Camp Nebagamon

Updates

News of the Camp Family – January 2023

Compiled by Louis Levin

It’s been said, I couldn’t tell you by whom, that we all become our parents one day. While I think I have a few years before I am totally, undeniably, 100% identical to my father, one thing he’s passed on to me is a love of news articles, and in particular, thoughtfully sending his loved ones articles that remind him of them. This is a lot of lead-up to say: I have an article I want to share with you.

In the publication Vox this past year, Alex Hazlett published a handful of great articles about children and parenting, and the most recent column in his series is on the importance of mentorship and community in a child’s upbringing. In it, he discusses Stephanie Coontz’s new book on the varying influences of family on children, and how relationships with adults who are not a child’s primary caretakers instills different skills, like new kinds of problem-solving skills and ways to form relationships. I won’t summarize the whole article for you, and if you have been at camp before, or sent a camper, I’m not totally sure you even need to read it, because I think you already see the benefits of exposing children to different adults. (Don’t worry about it, though, there are plenty of articles my dad has sent me that I haven’t read!)

At Camp Nebagamon, campers spend weeks away from their parents and, instead, with the mentorship of our counselors and administrators. A camper who may have trouble learning new skills at home might benefit from having a new canoeing instructor, one he looks up to in a different way than his parents or teachers, who has a different style of teaching, or whose classroom is hands-on: hands-on-a-paddle-in-a-canoe-on-the-lake. A camper who might find it hard to form new relationships with peers might find an administrator’s unique advice helpful in discovering things in common with his bunkmates to create deeper friendships. A camper who has difficulty doing chores at home may understand their group responsibilities more when they see responsibility modeled by a cabin counselor who is close in age, and even has chores at home too.

That trope I mentioned about becoming your parents isn’t always painted in the best light; my father also passed on a love of those Progressive commercials about becoming your parents. You know, the ones that make it seem about as un-cool as possible and portray becoming your parents as the worst imaginable fate. I’m too early in the process of becoming my parents to give you a full review just yet, and certainly it’s not all bad. But if the ads have a kernel of truth in them, then I think one of the clearest benefits of Camp Nebagamon is the non-parent relationships that Hazlett and Coontz stress as being so important. Camp is a setting in which campers learn how to be themselves under the careful guidance of a community of mentors who aren’t their parents. That growth is made possible by both the strength of the counselors they’re surrounded by, and the wisdom of the parents who see the opportunity for new community that camp affords.

We have a bunch of news from our December camp reunions to share with you! If you want to share an update with the camp family, send me an email at louis@campnebagamon.com!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW… Seth Starhill and Nathan Starhill are both heavily involved in their club soccer teams out in Boston, while their sister Nora Starhill‘s university ultimate team is ranked 25th in the nation. In New York, Joe Vespry is a two sport star on his school’s soccer and basketball teams, and Sagiv Siegel is playing every position for his travel baseball team. His brother Matan Siegel got a new job on top of his positions on the cross country and basketball teams: he’s a fish monger! He should talk with Theo Schiff, who has been doing some fishing himself. He recently caught a record Iberian Barbel. Edras Duarte is practicing his Karate, and Icarus Vargus got his yellow belt in Judo. Icarus is also a member of his school’s creative writing club. Ryan Mack has caught onto that national craze: Pickleball! (It’s seriously everywhere, right??) We’ve got a lot of runners in New York: Logan Hoffman, Kase Atkinson, and Jasper Braunschweiger are all on their local cross country teams. Kase is supplementing his running with some jumping as well, as he’s been doing parkour this winter. And after succeeding as a part of our Big Brother Little Brother program at camp, Jasper Braunschweiger joined his school’s chapter of Best Buddies where he also has a Little Brother! On top of Jasper Teuscher‘s regular piano practice, he’s been playing a lot of D&D this winter. Ronin Brandler is also big D&D player, and his brother William Brandler is on the chess team — both Brandler brothers are playing on their local flag football teams. In DC, Jorn White is playing ping pong and ultimate, and rows crew for his school. Jonah Tone is the point guard for his school’s basketball team, and Alex Levin is is playing both basketball and baseball. Alex has company on the diamond in DC; Eli Winkler and Emmitt Gerstein are both ball players… sounds like they should try out for the Nats, they could use the help! There are a couple of budding musicians in DC as well; Oliver Strauss has been practicing guitar this winter, and Josh Desenberg is playing trumpet in the school band. Henri Kauders has been helping produce his school’s morning news TV program, and his brothers Max Kauders and Eli Kauders have spent their offseason building some huge Lego projects, and running around on the soccer pitch. Ethan Mack is excelling at both football and soccer, or American Football and football… you get the idea! Simon Kessler‘s cross country team finished 2nd in his conference — he personally finished 1st among 9th and 10th graders! In Dallas, Mason Pedroza has been practicing for Paul Bunyan Day on his local Quiz Bowl team, as well as participating in ceramics and “cooking” club… I guess that’s what they call M.O.C.A. outside of camp? Ari Foxman is a part of his robotics club and is scoring goals for his soccer team. And in Houston, it seems like all our campers are keeping really busy: Henry Kramer is playing tennis, basketball, and wrestling, Philip Slosburg is playing basketball, baseball, and soccer, Reuben Katz is playing baseball, basketball, and swimming, Max Goldfarb is playing soccer, tennis and swimming, Will Goldfarb is playing soccer and swimming, and Arthur Kramer is playing basketball and swimming. Did you get all of that? I see why all our swimmers live in Texas!

