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Tak Talk Blog- Camp Takajo – July 26, 2017

By July 26, 2017 January 4th, 2019 Tak Talk
Camp Takajo in Naples, Maine summer camp for boys

While it may sound monotonous, it was another beautiful day in camp. We have hit a stretch of bright sunshine and warm temperatures that is perfect for all of our activities at Camp Takajo.

Camp Takajo in Naples, Maine for boysOur in-camp tennis tournament is in full swing, and we are seeing some great matches on all of our courts. The boys are really enjoying the opportunity to have this head-to-head competition against their friends in camp. Today, Director of Tennis Mike Barnes shared a great story with me about one of our stronger players, who was asked to play doubles in the tournament by a friend, who is less experienced than he is. The two boys battled against their opponents and eventually lost a very close match. Mike was on hand to witness the match and asked the more experienced player why he did not select a partner of comparable ability so that he could have a greater chance of winning.

The camper replied, “Because my friend asked me to play, and I thought that playing with my friend was more important than winning.”

It is moments like these in camp that make us pause and appreciate that our message of friendliness and sportsmanship is resonating with our campers.

Later in the day, a Warrior camper came to me and handed me a note. There are times during the summer when campers give me gifts that they made in the Art Center, but this one was much different.

When I opened up the note, it read, “Dear Jeff, I love camp so much, and I am so sad that it’s almost over. Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

Camp Takajo in Naples, Maine summer camp for boysThis was written by a first time camper who is only eight years old. I spend my entire winter preparing for these seven weeks, and it is moments like this that remind me how blessed I am to have chosen a profession in which I get to work with our next generation of leaders.

Tonight was my third consecutive night hosting Warrior campers at my home for movie night. As I pressed play and the movie Bedtime Stories appeared on the screen, the campers’ attention became fixated on the television. However, my excitement came from watching the joy on the boys’ faces as they nestled together on the couch and settled in for a great night.