As parents who send their children away to summer camp, I appreciate that no number of pictures and blogs can adequately fill your hearts and paint the perfect picture of your son’s daily life in his summer home. But one parent, our camp doctor, Lee Polikoff, got that picture.
Lee is an ex-camper who spent his happiest childhood days on the shores of Long Lake. He made some of his best friends at Takajo who he remains in touch with today. He went on to play baseball at Union College before pursuing his medical degree at Brown University. Lee and his wife Dana have returned to camp for the past few years. Lee has stepped into the role of camp doctor. As a pediatric emergency room physician, there’s no one better to have on call.
But today, Lee had the opportunity to relive a bit of his youth and coach our 10-and-under baseball team for a doubleheader that we hosted on the Junior Baseball Field. Over the last few days, in preparation for today’s games, Lee held baseball practices to work with his players. His love and passion for the game resonated throughout the team as his players couldn’t wait to take the field and give a hundred percent for their coach.
I went up to watch the doubleheader and couldn’t tell who was having more fun. Lee’s enthusiasm and temperament motivated all of our boys to play their best. I’ve had the opportunity to witness Lee’s incredible medical skills as well as his calm, loving bedside manner— but until today I hadn’t had the opportunity to see our ex-camper and current parent relive a part of his youth.
He once again put on a Takajo jersey and made his way to his beloved baseball field. After back-to-back victories, the team sprinted from the field down to the waterfront for their celebratory dip. While, admittedly, Lee couldn’t keep up with our sprinters, he did take a plunge into the lake and celebrated with his team.
Bob Dylan once said, “Take care of all your memories. You cannot relive them.”
Lee Polikoff might beg to differ.
