Tell any New Zealander that you are sending your child away to a summer camp for seven weeks, they will think you are crazy, but I honestly couldn’t think of any place better than sending them to Camp Wildwood.
Hi, I’m Andrew Thompson, but for four summers (1998-2001) I was known as ‘Kiwi’ and will forevermore be known by that moniker. There were other ‘Kiwis’ at camp, before and probably after – but I was decreed the title by incumbent lacrosse counsellor, Tom Cambier, during pre-camp and it stuck. At the time I had no idea what lacrosse was, but that’s not relevant to the story.
Most international counsellors in their first year at a camp arrive in NYC and get a free night in the YHA hostel on 103rd and Amsterdam. Quite an introduction to New York, but the old Wildwood office was just around the corner so it was actually very convenient. The next day I strolled a few blocks over to Mark Meyer’s office and there was one of those vans that will forever be synonymous with summer camp. There were a bunch of other foreigners whose names are but just vague memories – Ashley from Australia, Graeme from South Africa were just a few.
I do remember meeting the legend Peter Meyer and his lovely wife Esther. Esther said she couldn’t understand what I was saying because I was speaking too fast. I guess I was excited. That excitement grew exponentially each year I came back. Whether Esther eventually understood any of the next four years’ worth of conversations we had together, she never mentioned it. Perhaps she just gave up trying to comprehend my accent and was just too polite to mention it. She always had a smile for me, like for everyone.
Pre-camp in 1998 was a mulch marathon. Plenty of rain and an ice storm during winter had swept the last years’ mulch away so it seemed like replacing it was all we did. I never moved mulch again during any other pre-camps, so we must have done a good job. Mostly thanks to Luke Rainey from Georgia who led from the front. It was more that I learnt to make sure I was busy with other jobs – or recommended any stray CIT to the task to earn their stripes.
In 1998 I was in Bunk 5 with ‘Rockstar’. Again, another Tom Cambier nickname decree and thus Rockstar’s actual name was lost for all time. My first bunk had some very memorable campers; Josh Grosbard, Harry Chapman and two Boston kids Max Leinweber and Eric Katz. The late 90s were tough times for Red Sox fans, so I kept those two company and pledged allegiance to theirs and Fightin Frank’s team.
I was the radio counsellor for two years and as a result, I got to dramatically improve my table tennis game, as well as give some creative output to campers who weren’t destined for the NBA or MLB. Perhaps, more accurately, I was the assistant radio counsellor as Jon Moskowitz was the resident radio counsellor/camper in that room. Radio had never been more popular, maybe it was table tennis, or maybe it was that we actually broadcast on 107.1 and 88.6 and…yeah, I spent a few days wandering around camp with a small radio in my hand trying to work it out. I was given the only wearing headphones exemption Mark Meyer ever allowed. Teddy was a regular…I never did see Louis. That’s merely an observation of attendance, not a judgement on who was the better sportsman as a camper, honest.
Hopefully, my name is still on the wall in the radio room, but I still have the key in case it’s gone. Just don’t let Bear know I forgot to give it back in 2001. Please permit me a brief segue on Bear for a moment; What a legend. Aaron Russell (another New Zealander) and I got to know the best side of him during post-camp, details of which are probably best left for another platform.
It was during 1998 that I made some lifelong friends. Mike Sherman’s parents adopted me and we still chat all the time. They all came to visit me and we toured the South Island of New Zealand together. Ed Ubell, another radio superstar, also came to New Zealand by himself when he was just 16 to purely catch up with me…and go snowboarding. Eric Kertzman, worked here for a ski season then almost drowned when we went for a surf trip to Cloudbreak in Fiji – thankfully the boatman ‘Big John’ fished him out. In addition, all the many legendary CIT’s I took under my wing like Jordan Enoch…though, that is probably a unique opinion.
Each summer I’d have to fly in a month early in order to juggle the multitude of requests to stay with everyone. I’d be in Great Neck with Alex Eshaghpour walking around Mafia mansions, then I’d be in Boston with the Plunketts visiting Fenway, the back in NYC with numerous folk, too many to mention – but always with the Shermans and Andrew Perlgut – both families had an open door policy for which I’m eternally grateful. There were helicopters to the Hamptons, meals at every restaurant on the Upper West/Eastside, Bah Mitzvahs, you name it – my schedule was jam-packed. I was grateful that Mark and Lisa let me stay at their place before camp started one year to catch my breath! The hospitality of Camp Wildwood families to a traveller from New Zealand was amazing. I always had a place to stay or some wonderful family inviting me out to dinner or their holiday home…or Costa Rica. To all those Wildwood families, I thank you so very, very, much.