Teaching climbing and math have some similarities, right Charlie?

IN THE WHERE ARE THEY NOW DEPARTMENT… Eli Fromm (Kansas City/New Haven, 2006-’10, ’12-15, ’17-’19) is finishing his PhD in mathematics. Bud Schram (Needham, MA, 1954-’59, ’61-’69) serves on the Needham, MA Human Rights Committee, and is involved with the Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters program of Greater Boston. David Gibbs (Wellesley, MA, 1963-’67, ’69-’71) is working for Jewish Volunteer Services designing leadership programs. Andrew Schram (Chicago, 1994-’99) is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Charlie Fromm (Kansas City/Boston, 2009-’15, ’17-’21) is earning his teaching license from Harvard University in mathematics. Ben Platt (New York, 2011-’16, ’19) is soon graduating from Williams College with a degree in public policy, and working on a masters program in China next year. David Garfinkel (1975-’78, ’82-’83) is producing the upcoming Broadway ballet Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker. Simon L’Tainen (Philadelphia/NY, 2010-’16, ’18, ’21) is working for Forget Me Not, an NYC restaurant. Danny Sickle (Chicago/NY, 2009-’15, ’17) is working for Barron International, a hospitality investment bank. Andy Mack (DC, 1973-’78, ’80) was profiled on Voice of America for his company Agromovil, you can watch the profile here. Adam Hirschhorn (LA/DC, 2008-’13, ’15, ’17) is working for Capital One in DC. Teddy Shapira (Chicago/DC, 2006-’12, ’14-’17) is a Law Student at George Washington University. Jon Ringel (Atlanta, 1978-’83, ’85) is working with the American Gastroenterological Association on governance. Danny Hensel (Chicago/DC, 2006-’11) is a producer for National Public Radio’s program Weekend Edition. John Desenberg (Arlington, VA, 1978-’82) is the Principle Business Strategy Analyst at MITRE corporation. Jay Sternberg (Bethesda, MD, 1982-’86, ’89-’90, ’95) is the Senior Director of Marketing for the Global Campus of the University of Maryland.

BAR MITZVAH CONGRAGULATIONS GO TO… Max Goldfarb and Sagiv Siegel

News of the Camp Family – December 2022

Compiled by Louis Levin

This month, I have two news items to share with you about camp: alongside my new co-worker, Jason Yale, we will be hiring and assembling the Camp Nebagamon staff for 2023!

First, we are so excited to bring on Jason as a member of our year-round staff. Jason will be working part-time for camp during the winter in support of his role during the summer as Trip Director. Many of you know Jason well, from his time as a camper, counselor, trip staff, and as trip director, and should be familiar with his phenomenal skills out in the wilderness, and his passion for and expertise in child development. Outside of Nebagamon, Jason has lots of experience leading tripping programs – he was the National Program Director for Big City Mountaineers, a non-profit that provides outdoor experiences for disinvested youth, and the Director of Outdoor Education at the Dunn School, a boarding school in Los Olivos, CA. After 20 summers at camp, Jason is joining our team to hire the 2023 trip staff, line up our wilderness permits for the summer, and plan and execute a phenomenal year of camping trips for our campers next summer!

Which brings me to the second piece of news – Jason and I are going to work together to hire the 2023 staff! Personally, I am really excited to take on this aspect of planning for camp. I have always loved keeping in touch with camp people, chatting on the phone, and hearing about all the cool things our camp community is up to during the off-season. And so far, hiring has felt exactly like that. I find myself asking folks “What are you up to this summer?” all the time, and now I can help those folks see the best answer to that question is “working at Camp Nebagamon!” Already, I’ve been holding interviews with new applicants, and chatting with returners from 2022 (and earlier!), and it’s been really fulfilling to get to show people why I love working at camp, and why they will too. And so, this is really all to say: we’re hiring! Come join our amazing team in 2023, and help us change campers’ lives. Jason and I are so excited to talk to you!

