Virtual Scatico Announcement

To Our Scatico Family,

In times like these, we need our communities and support systems more than ever. We have been thinking of you, and of our favorite Scatico moments— walks along the tree-lined path, a jump in the lake on a super hot day, the crack of a softball off a bat in twilight league.

As Scatico, we always say we live 10 for 2… and we thought now would be a great time to bring that motto to (virtual) life. So every week we are going to celebrate a #ScaticoThursday with a different camp-focused activity, project, or moment of connection for us to take part in and share from our homes.

You can follow along on both our Facebook and Instagram pages, or we’ll also be posting all the calls to action and submissions here on our blog!

Even though we can’t physically be together, we can keep the magic of Scatico alive!

Boys Color War!

For a maybe first in Scatico history (at least in David’s memory) boys Color War broke at the morning flag-raising on Saturday, with a color war sign hidden in the folded flag that the Upper Seniors raised. Everyone thought it was going to break the night before, when the boys camp buried a time capsule at the site of the old stables (more on that in our next blog post).

The next few days are for all-out competition, tradition, spirit, and sportsmanship! Best of luck to both the green and grey.

Girls Color War!

Following dinner on Sunday night, girls side was in for a surprise. Fortune cookies containing the messages “We see green and grey in your future” and “Divided into teams, but united in spirit” were for dessert. It could only mean one thing…. COLOR WAR!

Following dinner everyone rushed to the tennis courts to observe Sooper tennis and participate in divisional dodgeball in order to learn their team colors. Over the next week Green and Grey will compete in a wide range of activities: sports, art, singing, swimming, are more. Can’t wait to see what Color War 2019 has in store.

CIT Trip to the DR

Our 25 CITs are on the north coast of the Dominican Republic this week, working with local non-profit The DREAM Project to run a day camp for some 80 Dominican kids. Follow along with their adventure at citdream.wordpress.com.

Summer 2019, Edition #3: July 10 - July 17

Something surprising happened in the off-season this past year. While at the Tri-State Camp Conference— a huge convention that brings camps from around the country to Atlantic City in March each year— David Fleischner had an unexpected run in. He was walking the vendor floor, where various companies sell things like lake inflatables, magician services, peanut butter alternatives, and logo-d gear (you know, camp stuff), when a woman stopped him.

“Scatico?” she asked, pointing to the name emblazoned in the corner of David’s shirt. “Where did you get that name from?”

“I believe our camp was named for the Native American tribe that used to live around the area where our camp was founded,” David explained. “A lot of camp’s started in the 1920s and 30s did that.”

The woman smiled.

We soon discovered that she was none other than the spouse of the Sachem, or chief, of the Schaghticoke Nation… the very tribe Camp Scatico was named for. Her husband is a consultant on conservation and an environmental educator (who has even worked on projects for the United Nations).

As David always says, things happen for a reason. We knew this was an opportunity that the Scatico community could not miss out on— an opportunity to connect with our true history, and to form a new tradition at camp.

Hawk, Sachem of Schaghticoke Nation

And so this past week, we invited the Sachem, Hawk, and other members of Schaghticoke Nation to come to camp to lead a ceremony. They led one campfire on Boys Side and one on Girls, teaching us their traditional songs, about the plants they hold sacred, and what the Schaghticoke Nation is up to today. We learned what the word Schaghticoke actually means— “mingling waters”— a metaphor that works beautifully at a camp centered around a lake, where we welcome people from all over the world, and invite them to share in our community. We learned that cedar and sassafras trees— found all over camp’s property— possess important healing and ceremonial properties. On Girls Side, camp’s resident bald eagle even stopped by, and perched upon a low branch directly over the campfire site, as if he were participating in the night’s events. It was one of those magical camp evenings.

At camp, sometimes the unplanned, unexpected moments are the ones that eventually become the longest-standing traditions. Who knew a chance encounter at a convention center in Atlantic City, would help Scatico connect with its roots.

Looking up as the eagle flies by!

GIRLS SIDE

Over on girls side it has been a very busy week. From birthday ball to a fantastic media show, to tournaments and hikes, camp has hit its true jam-packed stride.

