Tag Archives: Summer 2014

Community Service Awards!

“Friendships deepen through years with thee, lasting till eternity,” is a quote that every Trail’s End camper and staff member holds true to their heart. Friendship is one of the many gifts a camper is given from their experiences at TEC. Trail’s End gives everyone the opportunity to grow in many ways. Every week, specific campers are rewarded with different color dog tags to reflect their good character that was exhibited the previous week. As the children accumulate a number of them, we love to hear the sounds of success as they run around camp.

A few years ago, we implemented our Community Service Awards which are given to staff and campers who go above and beyond what is expected at camp. This award is extremely special, as it is only given to a select few each week and recognizes a sense of selflessness with putting their camp family before themselves.

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Every week, after Friday night services, the Community Service Award winners are called down, after the person that nominates them, reads off why they were nominated. It is truly an honor to see the faces of the surprised honorees as they are called down to stand in front of the entire camp.

This week, the Community Service Award winners were: Jeff Donaldson, Brandon Hoovis, Coleman Perret, Paula Kemp, Maddi Webb, Adin Kurtz, Monica Briceno, Caila Bender and Brooke Selmer. Congrats to this week’s winners!

Welcome Home – Summer 2014

Marc and Crew As soon as the buses drove through the gates and down the hill to our eagerly awaiting staff, we knew this summer was going to be amazing! From the time the first camper stepped off the bus, we hit the ground running, starting the day with our traditional pizza lunch before heading out to activities and icebreakers. We ended the 1st day with our traditional opening campfire where our returning Lower Buddies and Rangers helped Marc dig up the story buried in the ground late last August.

5O5A2358 The energy and excitement continued into the first full day of activities. It was so wonderful seeing all of the hard courts and fields filled with campers learning new skills and drills and playing their favorite team sports. Our new Outdoor Adventure zip-line and high ropes elements took center stage for the entire first week. To say the additions are a hit is an understatement. Stan and Tennis

The evening program has been thriving, from the 70s staff Talent Show where the counselors and Group Leaders were able to showcase themselves to all of their campers to Pollapoolooza where Marc, Ryan and the Head Counselors were able to compete in funny challenges such as a human sundae and giant Jenga.

Tournament teams are in full swing with campers competing in soccer, baseball, tennis, softball, and flag football. Trail’s End has hosted two invitational flag football tournaments, one in which the Lower Cavaliers took home 1st and 2nd place, competing against 7 other Wayne County Camps and the other with the 9th grade boys taking home 2nd place. We are excited to see how well the rest of our sports teams will do this summer and how much fun they will have competing against other camps.

5O5A2140 Play practices have begun. This summer we will be spotlighting every age group in a Broadway Musical. On the bill for this summer is Legally Blonde, Matilda, Little Shop of Horrors and Beauty and the Beast. We cannot wait to see what Lizzie and the drama team will be able to create with our talented campers.

We ended the week with our traditional Friday night services and Buddies and Rangers 4th of July Show. It was amazing to see the entire camp family on the cookout slope. We gave out our Community Service awards to 13 campers and staff in the Trail’s End community. We love seeing everyone going above and beyond to help someone else in 5O5A2142 camp. Congrats to everyone! The Buddies and Rangers show was a huge success this year, as they were able to perform one of the best 4th of July shows we have seen in years. The night ended with our fireworks, Alma Mater and Taps – what a great finish to an amazing week. The first week at camp has been filled with many little moments that each camper and counselor will truly cherish forever and we can’t wait to see what weeks 2-7 bring. Welcome Home to our Trail’s End family. We are already loving summer 2014. Check out the week 1 highlight video!

Week 1 Highlights from Trail’s End Camp on Vimeo.

Camp Best Friends are the Best Kind of Friends (part 1)

Seven Saturdays from now an excited group of first year campers will step off the bus and begin their Trail’s End career. This will be the start of an amazing journey that will carry them from a camper on campus, to Varsity, to a TEC staff member. Their experience at TEC will help shape them into the adults that they will someday become, while creating memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.

For the past 10 years, we have been fortunate to have a group of 9 friends who have grown up with us and created bonds that epitomize the Trail’s End Experience. In this two part Trailblazer series, we will introduce you to this unique group and allow them, in their own words, to shed a little light on their days at TEC. We are proud of what the Trail’s End Experience has meant to this group and many, many others that have spent their summers with us in Beach Lake, PA.

