Summer 2016 Pony Express Newsletter

The Pony Express
Volume 32
Summer 2016
I ndian and Forest Acres C amps
“Celebrating 93 Years of Camping Excellence”
Alumni News
Congratulations to Paula Kaplan Goldberg (1972-1979) who was recently named head of talent and live content at DreamWorks Animation-owned AwesomenessTV. Congratulations to Lauren Blatt (1992-1999) and her
husband, Chris, on the birth of their son, Henry, August 4th. Noah Arthurs (2005-2013), currently a sophomore
at Stanford University, broke his own Rubik’s Cube 3x3 Blindfolded US National Record with a time of 27.15
seconds. Congratulations to Jonathan Winell (1998-2002) who won 2nd prize in the Leyla Gencer
International Voice Competition. Jonathan is an opera singer and currently lives in Berlin, Germany.
Congratulations to Leticia Salama (1999-2001 Camper, 2004-2005 Staff) and her husband, Nacho Navarro
(2004-2005 Staff), on the birth of their son, Jaimito, September 10th. They currently are living in NYC where
Leticia works for the Ameri-can Camping Association and Nacho is a Global Brand Manager for Smirnoff. In
July, Sam Demers (1993-1995, 1998-2004 Camper, 2005 Staff) began a 27-month stint with the Peace Corps and
is serving in Costa Rica. Congratulations to Billy Warden (1998-2004 Camper, 2005-2006, 2008 Staff) who in
September, announced his en-gagement to be married. Billy is living in Chicago and recently founded the
new KIPP School to open in the Fall of 2016 and will serve as the principal. Steve Ginsburg (1981-1985
Camper, 1988 Staff) recently moved to West-port, CT. Steve was named the Director of the CT Regional Office
of the Anti-Defamation League. Congratulations to Matt Felice (2001 Camper) who was married on
September 19th. Matt and is wife live in NYC where Matt works in Commercial Real Estate. Congratulations
to Sarah Kaufman Kooperman (1990-1996) and her husband, Ian, on the birth of their son, Cameron, October
8th. Jenna Labinger Plakas (1996-2001) and her hus-band are expecting a baby in December. They currently
are living in Chicago where Jenna sells residential real estate for Coldwell Banker. Congratulations to
Kendall Sisisky (1997-2006 Camper, 2007-2008 Staff) on her marriage, October 10th. Kendall and her
husband are living in Jacksonville where Kendall is a Coordinator for Mission Programs at St. Vincent’s
HealthCare. Rafael Guillermety (1999-2000) graduated from Law School at Hofstra University in 2014 and
recently passed the bar exam. He currently is living in NYC and plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Law.
Congratulations to Alejandra “Alex” Abando (1998-2000, 2003) who recently announced that she is getting
married on July 2nd. Alex is the CEO of InstaVets, an on-demand, house call veterinarian service in Spain.
Josh Roman (2007-2009, 2011-2013) currently is a freshman at Cornell University. Josh has joined the
Cayuga Waiters, Cornell’s oldest a capella group. They will be performing in San Diego during their Winter
break. Congratulations to Mark Friedman (1990-1996) and his wife, Shelby, on the birth of their son, David,
November 20th. They are living in NYC where Mark is a Real Estate Finance Analyst. Congratulations to
Sandy Cardin (1966-1973) who married Melody McCoy, November 22nd. Sandy is the President of the Charles
and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and splits his time between Tulsa, Oklahoma and Baltimore,
Maryland. Congratulations to Johanna Waldman (1983-1999 Camper, 2002-2004, 2006-2015 Staff) and her
husband, A.J., on the birth of their son, Graham, November 28th. They currently are living in Wayland, MA.
