Chris Albright & Juan Agudelo of the New York Red Bulls are coming to C-A-W on July 14th! They will be holding skill workshops with the campers and taking on our counselors in the 2nd Annual Crossbar Challenge! Watch a message from Chris and Juan here!

It was back to normal routine today and the campers loved to be back in their activities. The sun was shinning and camp was buzzing with happy campers. Our lake was full of campers getting blobbed off the water trampoline and climbing the rock wall. The beach was covered in giant sand castles that the campers had built. It was one of those days that just felt like a perfect camp day. We are all so lucky to have days like these.

We hosted our first Freshman/Junior Boys Baseball tournament today. Three camps came to play. Our campers got to play four games today and all had a ball. Here are the scores from today’s games:

CAW 2 vs. Westmont  12

CAW 3 vs. Tyler Hill 0

CAW 3 vs. Towanda 2

CAW 0 vs. Westmont

Collegiate Girls Soccer Tournament at Blue Ridge – Our Girls made it to the finals and lost in a hard fought battle. We are so proud of your efforts and sportsmanship. You make Chen-A-Wanda proud!!!

Senior/Super Boys Volleyball Tournament – We played Island Lake and lost in the first round. They played hard and will get them next time!

Collegiate thru CIT Boys Lacrosse Tournament at Camp Wayne – We competed today in our first Lacrosse tournament and played three games but fell short. The boys played a great game and enjoyed their time on the field.

Julius C and Camp Rock Star was here all day as they worked with each division to transform them into rock stars. Each group had a song to perform live on stage tonight and loved every minute of their time to shine. With a live band playing back up, the groups rocked out and felt like stars.

Lights are out here at Chen-A-Wanda and all are asleep. As we reflect on all we do in just one day, we take a deep breath and breathe in this incredible experience we get every day we are here. It is just phenomenal to experience the joy of being here, getting to play all day and being with friends who become our family. What a gift!

Chenny out.

The games continued today with Track and Field and everyone’s favorite, Bucket Brigade. The scores were so close going into today’s competitions. Everyone gave 100% and put their team first. It was a battle down to the very end. The spirit was insanely intense. Faces were painted and fierce with determination. Team pride took us all to the finish line. Captains lost their voices and lead by pure will.

We all gathered in the Rec Hall, as Olympic Sing would determine the winner. Each team presented its plaque and banner. The artists created amazing pieces that will forever stand in our camp and will always represent the diversity of each team.

Each team stood as three separate teams and sang their Cheer, March and Alma Mater. Our judges who had the difficult task to pick the best one judged each song. This was no easy feat as they all brought amazing lyrics that separated them from one another.

But in the end, there can only be one winner and tonight, Blue France brought home the victory. As the winner was announced, the cheers of success could have lifted the roof off the building. The feeling was so intense and exciting but this lasted for only a few brief moments. The agony of defeat was felt by Red and Gold tonight and within moments you saw our Blue team embracing their friends who had lost. This is where the magic happens. We pick each other up and as we all walked into the Rec Hall tonight as three separate teams, we left as one united Camp.

The games are over and the battle has been won but the experience we all received was immeasurable.

Life is great here at Chen-A-Wanda!!!!

Chenny out.

Blue France Wins Olympics 2011!

Stay tuned for our nightly blog post and check out the official scores

We are in full competition mode and loving every minute of. There is so much Olympic spirit in the air and each team is putting their heart and soul in every battle. There are wins and losses, there are cheers and chants and above all there is a respect for the game. We congratulate those who have brought home a victory and support the teams that may have lost their games today. It is having respect for one another that makes these Olympics Games so magnificent.

Tonight was all about Apache Relay. Each team has 72 events to complete and the first team to finish will be crowned the winner of the Relay. The horn blew and the race began.

Every member of each team is an integral part of the race. No matter if you are a Freshman or a CIT, your parts are equally important. This event emphasizes what a family we are here and bring us all together. A junior girl was piggy backing on a Super boys back while a Senior boy is leap frogging with a freshman girl. Everyone worked together as a team to get to the finish line. It was a great night, one that we will never forget.

After a full day of games, our Olympic athletes were glad to get to bed. They know that the battle continues tomorrow with more games and ends with Olympic Sing.  There can only be one winner. Red Japan, Blue France and Gold Jamaica are all determined to bring home the Gold!!!!!

Chenny out.

After yesterdays fake out, the campers spent the morning chanting…”We Want A Break Out.. Not Another Fake Out!!! Well, we gave them a breakout today and the Olympic spirit was in the air. It didn’t matter that it rained on and off throughout the day. It just mattered that this camp has spirit that is as high as the mountains that surround us.

All the camper were at snack call, when we heard the Olympic them song over the PA system. Everyone was looking around as if to say, is it real? Is this a real breakout? When out of the Dining Hall came one of our Boys Head Counselors with the Olympic Torch lit and glowing in all its’ glory. As he walked thru the sea of campers, they all followed him. He passed the torch to the next Head Counselor and so on and so on. As our campers kept following the torch being passed throughout camp, we all ended at the Skate Park for our opening ceremonies.