I have a slew of news to share with you this month as well – you can share more news with me via email at louis@campnebagamon.com!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW… Daniel Brick is running cross-country and playing basketball in Kansas City – he’s pretty fast, just like Sam Montag, whose cross-country team won the Georgia High School Association state championship! A few other notable showings in high school athletics include Chase Herbert, the fullback for his state-tournament qualifying football team, Alexander Averbuch’s 10-0 season on his football team at Montgomery Bell Academy, and finally, Eli Zelvy’s water polo squad finished 5th in state! Along with his brother, Aaron Zelvy is playing water polo too, with some lacrosse mixed in, and Nathan Eiserman is playing soccer and basketball – what a smattering of sports in Cincinnati! We’ve got all sorts of athletes in Atlanta – Cameron Louie plays tennis and spends a lot of time shredding the trails on his mountain bike, as well as his involvement with his local chapter of BBYO. And here’s another unique one – Sam Vincent in Nashville has taken up CrossFit. In Memphis, Sam Cohen is competing for the MUS swim team, Riley Kaminsky is scoring goals on the soccer pitch, Max Levy is splitting time between his wrestling team and his robotics club, Ben Hackney is rucking, scrumming, and mauling on his local rugby team, and Eitan Kaminsky is gaming at home! We’ve got some musicians in Memphis too — Holden May is belting out tunes on his saxophone in his school band, and Kosten Goldberg did a summer tour with his School of Rock band! In St. Louis, Bernie Goldstein is playing on two soccer teams, club and for his school, Griffin Scissors is swinging a club and a racquet on the golf course and the tennis court, and he rallies often with his brother Dylan, also an avid tennis player. And rounding out our athletes, Patrick Meehan is a defensive back and the kicker for his football team.

Congratulations Joel and Stephanie!

IN THE WHERE ARE THEY NOW DEPARTMENT…  Brian Bauer’s (Nashville, 1998-2000, ’02-’03) company Bauer Entertainment was nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year by the Nashville Business Journal. Jeffrey Burnstein (Glencoe/Atlanta, 2005-’10, ’12-’14) is working in commercial real estate with the Bridge Investment Group. Ben Montag (Atlanta, ’12-18) is studying sports management and playing baseball for the Rice Owls. Rand Shapiro (St. Louis, 1965-’69, ’71-’75, 2008-’11, ’13-’15) is a homebound teacher in St. Louis, educating students who cannot attend school in person. Edgar Rothschild (Nashville, 1962-’66) just finished a 450 mile bike tour of Sicily (that’s 724km!), and Jonathan May (Memphis, 1994-’98, 2000-’06) recently completed a half-Ironman triathlon. Andy Cohen (St. Louis, 2004-’10, ’12-’21) started a new position as Sales Manager for the Ritz Carlton, St. Louis. Michael Deutsch (Atlanta, 2006-’11, ’13-’14, ’16-’18) is a Data Analyst with Ernst and Young. Brothers Spence Myer (St. Louis 2002-’07, ’09-’12, ’14) and Jackson Myer (St. Louis 2004-’09, ’14) were both inducted into the MICDS Hall of Fame as hockey players. Sam Rezaei (Chicago, 2011-’15, ’17) is walking across the country from New York City to Los Angeles to raise money for unhoused Chicago residents. He is almost finished with his journey – you can track his journey and donate on his Instagram page here.

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS GO TO… Ben Deutsch (Atlanta, 2002-’07, ’09) and Sophie Koff (Scarsdale, NY).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT… It’s a boy, Cooper Sircus Rivkin, for Joel Sircus (Chicago, 2001-’07, ’09-’10, ’14) and Stephanie Rivkin.

News of the Camp Family – November 2022

Compiled by Louis Levin

Hello Camp Family! This is Louis, and I’m really excited to start bringing you the news of the camp family. Just as a refresher, I have been an Associate Director working year-round for camp for five years, and have spent 16 summers at camp as a camper, counselor, Swamper Push, and most recently, four summers as Program Director. And, for five years now, one of my jobs has been editing the Arrowhead Newsletter — I’m excited to start writing a little for you all too!

