin bonding, Game Show Night was a blast for all of us here.

We’re just a week into camp and it is evident that campers are learning more and excelling than ever before. Ben Mendelson got a hat-trick in field hockey. Vance Pallone won a game of Frisbee golf. Corinne Polk-Trauman and Wayeng Yon made it to the top of the new climbing wall. New archer Owen Matthews hit the target. In basketball, Jasmine Whims won a game of 21. Juliette de Metz and Justin Lasker won games of knockout with Justin having a particularly good game getting two bullseyes. In riflery, Kyle Solomon shot in the black. Adam Fiergang made it through the challenge course. Reese Rosenbloom learned how to play lacrosse. Margaret Rappoport, Michelle Speckert, Carly Dalton, and Jamie Stern won games of art bingo. The Leadership group is halfway done their corn-hole set. Lastly, Ian Osterman is one of CTT’s best tennis players, potentially ever. Normally, campers will get one or two announcements about their accomplishments but now we are at the point where Ian just wins every game in tennis, every time he has tennis.

After the rain last night, today is a cool day and we can really feel that sweet summer breeze. Today, the Futsal tournament commences and Boys Leagues continues with Sam F’s Star-Catching Marmosets (2-2) going against Albert’s Kalamazoo Cacapon River Rafting Gorillas that Love Painting in the Art Shack (1-3) and Sam P’s Sample Sizes (2-2) challenging Toby’s Indiana Pacers (3-1). Tonight, CTT goes to the Winchester Skating Center for a fun night at the rink. Lastly, all of us here are elated that this week is our Wet Your Feet Week and Cabin 1 and Cabin A are excited for these new faces. Welcome to camp!

 

 

Skits and World Domination. What else could you want in a CTT weekend?

Friday night was Cheesy Skit night where each cabin had to perform a skit using lines provided. Cabin B told the scary story of monkeys attacking you in the shower with Margaret Rappoport as the girl in the shower. Cabin F beautifully did a camp song riff off. Cabin H, with Emily Walke as the tennis counselor Tim V, used a magic tennis racket to make people sign up for tennis. Girls Tents, while not the winner of the skit night, definitely won the award for best pun as Maddie St. Aubin’s character of “Griff” got his foot caught in a door and said, “Ten points for Gryffindor.” Cabin 2 did a newscast with Teddy Geis as the weatherman and John Barnes as a reporter. Cabin 4 did a TV show called Daredevil TV with Spencer Smith doing his hilarious Nicholas Cage impression as the host and Ryan Margolis, Jonah Gutman, and Kyle Solomon as the show’s contestants. Cabin 78 told the story of three girls who are hitting the town, Ryan Kalata, Wayeng Yon, and Justin Lasker. As they get into the city, they come across a pet shop owned by Brendan Arnold and buy a bird, Ian Osterman. In the end, the winner was Boys Tents who told a two-part story of Cropsey kidnapping the counselors before Jerry (Ethan Weinstein) had to save the day.

Saturdays are special days. After a late wakeup, a sweet Saturday breakfast, and services led by Girls Tents, it was time for World Domination Day. Teams competed throughout the day for supplies so their team can take over the world. They made their own flag, played human battleship, competed in life-size checkers, had an eating contest, played water polo, guessed trivia, and did impossible tasks in the gym. The day ended with a final battle where all their supplies were put to use to dominate the world. After the battle, it was time to wind down and play games like Coke and Pepsi and balloon drop before a camp social.

The fun does not stop with this weekend. Today, Boys Leagues continue and the CTTFFL has its opening day. Tonight is also one of my favorite evening activities at camp, Cabin Night, a night where cabins sleep under the stars and really come together as a group. Stories are told and marshmallows are roasted and all have a great time. A special blog happy birthday wish to two of our great counselors, Toby and Theresa, and all of us here know they’ll have a great birthday at camp and skip around the room.

Rocks. Perhaps the simplest game in history, and yet it was one of the best parts of yesterday’s trip to Cacapon State Park. The game isn’t commonly played and only gets a shout-out in the blog once per session, but it is one of the few games in this world where everyone playing smiles. For those of you who are not familiar with Rocks, which I assume is most, it is a game where you enter the water and one person asks another if they like rocks. When the person logically responds with, “I love rocks!” everyone yells, “ROCKS!” and lays at the bottom of the water, like a rock. It is exponentially more fun than it sounds, trust me.

Whilst seniors went white water rafting through Harper’s Ferry (and only one person fell out of their raft!), the rest of the camp went to Cacapon for a fun day at the beach. In addition to a spirited game of Rocks, campers had fun at the snack bar, playing in the water, and throwing a Frisbee around the beach. After a cookout prepared by one of the best cooks CTT has to offer (not to toot my own horn) it was time for the Cacapon Apache and Fashion Show. First, the teams had to spin around, somersault, crab walk, three-legged race, and more in order to be crowned the kings and queens of Cacapon. But the fun did not stop at the Apache. Then, it was time for the trash bag fashion show where outfits were created using only materials from the woods, a trash bag, aluminum foil, and duct tape. Ethan Weinstein became Darth Vader in his trash bag suit. John Barnes narrated a hysterical Project Runway story about his team and their creative formal trash bag outfit. Spencer Leibow and Aaron Forest told the love story of Cropsey with their outfit. In the end, John Barnes’s Project Runway story won and his team was crowned victorious. Following the Cacapon Apache, we headed off to the playground until heading back to camp ready to rest for another great day of activities.

We have a B-day today and tonight is one of my favorite activities: Cheesy Skit Night, where each cabin has to perform a funny skit. Tomorrow, we take a day off from normal activities and have Global Domination Day. Who will be the champion?

Some of the best aspects of the CTT experience are the bonds you make with your cabin friends. Last night was cabin activity night which featured each cabin being assigned a different area of the camp to run an activity and take the time to connect with each other. Cabin 3 had a golfing competition while Cabin 4 did their very own Cabin Activity Night NBA/NHL Draft to determine teams for what were spirited games of hockey and basketball. Cabin 2 went climbing before a World Cup tournament. Boys Tents flaunted their athleticism in a massive tourney of ultimate frisbee, soccer, and football. Cabin F went tubing and Cabin G had a pool party. Girls Tents and Cabin B had a movie night and Cabin H had a campfire. The night ended with candy and new bonds being forged.
After a full rotation of activities, it is obvious that we have some very talented campers with us. Leonard Pasquier and Carl Lasker won games of Frisbee golf while Adam Fiergang set a new camp record with -4. Josh Arnold and Rachael Cooper won the blindfolded leadership walk. Speaking of Carl Lasker and Josh Arnold, they, in addition to Jack Corby, won games of knockout in basketball. Grayson St. Aubin won sharks and minnows. Sydney Alloy climbed up the wall. Sydney Sachs learned “Yankee Doodle” on guitar. Ian Osterman, Paul Holtz, and Justin Lasker shot bullseyes. Ethan Harrison and Ian Osterman won games of jail. Brady Osterman demonstrated his riflery prowess by hitting a quarter 50 feet away and Katherine Barnes and Abby Hall won games of art bingo.
Today, Boys’ League continues with two hours of competitive play and most of the camp heads to Cacapon State Park for a fun day at the beach, sandcastle building, and a cookout (my favorite part of camp is when I get to grill) while the older campers go white water rafting. Remember to check out the Camp Tall Timbers Facebook page to watch the brand new episodes of “Good Morning Tall Timbers”. Off to Cacapon!

