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Tak Talk Blog- Camp Takajo – July 29, 2017

By July 29, 2017 January 4th, 2019 Tak Talk
Camp Takajo in Naples, Maine summer camp for boys

As much as I try to give you a window into a day in the life at Camp Takajo, I sometimes feel that I am not able to properly articulate all that takes place in a given day. As I finished my blog article last night, I looked out my office window and saw our twelve and under boys coming back from a baseball tournament dressed in their Takajo uniforms. As they exited the bus, the entire team sprinted down to the lake and jumped in for a celebratory dip. It was as if they had just won the World Series. The excitement and jubilation on these boys’ faces were a beautiful sight to witness.

Camp Takajo in Naples, Maine summer camp for boysWhen I got close enough to the boys and I asked them why they were so overly excited, I discovered that they scored nine runs in the bottom of the last inning to overcome an eight-run deficit to win the tournament. Equally as exciting was watching our campers compete in a head-to-head tennis tournament today against one of our friendly rivals. We won the tournament to the satisfaction of all that participated.

Camp Takajo in Naples, Maine summer camp for boysWhat was particularly interesting to me, though, was watching one of our doubles teams compete. Our boys were so fired up during a match that, at one time, they actually high-fived each other so hard that they needed a moment before for their hands could recover to play their next point. On their very next winning point, the two players ran up to each other again, this time using their opposite hands to congratulate one another. It was a funny moment watching these two boys alternate the way they celebrated a great shot.

When I was driving down Hobby Lane, our camp radio station WTAK was blasting tunes. Much to my delight, I noticed campers and counselors at the Art Center standing on the tables and deck, dancing to the music. This spontaneous joy takes place throughout this camp each and every day.

Camp Takajo in Naples, Maine summer camp for boysWarrior Basketball held its annual three-point shooting competition today. The bleachers were packed with all of the Warrior Campers and Counselors, as well as older boys who had come to catch a piece of the action on the court. There were many boys who shot the lights out, and the field eventually narrowed to three fantastic shooters. Two of the contestants are Braves, campers who have completed third grade, while the third contestant was only a Crow and happened to be the younger brother of one of the two Braves.

Camp Takajo in Naples, Maine summer camp for boysAfter the two Braves completed their final round, the old brother advanced with only his little brother remaining in the competition. In front of a huge, on looking audience, the little Crow put on a shooting clinic and managed to squeak out a victory over his older brother. While this moment will remain in the hearts and minds of those in attendance, it certainly will not be forgotten around the dinner table for these two brothers. After a delicious dinner in our dining hall, our boys showered and settled in for Saturday Night at the Movies. It was a relaxing way to end the exciting festivities of this week and a fantastic way to lead into tomorrow’s Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and Lazy Man’s Morning.