This month, of all months to start bringing you the news of the camp family, I have a big piece of news to bring you myself: I got married! My wife Maggie and I decided that our ideal wedding would be at a summer camp, not only because of our ties to Nebagamon (Maggie, despite never actually having worked at camp, has spent plenty of time there over the course of our relationship), but because of the unique opportunities a camp wedding affords. We liked the idea that we could spend a whole weekend with our loved ones, not just a single evening, and it would allow for folks to bond and interact over more than just dinner. Plus, we wanted to spend as much of the weekend as possible outside, and a summer camp is the perfect place. Of course, we were nervous about two things in particular. First, while there were plenty of Nebagamon staff members and alumni at the wedding, the vast majority of our guests did not have summer camp experience, and so we wondered if they would play along. Seriously, sleeping in a cabin, eating meals in the dining hall, and playing a softball game? It just seemed like a lot to ask. Would folks see the benefits of spending a few days in the woods with us? Second, we were putting a lot of extra work on our plates — we didn’t just organize a ceremony, dinner and dancing. There was climbing, archery, a softball game, five meals, oh and yes, a ceremony, dinner, and dancing! How were we going to pull off what basically became summer-camp-for-a-weekend?

With all my camp experience, I should’ve known how it would go. When a new 3rd grade camper arrives at camp, they might feel a little nervous at the thought of interacting with new people, in a new place, without the comforts of home. But for the most part, in 24 hours that 3rd grader has made a few friends, explored their new environment, and made their cabin feel like home. At our wedding, it seemed to happen even faster — as soon as our guests arrived at camp, they were all acting like 3rd graders. I mean that in the good way! Folks were making new friends, going on walks through camp, and really enjoying their time spent together. They all bought into the idea that we could build a community, not in a month, or even a week, but in just a weekend spent together outdoors. After a few days of camp, a 3rd grader knows that you need to contribute to making Nebagamon run smoothly — KPing, cleaning the cabin, and the likes. This “camp person” spirit seemed to flourish at our wedding, and helped us make so many fun things happen for our guests. When we needed food and drink moved from the dining hall to a pavilion, of course the Nebagamon folks at the wedding were ready to pitch in (as guests at a wedding!), but what was even more heartening was having our families, friends from Detroit, and all-comers finding ways to contribute to making sure everything went smoothly. And when Maggie sprained her ankle in the middle of the dance floor, it wasn’t just our phenomenal Nebagamon trip staff who jumped in to help — Maggie’s coworkers from Detroit were the first to make sure she was taken care of (click here for a terrible picture). It seems to me that there’s a little “camp” in all of us, and with the right mindset, we can all access it and build the kind of community we want to live in, be the community members we want to be — really, we can be 3rd graders!

As you can see below, I’m new at this News of the Camp Family bit, so I could use your help in filling up the news section! If you have something you’d like to share next month, please send me an email at louis@campnebagamon.com!

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS GO TO: Louis Levin (Northbrook IL/Detroit, ’05-’10, ’12-’15, ’17-’23) and Maggie O’Hara (Barrington, IL/Detroit).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a boy, Jack Fox, for Michael Cohen (Atlanta/Savannah, ’05-’07, ’09-’10) and Emily Cohen.

 

News of the Camp Family — June 2022

Compiled by Adam Fornear

The excitement is building for the beginning of camp! This week, we have a small community arriving to being setting up camp and putting in the docks. By June 12th, there will be 130 staff on the property preparing for the arrival of 200-or-so campers just a week later. The camp population will explode to north of 300 people! And among those 300 people, there are many common goals shared with each other for the summer — put on, and experience, the best summer of our lives! Of course, we all come to camp with our own goals in mind as well: try new things, or learn new skills, or meet new people… Camp Nebagamon is this wonderful place to try out new activities, ones that catch your eye and make you say to yourself… hey, I’d like to try that. Our program affords you the opportunity to chase that curiosity.

I personally love to let my curiosity guide my experiences in life. When I was back in college at the University of Minnesota Duluth, I was active within the college’s recreational sports program. Every aspect of the rec sports department caught my eye… intramural soccer, climbing, whitewater canoeing/kayaking, sea kayaking, birding, Telemark skiing and many other activities. It was all there for the taking and take I did. Being a volunteer for the UMD Outdoor Program had some great perks, like having a key to the boat barn down on Park Point. Don’t tell my mother, but from time to time we would show up a lil late to class after a great session of surfing kayaks on Lake Superior. I’m feeling a little nostalgic, as this summer is the 42nd year of the UMD Outdoor Program, and with camp starting, it’s hard to ignore the parallels. In my time there, I caught the spirit of adventure, and when I first came to Nebagamon, I found a place to help foster that spirit in the next generation. I found so much in common between Nebagamon and UMD — the outdoors, great people, and an infinite list of experiences to keep that curiosity fulfilled!

