Tag Archives: Staff

Playing with Attitude Over Aptitude at TEC!

Think back to your favorite summer camp memories. Now, how many of those memories take place on the fields and courts of TEC? Playing an intense game of European Handball during Olympics, competing in an out-of-camp tournament, or even laughing with your friends during a wacky relay; there’s just no denying it, sharing these moments with camp friends is a huge part of the Trail’s End Camp experience!Trail’s End is an all-around camp with a strong sports program. For us, sports take on a number of different forms, from team sports, including basketball, soccer, hockey and baseball, to individual sports, like gymnastics, golf, tennis, outdoor adventure, water skiing and more. We want our campers active, and through our combined structured and elective-based program everyone gets the chance to take part in a wide variety of athletic activities.

To celebrate this, and in honor of May being National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, we’ve decided to have a chat with some of our returning athletic directors: Mo, Baseball Director; Dani, Gymnastics Director; Becci, Movement Director; and Carson, former Hockey Director!

Attitude Over Aptitude

We can’t talk about sports at TEC without bringing up our motto: “attitude over aptitude.” We asked our returning directors what this means to them. Simply put, Dani describes attitude over aptitude as “enjoying a sport even if you’re not a sporty person.” You might not consider yourself the most athletic person outside of camp, but at TEC you’re encouraged to “try something new and be proud of yourself for taking the next step at your own pace.” Trail’s End offers an incredibly supportive environment as you try something you never had the courage to do before.

Even avid athletes can find something in this motto! Carson sees it as “putting your best out there, no matter the circumstances.” Becci adds, “this vision is transferable into everyday life, not just in sports. Striving to achieve a present, positive and willing attitude to reach success for both yourself and others around you!”

Mo believes “having the right attitude will help you and those around you to be better, work harder, and have a goal in mind.” Our sports program allows even the most skilled player to be challenged and encourages them, during both electives and our specialty camps, to bring their game to the next level.

The Best Part of Coaching at TEC

It’s obvious campers have tons of fun while playing at camp, but who knew our athletic staff were having just as much fun coaching them?! We asked Becci, Carson, Dani and Mo about the best part of coaching their sports at TEC.

“My favorite part of being Movement Director at TEC is observing the campers letting go and being themselves. Viewing the campers relax into meditation in yoga, to being creative and working as a team in dance, to calling imaginative cheers in the pavilion or “Zumba-ing” their hearts away in aerobics. They manage to put aside all outside issues and focus on having a good time!” – Becci

“My favorite part of coaching hockey was the people and relationships you could build through the sport.” – Carson

“For me, it’s getting to see all the campers, from Lower Rangers to Girls Varsity, coming to gymnastics, having fun and trying something new each period!” – Dani

“It’s getting to know each group and each kid individually. Every group and every kid is different, with different abilities. Baseball is supposed to be fun, and I try to bring that to camp. When I coach in other places it is more serious with a winning goal in mind. At camp, I want the kids to improve and have fun at the same time. Seeing kids that couldn’t hit the ball actually hitting in a game and seeing their faces is priceless. That’s what I love about camp.” – Mo

A Summer Full of Sports Moments

Remember those memories from previous summers we discussed? Well, our returning directors have their own favorite sports memories they’d love to share!

“My favorite moment as Movement Director is when the Buddies performed at a dance competition last summer. They were given a very fun but difficult dance, with limited time to rehearse. The girls used every spare minute they had to practice their movement together, and when they performed they blew me away. They came to the stage with energy, smiles and complete unity. Although they didn’t win, for me they won the whole competition!” – Becci

“My favorite memory from coaching was in a Lower Cavaliers game when we traveled to another camp. They shined and played great together, cheered one another on and pushed each other to do their best. Every boy scored in that game. One boy actually refused to get off the court, begging ‘I just want to be able to get him (the last boy to score) a goal.’ They cheered for every one of our goals, and even for the other team’s goals. Days like that made me proud to be at TEC.” – Carson

“My favorite moment was taking campers that have never performed in front of anyone before to a meet and seeing how excited they were when they placed in the Top 5 as a team!” – Dani

“I remember once after practice a camper came up to me and said ‘I never used to like baseball, but now I do. Thank you, Coach Mo.’ That really made my summer! Another moment was when a camper struck out and we lost the game. The camper was crying and the rest of the team came and gave him a hug, telling him that it was ok and lifting his spirits. That was awesome to be a part of.” – Mo

 

In this coming summer, there are many more memories to be made as we run around camp, trying new things, keeping it moving, and having fun with our camp friends. Who knows how many new favorite sports moments we’ll be making this summer?

