Lindsey Reiter lives in Woodmere, NY and is getting excited for her 7th summer at Canadensis! When she’s at home, Lindsay enjoys spending time with her friends, participating in BBYO, DECA, and SADD – someday she will use her leadership skills to be the CEO of a major company! Lindsay loves mountain biking at camp, is the bunk masseuse, and she’s also known to sometimes lose her voice from her abundant camp cheering… one of her favorite memories was when CIT 2013 Melissa Goldstein had Lindsey save her voice for an entire da so that she would still have her voice for prom invitation announcements. Going to Canadensis has taught Lindsey that camp friends truly are your family and will always be there for you. She also learned to never be too afraid to try something new and crazy. Lindsey’s advice for a first time camper is to never let little things bother you – your bunk is a family and you want to enjoy all the time you have together.  Lindsey is excited to go on every ride at Disney World and meet all of her favorite characters. You’ll see her up at Canadensis in a few short weeks, sporting her summer shades and Canadensis apparel! 

Camp is starting in just over a month, but before heading up to the Poconos I have a few more amazing first time campers to introduce you to!  Kylie is a current 2^nd grader, and she will be a Lower Junior at camp this summer!  She is from Villanova, PA and goes to the Baldwin School.  I first met her when she slept over at camp for the Tour & More Weekend last year, and it was great to get to know her better!  Here’s what you should know about Kylie:

• She loves dogs!! I met her dogs Harley and Hannah (she named her after “Hannah Montana”) and she has 5 chihuahuas I didn’t get to meet!
• Her favorite color is blue, and her second favorite color is purple.
• She likes to go skiing, and before coming to camp she’ll be summer skiing in Mt. Hood, Oregon.  She’s done big slopes in Colorado before, and since she’s good on ski’s she should have no trouble learning to waterski!
• Kylie really likes to play soccer, and on the night I visited she had just made a soccer travel team for the fall!
• She loves to dance!  She goes to dance classes several times a week and her recital is coming up soon!
• She’s a good eater, and likes all of the basic vegetables (like cucumbers and carrots), but tomatoes are a “no go”!
• There are SO many reasons she is excited for camp, but she can’t wait to have such a late bedtime! Campers her age usually turn in around 9PM – which is much later than a typical school night at home!
• Gymnastics will be her number one elective choice, and dance will probably be second!  She also likes basketball and is a good swimmer.
• She has cousin that are also coming to camp with her.  Her older cousin Skye has been a camper for a few years, and told her all about the fun activities…including cooking and the summit!
• We went through her schedule and she was excited for just about everything the Lower Juniors get to do!
• She’s all ready for Color War and dressing up – she has tons of spirit and can’t wait to show it off for whatever team she’s on!

I also recently spent some time in Ventnor, NJ getting to know another new camper.  JT is a current 4^th grader, and he will be a Lower Inter at camp this year.  He’s been attending JCC Camp By The Sea (day camp) for the past few years and he’s very excited to try overnight camp and the tons of new activities we have in store for him!  Here’s what you should know about him:

• He’s really likes archery, and is excited to get to do it frequently at camp this summer!
• He also likes riding his bike and electric scooter, so he’s excited to quads and Hondas!
• He likes horses, and might decide to take horseback riding lessons this summer at camp.
• Although he’s never tried it, he thinks he’ll really like the rocketry elective, woodworking with the bunk and all the boating activities at the lake.
• He also plays sports, like baseball and basketball.  He’s looking forward to trying new sports at camp, like tennis and lacrosse!
• On the day I came to visit, he had just gone on a field trip and gotten a copy of the American Constitution – he joked about hanging it up on his wall at camp!
• There’s a lot of action is his house, so he’ll be very comfortable with a lot of people in his bunk!  He has an older sister (she does travel camp every summer), and on the night I came to visit I met him and 4 other people who were around.
• He’s a stylish guy – likes his button down collar shirts, and he’ll look great on dance nights!  He’s also very excited to grow his hair long at camp because it’s against school policy during the year.
• He’s a self described “class clown” and likes to make people laugh.
• He tends to wake up really early in the morning…like 6AM!  We talked about the many things he can do with that bonus time, including writing letters to everyone at home!
• His favorite food is chicken fingers, and he loves corn!  Can’t wait for him to try “Cornman” on Open House!

