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Tak Talk Blog- Camp Takajo – June 24, 2025

By June 23, 2025 Tak Talk

Day three and we’re already in full program. It’s incredible to think that, just a few days ago, some of your boys had never stepped foot on this property. Now, they’re bouncing from activity to activity with rackets and gloves in hand, walking side by side with their bunkmates and new friends.

The sun was shining bright and, throughout the day, humidity levels were on the rise— requiring frequent water breaks during team sports. All boys were placed on teams within their own age groups and participated in two landsport competitions during the day. Before every game, our counselors teach fundamentals so that every boy— at every age level, regardless of ability— will develop individually during our group instruction. Nowadays, boys often lack the opportunity to play certain sports during the school year. Very often, coaches require boys to make a commitment to the fall and spring teams in order to participate—therefore making it more challenging for the multisport athlete. Nevertheless, camp is a place where we play many traditional land sports: baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, lacrosse, flag football, street hockey, volleyball, and pickleball.

By giving boys an opportunity to play multiple sports—and in theory, cross train— we believe it helps our young athletes become better athletes.

Our oldest boys started their league competition and were led by our Okee captains— some of our oldest boys in camp— who have the responsibility of picking their teams and take on the leadership role of mentoring their peers. There was a great level of intensity for the first day of in-camp competition. It was almost as if some of the boys were taking pride in showing off the skills that they had developed in the off-season. With the sweat beating off our boys at the end of play, everyone was happy to make their way down for a refreshing dip in Long Lake.

After everything that I witnessed throughout the day, the moment that resonates the most with me happened after breakfast. An ex-camper who attended Takajo back in the seventies was paying a visit with his wife at the same moment that an Okee camper was being dropped off, a few days late, by his father. I found myself trying to juggle two conversations at the same time. As I turned to the ex-camper, I witnessed heartfelt emotion as he reflected on his years at camp and the wonderful moments that he credits for shaping his life.

Now a well-known author, he recounted finding his love of writing when he spent most of his summer on Hobby Lane in our Tak Talk building. He had just come from visiting Bunk Chuckatuck— one of our youngest “Crow” bunks— where he’d found his old bunk plaque still hanging proudly on the wall.

I pivoted to our Okee— here for his final summer— as he embraced his father and said goodbye.

One was retracing memories; the other was setting out to make his last ones at camp. Though their journeys are separated by decades, they share a common bond– a deep connection to Camp Takajo, and to the life lessons learned on the shores of Long Lake.