Gail Paley Greenberg (mid 80’s) is living in Woodbury, NY. Gail was in the cast of “Secrets and Wives”, part
of Bravo Networks “Real Housewives” franchise. Adam Sher (1983-1985) was recently named COO of
ITV America, based in Los Angeles. Congratulations to Alex Rolfe (1994-1998 Camper, 2000-2005 Staff)
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The Pony Express
and his wife, Rachel, on the birth of their son Henry, November 18th. The Rolfes are living in Philadelphia, PA
where Alex is an Energy Trader for Susquehanna International Group. Meredith Davis (2001-2007
Camper, 2011-2012, 2014 Staff) is living in San Francisco, CA and currently is the Community and Operations
Manager for The League, a dating app for elite, successful individuals. Congratulations to Heather Homonoff
Woodley (1992-1995 Camper, 1999-2002 Staff) and her husband, RaShawn, on the birth of their daughter, Phoenix, born December 3rd. Heather is a Clinical Assistant Professor of TESOL, Bilingual Education, and Foreign
Language Education in the Multilingual Multicultural program in the Department of Teaching & Learning at
New York University. Michael Grinspan (1997-2002) started a new job in January as a Comedy Touring
Agent at ICM in Los Angeles, CA. Congratulations to Mercedes Perez-Paris (1988-1995 Camper,
2000-2001 Staff) and her husband, Gustavo, on the birth of their son, Santiago, December 6th. Congratulations
to Joey Breslow (1986-1991) and his wife, Blake, on the birth of their son, Sloan, Dec. 9th. Congratulations to
Corey “Flip” Kronengold (1985-1990 Camper, 1992-1995 Staff) and his wife, Emily, on the birth of their
daughter, Samantha, December 30th. Corey is currently a Vice President of Marketing with the 614 Group, a
digital advertising company. Congratulations to Katie Cooperman (1994-1998) and her husband, Daniel, on the
birth of their daughter, Scarlett, September 11th. Kati and her family
are living in Denver, CO. Congratulations to Jessica Webb Buckle
In Memorium
(1999-2002, 2004 Staff) and her husband, Andy Buckle (1994-2002,
Harold Richmond 1948-1954 Camper
2004, 2014-2015 Staff) on the birth of their son Noah, March 28th.
Albert Amshel Late 30's Camper
Congratulations to Ari Lurie (1984-1988 Camper, 1991, 1992, 1994,
1999 Staff) and his wife, Lexy on the birth of their daughter Logan, April 17th.
2016 Trip Dates
FOREST ACRES
Log 1
Log 2
Upper Seniors
Lower Seniors
Log 1
Log 2
Rafting
Bar Harbor
Boothbay
Boothbay
Montreal
Quebec
June 28th - June
June 28th - June
June 27th - June
July 11th - July
July 25th - July
July 25th - July
29th
29th
29th
13th
27th
27th
INDIAN ACRES
Low. Intermediates
Lower Beavers
Upper Beavers
Upper Seniors
Upp. Int./Seniors
IA Juniors
Beavers
Camden
June 27th - June 29th
Rafting
June 28th - June 29th
Bar Harbor June 28th - June 29th
Boothbay
July 5th - July 7th
Acadia
July 13th - July 16th
Camping Out July 18th & July 19th
Hall of Fame
July 25th - July 29th
If you’re in the area, stop
by and root for the home
team as we host these
tournaments:
FOREST ACRES:
Under 10 Soccer
July 7th
Under 10/12/14/16 Tennis July 12th
Under 12 Basketball July 14th
Dance Competition August 1st
INDIAN ACRES:
Under 15 Soccer
Under 13 Basketball
Under 15 Basketball
Under 11 Soccer
Under 13/15 Tennis
Under 15 Flag Foot.
June 30th
July 8th
July 9th
July 11th
July 13th
July 14th
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The Pony Express
WELCOME TO OUR NEW CAMPERS FOR THE SUMMER OF 2016!!!