It’s a normal day at Camp Tall Timbers. Children are playing, birds are chirping, nothing out of the ordinary. Like normal, everyone gathers around the office porch for some candy from Granny. Out of nowhere, three oompa-loompas working for the evil Willy Wonka stole all the candy for the camp. But CTT campers are not the type of people to not get up after falling down. They went to every candy factory in camp and completed tasks to get candy back to Granny before the oompa-loompas could steal it. Whether it be the near-impossible task of putting a volleyball onto a golf hole or eating Jell-O with no hands, we all persevered and delivered candy back to Granny leaving her very happy at the end of the night.

Lunchtime is special on Tuesday. While all meals at CTT are fun whether it is the traditional Girls’ Side chant or the counselors breaking out into a medley of Disney songs as they did yesterday, there is something special about Taco Tuesday. When the lunchtime bell rings, campers and counselors alike funnel through the cafeteria with mouths watering for a tasty CTT taco. After receiving their food, the fun does not stop; we go to what is traditionally the salad bar, but on Tuesdays, becomes a cornucopia of options for making one of the best meals camp has to offer. Though biggest taco-making and fastest eating contests don’t sound like much, Taco Tuesday is one of the most anticipated days of the CTT week.

What is great about the first few days of camp is that some try activities for the first time and fall in love, and others who having been playing sports or climbing since they were nine are perfecting their skills. Charlotte Bell shot a gun for the first time. Following in her brother’s footsteps, Corinne Polk-Trauman learned her first guitar chords as did Hannah Stitely and Julia Perline. Building on their skills, Jasmine Whims and Matt Kasoff made it up the new climbing wall. Brendan Arnold, Adam Fiergang, and Justin Smedley shot bullseyes. Ian Osterman won a game in tennis. Josh Arnold found a deer skull, which while not an activity we offer, is still an accomplishment. Melorie Jenkins won red light/green light in horses and in riflery, Jake Sanders, John Barnes, and Robert Bell shot soda cans.

Today, Boys’ Leagues commences with all of boys’ side being split into four teams to compete for the rest of the session in sports and the CTTFFL begins the draft as well. The older campers partake in a leadership program, which, starting today, focuses on taking a larger responsibility role at camp from learning teamwork skills to building a cornhole set for camp to use forever. Tonight is Cabin Activity Night where the cabins and tent groups get to bond at an area of camp and build on the friendships that will last a lifetime. It’s time for another great day!

After a brief 365 days, here we are back at Camp Tall Timbers for Second Session 2013! In a mere couple of days, cabins are uniting, campers are exceling at all CTT has to offer, and there isn’t a single sad-looking face in all of camp.

Before I get too deep into all the fun we’re having here at CTT, let me give all of you new readers a brief introduction about me. My name is Alex Fang and this is my tenth summer here at Camp Tall Timbers, after that first bus ride from Pikesville Middle School back in 2004. I have spent close to a full year of my life at this camp (50 weeks and counting!) and every year I look forward to spending my summer vacation with your children and this great camp. You’ll hear a lot from me over the next few weeks so let’s get to the campfire.

Last night, we had our annual tradition of a “Welcome Campfire” complete with the teachings of old CTT traditions like our camp song, “Friends, Friends, Friends,” the signature CTT hug, and of course, s’mores. The campfire began with the classic camp song, “Boom Chick-a Boom,” but instead of passing it with many styles, it was led by counselor Tim Allen and went through underwater, custodial, astronaut, Valley girl, and more styles. Keeping with the new activities at campfire, we had the first ever Camp Tall Timbers Nature Portraits where each cabin had to use what they could find in the surrounding area (sticks, rocks, hay, etc.) and make a portrait of their counselor. Cabin 3 was in third place with their rock portrayal of their counselor Will. In second place, we had Boys Tents who utilized one of the sheds to accurately display their tall counselor Eric. In the end, it was Cabin 78 that won the Nature Portrait contest for using a stick and white bucket to depict their counselor, Aaron “Governor” Walsh.

After the stunning Nature Portraits ™, it was time for cabin introductions. Cabin 2 changed the words of the theme song for The Brady Bunch to talk about how Jacob Sanders, Vance Pallone, and John Barnes have hats and Teddy Geis and Leonard Pasquier do not. Cabin 3 read haikus and Cabin 4 loaded up an imaginary boat and sang opera. Cabin B showed off their new version of the “chief” game whereas Cabin G flaunted how all of them had the best laughs ever and that is why they are the Giggling Girls of Cabin G. Cabin H used their international campers to give their introduction in three different languages. Cabin 78 did a Spongebob Squarepants parody using the names of their campers. Girls Tents did the “Mill” game, but with Melorie “Mel” Jenkins as the leader and Boys Tents talked about how they were all friends before going into the traditional “We Are Boys Tents” chant.

Following the cabin introductions, it was time for songs where tent boys and future rock star Ethan Polk-Trauman played guitar and led the entire camp through “Wagon Wheel,” “Country Roads,” “We Are Young,” and “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane”. By the end of the campfire we were all closer as a camp, singing songs and eating s’mores.

The campfire was not just the only place at CTT where all had fun. Campers have been setting new records and accomplishing new things since day one. Mason Corby, Noah Hayes, Matt Kasoff, Justin “J-Man” Leibow, and Ethan Weinstein won games of knockout. Future potential blogger Carl Lasker made a behind-the-back shot. Julia Stern made a three point shot in basketball as well as joining Carl Lasker, Corinne Polk-Trauman in hitting a soccer ball into a far corner hoop. Emily Smith shot a gun for the first time and hit the black (the second closest thing to a bullseye). Melorie Jenkins, Rachael Cooper, and John Barnes climbed up the new climbing wall. Cabin B has illustrated that they are the closest cabin at this camp by having a hat day (when they all wear hats) on Sunday and yesterday, it was “I wear eyewear” day.

Camp is just starting to get into full swing. Today, we have our first full day of activities and the CTTFFL (Camp Tall Timbers Flag Football League) is in its seventh year and looking better than ever. With an influx of British counselors this year, the CTT futsal tournament will be happening soon as well. All in all, I am 100% positive this will be my, and everyone’s, best summer yet.

Don’t forget to follow CTT on Twitter @camptalltimbers, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube page and you can feel like you are with at camp all the time. Let’s have a great summer!

The end of 1^st session is the definition of bittersweet. On the one hand, we get a trip to King’s Dominion, get to see a dance show and play, and Color War. On the other, of course, sadly, CTT 1^st session 2013 ends.

Looking back, it is impossible not to smile. We got to see the dashing couple of Max Penn and Shayna Allentoff dazzle people in A Family Reunion to Die For as well as Zach LaPorte and Ryan Bernstein showing that they could be the best Texan squirrel hunters imaginable. Sam Swindell, Gentry Stromer, and Maddi Gehring danced to Imagine Dragons beautifully and Sami Zerwitz demonstrated her artistic talent winning the tye-dye competition. Trevor Gardemal will be remembered for playing Hendrix-esque guitar solos every C-5 while Jacob Greenberg and Jeremy Goldstein maintain their title as some of the politest and nicest campers CTT has.

