The weather kept us on our toes all day today as hard rain before reveille took our hard courts out of play in the morning.
Group Heads Neil Minsky, David Levy, and Harrison Manchel made the necessary adjustments to keep the Olympic action at a fevered pitch. Our Group Heads were so creative that they even tied in our end-of-the-season lice checks into Olympic competition. Unfortunately, each team lost a point!
We moved basketball and dodgeball indoors to our two sports complexes and played beach volleyball, gaga, and flag football outdoors. The Juniors had an awesome water polo match that came down to a last-second goal for the win.
In the afternoon, Neil Minsky rounded up the Seniors and moved into the MJG Playhouse for his incredibly popular game, Trivia Bowl. Neil, who works at Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT, as an academic dean during the school year, creates a game show environment with concert-style music as he peppers contestants with questions about history, pop culture, TV shows, celebrities, and of course, Camp Takajo trivia. This game is always a highlight for our seniors.
We were visited by a group of young alumni who coordinated their schedules in order to visit camp together. These boys lived as bunkmates for eight summers and were compelled to come back to camp to reconnect at a place they credit for much of who they are today. I sat with the guys at lunch. They remembered details like which water fountain was their “go-to” after competing on a hot summer day.
The visiting alumni sat with Don Matthews, our waterski instructor emeritus who taught the boys how to ski when they were eight years old. One remarked that getting up on skis was not the only skill that Don taught him. Learning to focus, listen to instructions, how to channel fear, and use it as a motivator for success were just some of what Don taught these boys as they bobbed in the water with their tips up and arms straight.
After dinner, our guys retired with their friends to our indoor facilities to watch a movie and enjoy some snacks. It just felt like the perfect way to end the day. Sunshine and bright skies return tomorrow so our boys went to bed early, resting up for a full day of activities.