Name: Nicole Vingan
Nickname: Nikki
Years in Camp: 7 years camper and 3 years counselor
Favorite Food: Sushi and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Favorite Quote: My favorite quote is from a Dave Matthews song called Two Step. It’s “Celebrate we will, because life is short but sweet for certain”
Years you won Olympics (team and year): Ukraine 2006, Turkey 2007 and India 2009.

I am from New Jersey. I just finished my freshman year at the University of Michigan. I started camp as an extremely shy and homesick 10-year-old camper and by the end of my first summer, I couldn’t get enough of camp. I kept coming back every year until LT summer, which was by far the best summer of my life. I am now going to camp for my 3^rd year as a staff member and going on exactly a decade at Trail’s End. My best friends have been with me through every step of the way and I have the most amazing camp memories with them. We keep in touch all year long in our group chat and I even go to school with one of them (Jordan Halper). What makes camp friendships so special in general is the sheer amount of time you all spend together. It’s amazing what you can learn about other people when you surround yourself with them everyday for 8 weeks. I’ve learned secrets, fun facts, likes and dislikes and so much more; and as cliché as it may sound, my camp friendships are the ones that will last forever.

Name: Hanna Feibus
Years in Camp: 8 years as a camper and 3 years as a counselor
Favorite Sports Team: NY GIANTS
Favorite Camp Tradition: Olympic Opening Ceremony “YES.”
Favorite Quote: “A stove is a stove no matter where you go” – SpongeBob Squarepants
Favorite Song: Space Jam by QCD

I attend Duke University (with Brett Finkelstein). My experience as a camper had its ups and downs. I used to be a shy kid and was definitely very quirky. I wasn’t sure I would make friends. Camp is a place where I’m always comfortable being myself. Varsity was my prime and shaped who I am today. I became a more confident person. I then became a counselor and to my surprise, my years as a counselor have been my favorite. It was time to take responsibility and help younger kids fall in love with camp like I did. I especially love it when my campers ask me about my friends. They all tell me that they hope their friends will be as close as us when they grow up. My friends and I talk all year long. We’re always caught up on each other’s lives and always trying to make plans to see each other. We do the occasional group video chat as per Bass’ requests. We’re so comfortable telling each other anything and I’m sure our friendship will never change. I am thankful for camp bringing them into my life.

Name: Lindsay Bernstein
Nickname: Blobz (the names your camp friends make up for you always stick… no matter how strange they may be)
Years in Camp: 7 as a camper and 3 as a counselor
Favorite Food: I would have to say camp cookies, but for the 10 months of the year when we aren’t in camp I LOVE avocado!
Favorite Quote: “I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry”- Cat Stevens
Favorite Song: “Slide” by the Goo Goo Dolls
Olympics Victories: Green and White Turkey 2007

I am currently a freshman at Penn State University. This will be my tenth summer at camp, and I can say from the bottom of my heart, that there is no place I would rather spend my summers. My friends further enhanced the camp experience and helped me learn some of the most important life qualities. I feel comfortable around them, like I am able to be myself, free from the pressures of the outside world. Our friendships are unlike any friendships I have ever experienced. These eight people are truly my best and closest friends. They quickly transformed from my best friends for the 52 days of the year that we were in camp, to my best friends for all 365 days of the year. They are the most kind-hearted, selfless, and funny people I know, and I really don’t know where I would be without them. I am so lucky to have them for advice and guidance during the most difficult times. Being at camp with my best friends has made me a better friend, a better leader, and a better overall person, and I truly am better for having been at Trail’s End Camp.

Name: David Margulies
Nickname: Marg
Years in Camp: 8 years as a camper, 3 years as a counselor
Favorite Sports Team: Philadelphia Eagles.
Favorite Song: “It Happens Every Time” by Dreamstreet
What you look forward to every year at camp: The first day of camp is the most anticipated day of my summer.

I am a freshman at Vanderbilt University. I’m about to begin my 11^th summer at TEC, and looking back, I’ve had some of the best experiences of my life. I came to camp knowing only one other kid, but I immediately gained many new friends. Teddy, Ben and I became friends on campus but once we entered Varsity, the girls joined our tight knit group. Camp allows each and every camper to step up and become his or her own person, to become a leader. Through the years, I became closer with all of my friends from campus, and made tons of new friends of all different ages. What I like most about camp is I can completely be myself around my camp friends with no fear of judgment, and I can tell them anything. When transitioning from camper to counselor, my group of 8 friends was always there to back me up through all of the hard times as a counselor, giving me advice or just lending an ear when I needed someone to talk to. These are all of my best friends, and we have never stopped maintaining constant contact throughout the year with a group message that is constantly ringing.