First up… birthday ball! To ensure every camper experiences the excitement of celebrating a birthday at camp, girls side hosts a birthday ball every year. A tradition started in the 1980s, for the special evening girls are divided into their birthday seasons and decide on a theme related to their season name. This year campers opted for some TV-centric themes: Stranger Springs (like Stranger Things), What time is it? Summertime (a Highschool Musical reference), Fall House (like Full House), and Winter Mifflin (like Dunder Mifflin from The Office). Campers and counselors spent the afternoon decorating murals to hang in the dining hall, and then before dinner got into costume for the dinner celebration! Naturally it all ends with birthday cake— with 99 candles, one for each Scatico summer.

This summer also brought us our inaugural Girl Side Film Festival! CIT DL Kate Rosenfeld, a longtime Scaticonian, introduced a media program to girls side this year, and for her first project the Debs and Subs created their very own original film shorts. Over the last two weeks, they have been hard at work, taking on every role involved in the films’ production including director, cinematographer, costumes, prop technicians, screenplay, editing, and acting. With popcorn in hand, the whole girls camp gathered in the social hall and watched the films together. Needless to say it was a successful opening night!

Monday we also hosted the Girls NAT Basketball tournament! With a record seven camps Participating this summer— Surprise Lake, Watitoh, Pontiac, Lenox, Wah-Nee, Eagle Hill, and Scatico— the competition was fierce. Our team played incredibly, winning both their first and second games, before losing to Pontiac in a close semifinals game. The bleachers (as always) were full of campers from both boys and girls side who kept the cheers going all day long.

BOYS SIDE

This week the boys kicked off their much-anticipated College Bowl competition. College Bowl is an event where campers are divided into four colleges: Michigan (dark blue), USC (yellow), UCLA (light blue) and Ohio State (red). Over the course of an evening and an entire day, campers compete in a series of creative activities including full- camp capture the flag on the golf course, full-camp dodgeball on back campus, mass softball on the ballfields, a slapball home run derby, and an apache relay. Two new games introduced this year included “the greasy watermelon” (yes, as strange yet fun as it sounds… involving boys in the crib of the lake attempting to get a floating watermelon to their side), and a Bucket Brigade. A longtime girls side Color War activity, the bucket brigade has boys in a line along the lake dock stretching from the deep end to the beach, passing buckets filled with water in an attempt to fill a giant garbage can with a ping pong ball in it. The first team to overflow their garbage can so that the ping pong ball floats out and onto the dock, wins. The day is then finished with a traditional boys side campfire.

Boys side also participated in the fan-favorite Gong Show on Wednesday evening! Always filled with hilarious and unique acts, this year the Sub Seniors took home the gold. Highlights included Diego Groom doing a strong man act that involved lifting counselors, and a ribbon dance performance (which the Sub Seniors learned in girls gymnastics) while Nick Mozga and Isaac Greenblatt discussed philosophical issues.

This week also marked the official annual decoration of the boys HC porch. The porch has always had a pair of seats from the original Yankees stadium set up in one corner— a popular hangout spot during down time— with Yankee paraphernalia hung around it to match, but as soon as Cory Schwartz took up residence in the HC he made sure we evened out the fandom. Now an accompanying set of Mets seats are positioned on the opposite end of the porch, with accompanying Mets decor. The Subway Series setup has taken on a life of its own, with campers and counselors bringing their own photos, posters, and swag to add to the mix.

MYSTERY RIDES + OVERNIGHTS

This past week also marked the start of mystery rides and camp overnights! On Mystery Rides divisions head out of camp to a destination that is a surprise until they arrive. Some highlights from this week included the Upper Seniors trip to Art Omi, a giant outdoor sculpture garden, and blueberry picking at a local farm with The Centers. The Sophomore boys and Junior girls kicked off the summer’s overnights with evenings filled with s’mores and stories around the fire.

Juniors on their overnight

Next week stay tuned for some major camp events, including Scatico Legends (this year’s theme centers around overcoming obstacles), the brand-new Scatapalooza, Carnival, Minicamp, the Art Show and much more!

Sittin’ on the dock of the bay

Summer 2019, Edition #2: July 4th-July 9th

As a camp with decades of history, Scatico artifacts often spring up in the most random of circumstances. While preparing for “Annie”— the Inter and Senior girls’ play, and the debut summer show for the Scatico Playhouse— we rifled through an old suitcase we thought would be suitable as a prop for Mr. Warbucks. Inside the suitcase were dozens of old Scatico papers, stationery, promotional materials, and more. One newspaper clipping, from a 1989 Sunday edition of the Albany Times Union entitled “Generations return to work and play at Scatico,” caught our eye.