Who can forget Boys Tents performing songs from A Chorus Line on the spot or the creation of UltiSoccerMate, a combination of rugby and ultimate Frisbee that is one of the most active games currently at CTT? I won’t forget Javier Ripio singing songs in his high voice or Aiden Perman always trying to go fishing at every moment in the session. Soon we say goodbye to the “chief” game, a ladylike game created by Girls Tents that when one of them burps, they slap someone’s knee and say “chief.” A last set of special shoutouts to Max Penn and Sami Zerwitz who made valiant efforts to be in the blog daily and while they sometimes weren’t, I still commend them on their efforts, Matt Kasoff and Miller Friedman for always smiling, and Jesse Alloy and Alex Goldstein for being great CITs and letting me rest assured that the camp will be in great hands for years to come.

Here at camp, things slowly come to a close and we’re preparing for that fateful day tomorrow where eyes are teary and bags are packed. The CTTFFL ended with the Purple Nurples winning the Jerry Smith Trophy (COMEBACK OF THE CENTURY!). Color War ended today with the Bluce Springsteen: Hitchhiker of the Bluniverse (yes, I do wish I had that name when I was general) defeating the White Awesome (Attacking White Eskimos Slaying Orange Magic Elves). Then, we finish the Ping-Pong tournament, have our last banquet, say a few words about our time, and leave.

So with this final blog entry of First Session 2013 I say farewell. For the past three years, I have been able to basically write about my life and time here at CTT, which has been made exponentially better with everything your kids have done. I love the comments daily about what you are thinking and the noting of my Springsteen references in the title (the last session the blog will be Springsteen-centric for a long time). Once again, thanks, goodbye, and be prepared for some stories and smiles and a countdown with less than 364 days to CTT 2014. We’re all waiting with anticipation. Wohelo.

Just when we all thought we would have Movie in a Minute night, everything changed. The door opens and my body falls to the ground. It’s Murder Mystery Night! The campers formed into detective teams and traveled through camp to find out who it was that could have been the killer. After competing in a series of challenges and questioning, the campers returned with proof that counselor Bri was the murderer. The death was avenged and because the killer was found, I came back to life. Phew!

Yesterday was even better than the day before as we went to King’s Dominion. With the park lacking a crowd, we all got the chance to ride Dominator and Volcano multiple times on a nice cool day. Jacob Greenberg rode his first corkscrew loop-de-loop roller coaster. Kevin Shefferman ate Chick-Fil-A for the first time in his life. Miller Friedman had what he called his “best day ever” for getting a chicken hat, beating a record of his, and engaging in more storytelling than ever before. Michelle Pollowitz conquered her fear of paranormal activity by riding Flight of Fear, and Mayson and Riley Smith proved that the games at amusement parks are not impossible to win. We left right before it rained so everyone had a great and dry day at one of Virginia’s best amusement parks.

The past few days have really shown how far you can come in just a short three weeks. Campers that could barely hit the target in archery are now shooting bullseyes and those that thought layups were too hard are now shooting 3-pointers. Aiden Perman and Ryan Bernstein shot cans at riflery. Dominic Wales made a 3-point shot. Alejandro Sanz de Luis won the mountain biking time trial. Sami Zerwitz scored a goal in soccer. Jacob Sanders and Aiden Perman won games of knockout. Virgile Noli, Gabe Perman, and Nacho hit the target in archery and Jen Heiman won a game of gaga ball.

Camp is sadly coming to a close but while we are all sad about the end, we are happy to go out with a bang! Boys Leagues concluded with Albert’s Leaders of the Way as the champions. The Purple Nurples (comeback kids) and Yellow Polka-Dotted Hippopotami duke it out in the Super Bowl today and Color War is just around the corner. Tonight, we get excited for A Family Reunion to Die For, the camp play that is sure to be a smile on all of our faces. I’m excited!

Best. Weekend. Ever.

That’s not hyperbole. Jive Thru the Genres, Star Wars Day, CTT World Record Night, and Ghost Court led to one of the best weekends I’ve had.

Let’s start with Friday night’s Jive Thru the Genres. Cabin 3 did a dance to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s “Parents Just Don’t Understand” with Brandon Kagen as the Fresh Prince and Kevin Shefferman as the stunning female lead. With their genre as Disney, Cabin B did a medley of songs from High School Musical with Sydney Sachs as Troy and Shayna Allentoff as Gabriella. Cabin 5 did their classic rock performance to Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady” with Jake Greenberg as a hilarious Steven Tyler and Charlie McIntyre as the “lady.” John Barnes played Macklemore in Cabin 2’s skit for “Wanz” and Devon Cantor was the bus driver for Cabin 4’s “Double Dutch Bus” dance. By the end of the night, there were two winners: Cabin 78 and Boys Tents. Cabin 78 did a hysterical dance to “Circle of Life” with Nathan Allentoff and Joe Balaban as elephants and Ignacio “Vans” Ibarrondo as the lion. Boys Tents took a different approach. Given the genre, 90s female vocalists (yup, we all know where this is going), the Boys Tent Group told the story of Britney, played by Max Penn, and his bootylicious squad, played by Miller Friedman and Jake Abel, learning about love and relationships in high school. The bootylicious squad donned short skirts and tight shirts and danced to a medley of Britney Spears, TLC, and Destiny’s Child songs before Britney realized that all she needed in life were her friends. The tie-breaker had 78 and Boys Tents switch genres. Cabin 78 reprised the lions and elephants from their last skit while Boys Tents awesomely sang “I Hope I Get It” from A Chorus Line. In the end, 78 won but it was a great night for dances.

Saturday just kept the fun going. After services, a lightsaber battle broke out and Darth Vader announced it was Star Wars Day. First, the Jedis went through Jedi Training by piloting the Millennium Falcon through the galaxy, shooting a storm trooper, and making it through the asteroid belt. Maybe it was just driving the scooter through a course, making a basket, and jump roping, but it sure felt like the first thing. Then, it was time to disable the Death Star. Like the pivotal scene in Episode IV, the Death Star needed to be disabled by getting a shot into a small hole, so the Jedis duked it out in water polo. After Jedi announcements at lunch and a well-needed rest hour, it was time to rescue Princess Leia from the evil Lord Vader so the Jedis went down to the lake to rip off her chains and save the princess. The next activity of the day, and my personal favorite, was Droids, Ewoks, and Wookies. A variation on rock-paper-scissors, the teams decided whether to be a Droid and beat Wookies, or Ewoks and beat Droids, or a Wookie and beat Ewoks. Then, they would meet in the middle of the pool and reveal themselves and if they lost, they would have to swim and tag the other team. Grant Newcome lasted the longest of any Jedi and while he lost in the end, his Ewok impression was by far the best. The last activity of the day was The Clone Wars, a relay race with a sack race, blindfold pinning the light saber on Yoda, splatter painting, and more. The day ended with presentations of Jedi battle scenes and victory dances with glowsticks followed by a social.

On Sunday, the older campers in Leadership went on a hike to Hanging Rock Trail while the rest of camp had our last C-day. That night is when things got great though. First, it was CTT World Record Night. Campers went to different stations and competed in trivia, sporting competitions, aquatics, and eating competitions. Medals were awarded today at breakfast with Ryan Merkx winning the pudding-eating contest, Zach LaPorte winning the cracker-eating contest, Vans winning the treading water contest, and Ethan McCann winning the soccer-juggling contest with ninety-one juggles! The night did not end there though as then it was Ghost Court!

