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The Mt. Mitchell Marathon

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The Mt. Mitchell marathon has camp representation once again!  A camp Timberlake legend, James Michael Wilson Sanders, is going to do battle with the elements and run from Black Mountain to Mt. Mitchell (and back) in what is forecast to be around 5 degrees and running through what is said to be almost 3 feet of snow!  (Maybe we should all observe a moment of silence to lift up our crazy brother, James Michael!)

Last year our beloved Ryan Carlson the director of Black Mountain Expeditions placed second in the marathon.  (Which I am still amazed by) The conditions were really bad then as well, pouring rain!   He decided not to run this year due to the fact that the much needed training time was replaced with time spent on home renovation work on a new house he and his wife Annie have purchased here in Black Mountain.

Go James!  We’ll be praying for you.

Director Dan

The newest camp addition!

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The layout of our new pavillion

The layout of our new pavilion

Our new Pavillion at Spencer's (name pending)

Our new Pavilion at Spencer's

So here are the proposed plans for our new camp pavilion!  We are especially pleased with this for a few reasons.  Not only is this another great location for rainy day activities, but it takes fencing indoors (where it is traditionally practiced) and takes more pressure off of the Mike for programming in both daily and evening activities.  It will have a fire pit off to the side of it for tribal ceremonies and a flagpole to hoist the flag of the previous night’s evening activity winner!  We plan to dive back into the history of Timberlake and carve the banner winners of each year’s first and second session in the timbers that surround the fire.  Oh and Will Long is designing some really cool flags to raise.  Get ready boys, this is going to be a huge addition to our camp traditions!  Below is the layout that we have for the new building.  Did I mention that the view is breathtaking from it?  It makes me want to wrestle and fence!  (I am terrible at both)
-Director Dan

How about a staff update?

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I will start with the returners (in no particular order): Parker Kempf, John Menendez, Steven Menendez, John Andrews, Will Andrews, Connor Carrigan, Stewart Knight, Sean Brady, Spalding Spence, Hunter Spurgeon, London Lewis.

Now to introduce the new counselors:

Will Stokes

Will Stokes

Will Stokes-  A freshman at Vanderbilt who will be teaching canoeing and archery.  He is originally from Memphis, TN

Tyler Lohse

Tyler Lohse

Tyler Lohse- Also a freshman at Vanderbilt who will be teaching swimming for us this summer.  He is originally from Houston, TX.

Taylor Lankford

Taylor Lankford

Taylor Lankford- a freshman at Belmont University in Nashville.  He will be teaching guitar for us this summer.  His sister was a counselor at Merri-Mac.

Sam Kercheval

Sam Kercheval

Sam Kercheval- a sophomore at Auburn University Sam will be teaching kayaking for us this summer at Timberlake.  He is originally fromPeachtree City, GA.

Garrett Wilkerson

Garrett Wilkerson

Garrett Wilkerson- A freshman at Millsaps in Jackson, MS.  Garrett will be teaching tennis for us this summer at Timberlake.  He is originally from Woodville, MS and his sister also was a counselor at Merri-Mac last year.

Daniel Condon

Daniel Condon

Daniel Condon- A former Timberlake camper and sophomore at Georgia Tech will be teaching backpacking for us this summer.  He is originally from Sautee, GA and his sister also worked at Merri-Mac.

Joshua Ragan- A junior at Carson-Newman, he will be teaching mountain biking for us this summer at Timberlake.  Joshua is originally from Bluff City, TN.

Mikel Corporaal- A sophomore at Auburn University, Michael will be teaching Minor Sports this summer at Timberlake.  He is originally from Elberta, AL.

This is still in process, but we are fired up about the counselors we have for the summer!

-Director Dan

Camp Timberlake’s Battleball Skills Represented in Black Mountain

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From worst to fourth!

From worst to fourth!

Ask any Timberlake camper or counselor which evening activity is their favorite.  The answer will likely be one of two things: Sock War or Battleball.  And there’s no question why–they are two of the most intense games you may ever play, especially with the Tribal Banner at stake!  I’ve only recently acknowledged Battleball as my favorite after years and years of reflection and some real self-searching.  Matt Layton, another counselor living in Black Mountain, was a part of a local dodgeball league last year, so when teams started signing up for the next season, we quickly put together a group of five Timberlake staffers: Matt Layton, Alex Deckard, Stephen Owens, Stewart Knight, and myself.

Matt made it a point to inform us that it can get pretty competitive, but we were confident that we were about to turn the world of Black Mountain dodgeball upside down.

We were wrong. Continue reading →

How to choose a camp

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Attacking the camp decision takes a coordinated effort!

Attacking the camp decision takes a coordinated effort!

There are well over 5,000 summer camps in the United States.  There are traditional camps, sports camps, girls camps, boys camps, riding camps, academic camps, wilderness adventure camps, clown camps, surf camps, day camps, overnight camps…you get the idea.  So the question is not how to find a camp, but how to find the best camp, or better, how do I find the right camp for my child?   Here a few a few ideas that we found helpful when we sent our own children to camp.

  1. Involve your child in the decision.   A child who is adamant about not being at camp be slower to experience the best parts of camp.  A great counselors will eventually win over just about everyone, but campers with some degree of buy-in will be the happiest soonest.
  2. Make the final decision yours.  You need to be even more excited about the program than your camper.  If you are uncomfortable with a camp then keep looking.  My parents were camp directors so when they sent me to camp they chose two camps that they trusted.  They then handed me the brochures and let me decide.  It was a great mix of involving me while keeping control of the process.
  3. A lot of campers feel more comfortable going to camp with a friend.  This is fine; it may help with pre-camp jitters.  However, after the first several hours most children have made friends with every child in their cabin.  Simply put, camp is not school; we live together so close friendships form very quickly.  You should certainly consider where your child’s friends go to camp, but do not limit yourself to those camps alone.
  4. It’s all about the counselors!  Look hard at how the camp hires staff.  How many were former campers?  How many return each year?  How many are hired through international staffing services?   Ask about their grades, where they go to school, what interview questions they are asked.  If you choose the right camp your camper will be there summer after summer for many years and a great staff will become a wonderful part of their growing up.

We’ll try to add to this list over the next several weeks, but if you cannot wait then please call any time.  We love camp and would be happy to help you find the best fit for your camper.

Sincerely,

Adam Boyd

Uncle Will

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I just wanted to show you guys a picture of Will Long’s new nephew, Samuel William Jordan. Samuel comes from fine Seminole stock out of Atlanta, GA! Kennerly, (Will’s sister and Merri-Mac alumni) just gave birth to him yesterday in Greenville, SC. Congratulations Jordan family on your new baby!

Will Long's new nephew

Will Long's new nephew

Counselors at College

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Timberlake counselors reunited this past weekend in Athens for an SEC football showdown between Georgia and Auburn. Georgia was victorious yet again (and now apparently bowl eligible). Here is a picture of the guys in attendance.

Iroquois on the left...Seminole on the right

Iroquois on the left...Seminole on the right

Timberlake Fall Spirit

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Timberlake counselor, John Menendez, carved this pumpkin, and I just had to show you guys. What a stud!

Timberlake Pumpkin

Timberlake Pumpkin