Winter 2024-2025, Edition 105, Issue #2

Mar 5

News From Elizaville—

Embracing the Numbers and Winter

January 20. 12:01 AM. The moment (okay, maybe not to the minute) when Opening Day 2025 is officially closer than Closing Day 2024. And just in case you’re wondering…. At 42.0497 N longitude (Elizaville, NY) daily daylight will start increasing between 2 to 3 minutes per day between the time you’re reading this newsletter until peaking on the summer solstice on June 20th (when the amount of daily daylight begins to lessen in the northern hemisphere). Who knew that the difference in least to most daylight hours in Elizaville (and every other place on earth at 42.0497 N longitude) is 9 hours and 6 minutes (on the winter solstice) to 15 hours and 15 minutes (summer solstice). Fifteen hours of camp daylight! How nice does that sound right now?

These are the kinds of musings that pull me through the winter months. And, of course, all the concrete summer planning. Orders to place for programs (500 tennis balls and 6 new hoppers delivered last week), kitchen, and maintenance supplies. Divisional trips and hikes to book (see photos later in this issue for 2024 highlights). Intercamp tournaments and games to schedule. Returning staff to confirm plans (already 150 of approximately 180 positions filled by people who previously spent a summer at Scatico, including our entire housekeeping, maintenance, and security staff). Launching the Staff and Camper Portals. Planning special events….

But, first, to the challenge immediately at hand: Winter. So often a full embrace of a challenge is the best strategy (like during the Summer when the perfect music mix raises the energy level during cleanup!). On two recent trips to Elizaville—the full embrace….

Day one—walking out to the middle of the frozen lake (and a little time spent with caretaker Teddy Lydon and his children Braelyn and Mason as they ice-fished). Day two—a trek out past the boys’ ballfields to the Sunset Trail (the view from the ridge with snow-dusted cornfields and a lone farmhouse in the foreground and the Catskill Mountains 35 miles off in the distance). These locations always provide a sense of timelessness, how 100 years earlier you could stand on this frozen lake or snow-covered ridge and seen a world very similar. Also a sense of wonder that within just a few short months the lake will burst with the energy of campers swimming, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, Rave-launching…. The meditative and regenerative walks out to the edge of the sunset trail will be taken not alone, but with divisionmates.

The Opening Day countdown has clearly officially begun. And since I have written then edited this over the course of two days, the duration of daily daylight is already almost three minutes longer.

View from the end of the Sunset Trail. Catskill Mountains seen just above the far tree line are 35 miles away, on the western side of the Hudson River. During the summer, the sun will set just on the highest peak, Hunter Mountain.

View from the Woodshop deck to the Clubhouse and girls back campus. During the summer, with the leaves grown in on trees, the bunks on the left of the photo are not visible from the lake.

Scatinews

As always, we’ll start with RSSes (Random Scatico Sightings)…. Nothing more random than a sighting on the NYC subway system! Sisters Frankie and Sylvie Eichel ran into Harper Odell on the 6 Train…. 2025 Sooper (and high school Junior) Brooke Ecker was touring the University of Michigan with her younger sister Charley when they spotted former camper and counselor Kate Metzendorf (now a U Mich Senior). Mom Beth Yurdin Metzendorf was mom Allison Goodman Ecker’s Sooper DL in 1992…. Sticking with a 1992 Sooper theme, at a New York Knicks game in January, Sam Tunick, attending with his mom Amy Paul Tunick, looked up at the Jumbotron and recognized on the screen his mom’s former bunkmate (and fellow 1992 Sooper), Dale Margolin Cecka. She was attending with her children and current campers Crispin and Thisbe. In person connection followed…. While technically an RSS, maybe we’ll have to put the “Random” in quotes. Weekend skiing near Elizaville, the Berlachs (siblings Henry and Eloise) and the Thalers (siblings Ryan and Noah) couldn’t resist the temptation of walking around a snow-covered camp. Ryan and Eloise sent in a picture from the driving range…. Finally, a holiday-shopping RSS with Samara Chait and Sidney Shapiro….

In non-RSS news…. Another Madison Square Garden moment, Luke Fleischner (far right in photo) met basketball legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier. The reported conversation—Luke: “I’m reading your book!” [Rocking Steady, A Guide to Being Cool and Basketball]; Clyde: “Swishing and Dishing”… Former bunkmates and current staff members Nick Mozga and Nile Cather are both studying abroad in Europe (Budapest and Paris respectively). They shared a photo from a recent reunion near the Eiffel Tower…. Congratulations to ceramics counselor Gulnar Babayeva, who helped curate and was one of 16 featured Hudson Valley artists at a recent show sponsored by the Arts Society of Kingston…. Isla Tatom starred as Toto in her school’s production of The Wizard of Oz…. Assistant Director Audrey Fleischner and boys’ Head Counselor Mark Gretenstein traveled to Miami (Mark’s home town) and connected with campers Jules Alhadeff, Ryder and Sky Meshberg, and (first-year Scaticonian) Ryan Parker…. Thanks to Lucy and Amelia Bussert for the first-ever Newsletter photo from a dog sled on a frozen lake (Saranac Lake)…. And a bunk reunion just a little closer to the 12523—the 2025 Centers (11 of 16) got together in February…

You can send all news (and non-news) for the Spring Issue of the Newsletter to info@scatico.com.

Let the Games Begin

In addition to scheduling divisional hikes and trips (see back page), winter is also a time to connect with neighboring camps to schedule intercamp tournaments and games. Scatico will once again host events in basketball (the Nat Holman tournaments), baseball, softball, tennis, soccer, and chess. From 2024….

For Parents

Summer Forms—The Camper Portal. The Camper Portal launched in January with all necessary paperwork for the summer ahead. To access, simply log in to your CampinTouch account (Scatico.campintouch.com) and go to the “Forms and Documents” tab. Please reach out to info@scatico.com with any questions or for tech support.

Packing—At the suggestion of a camp parent, a simplified packing checklist is inserted into this newsletter. The goal is for this one-sheeter to aid in the actual packing process (and even to help involve campers)! The full, detailed Packing List , including fun optional items and policies on what not to bring, can be found in the portal.

Below—Coming soon to a July 4th near you: fireworks; standup comedy; music; dance; and BBQ.

Due April 15—Transportation Form. Scatico offers Opening and Closing Day transportation free of charge from New York City, Westchester County, New Jersey, Long Island, and all three major NY-area airports (JFK, LGA, and EWR). In the portal you will find a transportation form to indicate whether your camper will be arriving via personnel vehicle or if you’ll be choosing one of our options.

Getting Luggage to Camp—All camper bags need to arrive at camp by June 22 as we unpack all campers ahead of Opening Day. Families are welcome to drop bags off personally any time starting Memorial Day weekend, or Ship Camps, an outside vendor, offers shipping services. Visit shipcamps.com/camp-scatico for info and pricing. Please note, the New Camper Orientation on June 14 is a great time to drop off bags for those attending! Luggage can also be shipped via UPS or FedEx to: Camp Scatico, 1558 County Route 19, Elizaville, NY 12523.