The ghosts escorted the guilty children to the lake for court. Cabin 5 and Cabin 3 were on trial first for always quarreling. As their punishment, they must perform “All You Need is Love” at lunch today. Sydney Sachs gives too many unwanted hugs so she must wear a sign saying, “Free Hugs,” and must hug herself. Cabin 78 can’t stop talking and are chatterboxes so now they’re wearing boxes on their heads. Girls Tents have a game where when they burp, they slap their knees and say, “chief!” Due to their love of chiefs, they must wear headdresses and be Indian chiefs all day. Alex Goldstein keeps tying knots that won’t come out so now he must carry a rope around all day and use his knot tying skills to demonstrate three different knots at lunch. I’m hoping to see a Windsor knot! Sydney Alloy is infatuated with Justin Bieber, but sadly he can’t be at CTT with us, so today Mark Clark is her Bieber and when she sees him she must get fanatic and ask for an autograph. Trevor Gardemal and Jacob Sanders are perfect campers. You know else was perfect? The 1972 Miami Dolphins! Today, they must dress like them. Cabin H coughs and sneezes at inappropriate times. Obviously, this is because they are sick so they are wearing face masks today to protect the rest of us from germs. Ryan Bernstein is obsessed with soda. As his counselor, I can attest that his love is bordering on addiction. Today, he can’t drink soda and must wear a chain of shame made out of empty soda cans. Cabin 4 is obsessed with electronics so today they can’t use their games and counselor Tim Keith will take them cloud watching so they learn of the joys of nature. Gentry Stromer, Maddi Gehring, Taylor Kasoff, and Nicola Lee-Oesterreich are always together so today, they are dressing like twins and wearing the lyrics to British singing sensation Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” and Air Supply’s “All Out of Love.” My favorite crime and punishment goes to Bobby Jaffe, Miller Friedman, and Jake Abel. Throughout the summer, they have been catching mice so now they each have a toy mouse that must be treated like kings for the day and they communicate solely through their new mouse friend. The night ended with counselor Eric being ghost courted for being too much like administrator Mark Clark so today, Eric dresses and acts like Mark.

Today, Boys Leagues and the CTTFFL conclude and the Ping-Pong tournament is in full swing. Tonight, we have Movie in a Minute night, but I have a sneaky suspicion we are in for a surprise tonight. We’ll just have to wait and see!

There are many days at camp when I say we don’t teach enough history lessons. Yesterday, that changed at the 4^th of July Campfire. Retelling the story of the Revolutionary War, British counselors Toby, TV, and Alex were attacked by American counselors Nick and Erin and their boat sank leading to an American victory to start off the campfire. The America-themed campfire continued with patriotic skits. Max Penn starred in his skit as a salesman for Americanizers for British counselors and Nathan Allentoff advertised Dunkin Donuts like a true American. After the skits, there was a Patriotic Fashion Show where each cabin put forth a camper to show who loved America the most. John Barnes arrived in an American flag towel only to remove it to reveal his red, white, and blue outfit. Devon Cantor brought his entourage of cabin 4 to illustrate Americans always have backup only to be topped by Jake Abel who brought backup dancers and paparazzi. The night, like all great campfires, ended with s’mores, with Jessica Hymer cooking what longtime camp administrator, Emma Knox, called the best s’more ever.

After the popularity of Choose Your Adventure Day yesterday, it is a making a reprise today while our older campers go go-karting, the younger campers can choose from riflery, tubing, swimming, Frisbee golf, and going on our zipline. Tonight is Jive Through the Genres night where each cabin gets a genre and choreograph a dance to a song or songs from that genre. Tomorrow is probably going to be one of my favorite days in CTT history. After a decade of attending and working at this camp, I get to be in charge of the first ever Camp Tall Timbers Star Wars Day. With Jedi Training, Death Star Disabling, and more activities to defeat the Empire, tomorrow will be a great day for us all. May the force be with us!

Happy 4^th of July everybody! Last night, CTT celebrated America’s birthday a bit early with a traditional American baseball game. Cabin 3 had fun getting autographed balls from the Winchester Royals players. Travis Beggs had the biggest smile on his face when he got to eat nachos and watch the game, and our international campers and counselors had a blast seeing their first American baseball game. Even though the Waynesboro Generals beat our Winchester Royals, everybody still had fun and enjoyed the fireworks show from a distance.

Today, we have already begun celebrating the 4^th. Matthew “Ziggy” Ziegelstein woke up the camp today (in a good way) by playing Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” on guitar. Instead of the usual “Good Morning Ladies” shouted at Dippies, it was “AMERICA!” and at breakfast today, Boys Side sang the national anthem, “God Bless America”, and “America the Beautiful.” The fun will continue throughout the day with everyone wearing red, white, and blue and their USA shirts.

Yesterday, Boys Leagues and CTTFFL continued with Toby’s Care Bears defeating Sam P’s Albuquerque Surge with Ryan Bernstein as the MVP getting a grand slam and Sam F’s Fluorescent Caboose Traveling Mimes bested Albert’s Leaders of the Way in a nail-bitingly intense game of dodgeball ending 7-6 in favor of the Mimes. In the CTTFFL, the Yellow Polka-Dotted Hippopotami beat the Red Bulls 13-0 and sadly, the Orange Crush beat my Purple Nurples 14-7. Ignacio Rodriguez had a good day yesterday winning best trick dive at the pool and a game of knockout in basketball. Sam Swindell won a game of knockout. Jen Heiman, Sami Zerwitz, Hayley Sanders, Katherine Barnes, and Sydney Alloy made it on the hill in golf. Enrique Rodriguez and Javier Alonso shot bullseyes. Michelle Pollowitz caught a fish and Jaime Sanz, Hayley Sanders, Lucia Sanz, and Anna Hutzler made it up the new climbing wall.

Today is choose your own adventure day where campers pick new activities for the afternoon and in the evening, we have an America-themed campfire. Don’t forget to like Camp Tall Timbers on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page to see all new episodes of Good Morning Tall Timbers and enjoy the 4^th!

Because last night, CTT turned into Atlantic City.

Starting with $1000 on their CTT Credit Card, campers entered Atlantic City wearing bowties for boys and pearls for girls with the goals of winning the most money for their cabin and getting a chance to enter the esteemed high rollers club. They partook in blackjack, texas hold ‘em, roulette, the ball-and-cup game, arm wrestling, and craps to win money for their cabin. Not just being about the thrill of gambling, Atlantic City also had a juice bar (with a soda bar in the high rollers club), an interdenominational chapel for that classic Atlantic City wedding, fortune telling, and a guess how many jar of beads game (won by Javier Ripio for knowing exactly 370 beads in a vase full of water).

Miller Friedman utilized the night to demonstrate his knowledge of Jersey Shore music by successfully naming each Bruce Springsteen, Frankie Valli, Frank Sinatra, and Gaslight Anthem song played throughout the night. Max Penn and Jake Abel (whose dad celebrated a birthday yesterday and I am very sorry for not knowing that) spent the night winning hands of blackjack and celebrating at the juice bar. Despite being amongst the youngest in Atlantic City, Shayna Allentoff and Beck Mueller were two of the first campers with $2000 to enter the high rollers club. In 3^rd place, Boys Tents had an average of $1272. Cabin 3 had an average of $1420 in 2^nd place. But the winner of the evening, thanks to an overwhelming $12,000 from Sam Swindell, was Girls Tents with an average of over $1800! Special thanks to Tent Girls Sami Zerwitz, Jen Heiman, Nicola Lee-Oesterreich, and Reece Dennison for helping set up Atlantic City night and doing all the artwork.