Buddies Trip Week!

IMG_0227

The Buddies left the camp last week and took on Costa’s Family Fun Park for half a day. Costa’s Family Fun Park allows the campers to take a break from the courts and fields, and head over to the arcade games they all love to play. Campers also showed off their new golf skills by playing a fun game of mini golf. The day ended with water slides and ice cream cones topped with tons of sprinkles which the campers enjoyed immensely.

Screen Shot 2016-08-04 at 1.07.44 AM

 

The next day the Lower Buddies had a pool party with Rona, Marielle, Sara, Julie and Lindsay . The pool was filled with fun floats including swans, donuts, pretzels, pizza which turned TEC’s swimming pool into a festive and yummy adventure.

FullSizeRender

 

 

The Buddies final day of trip week included the annual trip to go blueberry picking at the Paupack Blueberry Farm. Campers spent the day eating and picking blueberries. The buddies picked 83 pounds of the delicious blue treats!  The next day, each camper was very excited to see their blueberries being served at breakfast.

Staff Spotlight – Catching Up with Marielle

Staff - Marielle

The Trail’s End staff recruiting season is in full swing. We have spent the past few months attending domestic and international staffing fairs with one goal in mind – to find the best role models, mentors, coaches and counselors to help create the 2015 Trail’s End Experience for our campers.

Sara recently traveled to England, Scotland, Budapest, Prague and a number of US colleges. With the help of some TEC alumni and current staff members, we were able to hire many talented college students. Throughout March, April and May we will be continuing our search at universities in the US, Canada and overseas.

In order to get a sense of what the TEC Experience is all about, we caught up with current staff member, Marielle Berger. She has been a part of our community for the past 16 summers.Camp Community Service

Marielle Berger
Nickname: Mar
Favorite Sports Team: Yankees
Favorite Color: Purple
Favorite Movie:
 The Parent Trap
Favorite Quote: “You must always remember, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”–Christopher Robin from Winnie the Pooh

It is hard to believe that in 16 Saturdays I will once again be back at the most amazing place in the world.  Trail’s End Camp has been my home away from home ever since I was 9 years old.  I began this incredible experience as an Upper Buddie in 2000.  My camper years were magical and helped me grow to be the person I am today.  After 8 summers as a camper, there wasn’t even a question whether or not I would be returning to Trail’s End as a staff member.

Marielle as a CamperAs I am writing this, so many crazy camp memories are on my mind.  One of my favorites  is when we would spend Free Play practicing for the Talent Show – we would pick out matching outfits to wear and our counselors even dressed up with us.  Practicing for Sing is another one of my favorite memories, especially when I was a Trinity and we won Sing for the first time!   Square Dancing with Lou and Sue Flego has always been one of the best nights of camp – dressing up in all different costumes with my square was fun and exciting.   I remember going on my first roller coaster in Hershey Park when I was in the Middies, and hiking and going on the Delaware River when I was a Deb.
Leadership T - 2007
When I entered Varsity, camp changed for me in a way that I never would have imagined.  My connection to TEC became even greater.  Being a leader for all of camp during College Day and Olympics is something I will never forget.  I have to say that my final camper summer, my LT year, was my favorite summer of all. My friendships grew tighter as we were inseparable traveling to college campuses and to Utah.  The 10-day Western Adventure was truly an experience of a lifetime.  Living on a river with my best friends and experiencing a part of the country that none of us had ever been to, was the perfect way to end my 8 years as a camper.

Visiting_day_09_(4) While many of my friends ended their TEC days after our LT summer, I never wanted to leave Beach Lake and was determined to give back to future campers all those great things that Trail’s End had taught me.  In 2009, I was hired as a counselor for the Upper Buddies.  It is hard to believe that the campers from my very first summer will now be Second Years in Varsity!  After 3 summers working with the Upper and Lower Buddies, I took on the role of Tour Director.  Showing people from the outside world the amazing place that so many of us call home for two months of the year is something that I take great pride in and I love to do.  After a summer as Tour Director, I was offered the opportunity to be a Group Leader for the Upper Buddies.  As an young educator, I have learned so much from this position and I absolutely love being the person that helps get our new campers started on their TEC journey.  It is so gratifying supporting them as they become part of our camp family.  I will forever remember the feeling I had when Marc awarded me a Community Service Award during Friday night services. As I received the award and then looked up, all of my campers from the past couple of summers came running down the hill to congratulate me.  Everyone at Trail’s End is truly my family.