And…I also wanted to welcome one more “new comer” to Canadensis.  Dave Malter is the Director of the Touro University Masters in Camp Administration and Leadership program, and while this is technically his 5th year coming to camp, it will be his first year on staff!  Dave and I have been dating for years, and in his former career as a day camp director, he was only available to come to Camp Canadensis for weekend visits.  Maybe you’ve seen him around camp, helping in the canteen or walking Annie?

Well, this year he’ll have a more formal role at camp and it’s time to officially introduce him!  Dave will be going on trips with our amazing (and HUGE group) of 50 CITS!  He’ll also be helping Robin Forti with tours and the Tour & More programs.  He has a very impressive camp resume, and over the years he’s learned a lot about resident camp.  I’m so excited for the Canadensis family to get to know him better!

This will be my last blog from the winter office – on Monday I’ll be moving up to camp!  I can’t wait to see so many of you at Open House on June 1st!  I can’t wait to have all our Canadensis campers arrive for the summer…seeing you get off the bus is the BEST feeling!

Can’t wait for us all to be reunited!  Like Upper Inter Girls Bailey, Jordan and Ilana above on a recent trip to NYC!

My family lives in Arizona, which means on my past several trips out to visit, I swing by the universities and recruit some great students to come join our staff team!  Three years ago, I met Alex Entrikin at the University of Arizona campus, and I cannot wait to give him a 3+ Year Staff Shirt this summer as he returns to camp as a Group Leader again!  It was great to catch up with him at In-N-Out Burger!

And now there are just a few more weeks until the start of camp, and that means we are finalizing the summer program and hiring a few last staff members to join our awesome summer team!  After spending time with my family to celebrate Passover, I went up to the Northern Arizona University campus, and in the photo above I’m posing with the camp display!

On campus, I got to meet up with some of our great staff from prior summers…including Rylie Backus (summer 2012), who is about to graduate!

And I also got to see Kiersten Bolt & Emma Celoza (from summer 2013) and it was great to catch up!

And while walking around at the South Street Spring Festival, I bumped into Lisa Eckenrode (summer 2013) spreading the word about the Metro Kids Club where she is currently working.  This was our second Philly run in this year!

I’ve also gotten to see some of our awesome campers!  Including Shaina (left, will be a Lower Inter for her 2nd year at camp) and Sierra (right, will be an Upper Inter for her 2nd year at camp).  They are holding up canvas frames with pictures of their bunk from last summer.  They decorated them at recent bunk gatherings…and I love the blue and gold colors they chose!!

And I also got to see their bunk mates Lindsay (left, will be a Lower Inter for her 2nd year at camp) and Anna (right, will be an Upper Inter for her 3rd summer at camp).  The girls are modeling our new camp sweatshirts with jersey applique that will be available for Careware purchase at camp on Open House day and Visiting Day – the girls love them, and describe them as “yummy”!  (Btw, their mom was the one who came up with the awesome canvas frame project above!).

Here’s a close up view of the sweatshirt…I’ll be wearing mine often in pre-camp when I move up after Memorial Day!We love seeing pictures of your camp run-ins too!  Above is a photo of 4 Canadensis Campers – from left to right we have:

Ashton (Upper Junior Boy), Jared (Lower Junior Boy), Max (Freshman Boy) and Jordyn (Upper Inter Girl).  It will be Jared’s first year at camp, but everyone else is returning for their 2nd, 3rd or 4th summer!

Our camp forms were all due on Friday (May 9th, 2014) – but I recently saw this sign at a Walgreens…they’ve partnered with the America Camp Association (we are an ACA accredited camp!) to provide parents with an easy way to get medical forms done.  Consider it for Summer 2015!

And finally…I wanted to share with you some awesome custom signs that just arrived for camp!  Can’t wait to see these hanging at camp this summer!!