Yesterday, Aiden Perman dove off the diving board and swam all the way to the shallow end of the pool without breathing. Speaking of Aiden Perman, he, Gavin and Travis Beggs, and Miller Friedman drove past the checkpoint in golf. Ziggy and Sydney Sachs won games of tennis. Shayna Allentoff won a game of Queen of the Court. Michelle Pollowitz made it up the climbing wall and Kevin Shefferman won a game of Frisbee Golf with +4.

Today, the CTTFFL and Boys Leagues continue with playoffs on the horizon. Tonight, we celebrate the 4^th a bit early by going to see the Winchester Royals take on the Waynesboro Generals in what will be a great game of baseball. Play ball!

While it may have looked like a blur of highlighters, last night’s 80s Neon Night at the Winchester Skating Center was a great time. Last night featured our campers defying gravity and skating for hours. All of Cabin 1 learned to skate for the first time, and Ryan Bernstein only fell once. Zach LaPorte and Javier Alonso showed off their skating abilities by consistently doing tricks around the rink. All had a fun time and even those that fell down got right back and up and tried again.

Lunches at CTT are something special. The Girls and Boys side consistently try to top one another and show the most spirit. The Girls do their traditional girls side chant and cheer after a successful completion while the boys bang their cups in a somewhat synchronized fashion. Yesterday was noteworthy as the girls “lost it,” and when that happens, all of Boys’ Side crosses over to the Girls’ Side to sing The Righteous Brothers’s “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling.” The girls swoon and the men return to their meals feeling proud that they “brought it back” to the ladies.

Boys Leagues continued yesterday with Albert’s Leaders of the Way defeating Sam P’s Albuquerque Surge and Toby’s Care Bears besting Sam F’s Fluorescent Caboose Traveling Mimes. Yesterday was also a good day for campers giving back to camp as Aiden Perman strung his own rod and Michelle Pollowitz fixed a mountain board. In archery, Adam Dunham got a bullseye. Jessica Hymer and Madi Gehring beat the challenge course spiderweb while Shayna Allentoff made it around the wild woozy. Jen Heiman scored seventeen points in King of the Court, or as she calls it now, Queen of the Court. Ryan Bernstein, Joe Balaban, Ziggy, and Miller “Steve” Friedman hit it on the green at the golf course and Jami Siegal and Sydney Sachs trod water for the longest at the pool. The Futsal tournament came to a close as well with the stellar team of counselor Will, Laz Friedberg, and Max Friedman (Liverpool) winning in the finals.

Tonight, CTT takes another trip up the highway to Atlantic City. Okay, well not exactly, but it certainly will feel like it as tonight is Atlantic City where campers will get their fortunes told by Madam Marie and roll the dice at the Roulette table. Lastly, all of us here at CTT would like to extend a Happy Birthday wish to great parent and blog reader Elise Harrison. Be sure to skip around the room in our honor and happy birthday!

After a week of fun, CTT is really in full swing. Boys Leagues is already deciding seeding for playoffs, Girl Power Hour is dramatically boosting the spirit of Girls Side, and campers are shooting bullseyes and scoring goals galore.

Yesterday, Hayley Sanders and Ziggy won games of tennis. In horses, Gabe Perman trotted for the first time while Reece Dennison and Nicola Lee-Oesterreich cantered. Sydney LaPorte, Javier Ripio, and John Barnes shot bullseyes. Shayna Allentoff and Alienor de Dieuleveult won games of art bingo. Max and Miller Friedman (unrelated, but still impressive) shot par in Frisbee Golf and Beck Mueller won a game of knockout. In a particularly impressive day at the climbing wall, Anna Hutzler, Hayley Sanders, Jami Siegal, Lucia Sanz Carpintero, Katherine Barnes, and Sydney LaPorte made it to the top of the wall.

Last night was CTT Game Show Night where cabins went around to different game shows to compete for the grand prize of getting canteen first. Campers competed intensely at Family Feud, Name That Tune, Password, and Jeopardy. At Password, Grant Newcome and Ryan Bernstein displayed their teamwork ability and how they could read each other’s thoughts as when Ryan was given the word “rock,” he knew to just say Dwayne Johnson for Grant to respond with “THE ROCK.” Laz Friedberg showed off his intellect by answering most of the trivia questions including knowing that a month has to start on a Sunday in order for there to be a Friday the 13^th and that elephants have a gestation period of twenty-two months. The cabins worked hard and at the end, Cabin H came in 3^rd place, Cabin 5 came in 2^nd place, and Girls Tents, with an incredible performance at Name That Tune, won game show night.

After the rain last night, today is a cool day and we can really feel that sweet summer breeze. Today, the Futsal tournament concludes with Liverpool (counselor Will, Laz Friedberg, and Max Friedman) and Bayern Munich (counselor Nick, Matt Kasoff, and Bobby Jaffe) duking it out in the finals. Tonight, CTT goes to the Winchester Skating Center for a fun night at the rink. Lastly, all of us here are elated that this week is our Wet Your Feet Week and Cabin 1 and Cabin B are excited for these new faces. Welcome to camp!

What a weekend here at CTT! There was the start of the CTTFFL, Cheesy Skit Night, Renaissance Day, and of course, all the other activities we have here.

In its seventh year, the CTTFFL is a staple of free swim activities. The season kicked off with the Red Bulls defeating the Purple Nurples 16-13 and the Orange Crush besting the Yellow Polka Dotted Hippopotami 21-7.

Aside from CTTFFL, Friday was another day of excitement here. Jake Greenberg and Luke Gehring won a game of knockout in archery. Jesse Alloy got a bullseye in riflery. Gabe Perman had a particularly good day winning a canoe race, catching a fish, and climbing to the top of the wall. Ignacio Rodriguez and Javier Alonso climbed to the top of the wall as well. Max Penn, after taking a brief blog hiatus, returns to this post with the stunning accomplishment of making a blindfolded half-court shot. Reece Dennison made a 3-point shot. Zach LaPorte shot an impressive +2 in Frisbee golf and despite his small stature, Ethan Harrison remarkably climbed up the hard side of the wall.

Friday night was also Cheesy Skit Night. Cabin H did their own version of the Red Carpet at the Oscars with Katherine Barnes as Taylor Swift, Sydney Alloy as Channing Tatum, and Hayley Sanders as Lady Gaga. Cabin 2 did a parody of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory where the campers received Golden Dysons and went to Albert’s Ice Cream Factory. Like the story, the boys disappeared one by one until Beck Mueller was the last one standing. Cabin 3 did a roast of members of their cabin and their counselor. For the first time in years, there was a tie for the winner of Cheesy Skit Night: Boys Tents and Girls Tents. Boys Tents told the story of counselor Albert, Jerry, and fruit loops with Miller Friedman as Jerry and Jake Abel as Albert, and Girls Tents did their own version of The Bachelorette with Jen Heiman as the Bachelorette and the rest of the tent girls mocking the Boys Tent group.

Saturday was Renaissance Day. Campers split into teams and instead of regular activities, went back in time to the Renaissance period and competed in themed activities. First, teams had to paint their own coat of arms and then play Capture the Painting. The teams also had to make a sculpture of their counselor leader. Then, they went to the upper fields for a competitive game of Quidditch (Hogwarts was probably around in the time of the Renaissance).

Today Boys Leagues continues with Toby’s undefeated Care Bears taking on Sam P’s Albuquerque Surge and Sam Friedman’s Fluorescent Caboose Traveling Mimes challenging Albert’s Leaders of the Way in hockey. The futsal tournament also concludes today. I can’t wait to see who wins!