The article was written after Scatico was featured in “Camp MTV,” a two-hour TV special, and is filled with quotes from campers— some of whom are now parents of campers today:

Boys soccer league

“Scatico does things pretty much the way it has since its founding in 1921,” the article reads. “‘I suspect there’s going to be a resurgence of this kind of camp… as our world gets crazier,’ says Adele Selleck, director of placement services with the American Camping Association in New York City…. Selleck said that one of Scatico’s drawing cards is that it ‘has a philosophy that is quite different than other camps.’ Campers are taught that winning and losing and competitiveness are less important than compromise, getting along, and treating others with respect. Virtually everyone at Scatico comments on the family-like atmosphere…. Returnees say it’s the people that keep them coming back.”

Now in week two of Summer 2019, it’s clear that in the 30 years since the article’s publication, these words still ring true. As we reflect on all the action of the past week— the Fourth of July Talent Show, first Tribes day, the Boys Nat, DJ Pure— it is still the people that makes Scatico, Scatico. It is the intangibles of living in a close-knit community where everyone knows each other’s names, where older campers walk younger to meals, and where cheering on the sidelines can be just as fun as making the winning shot that make camp the kind of experience it is.

Freshman boys take the stage at a boys dancing evening activity!

4th of July

Scatico’s supportive and spirited atmosphere is perhaps on no brighter display than it is on the Fourth of July. With campers dressed in red, white and blue, we had a full day of regular camp activities, followed by our first full camp, co-ed evening of the summer. Kicking off the celebration with a full camp BBQ on our new covered picnic deck (tentatively named the Tennis Patio) the celebrations then continued at the campi-theatre with a talent show. Always a highlight of the summer— and filled with unexpected talents and performances— there were 26(!) acts this year, and no two the same. From a rousing rendition of “Take Me Out To the Ballgame” with Jake Zirolli; to an original song performed by The Senior Boys; a dance to “Paper Planes” by The Upper Seniors; gymnastics with Isabelle Hellman; a full-division song with The CIT Girls; a stand-up comedy routine with Simone Strauss and Lily Pisnoy; incredible solo singing from Jojo Roses, Lily Nielsen, Sam Ryan, Leah Moscou, and Roy Goldstein; and a dance with some Debs, each act inspired all-out Scatico applause. The night finished with a surprise performance by the Scatico lifeguard staff, who seemingly magically transformed into a rock band overnight!.Performing a Bon-Jovi hit, the lifeguards got the entire camp up on their feet, before heading to the golf course to watch fireworks under the stars.

Boys’ side highlights

Dressed in green and grey (of course!) and signs ready, the campers on both boys’ and girls’ sides gathered together for the Boys Nat basketball tournament. The Nat, named for Scatico founder Nat Holman, is a camp tradition that remains at the heart of summer here. Invitees this year included Wah-Nee, Pontiac, Eagle Hill, Timber Lake, and Kinder Ring. While Scatico lost their first game to Pontiac, we won our second against Kinder Ring, thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Oz Rubinson.

Over in the arts programs, boys have been busy with very different kinds of projects. Our new boys Arts head Helen, an off-season instructor at the nearby Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School, has been leading campers in the creation of unique stained glass and mosaic windows. Down in the Woodshop, Sergio, now in his sixth summer at Scatico, has been helping campers on a range of projects, including long-time favorites like pens, birdhouses, and even a Captain America shield! The Freshman boys are creating flower boxes for use on the Boys HC porch, and The Sophomores are building a new lost and found box (unfortunately, a great necessity).

Down at the lake, the boys partook in their first Polar Bear Swim— campers get up before reveille and swam the lane between boys’ and girls’ waterfronts (with some hot chocolate ahead of time to warm them up)— as well as our first Swim Meet of the summer at Camp Wah-Nee.The Senior Boys also won a night baseball game at Kenmont.

