As I sit each evening to write my daily blog, I reflect on how much takes place here in camp on a daily basis. Our boys wake up at 7:45. Some charge down to the lake for a morning dip. Others leisurely crawl out of bed and make their way to the morning line up. Down to breakfast, bunk cleanup, and then we are off to the races at Camp Takajo. Our boys are playing multiple sports, building projects on Hobby Lane, and honing their skills in water skiing, sailing, and archery, among many other activities.
Every week, we send trips out of camp at every age level so that our boys have the opportunity to explore the magnificent lakes and majestic mountains here in Maine. Our inter-camp schedule is in full-swing. Today, every boy who has completed 4th grade participated in three athletic events in a field day competition against one of our friendly rivals. And, just in case we are not doing enough, during the day, we incentivize our boys to take a shower, slap a little cologne on, and send them to a social with one of our neighboring girls’ camps. From the moment our boys here the sound of Reveille until the sound of Taps echoes through the dark sky, they are busy.
Tonight was a “family night.” While many boys’ camps have a “big brother” program, we have created the “Takajo Family.” Now that our boys have had the opportunity to build friendships with the boys within their age groups, we introduce this Takajo tradition. Our boys have the opportunity to create friendships with campers of all age levels.
Each one of our oldest campers was given a Takajo Family list containing the names of one camper in each age division. Our oldest campers, who are fifteen years of age, each went to the bunk of their 14-year-old Takajo Family member. The two campers then picked up the 13-year-old from the list; and so on, until seven campers make their way to our Crow bunks together. This family group introduces themselves to our youngest in camp. This new unit, led by our oldest in camp, sat together on the senior baseball field. Here the oldest camper told stories, created fun games, and gave all the boys the opportunity to get to know one another.
At the end of the evening, each family had the opportunity to sit together and watch a few innings of the MLB All-Star Baseball Game. As we hit the middle of our third week of camp, you could feel this community becoming a tight-knit family.