As much as we love being at camp, out-of-camp trips are always a fun time. Yesterday, the older campers went white-water rafting in Harper’s Ferry and had a heck of a meal at Golden Corral while the younger campers went to Cacapon State Park for a great time at the beach and some FANTASTIC burgers and hot dogs.

At the park, campers enjoyed a lake all to themselves where Aiden Perman, Sarah Jewell, Sydney Sachs, and Shayna Allentoff used counselor Theresa Brecker as a flotation device and made in the deepest part of the lake. Lucas Sellem, Adam Dunham, Kevin Shefferman, and Alec Marks had a trick Frisbee throwing contest and Virgile Noli juggled a soccer ball for over five minutes. After a beautifully prepared dinner, campers became characters in the story of The Kidnapping of Princess Cacapon. They had to build a shelter for her, find food, save her from her kidnapper, and choreograph a dance for her approval; the final dances even made the princess (counselor Jamie Alloy) cry because it was so cute. Princess Cacapon was saved thanks to the heroes and all was well in Cacapon State Park.

While most of the blog is about what happens between breakfast and bedtime, CTT does not rest. The early mornings are filled with activities for those dedicated campers. Of course, we have Dippies, the tradition of waking up to swim a lap in the pool before breakfast (trust me, it wakes you up better than any alarm can). But there is burgeoning new activity in the morning that is rising to prominence: Runnies. Though traditionally, morning running has been a counselor activity, Ryan Bernstein, Hayley Sanders, Katherine Barnes, Sydney Alloy, Miller Friedman, and Matt Kasoff have been leading the charge and accruing more members to exercise in the morning. Just the other day, Miller “Steve” Friedman ran four miles and Matt Kasoff ran over four sprints up the lake hill before doing sixteen pull-ups. Us dippiers welcome more activities in the morning with open arms and have even started to merge with runnies leading to a great pre-breakfast workout.

Today, the CTTFFL commences and not that I have a bias as their coach, but I really think the Purple Nurples will take home the Jerry Smith Trophy. Tonight is also one of my favorite nights camp has to offer: Cheesy Skit Night. Working with their cabin, campers have to create and perform the funniest skit possible. Tomorrow is also a special day as CTT travels back in time to the Renaissance and we have Renaissance Fair Day tomorrow. Time for some jousting!

While everyone loves tubing or playing sports, what really makes CTT so great is the people and the friendships that last a lifetime. Last night was Cabin Activity Night where a cabin or tent group gets a part of camp to play and bond. Even longtime campers utilized the night to continue building the friendships that are sure to last forever.

Cabin 2 competed in a cabin-wide climbing challenge while Cabin 5 played world cup where Max Friedman was the winner. Down at the lake, Cabin H went tubing, and in that time, Sydney Alloy skipped a rock a very impressive six times. Cabin 78 worked as a team and was able to collect over 400 golf balls from the woods. Cabin 3 had a wrestling tournament and then a badminton tournament where Zach Laporte and Javier Ripio vanquished the rest of the cabin winning the series 5-2. Cabin B watched The Parent Trap and had facials done and Girls Tent had a spa night which I have been informed is when girls paint their nails and use various products on their face. Even after ten years, there are still some things at CTT I don’t understand.

Yesterday was also our first C-day a great time for campers to continue excelling at all CTT has to offer. Jacob Sanders won a game of knockout in archery while Nathan Allentoff and Ryan Bernstein won knockout in basketball. Aiden Perman and Ignacio “Nacho” Rodriguez caught fish. The dynamic Spanish sibling team of Jaime and Lucia Sans Carpintero made it up the climbing wall. In horses, Gabe Perman won red light/green light. In mountain boarding, Gentry Stromer made it all the way down the hill. Jen Heiman won a game in challenge course. At the pool, there was a diving and splashing competition where Aidan Brodnitz had the smallest splash, Devon Cantor had the biggest splash, and Laz Friedberg had the coolest dive.

Today is a very special day for yours truly. After ten daunting years, longtime camper and counselor Sam Friedman and I are grilling burgers and hot dogs for the campers at Cacapon State Park. While we have stood at the grill at different times, today is finally the day when our summers at CTT culminate and we get to lead the cookout that we have loved since we first got to camp a decade ago. Though I try not to talk too much about me in the blog, I am very, very, very excited for you all to hear from your campers about how the burgers were perfectly grilled and the hot dogs were scrumptious. After Boys Leagues and Girl Power Hour, we head off for a day at the beach and a cookout that will be one for the ages. Off to the beach!

With Taco Tuesday, a camp-wide scavenger hunt, and a starry night, yesterday was a day to be remembered.

Lunchtime is special on Tuesday. While all meals at CTT are fun whether it is the Girls’ Side chant or Cabin 5 singing the University of Maryland, College Park fight song, there is something special about Taco Tuesday. When the lunchtime bell rings, campers and counselors alike funnel through the cafeteria with mouths watering for a tasty CTT taco. After receiving their food, the fun does not stop; we go to what is traditionally the salad bar, but on Tuesdays, becomes a cornucopia of options for making one of the best meals camp has to offer. Though biggest taco-making and fastest eating contests don’t sound like much, Taco Tuesday is one of the most anticipated days of the CTT week.

Last night was also our Scavenger Hunt. The campers were split into teams and hunted for clues, which would become a phrase necessary for all campers at Camp Tall Timbers. Teams had to hunt for ping-pong balls and then rally them for a minute, perform trick shots in basketball, race canoes, throw Frisbees around the baseball diamond, race to put on a harness, and test their minds in trivia to earn clues. After over an hour of searching throughout all of camp, every team found all twelve clues spelling out, “Don’t leave your shoes on the porch or Dyson (the new camp dog) will eat them.” As a reward for finding all the clues, campers enjoyed ice cream sundaes and gazing at the starry sky and beautiful moon that graced us to remind us how beautiful CTT can be. Before going to bed though, a group of campers who wanted to continue exploring went off to search for fireflies and Aidan Brodnitz caught four in a jar.

Yesterday was our first full day of activities and it seemed that every camper did something noteworthy at each activity. Beck Mueller won the Monkey Olympics in challenge course. Max Penn, keeping with his goal of doing something blog-worthy each day, scored a hat trick in hockey. Ethan Harrison, Gabe Perman, and John Barnes climbed up the climbing wall. Ethan McCann won a game of knockout. Joe Balaban made a half-court shot.  Matt “Ziggy” Ziegelstein won eight games of tennis and Ignacio “Vans” Ibarrondo, Sam Blum, and Zach LaPorte shot a bullseye in archery. Jaime Sanz Carpintero was the MVP at his game of basketball and when the tetherball fell off the pole, he fixed it in a matter of minutes. In horses, Katherine Barnes won a game of red light/green light and later that day, with her songwriting partners, Hayley Sanders and Sydney Alloy, used the two chords they learned in guitar to write a song about teamwork entitled, “Teamwork.”

Today, Boys’ Leagues commences with all of boys’ side being split into four teams to compete for the rest of the session in sports and the CTT Futsal tournament begins as well. Tonight is Cabin Activity Night where the cabins get to bond at an area of camp and build on the friendships that will last a lifetime. It’s time for another great day!

Well another year has flown by and here we are back at everyone’s favorite place to be, Camp Tall Timbers. If the past couple days are any indication, First Session 2013 will be the best summer yet. In just a mere forty-eight hours, campers have excelled from sports to music to just simple camp fun activities like Jen Heiman’s feat of pouring a “perfect glass of water” (albeit spilling the entire cup on her first try).