Girls’ side highlights

Over on girls’ side we had the first day of Tribes! Dressed in their red, yellow, blue and green, the day kicked off with the Swim Meet, which involves various lake races and competitions, including a plate hunting activity for the Jinters in the crib, and a life jacket relay for the Soopers. The afternoon was jam-packed with activities on the hill, followed by a Sing Down in the dining hall when it started to rain!

Tribes day one ended with a “campfire” (actually in the girls’ social hall, and involving no actual fire) where each team performed their Grace (a song we sing before meals in the dining hall) and demonstrated their Human Pyramid (somewhat self explanatory). The evening also incorporates random challenges, such as the Inters trying their best to guess the definitions of SAT words, and The Debs participating in a Talk Down (each girl is given the opposing side of a “debate,” such as Facebook vs. Instagram, and then do their best to talk about it simultaneously for a minute straight).

Another highlight this week was the choosing of Camp Sisters! As a tradition, the younger girls draw the name of an older camper out of a fishbowl, and the two are united as Camp Sisters for the duration of the summer. Girls side had its first Camp Sisters evening activity, which included a series of games— parachuting, line soccer, charades, and musical chairs— under the softball field lights.

Camp sisters!

Let’s Get Cookin!

Since its introduction to the Scatico program in 2006, Cooking has consistently been a favorite activity among boys and girls campers alike! We’re lucky to have Chef Ally— a longtime Scatico camper and counselor, head of cooking since 2006, and the head of NYC-based catering company Herb n Peach— back with us this summer, helping us whip up some delicious concoctions. Boys and girls started the summer with camp-style hors d’oeuvres like mini sliders and spinach artichoke dip, but desserts remain a camper and counselor ALL TIME favorite. We figured we’d share the (delicious) love, and the recipe for her famous S’more Brownie Bites!

Total Time: 45 min

Yield: 24 brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 1/4 cups mini chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs, room temp

• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup mini marshmallows

• 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, or 4 large graham crackers, finely crushed

Special equipment: 24-count mini muffin pan, 24 mini-muffin liners

Directions:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the over. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 24-count mini muffin pan with paper liners.

• Heat the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add 3/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour until the mixture is thick and smooth. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips.

• Using a small cooking scoop, fill each paper liner with about 2 heaping tablespoons of batter. Push 3 mini marshmallows halfway down into the center of the batter. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the graham cracker crumbs over the marshmallows. Bake until the marshmallows are puffed and light golden, 10- 12 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes and serve.

Boogie Time!

A highly-anticipated event of the summer is the evening spent in the Pavilion singing and dancing with DJ Pure, a local DJ who has become beloved by the Scatico community.

Playing summer hits and taking some specialty requests— such as “Paper Planes” so that the Upper Seniors could recreate their talent show performance— Juniors and Frosh through CITs kept moving all night long!

Next week!

Check out our next blog for more updates including; college bowl, girls’ Nat and our first divisional overnights.

Summer 2019, Edition #1: June 28 - July 3

Opening Day!

Finally, after weeks of excitement and preparation, Camp Scatico’s 99th summer began June 28! With bunks unpacked, white shirts on, and camp fires blazing, the Scatico community welcomed back faces old and new to the 12523. We are delighted to continue to grow our family here at Scatico as we approach our 100th summer, and are looking forward to spending the next 7 weeks sharing with you all things Scatico.

Opening campfires

A staple of Camp Scatico tradition, the opening campfires remain one of the most memorable and rewarding times within our camp community.

Girls side gathers at their camp fire site, the buzz of camp setting in. The Soopers lead the evening activity, and begin by sharing the ‘spirits’ of camp including friendship, health, laughter, fire, and tradition. As the Soopers share each spirit, the campfire burns as the girls sit together arm in arm singing Scatico songs including “Friends”, “The Circle Game” and “The Year Song”. Within no time, those new to the Scatico community begin to feel a part of the family. The campfire ends with the girls side candle tradition, which symbolizes the passing of sisterhood between old and new campers. In the candle ceremony, returning campers light a new camper’s candle. As is tradition, the girls then make a wish before blowing them out. The night ended with a live performance from counselors Kara (a first-time Scaticonian, and our ceramics head) and Sole (a third-year counselor all the way from Argentina) who played guitar and sang “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes.