Name: Perri Vingan
Nickname: Per
Years in Camp: 7 years as a camper and 3 years as a staff
Favorite Camp Tradition: Opening and Closing Campfire
Favorite Quote: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost
What do you look forward to every year at camp: Meeting my campers
Years you won Olympics: India (2009), Sweden (2010), Latvia (2012)

I am a freshman at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Camp has been a major part of my childhood and my transition into adulthood. Trail’s End has shaped my views regarding friendship, leadership and commitment. My friendships with my camp friends are indescribable. We talk non-stop over the course of the months we are apart and try and make as many visits to each other as possible. It’s difficult now that we are all in college with different semester breaks and final times, but we try and make it work.

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. I am so thankful that I have my camp friends in my life. They are my rocks and I will be forever grateful for everything they’ve done for me and who they’ve helped me become.

Trail’s End Camp – What’s Coming Up and New….

Trail's End Camp - What's Coming Up As Opening Campfire 2014 continues to get closer every day, we wanted to get everyone in the TEC spirit with 2 great events and tell you all about the new things coming your way.

100 DAYS UNTIL CAMP – THURSDAY!

Let’s celebrate 100 days by wearing our favorite camp clothes to school or work this Thursday, March 20th. Campers, staff, parents and alumni – show the world you love Trail’s End and how you cannot wait to be at your summer home in Beach Lake, PA.

Make sure to email Sara photos of you and your camp friends showing off your TEC spirit! All photos will be posted on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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New What's Coming Up Trail's End Camp Summer Camp New York City Primer Camp

2nd ANNUAL TRAIL’S END MARCH MADNESS CONTEST

Trail's End Camp March Madness We are excited to announce the 2^nd Annual Trail’s End Men’s College Basketball March Madness contest.

Last year’s champions, Jonah Kaufman (Kadets), Noah Mittman (Staff), and Lauren Fleischer (TEC Alum) will be looking to defend their titles when the tournament begins on Thursday March 20^th.

Please click the links below to join your TEC March Madness Tournament. The winning camper will receive a TEC duffel bag filled with camp gear and the camper’s GROUP will have a Two Guys Pizza Party on the second day of camp to celebrate their big win. The winning TEC Alum and Staff member will receive a duffel bag filled with camp gear and a $50 iTunes gift card.

Camper March Madness Contest
Current Staff March Madness Contest
Alumni March Madness Contest

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. We will update the standings after each day of the tournament.

It’s Staffing Time – Trail’s End Hits the Road!

London Group Regardless of the time of year, summer is always just around the corner for all of us in the TEC Office. As soon as the buses roll out of the gates in August, we begin preparing for our next camp adventure. A large part of the preparation is staff recruiting. We review Edinburgh Scotland hundreds of applications and attend domestic and international staff fairs. We do all of this with one goal in mind: finding the perfect counselors to join our camp family.

We recently traveled to England and Scotland, where we attended camp fairs for Camp America and CCUSA. With the help of a few wonderful TEC Alumni, we hired many GREAT new staff members. This month we will be traveling to Colorado State University, the University of Northern Colorado, Indiana University, Purdue, Penn State, Clarion, Lockhaven, Slippery Rock and Indiana University o London Fairs f Pennsylvania. We’re excited to continue our search for the best counselors these schools have to offer.

Counselors are an integral part of the Trail’s End Experience. They are role models, mentors, coaches and older siblings. They help create an environment where our campers feel comfortable and confident, while having “An Experience of a Lifetime.”

In order to get a sense of what the TEC Staff Experience is all about, we spoke with 3 people, each viewing TEC through their own unique lens. First, from our alumni ranks, Sam Elman, who grew up at TEC. Sam was a 6-year camper and a bunk counselor for 3 summers. Second, we have Kate Howe who was our dance instructor for 2 seasons. Kate will be returning to TEC in 2014 for the first time in 5 years and will be serving as a Varsity Group Leader. Third, we spoke with James Aird who will be a first time bunk counselor in for the summer of 2014. He was recently hired at a camp fair in the UK.