Before I get too deep into all the fun we’re having here at CTT, let me give all of you new readers a brief introduction about me. My name is Alex Fang and this is my tenth summer here at Camp Tall Timbers and after that first bus ride from Pikesville Middle School back in 2004. I have spent close to a full year of my life at this camp (47 weeks and counting!) and every year I look forward to spending my summer vacation with your children and this great camp. You’ll hear a lot from me over the next few weeks so let’s get to the campfire.

Last night, we had our annual tradition of a “Welcome Campfire” complete with the teachings of old CTT traditions like our camp song, “Friends, Friends, Friends,” the signature CTT hug, and of course, s’mores. To introduce themselves to the camp, the cabins prepared a skit to let CTT know who they were and what they loved. Cabin 5 changed the lyrics to the theme song from Phineas and Ferb to talk about how if you stick with Cabin 5, you will have a great summer. I’m sure they are correct. Cabin B had an elaborate introduction with a conga line and a cheer about how they were the Bear Cubs of Cabin B and the cutest campers in all of camp. Cabin 78 changed up the pace and, led by their counselors Tim Keith, Will, and Toby, became a platoon that was orderly and concisely informed the audience that they were strong men with big hearts. At the end, Cabin 3 was voted best cheer reenacting the classic Will Ferrell cheerleader skit from Saturday Night Live but with their own cheers.

After the cabin introductions, it was time for songs where tent boys and future rock stars Matthew Kasoff and Matt Ziegelstein played guitar and led the entire camp through “Wagon Wheel,” “Country Roads,” “We Are Young,” and for counselor Nick Whims’s 22^nd birthday, Taylor Swift’s “22.” By the end of the campfire, we were all closer as a camp singing songs and eating s’mores with Sami Zerwitz winning the award for best s’mores stick.

The campfire was not just the only place at CTT where all had fun. Campers have been setting new records and accomplishing new things since day one. Sydney Sachs won a game of jail (a tennis game where the last person that has not hit it out, and therefore not in jail, wins). Ethan McCann, who had never played field hockey until today, scored four goals in the first game of field hockey. Jennifer Heiman scored her first ever soccer goal at Camp Tall Timbers showing that the more you come back to camp, the better you will be at everything CTT has to offer. Lucia Sanz, Max Penn, and Devon Cantor won games of knockout. Reece Dennison scored not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR touchdowns in the first (of many) intense game of Ultimate Frisbee for the summer. Aiden Perman won a game of gaga ball. Charlie McIntyre scored a hat trick in soccer. Max Penn, Miller Friedman, Zach LaPorte, and Sam Jewell made half-court shots in basketball and Max Penn, who has had a great couple of days for accomplishments, Alex Goldstein, and Ryan “Buns” Bernstein hit the green at the golf course.

But CTT is more than just sports. Hayley Sanders and Maddi Gehring shot bullseyes in archery. In their first time going down the hill, Cabin 2 and Cabin B successfully mountain-boarded and Cabin 2 went ten minutes being completely still in the freeze game. Ethan Harrison predicted the goose three consecutive times in a game of duck-duck-goose and Shayna Allentoff won the award for best hair braider. What a start to camp!

Camp is just starting to get into full swing. Today, we have our first full day of activities and the CTTFFL (Camp Tall Timbers Flag Football League) is in its seventh year and looking better than ever. With an influx of British counselors this year, the first CTT Futsal tournament will be happening soon as well. All in all, I am 100% positive this will be my, and everyone’s, best summer yet.

Don’t forget to follow CTT on Twitter @camptalltimbers, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube page and you can feel like you are with at camp all the time. Let’s have a great summer!

CAMILLE ST REGIS

While I’m originally from Santa Barbara, California, I currently live in Maryland. This May I will graduate from Salisbury University with a degree in English and a minor in French. I am beyond excited to embark upon the next chapter of my life, which begins this summer at Camp Tall Timbers! In addition to reading lots and lots for my classes, I enjoy watching French films and painting. In fact, I have my own art business called Camillustration. Most of the time, I work with acrylic paint on a commission basis, specializing in portraits. Aside from my artistic life, being active is very important to me. I love running, surfing, and hiking. Memories of hiking and camping in Taos, New Mexico will always bring a smile to my face.
Since everyone in my family is an avid camper, spending the summer in a cabin so far from the city is something that my childhood has prepared me well for. Speaking of childhood, I am lucky to be able to see my siblings grow up. As the oldest child in my family, I love running around with my four-year-old brother, talking to my eighteen-year-old brother about school and my old teachers, and painting my ten-year-old brother, who loves to serve as my model.
Last summer I was a swim instructor and aftercare counselor at a summer camp in Rockville, Maryland. This summer, I am looking forward to working with kids again, but this time in a more artistic, creative environment. Though I was privileged to have time last summer to draw on the sidewalk with my campers, I am excited to play an even more instrumental in nurturing children’s artistic tastes and talents by planning activities that encourage them to explore the worlds of their imaginations. If you are interested in learning more about what I do as an artist, visit my artist page at facebook.com/camillustrations. See you at camp!

In the run up to Summer 2013 – just a few short months away now, we asked some of your favorite counselors to tell us what they have been up to over the Winter and what they are looking forward to most in the Summer ahead. Here’s what they had to say.

ALEX FANG:
Yo CTT! I don’t know about you guys but I could not be more excited for this summer. Life’s been fun in Orlando. Mickey Mouse says hi, but all I can do now is count down the days until I see some old faces, some new faces, and some faces of some counselors I have not seen in a long time that I know we will all love. Before you know it, we’ll be sitting down for campfires and skits and the White team will be well on their way to another Color War victory. Can anyone say White Elmer’s Fun Glue? We’re just around the corner and I can’t wait to get my blog and B-2 Hockey on. See you soon!

JAMIE ALLOY:
I am very much looking forward to this summer and seeing so many familiar faces as well as new ones. Since last summer I have been studying visual arts at Temple University in Philadelphia. After learning so much here at school I hope to share with CTT campers new projects and fun things to do. Can’t wait to work in the art shack again with all the creative campers!

NICK WHIMS:
Every time I see a photo from last summer, I get even more excited to see all of you again this year and just a little nostalgic for campfires! The Polar Bear and I will do our best to make CTT 2013 just as memorable. (barring anymore power cuts!)

ERIN SMEDLEY:
I’ve always considered CTT my second (or even preferred) home and, though many of my friends have outgrown camp, I refuse to spend a summer away from the Blue Ridge Mountains. This will be my second summer as a counselor and my tenth overall. Although CTT does offer the entire spectrum of possible summer camp activities, it is the people that bring me back. It doesn’t matter how weird you are because everyone is just as strange, but we’re a family and we welcome everyone! Currently, I am graduating from high school and will be playing soccer at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland in the fall with the intention of continuing to participate in theatre and pursuing my English/creative writing major.

SAM FRIEDMAN:
Hey Everybody!
As my freshman year of college wraps up, all I can think about is getting back to camp. I’m excited about seeing old friends as well as making new ones, and looking forward to another Blue team victory of course! Have a great rest of the spring and I can’t wait to see you all soon.

ALBERT ORIOL:
Albert here! I’m super excited for summer 2013. This will be my 11th year at camp. 6 as a camper and 5 as a counselor. What have I been up to outside of camp you may ask? Well, I’ve been making some cool videos and I’ve been uploading them to vimeo… other than that, I’ve been pretty busy with University. I’m really looking forward to seeing you all this summer. And remember, sign up for soccer!