• Jamie takes three dance classes each week – ballet, hip-hop and jazz.  She loves to dance!
• Jazz is her favorite and she also really likes that teacher.
• She has two dogs, named Cody and Dixie.  She also has a guinea pig in her room named Pebbles!
• She’s lucky to have a pool in her backyard and learned to swim when she was two years old.
• She’s the youngest of 4 siblings.  We got to meet her older brother Jackson, and she also has two older sisters.
• Her favorite thing about camp is being with a lot of people her age.  She just loves to be in a group!
• She likes to do a lot of stretching, and she’s flexible!  She showed us how easily she can do a heel extension.
• She’s really into nature activities, and tried to encourage her family to build a fire pit in the backyard that they can use for s’mores.
• Right now she’s even working on a ceramics project at school that has chocolate and graham crackers marshmallows on a plate, because she loves s’mores!
• She has a beautiful voice, but she didn’t sing for us.
• She likes to play tennis and is going to take tennis lessons this summer.
• She has a huge family and lots of cousins who live in Israel. She’s been to visit Israel three times…but has only been to New York once, even though her dad works there every day!
• She really enjoys sleeping late and will staying up with anyone else in the bunk is awake!  (I better warn her counselors…)
• She loves Arts & Crafts, and will keep her clothing super neat…she has a folding board where she likes to practice folding T-shirts!

This blog entry comes on Friday, May 2, a day after I was up at camp to see how everything is progressing for Summer 2014.  I must say that a visit up to camp this time of year got me really pumped up!  Even with harsh winter we experienced this year, camp looks absolutely terrific and many of our projects are either completed or in full swing.  Matt Unger and his initial team of pre-camp workers are busy setting up camp for the arrival of our first pre-camp group this weekend.  And, our kitchen is up and running as Chef David Stein and his team are serving three meals a day in the dining room.  Yesterday, it was grilled cheese and tomato soup (a Brian favorite)!

As for all of the projects this year, here are  just a few of the things that you will see for Summer 2014…

– Several of camp’s cabins will receive major renovations.

– Our Senior Basketball Courts will be repaved, resurfaced and repainted.  They will also have brand new hoops.

– We will be continuing with our multi-year plan to pave many of camp’s internal roads.

– There will be a new deck with additional entrances to our Rec Hall facility.

– New tetherball courts will be added to the campus.

– There will be a new garden at camp.

– Several of our tennis courts will be repainted in addition to receiving new fencing.

– There will be a multitude of new signage around camp.

– We will be upgrading the ventilation system in our Gymnastics Pavilion.

– We will have new decking for the outdoor seating area of our Dining Hall.

– We will have a new Summit (which is currently being custom built for us).

A brand new summit is being custom built for Camp Canadensis!

On the scheduling side of camp things, we are working really hard to bring in a number of different one day workshops and clinics in a variety of different activity areas to make the summer a bit more special and unique.  On top of that, we have added a number of new electives to the camp schedule.

Now that we are into May, we remind all of our camp families that CAMPER FORMS are due on May 9.  So, please do not forget to submit all of our campers forms by next Friday.  Very soon, we will be sending out Camper Elective choices.  And, as has always been the case, we will only input choices for campers with all of their forms submitted.

Camper Forms are Due on May 9.

Here were some great updates we received from campers over the past few weeks…

2014 Upper Inter Girl Brooke Bednoff celebrate her birthday, Color War style!  Brooke’s mom invited the bunk over (however, with Spring break, several of the bunkmates were away).  However, that didn’t stop the fun for attendees Avery Shaw, Paige Miller and Skye Kades as Brook’es mom broke Color War, complete with whistles and silly string. An afternoon and evening of competition ensued between Blue Winter and Gold Summer.  In the end, the blue team won, but both teams were definitely winners!  Here are some pictures…

Color War breaks!

Gold Summer (Avery Shaw and Paige Miller) vs. Blue Winter (Skye Kades and Brooke Bednoff).

A campfire to end the day!

2014 Lower Senior boy has teamed up with a very special partner, New York Giant David Diehl, as part of his bar mitzvah project.  Recently, they were at the Project Sunshine Annual Gala at the Waldorf Astoria in N.Y. and the two will be working together this spring spending time with sick children.  Here is a photo…

Lower Senior Boy Harrison Keim with New York Giant David Diehl.