Jackson Adkins, Max Anopolsky, Robert Anopolsky, Ainara Arechabaleta, Callia Arum, Andrew Behr, Sarah
Berner, Caroline Brynes*, Cameron Bush, Aytea Carrasco, Hortense Cristofari, Ines De Abbad, Edythe Dunn*,
Simon Dunn*, Iman Esfarjani, Kian Esfarjani, Anderson Falco, Molly Feldman*, Samantha Frazer, Ellen Garcia,
Paloma Garcia, Eliya Gibson, Alvaro Gimeno*, Pablo Gimeno*, Zachary Ginesky*, Aimee Goldstein, Georgie
Goodman*, Harper Gottlieb, Sophia Herran*, James Johnson, Sydney Johnson, Omer Karpati, Sacha
Kheireddine, Salim Kheireddine, Cannon Kilhoffer, Drew Kilhoffer, Olivia Klein, Sylvia Lee*, Carmen Lorenzo, Itai
Luk, Billy Moore, Harrison Moore, Marlayna Murphy, Aselis Neptune-Hood, Molihk Neptune-Hood, Iria PerezTenessa, Maya Prager, Van Prigozen, Angela Ramirez, Roman Riess, Samuel Roman, Luca Salani, Isabella
Samuels*, Aaron Saporito, Meg Selin-Williams, Victoria Servin, Sofia Shulkin*, Madison Skibicki, Maayan
Solomon, Grace Stein, Kate Stutman, Joaquin Tahta, Yoav Tal, Zeke Tashman*, Jared Teitel, Charlie Temperley,
Nicholas Temperley, Filippo Vagnoni, Gyonnah Waldie, Vivian Waldie, Ian Yung and Hudson Zach.
* Generational Campers
IA/FA Gives Back to the Community
On a Saturday in November, campers and parents in the Boston area got together to volunteer at
Cradles to Crayons; a non-profit organization that provides children, who live in homeless or
low-income situations, with essential items like clothing, shoes, books and toys. We spent a few
hours cleaning shoes, separating coats and jackets by sizes and writing notes to the children
who will receive the care packages. After our mission was completed, we had lunch and
dessert together and spent time talking about the summer. Everyone had a great time and we all
felt good about doing something good for the community. Thanks to everyone who was able
to participate.
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The Pony Express
A Personal Narrative on Color War
By Jake Enderle
It was the last day of color war. Every little thing we did against the Browns led up to this. All the running,
sweat, tears, anger, joy, this was it. I didn’t want it to end but in a way I did. It didn’t matter, The Sing was the end. In
The Sing you are not to move a muscle while you're waiting to sing your next song.
You must look at your best. My captain would always tell me, “You all must sing like you’re Beyoncé. I say
this because she has the voice of an angel and you all do too.”
I was trying my hardest the whole competition but then right then; it mattered the most. All of us had nothing
to lose. Color War was five days long. That means you have 360 days to rest. At some point of time you think back on
what you did and sometimes I ask myself, “did I try as hard as I possibly could have?”
Our team had lined up on the tennis courts looking like a bunch of gents. We waited on the tennis courts for the
committee to signal us to come in; former team members were talking to us about when they were team members.
Some were captains in their time on the team. Some were legends to the Red team that we would talk about to this day.
They were the ones I worked hard for, and inspired me. I want to win for them. After everyone speaks it was time. We
face forward and started walking. We started to near the Field Office and line up facing the flagpole. The committee
went to each team and checked for stainless white polos and clean hands. As Luke Shapiro (one of the committee
members) walked down the Red team line, he said one thing had stuck to me. He said, “This is it boys. This is the time
where you show who you really are and it tells everyone how bad you want it. I know all of you want it, so show us
your true colors.”
I knew and we all knew that our true color was Red. We were given the sign to go in. Chairs all lined up in
rows, Reds on one side, Browns on the other. I saw the counselors standing in the back and The Committee, lined
against the walls in the front of the room with the judges, front and center. We stood in front of our chairs. The captain
sat us down, then the committee told us who sings first. We were told to sing first and the captain stood us up. We sang
five songs and the best one we did was “Count On Me”, by Bruno Mars.
The captain counted down “3,2,1” and he started with the first line, “ If you ever find yourself lost in the middle
of the sea, I’ll sail the world to find you. If you're ever in the dark and you can't see, I'll be the light to guide you.”
After that, we went on with The Sing. The Browns sang their songs, but we sounded better. We neared the end
of The Sing and we had the last chant. (We had finished all of our songs) We chose our best cheer, “Red Team Dynamite.” 3,2,1 “Captain- RED TEAM IS DYNAMITE! Team- RED TEAM IS DYNAMITE! 2x Everyone- TICK TICK
TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK; BOOM! RED TEAM DYNAMITE GOES BOOM SENDS THOSE BROWNS
TO THEIR CERTAIN DOOM!...”
