Camp News Archives - Page 29 of 35

To Greeley…and Beyond!

Posted on July 21, 2015 by PineForest

Although College Day 2015 has come to a close, the action continues at PFC and even outside of camp! Our Juniors spent the day at Costa’s Family Fun Park, which is a place they look forward to visiting every summer (not just because of the soft serve!). They got to ride go karts, water slides, and bumper boats, play mini golf and arcade games, and hit the batting cages. Not bad for a Tuesday! Many of our older campers had the opportunity to go waterskiing on beautiful Lake Wallenpaupack, while our dancers competed in a dance competition!

Up next? Gordon Hill’s soccer clinic, our first play of 2015, the rest of the division trips to Costa’s, and a hiking trip at the Delaware Water Gap! Oh to be a camper again…

College Day: 2 Camps, 4 Teams, 1 Dream

Posted on July 20, 2015 by PineForest

BOYS CAMP

Four teams, one dream… to be College Day champions. Maryland, Oregon, Wisconsin and Kentucky arrived at Pine Forest Camp for 24 hours of heated competition. The weather was hot, but the competition was hotter. Starting last night with the opening ceremonies and continuing today with track and field and swim meets, the entirety of Boys Camp banded together in these four teams to duke it out.

During the opening ceremonies, we got to experience each division competing in tug-of-war, we saw the madness of an egg on the spoon race and a watermelon eating contest, campers participated in cheer offs, and we determined just who was the loudest, proudest and most outgoing. After a dominant performance on night one, Maryland emerged as the leader and favorite going into day two.

During day two, the campers were up bright and early to march to Mitchell Field and Dan’s Diamond to compete in the annual track meet. Events included relay races, shuttle runs, obstacle courses, broad jumps and more. And of course, how could anyone forget the famous Jr. Skeeter Swift. By the end of the track meet, the Terps of Maryland had a small advantage but Wisconsin was right on their toes. Finally, we had a swim meet at the Boy’s Pool and at the lake to determine the champion of College Day. After many intense events, including the first ever water basketball competition, the Wisconsin Badgers emerged as the champions of College Day 2015 for Boys Camp!

GIRLS CAMP

College Day 2015, four schools with the dream of being named Champions of the Colleges. This year, the universities of Oregon, Kentucky, Maryland and Wisconsin arrived at the place where the sky begins to battle on the fields, in the pools, and on the courts to determine which school is best. Starting with the opening ceremonies last night and heading into the swim meet, track meet and field events of today, all the campers did a great job of battling it out and showing their pride and effort.

Last night, all four teams gave their all during opening ceremonies and campers and team coaches got to participate in far flung events such as a watermelon eating contest, egg on a spoon races, tug-of-war, and cheer offs. Team Maryland dominated the tug-of-war allowing them to gain an early lead.

On day two, the campers were up early and headed up to Lauri Field for competition in camp classics ranging from an obstacle course, the human pyramid, the Lauri field relay, and the Jr. Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest. All participants battled each other with good sportsmanship and amazing dance moves. However, by the end of the track meet, the Ducks of Oregon had established a firm lead.

Finally, Girls Camp headed to Girls Pool and the lake to participate in the annual College Day Swim Meet and Lake Regatta. Campers showed off their aquatic abilities and their team spirit, leaving counselors and key staff saying this was one of the best College Days ever! By the end of the water competitions, the Maryland Terrapins emerged victorious as College Day Champions 2015!

Explorers Depart, College Day Begins

Posted on July 19, 2015 by PineForest

A storm blew through last night and we had some heavy rain for about 15 minutes, but the skies cleared in time for a beautiful sunset and the first 2015 Explorers campfire. These future campers in 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th grade experienced as much of Pine Forest Camp that could fit into a 24 hour period: lake, arts and crafts, ropes course, sports, and even a few s’mores! We look forward to seeing them back next summer as real, full-fledged campers!

It was a warm, sunny day today at camp with temperatures climbing – a perfect opportunity for an extra period of swim in the lake and the pool. Afterwards, the College Day teams were announced! This year, it’s Wisconsin, Kentucky, Maryland, and Oregon. Badgers vs. Wildcats vs. Terps vs. Ducks! We will have opening ceremonies tonight and kick things off with counselor wacky relays. We’ll get started with the camper track and field and swim meet competitions tomorrow morning! Stay tuned!

Good Morning, PFC!

Posted on July 17, 2015 by PineForest

Sometimes the best parts of camp are the ones that are least scripted. Take boys line-up this morning for example. Campers woke up to the sounds of Warren Zevon, James Taylor, and The Monkees! Announcements included basketball try-outs, the discovery of a new winged dinosaur in China, inspirational quotes by Chad about being a person of value, sports news about the NBA and golf, and a reminder about laundry. This was followed by strawberries and French toast for breakfast. Not a bad way to start the day!

Keep Playing Tennis!

Posted on July 16, 2015 by PineForest

Yesterday was the USTA tennis tournament with campers from all over competing at PFC, but today there was a tennis moment that our campers loved. Just as the boys were finishing their lunch in the grove, they looked over at Mitchell courts, heard the pop of tennis balls being hit and the scuffle of feet and saw 3 generations of Black family men playing a very competitive game of tennis. Uncle Marv, now 90 years old, had a laser beam serve and a backhand that was unstoppable. His son, Mickey, and grandson, Lee, did their best to keep up with him but he was relentless. Even Tennis Director Craig Wallace was impressed. Campers watched the action and rooted for all 3 generations, but mostly for Marv. It was pretty cool. There are a lot of camps out there but not many with 3 generations of tennis-playing directors! As Uncle Marv, who has been a lifetime player, always says, “Keep playing Tennis”! Love-90.