As always, some great home visits to report on over the past several weeks…

In Warren, NJ, I saw Danny and Sophia Brociner, who join us for their first and fourth summers at Canadensis, respectively.  Danny, who is currently in the 4th grade and will be a Lower Inter, enjoys fishing and can be found at a nearby Dealeman’s Pond when the weather is warm with rod and reel.  He also likes biking and gaga.  Year round, he is active in his Cub Scout den and recently competed in the annual Pinewood Derby competition.  In the Fall, Danny plays soccer.  At camp this year, he is looking forward to Woodworking and the Hondas.  As for Sophia, who currently in 7th grade and will be a Lower Senior this year, she is currently playing catcher on her Basking Ridge travel softball team.  She also told me that her basketball team won the Warren Rec League.  This has also been a big year for Sophia to see so many camp friends at a number of bat mitzvahs.  Sophia celebrated her own back in October with an “Under the Sea” theme.  Sophia wanted to give a shout out to the girls of Bunk 14 from Summer 2013 and is really looking forward to being a Senior this summer.  Here is a pic…

Me with Lower Senior Girl Sophia Brociner and Lower Inter Boy Danny Brociner.

In Livingston, NJ, I got to hang out with Ben and Justin Nikpour.  Justin joins us for his second summer as a Lower Inter and welcomes Ben for his first summer as an Upper Junior.  Both boys have been very busy these days.  Currently in 3rd grade, Ben is taking guitar lessons and also takes art classes, where he is currently working on different sculptures.  Recently, he participated in his school’s law fair where students have to present a case and argument to a jury.  The winner will actually get to present their case in Trenton, NJ.  On top of that, Ben plays soccer and lacrosse in the Livingston Rec programs.  At camp in 2014, he is excited to try woodworking and the quads.  As for Justin, now in the 4th grade, he is playing attack on his Livingston Lancers travel lacrosse team.  In the Fall, he played tackle football as a defensive lineman on the Livingston team.  Recently, he had a sleepover with his camp friends from last summer and he wanted to give a shout out to the boys of Bunk 4 from Summer 2013.  These days, Justin is also watching a lot of the NBA playoffs.  At camp, Justin can’t wait for waterskiing and Color War.  Here is a photo…

Me with Upper Junior Boy Ben Nikpour (center) and Lower Inter Boy Justin Nikpur (right).

Also in Livingston, NJ, I was with Ryan and Rachel Stern.  Rachel is back for Summer #3 as an Upper Senior and is happy that Ryan will be at camp for his first summer as an Upper Junior.  Ryan, who is in 3rd grade, is currently playing baseball on his team, the Brewers, where he plays pitcher, third base and shortstop.  In the Winter, he plays on a basketball team.  When at home, he can be found making videos.  Some of his work can be found at the Awesome Cheese Channel on You Tube by clicking here.  Ryan is also a fan of the New York Yankees, likes to write and and enjoys art.  When he comes to Canadensis, he is ready for all of the sports, water sports, swimming and art activities.  As for Rachel, who is in the 8th grade, it’s been a great year seeing many of her camp friends at a bunch of bat mitzvahs.  Rachel celebrated her own big day in November, which was attended by many of her camp sisters.  Rachel wanted to give a shout out to the Girls of Bunk 17 from Summer 2013 and she can’t wait to be with them in just a few months.  Here is a snapshot…

Me with Upper Senior Girl Rachel Stern and Upper Junior Boy Ryan Stern.

For a final stop in Livingston, NJ, I was with Mason Levitt, a 4th grader who will be in our Lower Inter division this summer.  Mason is currently playing third base and centerfield on his Cincinnati baseball team.  He is also a purple belt in Tae Kwon Do.  Also on his schedule of activities is his involvement with the Livingston Cub Scout pack.  Recently, they took a trip to Washington, DC.  Mason also let me know that his car won “Most Humorous” in this year’s Pinewood Derby competition.  On top of all that, Mason is a trivia maven when it comes to all things Star Wars and Superheroes.  In fact, Mason had me stumped on some Star Wars trivia (and I consider myself pretty knowledgeable on the subject).  When he comes to camp for his first summer, Mason is ready to try the hondas and quads and waterskiing as well as spending the summer with his cousins (Rebecca and David Altschul).  Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Inter Boy Mason Levitt.

