Staying Grounded and Gaining Strength

In Greek Mythology, Antaeus, the son of Poseidon (god of the sea) and Gaea (the earth goddess), gained strength when he remained connected to the ground. It was only when Antaeus lost this connection that Hercules was able to defeat him. (Scatico connection coming....)

For our 100th anniversary celebration, we asked current campers, staff, and alumni to complete a #Scatico100 survey, with questions ranging from favorite camp sounds and meals to go-to activities during free time and Holy Cow orders. Several hundred responded.

One question asked: “What is your favorite place in camp?” Answers varied widely both in terms of physical location and general theme (for example, a place to play or somewhere to inhale deeply and relax). Yet, whatever the vote, all spoke to community and the lifting of spirit and energy, of keeping your feet on the “ground.”

And interestingly, for every vote for the Social Hall, A Court, Field 4, Pavilion, or Waterfront during General Swim (think activities), there were also votes for the Clubhouse Porch, Sunset Trail, Back Campus, Tree-Lined Road, Campfire Site, and Rocking Chairs at the Admin. And many “Sunsets as viewed from....” All these locations creating their pull less through activity and specific memory and more through emotional connection —spaces for reflection and bonding with friends, for storytelling and conversation.

As summer approaches, I think not only of the many activities and memorable moments to come—the sustaining energy of everyday camp—but also the times when life will slow down to a crawl. And, by staying grounded to place and community, we will continue to grow and gain strength.

Meet the Leadership Team

We're excited to introduce our Senior Leadership and Program team in a new blog post on the Scatico website! We're very lucky to have lots of returnees in our Scatico community heading key program areas from Art to Cooking to the Waterfront to Outdoor Adventure! We figured it was about time to share a little more about them. Who wants to do the math on how many combined Scatico summers they represent?

As we say often at camp, life should never be about the things and the stuff, but about the people. When we think ahead to the summer of 2023, we are so grateful for all of the staff returning to camp year after year. At last count, we will have more than 50 staff at camp this year who have spent 10 or more summers in the 12523. They comprise nearly one-third of the entire staff.

Staying In Touch

The final Staying In Touch column of the 2022-23 off-season. When next we “meet” it won’t be through the Newsletter, but in the 12523 (a certain zip code).... Nothing makes us happier than a report of a Random Scatico Sighting (RSS)....

The streets of Manhattan always provide a few RSSes each issue. Divisionmates Ben Strauss and Roy Goldstein as well as two Janes (Greeley and Rosenfeld) shared photos. For Jane Rosenfeld, 2023 will mark her 16th Scatico summer—and she’ll return as the Program Director on girls’ side. Her younger sister Anna has been away from camp since 2019, but will also return to camp this year (summer number 12, if you’re counting at home) as a division leader....

Bunkmates Jonah Cooper and Jack Weinberg discovered that their rec basketball teams were playing each other in a season finale (which led to a jersey swap at game’s end... On vacation, Eloise Berlach met one of her 2022 bunk counselors, Chloe Cardello, poolside in Miami....Siblings Liza, Matty, and Jacob Strauss spotted siblings Benny and Lexi Katz in Costa Rica....

In non-RSS news (and non-news).... While we speak often of the bonding and lifelong friendships formed by bunkmates, the same holds true for the meaningful connections formed by staff members. Aoife Rigney (from Ireland—art counselor) and Amber McGovern (from England—photography counselor) met at camp last summer. They shared the photo to the right from their recent trip to Thailand.... Assistant head counselors Quinn Croland and Matty Carroll began their friendship as counselors way back in 2008. Quinn traveled from New Jersey to Northern Ireland recently to visit Matty and they sent in a photo from the Giants Causeway....

Matt Gross (a co-Division Leader for the Frosh in 2022) is currently the Director of Basketball Operations for the Women’s Basketball Team at Monmouth College. After a surprise conference championship, they reached the NCAA tournament (and ESPN-2) with Matt sitting on the bench and wearing a Scatico shirt under his suit for good luck....When soon-to-be Junior Counselors Nile Cather and Isaac Greenblatt toured The University of Colorado they naturally met up with divisionmate (and Boulder native) Austin Moscou. While there, they visited their 2022 Upper Senior division leader (now a U.of C. Senior) Michael Tolstoi.... When Nick Mozga played in a coed street hockey tournament at his high school in Hawley, PA, he represented camp in a red Scatico college bowl t-shirt.....

Thanks to everyone who contributed to Staying In Touch throughout the school year. Next stop Elizaville!

New in the 12523

The buildout of the Health Center is almost completed, adding not only 600 square feet of space but also fully renovating existing patient areas (adding private rooms, bathrooms, and a lounge area).

Elsewhere around camp, the resurfacing of 16 outdoor courts (11 tennis, 4 basketball, and 1 volleyball, if you’re keeping score at home), will include adding lines to create space for additional courts for pickleball (from two in 2022 to six in 2023) and volleyball (from two in 2022 to four in 2023). Older campers and staff will now be able to play both sports at night under the lights.

The new Tumbl Trak has been assembled and installed in the gymnastics building and already put to use by Braelyn Lydon (daughter of Sca- tico’s caretaker, Teddy). Her review? Two thumbs up!

Welcome to Scatico—Class of 2023

As of this writing, we will have 56 first-time campers at Scatico this summer . They’ll be traveling to camp from 7 states and 5 countries. We are so excited to welcome them and their families. They will account for more than 20 percent of the entire camper population.

Survey Says....

In the last issue of the Camper Newsletter we shared 2022 Camper Survey results with regards to “Favorite Special Events” (start with the Carnival, DJ Pure, and Divisional Sing—Color War exempted from the voting) and “Favorite Meals” (Chicken Nuggets with Mac & Cheese just nudging out Chicken Patties and Pizza for a second consecutive year).

Now we take a look at the top ten Favorite Activities, combining totals from both sides of camp and across all program areas. The activity “scored a point” if it finished among a camper’s favorite top three choices. More than 40 activities received votes, including such distinctly Scatico games as downhill tennis baseball and Human Stratego.

Cooking
Baseball and softball *
Art/ Ceramics
Lake
Tennis/ Pickleball
Basketball
Slapball**
Woodshop
Soccer
Football, BBK and Hockey (3-way tie

*Includes a lot of votes for Twilight League.

**A sport perhaps played at only one summer camp on Earth!

March Madness

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s March Madness contest—2023 Sooper Maya Lederman (defending her 2022 title) and Junior Counselor Lexi Katz. (Scatico gear as prizes!) In the finals, the Opening Campfire defeated Full-Camp BBQs.

Spring 2023, Edition 102, Issue #3