The boys side campfire is filled with its own set of traditions. Two games no campfire is complete without include Pillow Fights and Fool Ball. Pillow fights are self explanatory, in Fool Ball, a counselor passes a basketball back and forth between a line of campers from each division. Campers need to stand with their arms connected behind their back, and the counselor’s job is to fake them out. If your hands break, and the ball isn’t actually thrown to you— you’re out. After the games, David Fleischner regaled the boys camp with one of his classic campfire stories. In this (fictionalized) account, David told the story of the historic first landing on the moon, an event which celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer on July 20. In the story, David met Michael Collins— the astronaut who didn’t get the fame of Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin as he did not get to WALK on the moon, but had to stay in the capsule while it orbited. Collins embraced his role, and became the first human to experience the dark side of the moon on his own. The lesson being— even if you don’t get the star role, you never know what special component your contribution might bring. David remembers the summer of ‘69, when all of boys side gathered in the social hall around a small black and white TV and witnessed that historic “one small step.” Longtime Scaticonians (campers and counselors) Jamie Hamburg and Zach Wayne closed out the evening, with an acoustic rendition of “Ho Hey” by the Lumineers.

First activities

It seemed that within minutes the campers were back to their routines, catching up on their months away from camp and kicking the summer off with some incredible first activities and traditions.

Girls Side

First up, our youngest (and newest!) Junior girls spent the first evening at camp making friendship bracelets as a way to connect with each other. The Junior girls experienced some new and exciting things over the last few days including shooting a bow and arrow and even getting into canoes! The Jinters kicked off their summer at Scatico with a camp favorite: Kickball! The girls headed to the hill to play in the sun and took part in divisional bonding games as the evening continued. The Inters, on Monday, headed out for the first off-site hike of the summer to Boulder Rock— finishing with ice cream at Holy Cow (of course!). The Centers spent their first few hours back at Scatico playing 9 Square with the Inters. A camp favorite, 9 Square involves hitting a ball up into the air with the aim of it landing in someone else’s square. With the sun beaming down, the Debs and Subs kicked off the summer in the best way possible with singing and dancing games to get into the camp spirit, while our Senior girls competed in the first Spikeball tournament of the summer! And our eldest, the Sooper girls, have been spending their first few days on the hill playing traditional camp games while soaking in the sun. The girls have also been hard at work with the start of Tribes (more on that below).

Following tradition, on the very first night of camp the girls side gathered together for Song Night. Led by the Sooper girls, this evening activity remains a favorite. The Soopers lead the girls side in teaching new campers a selection of time-honored Scatico songs. Each division within girls side works alongside a few Soopers to learn the songs with, naturally, some unique choreography. After spending time practicing, the girls then take turns performing their songs for the rest of camp. This tradition acts as the first stepping stone to a thrilling summer where all are included.

Boys side

Our newly-minted Freshman boys took part in a cool activity down by the lake during one of the first evenings of camp called night fishing. The boys managed to find various turtles and fish during their exploration! The Sophmores kicked off their summer with a game of downhill tennis baseball (yes it is as fun and crazy as it sounds). They then headed down to the lake to swim the lane to the inflatable obstacle course. The Sub-junior counselors organized a safari around camp for their campers to explore and joined in with a multi-division jam session (more on that later). The Juniors played a game of skippy ball (sort of like baseball, but with a larger ball). The Inter boys focused on team bonding during the first few days with a game of backyard baseball (played on boys back campus).. The Subs opened their summer with an intense game of Frisbee and ended their weekend with some deep sea fishing (in the middle of the lake!) and a flag football! tournament at a nearby camp The Senior boys began their summer with a game of dodgeball in the boys social hall (always a fan favorite). And last but not least, the Upper Seniors were key participants in jamming with Jamie. The jam session involved the upper seniors, juniors, and sub-juniors who played various drum beats while walking all over camp.

Meet the Counselors

Always one of the first evening activities of the summer is… MEET THE COUNSELORS! On girls side it’s a night filled with laughter and ridiculous song lyrics, the counselors from each division write songs, poems and raps to various popular tunes and perform their new versions to the campers as a way to “introduce” themselves ! On boys side, counselors participate in various challenge games, with the divisions each cheering on their respective staffs.

Tribes break!