In Richboro, PA, I spent some time with Jack and Nicole Zibelman.  Nicole will be joining us at camp for her 6th summer as a Super Senior and she is beyond excited to welcome Jack to camp for his first summer as an Upper Junior.  Currently in 3rd grade, Jack plays drums and is recently practicing for an upcoming concert at Penguin’s where he will be playing Rolling Stones classic tunes “Satisfaction,” “Get Off My Cloud,” and “Honky Tonk Women.”  In addition to that, he plays hockey and tennis and is a talented hip hop dancer.  At home, he enjoys magic and card tricks.  This summer, he is excited for Color War, the banana boat, water trampoline and the trip to Dorney Park because he really likes roller coasters.  Now in the 9th grade, Nicole is playing tennis for her JV school team.  As always, she is keeping in touch with her camp friends and recently went to bunkmate Ali Beyda’s house.  Nicole wanted to give a shout out to the Girls of Bunk 18 from Summer 2013.  She is really looking forward to having her brother at camp as well as all of the privileges of being a Super Senior, including the College Tour trip.  Here is a picture…

Me with Upper Junior Boy Jack Zibelman and Super Senior Girl Nicole Zibelman.

In Armonk, NY, I met up with Abby and Alex Yallof, twins who are in the 4th grade and will be part of the Lower Inter division in their first summer at camp.  Abby is busy with gymnastics lessons as well as rehearsing her hip hop routine for an upcoming dance recital.  She is also involved in her community theater, where she recently played the lead role in Mary Poppins.  In another rendition of Mary Poppins, she played as Michael.  She has also performed in other shows such as Wizard of Oz, Aladdin and The Sound of Music.  At Canadensis in 2014, she is looking forward to having her birthday at camp, meeting tons of new people and making memories with her bunk.  As for Alex, he is currently playing pitcher on his baseball team, the Bulls, and midfield on his soccer team, the Castleford Hurricanes.  In the Winter, he plays indoor soccer and basketball.  Alex told me that when it comes to rooting for teams, he cheers for the Yankees, Nets, Rangers, Islanders, Giants and Jets.  At camp, he can’t wait to try the hondas and playing all of the sports.  Here is a photo…

Me with Lower Inter Girl Abby Yallof and Lower Inter Boy Alex Yallof.

In Millwood, NY, I saw the Forsters…Sammi, Ally and Erik.  Twins Sammi and Ally are back for a 4th summer at camp as part of the Freshman division and are happy to introduce Erik to camp as an Upper Junior.  Currently in 6th grade, Ally and Sammi have been busy since camp ended last year playing on the Northeast Regional Olympic Development Soccer team.  Sammi plays forward on that team while Ally is a midfielder.  Both also play on a local team, the Red Storm.  In the upcoming weeks, the twins will celebrate their bat mitzvah.  This summer at camp, the girls said they are basically looking forward to everything and wanted to give a shout out to Girls Bunk 10 from Summer 2013.  They are also excited that their brother Erik is coming for his first summer.  Erik, currently in 3rd grade, is playing right now on his baseball team, the Diamondbacks.  He also plays midfield on his soccer team, the Red Storm.  When at home, Erick enjoys playing video games like Madden 25 and Call of Duty and rooting for his favorite teams, the Heat, Nets, Mets and Seahawks.  At camp in 2014, Erik can’t wait for all the activities at the lake, woodworking, glass fusion, Color War, the water slides and the trip to Dorney Park.  Here is a pic…

Me with Freshman Girls Sammi and Ally Forster and Upper Junior Boy Erik Forster.

In Plymouth Meeting, PA, I got to know Zoey and Tanner Joseph, both who will be joining us at camp in 2014 for their first summers.  Zoey is in the 5th grade and will be an Upper Inter while Tanner is in the 7th grade and will be a Lower Senior.  Zoey is currently rehearsing a modern lyrical dance routine at the Institute of Dance Artistry for an upcoming recital in May.  She also plays midfield on her travel soccer team, the Colonial Wildcats.  When at home, she likes to write her own songs and sing.  Zoey let me know that she loves dogs and animals.  When she gets to Canadensis, she is excited for the ropes course and zipline, the quads and all of the sports at camp.  As for Tanner, he is playing third base on his baseball team, the Blue Jays.  In the winter, he plays in a basketball league.  In the fall, he plays midfield on his travel soccer team, the Colonial Pythons.  When it comes time to rooting for sports, he is a big fan of the Eagles, 76ers, Phillies, Flyers and Union.  Tanner is really excited for the hondas and all of the sports at camp.  Here is a snapshot…

Me with Upper Inter Girl Zoey Joseph and Lower Senior Boy Tanner Joseph.

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now.  I’m sure everyone coming to camp this summer has their Canadensis Countdown in effect!  Have a great day!

-Brian