To Blueberry Island and Back

Posted on July 15, 2015 by PineForest

For Huckleberry Finn, it was the Mississippi River. For Marty McFly, it was a time travel in the DeLorean, and to Luke Skywalker it was a Galaxy “far, far away”. But to Senior boys today, it was a canoe trip to the mysterious, enchanted Blueberry Island in the middle of Lake Greeley. Off they went, into the murky waters of the lake. They paddled past other campers on sailboats, kayaks, and water bikes until they vanished into the distance. Onward they paddled. The rocky coast soon loomed large. You could hear the bullfrogs as the lake waters lapped up against the rocky shores of the deserted island. You could smell the pine needles of the trees that bent low over the water’s edge. And then they saw them, in the brushes along the coast, the wild blueberry bushes that they sought. They reached into them, plucked a few, put them in a cup, and brought them back. Their cheers rang out “Blueberries for breakfast! We’ll put them in our pancakes!”

They returned to shore, tired but happy, blueberries in hand.

Take Me Out to the Field

Posted on July 14, 2015 by PineForest

Happy Tuesday! Though the theme of the night is baseball, our campers participated in a several exciting activities today in addition to their regular schedules. Our Inter girls went waterskiing, our boys had a canoe trip on the Delaware River, and our Superstar Golfers were off to Woodloch! We also competed in an 11 and under boys basketball game. Oh, and we had sushi at lunch. No big deal.

Tonight, bunk Iris is on their overnight and the rest of the girls are playing the classic game, “Name That Tune” in Lee’s Rink! Boys camp played Home Run Derby on Mitchell Field complete with Philadelphia soft pretzels. Can’t beat that! Campers cheered for their favorite counselors as they watched them try to hit baseballs as far as they could. The ultimate goal was to hit the balls over the fence. Our big winner was Caleb from bunk Cedar. Congrats, Cedar! Those who wanted to watch the MLB All-Star Game got to do so in the new Greeley Theater!

There is so much to look forward to tomorrow, starting with the USTA tournament which is hosted by PFC this year! We’re also hosting 15 and under girls basketball against Camp Timber Tops. Our international campers and many of our international counselors will be taking an all day trip to NYC! We’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. Until then, lights out!

Just Another Magic Monday

Posted on July 14, 2015 by PineForest

Stop what you’re doing and check out our week in review! What was Mickey’s first job was at camp? The answer may surprise you.

https://vimeo.com/133274493

Now that you’re caught up, our Hi-Senior 9s are going to see The Goonies at Bethel Woods tonight! Yes, right where Woodstock took place. Not a bad way to watch a classic. Our 10s are excited for their bowling night tonight and lower camp will be celebrating their 11 and under boys 4-0 soccer win and 2^nd place in the Hughie Black tournament. Not too shabby, boys!

On an administrative note, we really appreciate the positive feedback that our bunk newsletters have been getting. We’re having a lot of fun with them, too! If you can’t get enough of your kids (who can, anyway?!), don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram! We will keep the updates coming.

Sun Day Sunday

Posted on July 12, 2015 by PineForest

The girls pool drew a big, enthusiastic crowd today as campers enjoyed another beautiful day at PFC. It was the perfect day for a scuba diving class! Yes, you heard right- the photos are already online! They’ll be back at the pool tonight for the co-ed luau party! Hi-Seniors frolicked on the beach on Lake Greeley and the fields were busy with soccer, lacrosse, and baseball. Bunk Banana returned from their overnight to a cookout breakfast and headed down to get cleaned up after a night in the wild. Speaking of campfires, Junior girls learned a campy Native American song from Uncle Marv, “Wah Ta Ho” at his special campfire last night. He also told them about Pine Forest’s history. Did you know that the girls Head Counselor’s office was an ice house and that the dining room was in the Guest House? He then told them a story about his track team that came from behind to win a race against a much more talented team, because Uncle Marv’s team never gave up. Our older female divisions played an intense game of capture the flag that spanned the entire camp. It was pink against black, but nobody’s really sure who won, but it sure was fun!

Fired Up

Posted on July 11, 2015 by PineForest

Before we delve into today, we have to give a shout out to bunk Cherry for doing an awesome job leading services last night. Our boys really enjoyed the Big Brother-Little Brother campfire that followed. We have another special campfire tonight: the Junior girls campfire at Uncle Marv’s cabin. This is a special tradition that brings together story telling, songs, and s’mores!

Today we hosted some great future campers for a Play Day, which is part of our Explorers Program. They had perfect weather and loved participating in camp activities! Our other Explorer sessions are filling up fast and we look forward to seeing so many new faces! But to get to the part that you have all been waiting for, we had some GREAT meals today! Grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch, and Chinese buns, noodles, and spicy salad for dinner. Did we mention the chocolate dipped bananas we had after dinner? Who said camp food was boring?

Oh, and if you’re looking for some light beach reading, WEEK 2 BUNK NEWSLETTERS ARE UP!

Category: Camp News