The Captains were announced and the excitement only grew bigger. We are heading into a 2-½ day battle and everyone is ready for the competition. Our campers were split into the three teams, RED JAPAN, GOLD JAMAICA and BLUE FRANCE!!

The first official Olympic event took place in the Rec Hall as all three teams were battling in tugs of war. Everyone gave it their all as they pulled with all their might to get a win for their team.

The next few days will be filled with spirit, sportsmanship, competition, teamwork, dedication & camaraderie. Let the Games Begin!!!!!

Chenny out.

The Olympic Spirit has hit C-A-W!

Olympics just broke out and Red Japan, Gold Jamaica, and Blue France are already competing for the Camp CHEN-A-WANDA Summer Olympics 2011 Gold!

More about Olympics in tonight’s blog!

It was a brunch morning and the campers really loved having some extra sleep. The weather was beautiful and the afternoon was full of happy campers enjoying their activities.

Kudos to our athletes for their great effort today. Here are today’s scores:

Freshman/Junior Boys Baseball – CAW 2 vs. Equinunk 3

Senior Boys Tennis – CAW 3 vs. Weequahic 2

It was a perfect summer night to go to the ballpark and watch a baseball game. We all boarded the buses and headed to Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankee Stadium and watched them defeat the Mets. The game was great and the campers had the best night. We had our own section and all you could see was a sea of RED & GOLD chanting and cheering the entire night.

As we hit the middle of the 8^th inning, the announcer said, “Please take a look at our jumbotron for a very special announcement.” It read, CAMP CHEN-A-WANDA 2011 OLYMPICS BREAKOUT!!!! The campers started jumping, screaming and chanting with excitement. The screen went blank and then read, FAKEOUT!!!! It was so much fun as the campers realized that they have been faked out in front of a packed stadium.  The players even enjoyed the announcement as they waved over to our group. Our campers went crazy with excitement.

It’s nights like tonight that define what Chen-A-Wanda is all about. We are a true summer family who share these amazing experiences with one another. We will never forget our amazing night watching the Yankees, hanging out with our friends and getting faked out!!

Summer here just keeps getting better and better.

Chenny out.

It was a hot day at camp so our Waterfront, Pool and the Zone were the place to be. Everyone was enjoying being in the water and cooling off. There were so many campers getting blobbed off the water trampoline, swimming in the lake, and riding the banana boats today. Just another ideal day and it felt great to be part of it.

Our Chen-A-Wanda athletes had a busy day on the courts and fields. Here are today’s scores:

Middy Boys Baseball – CAW 4 vs. Wayne 8

Inter Boys Soccer – CAW 6 vs. Nesher 0

Inters & Below Girls Tennis tournament @ Tyler Hill – Congratulations to Jayden Beir who came in 1^st Place in today’s Wayne county singles tournament. Way to go Jayden!!

BIG Congratulations to Dani Mohr and Ashley Epstein who made it to the semi-final round in today’s doubles tournament. You Girls Rock!!

Collegiate Boys Basketball – CAW 44 vs. Wayne 48

GC/Waiter Boys Basketball – CAW 45 vs. Poyntelle 27

You could feel the excitement as the chatter was growing about who would be this year’s Chenny Idols Top Ten. The stakes were high, as all the hopefuls wanted one of those 10 seats on our Rec Hall stage. As Codi Seacrest announced the finalists, you heard screams and cheers. The spirit and support here is truly awe-inspiring.

The campers had a shot to shine and as they walked out of that audition room, they felt pride that was indescribable. As one Chenny Idol hopeful said, “I would never ever get a chance to do something this big, ever!!” They all had the courage to stand in front of our three celebrity judges and sing their hearts out. This is what it is all about. The desire to try, the will to face their nerves and the feeling of elation as they came out on the other side!!! All our 157 campers who auditioned should be so proud of giving it their all! We are so very proud of you…. This years Top Ten Chenny Idol Finalists are:

Carly Wills, Julia Bromley, Amanda Model, Justin Oresky, Jordan Leeds, Olivia Hornick, Ally Heller, Jake Quadrino, Daisy Chaskin and Daniel Gur

We will see these finalists perform live on stage next week. All trying to secure one of the top 3 spots in our finale show with just one being crowned this summers Chenny Idol.

Chenny out!

It was trip day today and all the campers had a great day.

Our Freshmen, Juniors and Middies spent the morning playing mini golf followed by an afternoon in the movies. Our littlest campers loved having a day out of camp, hanging with each other. It was great for them to have an afternoon relaxing in the movie theater, munching on popcorn and just being with one another.

Our Inters, Collegiates and Seniors spent the day at the State Park. They had so much fun hanging out with each other, soaking up the sun and just being together. They ended their great day having a BBQ just for them. A perfect summer day for this group.

The Supers & GC’s spent the morning touring the campus at West Point Academy followed by an afternoon of shopping at Woodbury Commons. Our oldest campers were intrigued with West Point and what life is like being a cadet and serving in our countries armed forces. Then it was time to shop!

All the campers are back at camp safe and sound. Most, if not all, tired from a great day out but all certainly loving the day they had and the memories they made. Summer 2011 just keeps getting better and better.

Chenny out.