Meet the Counselors on Girls Side had a SURPRISE twist! The final performance (a dance from the Division Leaders) ended with them throwing red, blue, yellow and green confetti… which can only mean one thing… TRIBES!! Screams and cheers ensued, as all of girls side split into the four teams of Blazing Arrow (red), Flying Eagle (green), Thunderbolt (blue), and Racing Wind (yellow). Over the next 3 weeks the girls will compete in various activities and sports in their four tribes. Tribes is always a stand-out moment at Scatico and the smiles on the girls faces really do say it all!

Leagues, Tournaments and more Leagues!

While Tribes kicked off on girls side, the boys embarked on all their various sports leagues! Soccer and Hoops Leagues began for boys in the Inters division and down, and T-League started for Scatico campers and counselors of all ages! T-League is one of those timeless Scatico favorites, where boys head out to the ballfields and play games simultaneously on all four fields as the sun dips below the horizon. Opening night for the season included (after a light drizzle) an enormous double rainbow that stretched the entire length of the fields.

Scatico also hosted its first tournament of 2019. 5 camps joined us for a co-ed tennis tournament for campers entering 10th grade and younger. At least one Scatico entry reached the semi finals in all 4 divisions: male and female singles and doubles!

Stay tuned for next week’s updates… there’ll be Camp Sisters, College Bowl, Fourth of July, AND MORE!

Summer 2018, Edition #4: July 27 - August 6

Going out with a bang! 

The week leading into Color War is always a little packed program-wise, as groups sense the approaching end of summer and want to make sure to squeeze in everything possible.

There was the Divisional Sing (Juniors and Upper Seniors winning on boys side, Inters and Debs on girls), the Film Festival, and the Carnival (alien-themed and involving golf carts turned into space ships that crash-land on Mars--the batting cage on girls side just a little retrofitted). There was an Art Show and an Open Mic Night. There were Divisional Activities that included waterfront cookouts, Ropeburns, Murder Mysteries, and Iron Man Competitions.

There were divisional trips to the Mohunk Mountain House, Howe Caverns, Zoom Flume, Rafting (a new addition this year, after our normal Sub girls caving guide was unavailable) and the Baseball and Basketball Halls of Fame (the Inter boys even met former Knick Charles Oakley). There was a spontaneous full-camp mudslide (somehow there is always one of these each year) and multiple sightings of rainbows and our resident bald eagle. There were championships awarded in Basketball, Baseball, Soccer Leagues, and boys and girls T-Leagues, and we are now down to at least the semi-finals in full-camp tennis, chess, and 42(a basketball shooting game) tournaments.

Boys head counselor Cory Schwartz organized two rainy-day movies in the social hall, featuring favorites from his youth—“Goonies” and “Back to the Future”. There was a skills morning on the lower hill (tennis, basketball, and softball) and a first issue of “The Bugle Digest” (boys side newspaper). All of the above occurred during the week from Friday, July 27, to Friday, August 3. Whew!

1, 2, 3, 4... We Have Color War! 

GIRLS SIDE 

On Monday July 30, girls side thought they were gathering for just a regular movie night... but little did they know it was about to be COLOR WAR! Media counselor Gaston created one epic video sequence (involving the three Chief Judges as Charlie's Angles... full video available on our Facebook page) that ultimately revealed Color War was about to begin! Girls side erupted into cheers before reciting the Color War pledge and heading up to the tennis courts for dodgeball and team color reveals. 

In girls Color War each team picks a theme and this year the Soopers opted for Grey Circus and Green Monsters Inc.! The theme plays the largest role during Color War sing, which is the competition that officially kicks off Color War (and just happened Sunday night!). The Soopers and Seniors have a week to work together to make incredible backdrops, and write and teach their teams five songs: Entrance, March, Cheer, Folk Song and Alma Mater. All week green and grey rehearse and prepare. One of the most remarkable elements of sing, is how each division's efforts come together to create something spectacular. Rest Hours and Free Plays quickly become dedicated to reviewing song lyrics and practicing cheers "claps" in the bunk. Jinters take turns "leading" their friends, after observing how Soopers do it during team meetings. Subs create each team's emblem-- a felt patch worn pinned on every campers' T-Shirt throughout the duration of Color War. Seniors step up for their first major leadership opportunity: writing and leading the Color War cheer. And Soopers bond in this one-of-a-kind way that only the intensity and joy of Color War can create. In writing their team Alma Maters, they are able to reflect on their camper careers, and express all that Scatico has meant to them over the years.  

