If you want to picture the perfect day at camp, let me recount what happened at Takajo today. Our boys woke up to bright sunshine and could feel the warmth of the summer sun when they made their way to breakfast.
As our guys enjoyed their scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and cereal, you could feel the excitement building as our Junior and Senior campers anticipated their first day of intercamp competition. While our league sports are competitive, there is nothing like the thrill of putting on a Takajo jersey and going to battle with your best friends and bunkmates. A sense of pride and camaraderie elevates the spirit in camp, knowing that we are competing as a family.
Our Junior boys were on the road and played 12-and-under flag football. Never easy playing on foreign soil; our boys competed with passion and enthusiasm. They rose to the occasion, played as one unit, and should be proud of their effort and sportsmanship. Our 15-and-under soccer team hosted a round-robin tournament. With our bleachers packed with campers of all ages cheering, our oldest boys displayed incredible skill, precision, and teamwork. They started the intercamp season off in style.
While we take great pride in our instructors and offer outstanding training and skill development throughout the summer, we invite high-level coaches and college players to Takajo to run clinics offering our boys the opportunity to specialize in their chosen sport. Today, two of Takajo’s stand-out former campers, who have gone on to play NCAA Division I (D-I) lacrosse, arrived in camp to run lacrosse clinics. Cardin Stoller and Kyle Morris spent eight summers at Takajo as best friends and developed their love of lacrosse playing on our fields.
Cardin, who now plays for Rutgers University and Kyle, a University of Virginia lacrosse team member, have returned home to infuse their love of the game into our campers. Whether a boy has never picked up a stick and is eager to learn or plays at a high level and is looking to hone his skills, Cardin and Kyle are spending the next few days running programs for all.
At the end of a long full day of competition, our boys retired for the evening to enjoy movie night; munching on popcorn and taking in a flick was the perfect way to end a fun-filled day. Tomorrow is Lazy Man’s Morning. Reveille will blow an hour later than usual, allowing our campers and counselors to enjoy a slower start to their day. As our guys’ heads hit the pillow, the thought of breakfast in PJ’s with Dunkin’ Donuts put a smile on their faces.
