Blizzard? Now That Makes Us Want To Talk About Summer!
As we are on the doorstep of the biggest blizzard of the winter, summer is slumbering everywhere except at Windsor Mountain (sort of). Okay, so yes camp will be receiving a couple feet of snow tomorrow, but even in the heart of winter, the team at Windsor Mountain is always thinking about and preparing for your arrival in summer starting in 145 days.
We are busy speaking and meeting with families, finding great new staff members and working on new programming ideas for the summer (if you have any, please feel free to throw them our way!). Also, Jake is off to Paris this week to meet with some returning and new camp families, and he will be joined by veteran staff member Megan Watts, who will be flying over from the U.K. to chat with prospective campers.
"I think you have something on your face..."
Our enrollment season is flying by, and we have already reached our highest enrollment at this point in years by a large margin. Some of our sessions already are filling up for certain ages so please let us know your plans as soon as possible so you do not miss out. And we love to hear from camp families so please keep in touch with news and updates from your world.
What’s New at Camp
There is always something new cooking up at camp. We have a couple of things brewing for the summer already.
High Ropes Course Additions
First, we are going to add to our High Ropes Course! We thought that since the campers use the course more that we do (umm, a lot more), they should have a vote on what element we add. Watch for a Facebook poll where our Friends can vote for the element they would like to see at camp. Here are some details on the elements up for a vote:
Giant Swing – A permanent Giant Swing would be added to a new location in the trees near the waterfront. With the Giant Swing, a camper is pulled by the group to a height of 30-40 feet and then released, sending the camper into a large swinging arch. The location will make for amazing waterfront views (for those campers who swing without closing their eyes!).
Giant Swing (just like this...um, well, sort of...)
Voyager Crossing (aka Lily Pads) – Discs are hung from a single rope high in the trees. Each disc has four ropes that hang from the bottom of the disc to the ground, which are used by campers to steady and move the discs for the climber who needs to traverse from one end of the element to the other.
Voyager Crossing (a/k/a Lily Pads)
Vertical Playpen – A challenging high ropes element, the Vertical Playpen is a vertical obstacle course involving several obstacles, such as rope ladders, hand lines, tires, and beams, which campers must traverse to make their assent.
Vertical Playpen (sort of, but better)
Wilder Woozey – A great team-building element, two campers work together to traverse a 35 foot V span using only each other for support. The object is to work together to go as far as you can as the span grows wider and wider while protected by a ground belay team.
Wilder Woozy
Please watch Facebook so you can vote for your favorite new element. Stay tuned for the results!
Outdoor Amphitheater
Okay, we have always wanted to have an outdoor space at camp (somewhere amongst the pines) with seating where campers would be able to watch performances and showcase talents. Well, how about an outdoor amphitheater!
We are working to create a minimalist outdoor performance area built into the sloped area of trees near the dance pavilion with the beautiful lake as the backdrop. Our vision is that there would be a small stage at the base with log benches for campers to sit on for performances, such as Joel’s Coffee House and Theaterfest. Perhaps something that looks like this (but better because Bob will build it):
This project is spring-time weather-dependent, but Bob is optimistic this can happen, so fingers-crossed!
Goo-Goo for Ga-Ga?
We are thinking about whether to add a Ga-Ga Pit to camp. For those of you who have never heard of it, Ga-Ga is Israeli dodgeball and is a really fun game played at many camps across New England. It is played in an octagon similar to the one below and can accommodate several players. If anyone has played this and has any thoughts on whether we should add it to camp, please let us know.
Meet a New Staff member!
Hey Alyce Fisher!
Where are you from?
I am from Australia and grew up in a small country town called Numurkah, three hours north of Melbourne.
What will you be doing at camp?
My background is in Performing arts so I will be bringing my passion and love for live performance. I aim to encourage the inner Drama Queen in us all to shine and for everyone to have the opportunity to create their very own theatrical master pieces.
What are you looking forward to at camp?
Introducing Australian Theatre Sports to Windsor Mountain and maybe even a couple of my theatrical alter ego’s ‘Fairy Lou Lou’, The semi-retired Super Model ‘Jer-Mime-A’ or maybe even the iconic Aussie Sheila ‘Shhhanneee’ (pronounced Sanae).
What is something funny/interesting about yourself?
I was having a dream that I was on the Amazing Race and was diving under water for a challenge when I felt something prick my thumb. It woke me up from the dream and I noticed that I had blood on thumb. At first I thought I had had an out of body dream experience but then realized that I had just been bitten by a mouse in my sleep. In 2011 I lived through a very immense mouse plague.
Camp Forms and Details
We know that everyone gets excited to fill out paperwork for their child’s various activities () so we know you are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to complete your camp paperwork. Rest assured, we will send you an e-mail later this month when the forms have been updated and are awaiting your attention. In the meantime, please do not forget to schedule your camper’s physical if they have not had one in the last two years.
Also, if you have questions about details and packing, please make sure to check out the various pages under “CURRENT FAMILIES” on the website. There you can find information regarding transportation, packing and other camp details. As always, if you have any questions, you can reach out to us!
Enrollment Is Strong – Thanks to you!
Every off-season, we enjoy speaking with veteran camp families eager to return to camp for another season, and new families who are interested in joining the Windsor Mountain community for the first time. Thanks to our current Windsor Mountain families and a great alumni network, most of our campers hear about Windsor Mountain through word-of-mouth. We would like to thank you all for sharing your love of Windsor Mountain with your family and friends.