On Sunday night each team's hard work showed off as Green Monsters Inc. and Grey Circus brought the playhouse down! The Alma Maters were particular highlights, with Green's going to "Butterfly Fly Away" by Hannah Montana, and Grey's "All of Me" by John Legend. In the end, Green won the sing (their rendition of "Let it Be" by The Beatles for a Folk Song was especially beautiful), but the next few days are sure to bring more heated competition!

BOYS SIDE 

For the boys, the Color War broke came on Saturday night, August 4.

Just one day in to the competition there have already been a handful of moments that will make their way into Scatico lore for generations to come….  The full-camp Apache Relay race starts at the front gate, makes its way all the way to the boys A Court, and ends at the waterfront). In the final leg of the 50-plus-event relay race, two graduating Upper Seniors represent each team in a canoe that they hand paddle across a section of the lake to the boys beach and then sprint to “kiss” the flagpole. The lead see-sawed back and forth throughout the 30-minute-long race and the teams reached the canoes within seconds of each other, the Green team ultimately pulling out a come-from-behind victory.

One of the things we love is how campers re-strategize decades-old sections of the race. For example, Sub Senior Jacob Schiff calculated it was faster to run from the 250-yard marker to the Pagoda (a sprint of about 350 yards), by racing not in a straight line (on uneven ground) but by first running uphill to the ridge of the driving range and then across the top of the golf course hill before cutting over. This will be the new standard as he saved about 20 seconds.

Other first day highlights included an Upper Hill Mass Softball game that ended in a tie and was won in the “Fungo” overtime (three representatives from each time, furthest hit wins) and an Upper Senior-Senior soccer game that went to the 5th round of a shootout. Green was leading 2-0 with less than 10 minutes to play, but Gray tied the score on a header with 2 minutes remaining. Kornel Nemeth, our one Hungarian camper, had the winning goal. Kornel, in his second summer as a camper, lives in Budapest. His dad was a dishwasher at Scatico for two summers in the early 1990s! Both finishes came with the entire boys camp watching.

Certainly, more to soon follow over the next three days in Color War….

Brothers & Sister First, Green & Grey Second 

Even with all the sense of competition and daily adventure, what resonates most during the final two weeks of camp is the brotherhood and sisterhood that continues to grow within each division with each passing day. Especially at a 7-week camp like Scatico at which no campers join a group mid-season, the journey from Opening Day through the many highs (and even a few challenges) creates opportunities for bonding and community-building which will provide foundations for each camper to build on during the school years and summers to come. With closing campfires, banquets, candles across the lake, slideshows, and more of those final camp traditions still on the horizon, there will be plenty of opportunities to reflect on the magic of summer 2018.      

CIT DR TRIP 2018

Our CITs are back from their incredible week in the Dominican Republic leading a one-week day camp for 80 local campers, and embarking on a series of adventurous excursions. Read up on all the excitement and activity on our blog!

SUMMER 2018, EDITION #3: JULY 6 - JULY 19

“A little bit of everything” may be the best way to describe the past two weeks at Scatico. Or, maybe, “A lot of everything!”

There were rainbows, thunderstorms, and finally a beautiful break in the weather. There was the boys and girls Nat Holman Basketball Tournament, and a newly-created divisional evening activity (essentially a Fortnight-themed Manhunt that just might challenge Human Stratego as the favorite night program in the year-end camper surveys). There were divisional overnights and hikes; a Soph Titanic theme day (division leader Jamie Hamburg as the Iceberg); an Inter (girls) Pirate theme day complete with treasure hunt and "X marks the spot" cookie making; a first outing to the local golf course; “NFL Combines”; Rope Burns; Tribes days; Birthday Ball; and an American Idol competition.

SCATICO LET'S GO! 

On back-to-back Monday's-- July 9th and 16th-- Scatico got decked out in green, green, GREEN for the boys' and girls' Nat Tournaments! Invitees included Camp Pontiac, Camp Wah-Nee, Camp Eagle Hill, Camp Kinder Ring, and Berkshire Hills Camp. On boys side, as is tradition, before the tournament started the entire boys camp gathered in the "K Corner" to cheer, jump, blast music and get hyped.  While we lost our first game against Wah-Nee, we bounced back and were able to beat Berkshire Hills Camp in our second game. It was boys first Nat tournament with the new A-court bleachers (that have a backing to avoid losing constantly rolling balls) and they were deemed a success!