Steph and MarielleAs I enter my 8th summer as a staff member, this summer  once again brings about a new and exciting change for me as I will be Assistant Girls’ Head Counselor as well as Group Leader for the Buddies.  I am overly excited to be working even more closely with Steph Fineman, the Girls’ Head Counselor, and Lindsay Bernstein, as my assistant Group Leader.  I can’t wait to be in this new role, and to continue working with the campers on girls’ campus.  My love for TEC grows each year, and I look forward to spending the summer of 2015 with all of you!

Trail’s End Camp – Ready, Set, BOWL!

Tradition, CampEvery fall, we count down the days till our camp family is able to get together for our annual TEC Bowling Reunions, and this year was no different.

Camp Varsity GirlsThe weekend started off on Saturday as we spent the afternoon with our current 6th – 11th graders at Bowlmor. It was a great reunion for our older campers as they hung out with their friends, had pizza & sliders and premiered our 2014 video yearbook. We loved being able to get back to that camp feeling that we have been missing all fall. It was also so much fun to watch everyone reconnect and to see how excited they were to see some of their favorite staff members. TEC Group Leaders and Head Counselors flew in from all over the US to spend the weekend with their summer family.

Boy's Summer CampOn Sunday, it was our 1st – 5th grade campers’ turn to reunite and make some new friends during their bowling get-togethers at Syosset Lanes. The turnout was awesome and we were so happy to see how welcoming our returning campers were to the many 1st time Trail’s Enders. After some bowling and icebreakers, the reunions ended with Marc handing out raffle prizes to the lucky winners which included a golf cart ride for your bunk, the counselors having to do clean up, bunk milkshake parties and pizza parties for the entire group, to name a few.

Having spent an incredible weekend with everyone has put us into full-on camp mode. We in the process of finalizing most of the program for 2015 and will be sure to share some of the highlights with you in January. It is have to believe that we are less than 200 days away from Opening Campfire.

Girl's Camp

Boys Camp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wishing you and your family a Happy Holidays. Be sure to keep your eyes open for the video yearbook which coming to your mailbox over the next few days.

Looking Ahead….

Sara's Photo

As the leaves start to turn and the cold weather is right around the corner, we have set our sights towards summer 2015. Here are some exciting camp events and changes we have planned for the upcoming year:

HALLOWEEN CONTEST – We are excited to announce our 2nd Annual Halloween Costume contest for campers and staff alike! Email Sara a photo of you in your costume by November 3rd to be entered in a raffle to win a Trail’s End prize pack! The lucky staff member and lucky camper will be announced via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter early November. Looking forward to seeing everyone all dressed up!

WINTER REUNION – We can’t wait to see our camp families at the Winter Reunions December 6th and 7th, It is always great hanging out and reuniting with old camp friends while getting to know our new incoming campers even better. Remember to RSVP by logging into your My TEC Account at trailsendcamp.com.

TennisTENNIS COURT RENOVATIONS – Our tennis court facility will be getting a full facelift. We will have 7 brand new tennis courts and 3 Quickstart training courts for our youngest campers. We are excited to see the courts in action come June!

BRAND NEW CRAFTS & TECHNOLOGY CENTER –  The biggest change to the 2015 program will be the expansion of Crafts & Technology.  The new center will include woodworking, ceramics, fine arts, jewelry making, textiles, cooking, video production, digital media and rock band. Keep your eyes peeled for photos throughout the winter.  We will post them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

TOWEL SERVICE – Beginning in 2015, we will be providing towel service for our campers and staff.  Towels will be delivered daily to every camper and staff for showers.  Additionally, there will be towels at the lake or pool for their use when swimming and boating.  Our towel service will result in our Lake Photocampers bringing less “stuff” to camp and will create more room in the bunks!

We are very excited for the 2015 additions and cannot wait to be back at TEC. See you all soon!

Only 35 Saturdays till opening campfire!