The summer of 2011 was my very first year at Camp Tall Timbers. I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve been to sleepaway camp before, but that was girl scout camp and soccer camp for just one week. It was my first time at a traditional sleep-away camp and for three weeks! I was so nervous, being the new girl and all.

When I got to camp, I was filled with pride and excitement. We got a tour of the camp, and I was amazed. The camp was so beautiful. I looked forward to be able to do so many different things and meeting so many different people. When it was time to sign up for activities, I didn’t know what to sign up for! There were so many different options to choose from, activities varying from being in the Camp Musical to Riflery! The weeks seemed to go by so fast, too fast – because I was having the time of my life with my new friends and I discovered talents I didn’t know I had. The counselors were so welcoming and made me feel so special. Before I knew it, it was time for color war! Go – Winnie The Blue! My first camp experience was something I will never forget. I had the time of my life and CTT is truly where I am meant to be. I love Camp Tall Timbers.

Julia Stern – 7th Grade, 3 week Camper

As we enter the holiday season and look to a New Year, here at Camp Tall Timbers we gear up for our busiest time of the year (bar summer of course!) why’s that? I hear you cry… because it’s CAMP FAIR SEASON!

January, February and March are the months you will see us at your local malls, community centers and schools spreading the word about our awesome program and all the fun of Camp Tall Timbers. So stop on by, say hello, let us know what you have been getting up to and see a friendly face (maybe even some counselor alumni too!) – grab some freebies and bring a friend! We love to see you.

In 2013 – you can catch us at the following locations:

JANUARY

20^th – Temple Sinai, Dresher PA. 11-3pm

26^th – Sidwell Friends School, Washington DC. 1.00-3.30pm

26^th – White Flint Mall, Bethesda MD. 10.00-5.00pm

26^th – North Point Mall, Atlanta GA. 11.00-4.00pm

27^th – Gilman School, Baltimore MD. 1.00-3.30pm

27^th – White Flint Mall, Bethesda MD. 12.00-5.00pm

27^th – Kahler Hall, Columbia MD. 2.30-5.00pm

31^st – Tower Hill School, Wilmington DE. Time: TBA

FEBRUARY

2^nd – Tuckahoe YMCA, Richmond VA. 10.00-3.00pm

9^th – Tyson’s Corner Mall, Tyson’s Corner VA. 10.00-5.00pm

10^th – Double Tree Hotel, Charlottesville VA. 10.00-3.00pm

15^th – Thomas Jefferson Community Center, Arlington VA. 6.00-8.00pm

20^th – TC Williams HC, Alexandria VA. 5.30-8.00pm

23^rd – Dulles Town Center Mall, Dulles VA. 10.00-4.00pm

24^th – Dulles Town Center Mall, Dulles VA. 11.00-4.00pm

MARCH

9^th – Truxton Park, Annapolis MD. 10.00-2.00pm

More fairs TBC soon. Be sure to keep up to date with all our adventures on facebook! www.facebook.com/camptalltimbers

It pains me to say this is it. In less than twenty-four hours, the final goodbyes are said, between counselors and campers alike, it ends. It doesn’t really hit you until you look at the camp and realize it is a bit emptier than it used to be. But even when camp ends and people leave, all that changes is not waking up to a bell. The memories stay in your mind and the skills you learned stay in your muscle memory so a little bit of CTT is always with you.

As much as I love the big things at camp like campfires and bowling trips, I really remember the little things. I remember Greg Sheyn always refusing to get into bed and having to throw him there sometimes or the Rosenthal brothers and Oliver Walke being incredibly good at Frisbee golf that hopefully by the time they hit high school, they can represent the U.S. in the Olympics (hopefully it’s a sport by then). As much as I mock him, it is impossible to forget a Chet Stein story or Chet Stein skit or Chet Stein noise the same way it is impossible to forget Krista Ross-Black singing her heart out every day in preparation for her Grammy award. I don’t have enough space in this blog to write out every memory I have from Third Session, but rest assured, they were priceless.

And that’s what CTT is. It’s what it is to me and I think for most, it is a haven for fun and memories. Perhaps the greatest thing about CTT however, is that it is always there. For the next eleven months, all I think about is the next summer and I am comforted by the fact that there is a next year, a next summer, and a next opportunity to better myself and have a lot more memories. The bell may not ring as much and the cabins might not be as clean, but CTT waits for us; the same way we wait for it.

In a matter of minutes, I leave my blogging computer and head off to a college class, and I’m not worried like some of my peers. I hear from friends that they are worried about leaving home and making new friends and I just get to chuckle because I had a decade of Camp Tall Timbers and that does more for me than any freshman orientation Rollins College can offer me. I digress, but it is true, you may leave CTT and spend a summer working or training, but CTT sure doesn’t leave you. The traditions stay there and you rest easy because you know, deep down in your heart, that there is always a next summer, and there is nothing that makes me happier than picturing myself there.

We’ll be seein’ ya real soon, summer 2013 is less than a year away. This has truly been an honor. Thank you all.

Alex Fang

You gotta love a pajama party. You gotta love bowling. What better way to spend a night than combining the two? To top it all off, half the camp got a campfire!

Last night, half the juniors went bowling for a pajama party. The seniors had a campfire as a fun bonding time for the older campers. After a round of boom-chick-a-boom, we sang camp classics like “Country Roads,” “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Last Kiss,” and a new camp song, “Chicken Fried.” Following the song session, we broke out into our last prop skits and the winner was Albert and Rachel’s group who did a spin of the camp skit, “Doctor Doctor,” but replaced the medical scene with baking and it featured cameos by campers playing myself, Albert’s sister Georgia, and the Tummy Monster. The night ended with a telling of the story of the camp monster, Cropsy, and s’mores.

Yesterday was another great day for activities. Jack Clauss, Sam Greenberg, Max Shugerman, and all of Cabin G shot bullseyes. Hailee Williams won a game of jail. Oliver Walke and Aaron Rosenthal beat their last record and got par on the Frisbee golf course. Crawford Hemmis won a driving contest and Mikayla Pettit, Hailey Mostow, and Magan McNeal made it up the climbing wall.

Today, we flip-flop the activities and the seniors have their last hurrah bowling whilst the juniors have one last campfire. Here we go!

These last few days at camp are always special. We break some of the routine with out-of-camp trips and campers get to show the skills they have learned in camp, outside of camp. All of the balancing the challenge course activities did helped many last night at the skating rink. The theme was costumes and they were all gorgeous ranging from a Mister and Missus Tye-Dye to a toga. Of all the great costumes, Stevie Nocket had the best costume dressed as a Red M&M. The night ended with camp-wide dancing in the rink to the “Cha Cha Slide”, “Cupid Shuffle,” “Teach Me How to Dougie,” and “Telephone.”

This time also demonstrates how far campers have come in the camping season. Jack Clauss untangled his own fishing rod and Krista Ross-Black shot a bullseye. Sam Greenberg won a game of jail. All of challenge course has successfully ziplined and mountain boarders now board down hills of over one hundred feet! Additionally, the CTT Ping-Pong tournament is underway and the 3-on-3 Futsal tournament closes shortly.

Just because the fun comes to a close soon, it certainly doesn’t stop. Tonight, the juniors head out to go bowling whilst the seniors have their farewell campfire complete with songs, laughs, and s’mores. Here’s hoping I get a strike!