For the girls Nat, our team played an incredibly impressive four games! Due to the fact that there were an even number of teams, and several won their first game but lost their second, the girls Nat had to participate in a series of 5-minute 1-quarter games to make it on to the finals. Ultimately, after two intense games, Scatico lost to Pontiac in the finals by a mere two points. 

Shortly after the Nat, the Pavillion was converted for an entirely different activity use: DJ PURE!! One of the highlight nights of the summer, DJ Pure is a full-on dance night with boys and girls of all divisions. Complete with lights and many-a-Scatico shoutout, Scatico campers and counselors danced all night long and even managed to coordinate a full-camp Cotton-Eyed Joe! A song that is (shockingly) beginning to stand the test of time.  

Boys Side Legends  

Over the past two weeks boys side has several full-camp evening activities. On Visiting Day evening, the entire boys camp had a BBQ on the ballfields, followed by the annual “Scatico Legends” story-telling competition. For the event, all campers and counselors are divided into four teams: Guardians, Harbingers; Seers, and Alchemists (your team for your entire Scatico career). Inter Division Leader Zach Wayne finished in first place (for the Alchemists—a story about a bee that wanted to become a squirrel), but campers Jake Zirolli, Elias Halperiin-Ranzer, and Jared Pisetzner also captivated the camp with their tales.

Other highlights over the past two weeks included Intercamp Tournaments in archery, swimming, flag football, basketball, baseball, tennis, and soccer; and the start of the Intramural Lower Hill Twilight League Playoffs in baseball, basketball, and soccer. Six camps participated in Scatico’s Annual Chess Tournament, and Scatico had a strong second-place showing, including first-place finishes on “boards” by Jack Wasserman, Ryan Derasse, Oz Rubinson, and Josh Mazarin; and second-place finishes by Tommy Hall and Michael Fischgrund.  There was a full-camp evening game show night—“The Price Is Right”—where campers guessed the actual price on a variety of camp items, from a pint of milk to a 1-day golf cart rental to the Mets seats on the HC porch. Filming also began on the production of “The Wizard of O.D.” (as in “On Duty” for bunk coverage at night). Free time? Think endless games of Chicago and 42 on the basketball courts or chess and card games of Kent (a summer 2018 sensation) on the HC porch and bunk picnic tables.  

Happy Birthday to Us! 

Girls side celebrated its own time-honored tradition last week... Birthday Ball! A full girls' side birthday celebration, for Birthday Ball all girl side campers and staff are split into the four season, based on when they were born. Each season then comes up with a creative "theme," and designs costumes and scenery to deck out the dining hall for the occasion. This year's particularly creative themes were Kerri Winter-man (who dressed in typical head counselor Kerri gear, such as Michigan hats, sweats and white tees), Summer Interns (who donned ties and name tags), Poland Spring (sported green and blue), and Fall-y-wood (Lower Hill dressed as celebrities and upper hill as the paparazzi). The birthday ball "party favor" was a Scatico hat, and the evening ended (as it always does) with a lighting of one giant birthday cake with 98 candles (one for each summer Scatico has existed). As is tradition, candles are lit by the counselors and campers who have been at camp the longest-- starting with Diana and Kerri (who have over 20 years at Scatico each) down to DLs Emily Berger, Lexi Schecter and Katie Hecker (over 10 summers each), and eventually down to Junior Counselors. 

Other girls side highlights, included the final Tribes day-- complete with the "Peanut Hunt" (now a dog biscuit hunt), a revealing of the Plaques, and performing of the Aerobics routines and Folk songs-- the Jinter/Juniot/ Senior show of "High School Musical"; and the "Miss Ugly" pageant won by CIT Amanda Graf! 

LOOKING AHEAD

With only three weeks left in the summer, campers and staff alike know the best is yet to come: Minicamp; Carnival; Divisional Trips; Sing; the Art Show and Open Mic Night; Twilight League Playoffs; and Color War. That’s a lot to pack in…. And still the most cherished and memorable moments remain the in-between times when campers foster friendships and fully embrace the magic of the camp community.