That cheer was so loud that when I was yelling at the top of my lugs; the whole room was shaking beneath my
feet. It was one of the coolest feelings that I have ever experienced. While screaming that cheer I just thought about all
the competitions that we had lost in the past and there was going to be no way that the Browns were winning The Sing.
We finished the cheer and the committee told us, “That's it boys, you are no longer Reds and Browns. You
guys are family now.” We all stood up and started walking out of the Dining Hall with our heads held high. I walked
outside; all the weight on my shoulders fell off and my body was filled with relief. We were all shedding tears of joy as
we left the Dining Hall. We were all so happy. We all put in 110%. I walked around and people came up to me and
wrapped their arms around me and squeezed tight. It was funny though. We looked like someone had just died but we
weren't sad or mad we were all happy for each other.
At one point the Brown Team captain came up to me, hugged me tight and looked me right in the eyes and
said, “You were the biggest Red in this competition and I know for a fact that one day you're going to lead this team
into one of the biggest victories that this camp has ever seen.”
I wrapped my arms around him as I just felt pride and joy knowing that someone would notice and say that to
me. We all started heading to the river. Once we got down there, we ran into the river, so happy and relieved. I knew
and so did everyone else that it was over, and that we aren't Reds and Browns at the end of the day. We are family.
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The Pony Express
A Note From Lisa and Geoff
As camp embarks on its 93rd season we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past
year. 2015-2016 was a crazy year away from our paradise in Fryeburg, Maine. In
this truly complicated world that we all live in it is nice to know that good old 04037 is still
the way we all fondly remember it!
There were many losses in the world this year! Some were famous, some were not, some
were young, some were old, yet each left their mark on this world. Many led by example
and many were role models. The term role model is over used in many ways, esp
escially in politics, sports and entertainment. It seems that the harder you look the more
you find that true role models don’t come from these realms but from less public places.
Youth coaches, counselors, teachers, and especially parents, are the true role models for our
kids.
We want to acknowledge all of our “role models” at Forest and Indian Acres camps who
come to us each summer from near and from far. All have a significant impact on our lives
and on our development from children to young adults, and some young adults to older
adults. Everyone can learn something from the diverse population and leadership at our
camp.
Among the numerous lessons one learns at camp is about time. Time that is finite even
when used fully. As Lisa and I approach 20 years at FA/IA we have a hard time reconciling
how fast the time slips by. We are fortunate that we have been blessed with the opportunity
to do work about which we are passionate for the bulk of our adult lives. We also have been
able to share camp with our children who have experienced camp, first as day-campers,
then as campers, and finally as counselors.
We feel that our obligation as stewards of this wonderful community is to deliver
something good. When we reach adulthood and choose our work the clock begins to really
tick. The older we get the faster the time seems to pass. We realize that we have a limited
amount of time to do our work, raise our family and to try and accomplish
something good. For us, that something good is to impact in a positive way every
camper and counselor that we cross paths with at camp.
This is the message we want to get across to each and every person who comes through
the gates of camp. Being a good person, and trying to make each day count for
something special is the true meaning of a fruitful life! While accomplishing this is not easy,
it will be that much more satisfying when achieved.
Have a wonderful safe summer wherever you are in the world. If you are nearby, please stop
by to say hello this summer, we would love to see you!
Lisa and Geoff Newman:
Phone: 720.389.4912
geoff@indianacres.com
Moe Burness
Phone: 860.644.5284
moe@indianacres.com
www.indianacres.com
www.forestacres.com
A FINAL THOUGHT
Last Thursday, the kids arrived and another summer along the shores of the Saco began. The
sounds of children's laughter, the crack of the baseball bat when it hits the ball, the tennis ball
bouncing off the racket strings, the music from the Dance studio, is music to my ears that
warms my heart and brings a smile to my face. The winter is long and for some, the weather is
harsh. From the day camp ends, a daily ritual is checking the counter on the website to see how
many days until the 1st day of camp the next summer. Time seemingly moves at a snail's pace until
the turn of the calendar, marking a new year. Soon the weather changes, spring begins and the
counter is below 100. The counter is at zero and we are here. There is no better place to be. There
is no better time than now. We are in our "happy place". Best wishes for a safe and fun summer
and we hope you will come for a visit.