It’s wonderful to see other blogs and posts on the Camp Wildwood Alumni page with these people I knew as campers, all grown up with future Cedar Pines of their own. I chatted with them as they went through high school, college, work, marriage, children – and now even running the camp as well!
Working at camp led to me working in the off-season for BUNAC – the company that recruited international counsellors, which in turn led to preferential treatment for a certain Maine, based summer camp. Therefore, if you were an international counsellor at Camp Wildwood from 1999 to 2002…you’re welcome.
My final year in 2001 was tough. Leaving altogether was harder. I went back in 2002 for a few days and it was even tougher – but that was only because I knew it was time to move on. After I finished at camp, back in New Zealand I became an elementary school teacher…but as many of the Admin of my era will attest, I just didn’t have the disciplinary skills to manage a classroom – I was too much of a kid myself. I just ran my class as a summer camp – great for the kids, but the faculty didn’t really agree with the pedagogy. I work in the media now – it’s better suited to me, much more childish.
Now, 20 years later, I still think of Wood’s Pond, Aloise William Patrick Jaworksi, God’s most chosen son Esq, Jason Apfelbaum’s Mustang, Fighting Franks endless patience, Adam Baitsell’s temper, the superman shirt Zack Levendov’s mom gave me on visiting day (I still have it), being honored by James Boening and Nathan Gardner with the coveted ‘Waka’ award, winning the intercamp ‘Steal the Bacon’ trophy, pitching a perfect game with Bignoch, Sean Glass getting me backstage passes to the Warped Tour, pissing off most GL’s and AD’s on a regular basis, Josh Zartesky’s car stereo, hassling the ‘On-Star’ lady in Moskow’s Dad’s Escalade, hearing jock jams for revelry, playing the M*A*S*H theme song when Joe Migoni got hit in the groin whilst goaltending in the Staff V Admin game – fair penance for him switching sides, supervising Nick Rosenwachs and Teddy beat up Mike Singer, always getting free candy when Enoch, Molberger and Moskowitz were CIT’s, wrecking my back giving endless piggybacks from the bunk to meal times, waking the beast with the Gentry boys and honestly never ever wakeboarding at all…and so many more memories that could extend well beyond the word count and the reader’s interest.
To the campers that knew me; let me repeat my farewell speech from 2001 in its entirety: “Thanks” and I’ll now add…” for everything”. This blog post serves as a better thank you speech…you were all amazing and so welcoming that I still tell stories about you to this day. The 1998 Hemlocks formed a core part of my memories. The 2000 Hemlocks so much so as well.
To my co- counsellors and group leaders of the time; what a great bunch of people to head to ‘The Score’ on counsellor night with. Guys like Chris Rue and ‘the Animal’ – two wonderful, yet contrasting individuals, and of course my three long time NZ friends Aaron, Anthony and Dan. I have to also mention legends like the Gentry brothers, Luke Rainey, Brian Singer (perhaps the all-time best-ever Cedar Pine GL), and CIT Marc Lowenstein – a favourite camper come CIT.
To the admin that I annoyed; Danny Mishkin (Can I come to your surf camp?), Jason Apfelbaum, Eric Bullis, Brian Sherman, Obie, the late Dave McCarthy, and I’d better add Mark Meyer to the list too 🙂 I’m sure with a bit of patience on your side and lots more maturity on mine…and I mean lots, we would have hit it off. Thankfully we were all focussed on getting the best out of camp for the campers and judging by the number of times we all returned – and the number of campers that came back year after year – each of our hearts were in the right place.
My eldest of four sons is now a senior at High School. He has heard about and seen pictures of Camp Wildwood most of his life. My four colour war shirts are in his wardrobe and he has Jake Stein’s Wildwood sweatshirt – thanks again for the trade, Jake. He already has the staff uniform, and one day he may even make it to Wildwood as a counsellor. Don’t worry, he’s nothing like me – he’s much more malleable.
I’m sure I’ll be back one day to visit, I still have to return the radio room key.
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