Sam Elman

Nickname: Selman, The Legend Elman
Favorite Sports Team: New York Giants and Syracuse (Cuse) basketball
Favorite Quote: When Stan tells everyone at services, “Close your eyes and think of someone you never knew before you got to camp. Think about why that person is important to you today.”
Years at TEC: 9 Amazing Summers!

Hi, my name is Sam Elman and I am a junior at Syracuse University, but am currently studying abroad this semester in London. Since being abroad, I have been able to catch up with so many old friends from camp. I was fortunate enough to be able to experience Trail’s End. My time at Trail’s End was unforgettable and helped me become the person I am today. The family atmosphere, incredible staff members and continuous support at Trail’s End helped me grow during my time at camp.

The best part of the experience for m Sam Elman e as a counselor was seeing each and every one of my campers grow up before my eyes and become the people they are today. A lot of my campers are going to be in Varsity this summer, which is crazy! I can remember when Brandon Warren was a Pioneer and now he will be a First Year… time goes so fast. Being the go to person for my campers, giving them advice and working together to solve whatever problems they were having was the part of the job I loved.

Last summer was my first summer not being at Trail’s End, real life kicked in and I cannot tell you how much I missed it. It’s weird when you aren’t at the Axelrod Site for Opening Campfire in June but I know Trail’s End will always be a part of me. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend your summers, as a camper or staff member, other than in Beach Lake at Trail’s End.

Kate Howe

Nickname: Watson, Datey
Favorite song: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Favorite Artist/Group: Arctic Monkeys, Rihanna, Rudimental, Ben Howard, Chase & Status, Florence + the Machine…I could go on!
Favorite Quote: ‘You’ll always be my friend, you know too much ;)’

My name is Kate Howe. I live with one of my best friends in the West Country of England. I’m currently working as a personal banker for Barclay’s Bank in the UK, the last thing I thought I would ever get into was finance but finding it quite interesting!

This will be my third year at Trail’s End, but my first as a Group Leader for Varsity. I have previously been a dance counselor with the Lowers. I had an amazing group of girls in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, I was lucky enough to have been made Olympic captain for Israel. TEC Olympics was the most exciting few days I’ve had. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed and cried so much in such a short space of time! I have so many amazing memories of camp as a staff member. It’s definitely the best job in the world and I cannot wait to return to my summer home in 2014!

Camp Colors Kate I never thought that after 5 years I would be going back to camp, but I’m so happy I am! I know I needed a few more summers at camp before I can say I’ve had my Trail’s End fix, but I’m sure I’ll still be saying that when I’m 50! I have made lifelong friends at camp, with co-counselors and campers. I feel very lucky to be going back this summer and starting my Trail’s End journey all over again!

This summer, I simply cannot wait to do the following things: Winning Lou Flego 🙂 Sing, Dancing with Rona, Olympics, Campfires and s’mores, Nancy Tucker and basically every amazing thing camp has to offer (which is EVERYTHING!).

James Aird

Nickname: Airdy
Favorite Sport: Football (soccer!) and Rugby
Favorite Quote: “All know the way, few actually walk it”
Favorite Bands: The Courteeners, Oasis & Blink-182

Hey! My name is James. I am from Blackpool, near Manchester, England. I attended Arnold School and I am currently studying International History and Politics at the University of Leeds. I am a huge sports fan and I love to play football (soccer) with friends. Music is also a big interest of mine and I really enjoy going to concerts and festivals.

Last summer, I traveled around Europe with a group of friends and saw some incredible things. When I returned from my travels around Europe, I wanted to see as much of the world as possible and I realized camp was a great way to do this. After watching the video for TEC, I saw how happy the kids and staff were and knew Trail’s End was the camp for me! This is my first year at Trail’s End. I attended the international fair in Leeds, met Sara, and got hired all in one day. It was very exciting.

I will be acting as a JAMES 2 Cabin Specialist. I can’t wait to see camp in person and experience everything being part of the TEC family has to offer. Although it will be a challenge living in another country, it is very much a challenge I am looking forward to! I am very excited for this fantastic opportunity. Trail’s End looks an exceptional camp. I cannot wait to meet everybody and have the best summer ever! It truly will be a summer of a lifetime for me!

We are excited for everyone to reunite with all of their counselors from last summer, while also meeting all of the wonderful new staff we have hired. Summer is just around the corner. We can’t wait till opening campfire. Only 132 more days!