The Water Slides and Cargo Net Come Down

The maintenance crew had to pull thousands of feet of cable back across the lake as part of the winterizing process.  You can see the large coils of cable hanging on the front side of the platform.

The Cargo Net also uses cables that must be pulled across and stored for the winter.

The addition of the Cargo Net this summer was a big hit and helped shorten the lines for the other lake activities.  It is more difficult than it looks and many campers and counselors took on the challenge to be one of the few each week that made it to the other side.

The Water Slides and Cargo Net will be back again next summer!

What Counselors Think of Counseling
by Meghan Gingrich

The counselors here at Camp Tecumseh have been here all summer long. They have strengthened their relationships with God, found out what works with campers and even learned new things about themselves.

By going to chapel in the mornings and doing devotions at night, the counselors grow closer to God every day.

“You’re constantly reminded of God here because everyone around you believes in Him,” Molly Gigax, a 19-year-old counselor, said.

Being around campers 24/7 all summer has taught the counselors what works with campers, and what you need to do.

“You must be patient with the campers and enjoy them,” Brett Allen, a 21-year-old counselor, said.

Many counselors actually learned new things about themselves and what they like to do. “I learned that I like to plan everything out and have it organized for me,” explained Michelle Lippoli, a 19-year-old counselor.

Overall, the camp counselors do grow closer to God, and learn many new things over the summer. Many plan to come back next year and have the Camp Tecumseh experience all over again!

“I would love to come back to Camp Tecumseh because I get to be myself,” Gigax said.

“Fly” Epidemic Breaks Out In The Dining Call
by Michelle Mooney and Elizabeth Beckman

It’s lunchtime in the dining hall, and everyone is waiting for the epidemic to start. For some campers and counselors it is the best meal of the day where they can be loud and poke fun.

Flies are when cabins pick on another cabin or certain person if they have done something silly or a controversy having to do with camp or interests such as sports teams.

“It’s tradition to ‘pick’ on people in innocent ways,” Emily Lucas, a counselor, said.

In the dining hall, a cabin or a group of people stand on their chairs and say “There ain’t no flies on us, there ain’t no flies on us, there may be flies on so-and-so, but there ain’t no flies on us.” Sometimes other cabins gang up on one individual cabin, counselor, or staff member.

Only at lunch are flies allowed. At breakfast the campers are too tired to put flies on people. Also at dinner it is a more respectful time and also a winding down period for the campers and counselors.

” I don’t think we should do flies at dinner because it makes lunch special,” resident camper, Laurel Fricker, said.

“I don’t like it when people yell at me when I announce dessert,” Leslie Holbrook, the meal host in Scheumann Lodge, said.

This is because after dessert is announced, the cabins are not allowed to put flies on anyone else until the next day at lunch.

When your child returns home ask them about their experience with flies!

From time to time this year we are trying something new.  If you are a past camper, you might remember when we had a “Camp Newspaper.”  In this classic clinic campers would report on what was going on at camp and then print out a newspaper for all the campers at the end of the week.  We’re going to put a modern twist on it and have campers write for the the Tecumseh News web site!  Hope you enjoy it and learn a little more about camp! – dcl

Certain Clinics Gain More Campers’ Attention
by Kristina Witczak and Maggie Wilson

Clinics make Camp Tecumseh unique. Friendship bracelets, Skywalkers, and Disc golf are just a few of the many clinics you can choose from. Other popular clinics include beads, Ultimate Frisbee, Cricket, and Canoeing/kayaking.

Campers are given the option to choose what clinics they would like to take each week. For some campers, they learn new skills, and for others, they brush up on old talents.

“I like that some clinics, such as Skywalkers, push you to overcome challenges,” Michelle Leppol, a resident counselor, said.

Some campers may like to challenge themselves, while others may like to relax during clinics like beads or friendship bracelets.

“I like to do anything creative with my hands,” Brittney, the beads clinic instructor, said.

Other campers enjoy getting wet and choose water clinics.

“I like skin diving because its fun and you get to spend time in the pool,” Jason Sarver, a camper in Chippewa cabin, said.

Campers look forward to the next summer when they can learn new skills and polish the ones they have learned in previous years. Overall, campers say clinics are one of Camp Tecumseh’s selling points. At this rate, it looks like the sports and friendship bracelet-type activities are the most popular for campers.

Here is a video of all the goings on during “World Service” Carnival yesterday.

The YMCA World Service program allows kids to donate money to various YMCA World Service funds.  These programs help children and families in the United States and around the world who may be victims of disasters or difficult political situations.

At Camp Tecumseh campers buy World Service tickets to participate in the special activities shown in this video.  The money collected from Camp Tecumseh World Service activities has gone help thousands of people locally, nationally, and internationally.  It has aided victims of Hurricane Katrina, helped to pay to send school supplies to children in Africa, provided supplies for local victims of Wabash and Tippecanoe River flooding, and provided thousands of dollars to the YMCA of the USA’s World Service Fund.