I’ve been soaking up the spring air this past month, riding bikes, fishing on Lake Superior and roaming the backroads of Douglas County on motorcycles. It’s such a gorgeous time of year up here, and I can’t wait to bring 200 campers up north in the 54849. Get ready for a great summer of chasing those curiosities and taking in all of the adventure of Camp Nebagamon.

Even though The Arrowhead is going into hibernation for the next three months, please keep on sending any news of the camp family. Thank you for your contributions, and I look forward to sharing updates with you after the summer. And for those of you arriving here in the next few days and weeks… See you soon!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Gus Peters (Raleigh, NC ’10-’15,’17) graduated as a Second Lieutenant with a Bachelor of Science degree from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Matt Myer (St. Louis/Denver ’06-’11,’13- ‘16) and Caroline Brown (Denver).

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to Joey Laskin (Los Angeles ’00-’06,’08-‘10) and Rachel Niku Laskin (Los Angeles), and to Josh Weinberg (Chicago ’04-’09,’11-‘13) and Nika Arzoumanian (Chicago)

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a boy, Henry Wayne, for Michael Kaplan (L.A./D.C. ’01-’05,’07-‘08) and Elizabeth Kaplan (D.C.). It’s a boy, Jack Fox, for Michael Cohen (Atlanta ’05-’07,’10) and Emily Cohen (Atlanta).

BAR MITZVAH CONGRATULATIONS: go to Avi Maidenberg (San Francisco)

News of the Camp Family – May 2022

Compiled by Adam Fornear

The excitement is building for enjoying some spring and summer sports! It’s also still building because the winter up here in Duluth continues to go and go and go and go on forever! Luckily there are a few rivers that have shaken their winter ice and allowed us to get out for a paddle. Recently, some friends and I put our boats in the stream for the first time this season on the west fork of the Chippewa River. It was a beautiful paddle upstream meandering through alders and over some newly constructed beaver damns. Birds were chirping, the aluminum canoe was breaking through some skim ice, and local mallards were around every little bend. We were paddling up to a dam that held back the waters of Day Lake. Once we arrived, we beached the canoes and went exploring for whatever we might find. And, despite the frozen conditions, there was plenty to find: some turkey tracks, wolf tracks and deer tracks along the shoreline of the icy Day Lake. We continued our hike out across the lake (there was still 24 inches of ice that day… and as of this writing there is still 15 inches!) and out to the island that we typically paddle to.

We were able to follow the same wolf and deer tracks clear across the ice, so we kept on the trail. Bushwhacking we went, through and around the island. It was such a different perspective, being able to walk out to where we normally would be swimming. We made our way back to the canoes, loaded up, and had a lovely paddle back down the river to the cabin. Just a gorgeous day to be outside appreciating everything that our eyes could see and feel.

So, even though we got our boats in the water, it still is feeling like winter… The following day, Julie and I headed to the upper peninsula of Michigan for the last weekend of lift skiing. It was a bluebird day, with soft snow and the hills to ourselves. A great way to end the season of alpine skiing. And then, last week after work a buddy from town and I headed over to the local ski hill for some late season laps of earning your turns. The ski hill has loads of snow (I’m jealous of the late season powder that some alumni are enjoying out in Colorado) but the only way to use it is to ski down and skin or boot up. I have skins for the bottom of my telemark skis that I put on at the bottom of the run that allows me to slowly ski back up the hill without slipping. Anyhow, we did a couple laps on the hill for some poor snow conditions but a great workout skinning back up. Great evening all in all! It’s a funny time of year… canoeing and skiing, all in one week!

So, with the paddling, skiing and frozen lake hike season still in full swing…I’ll just have to wait till May ??th to get out and enjoy some true spring and summer sports!

Some news is trickling in and I appreciate the help! There is one final Arrowhead to go for the season. I really could use your help in sending me News of You! Please send everything and anything to fornear@campnebagamon.com. Till next time, get outside and do what you love doing!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT Ace Burvall (San Diego) just picked up a new short board for surfing. Can’t wait to see some pics carving some waves! Addison Burvall (San Diego) had a recent ballet performance of Ballet in Box in Scripps Ranch. His performance was Paquita Gypsy Pas de Trois as well as several other Contemporary pieces. He is now rehearsing for their spring production based on the Wizard of Oz, Addison will be the Scarecrow. Amber Burvall (San Diego), our camp nurse, is a RN in San Diego and has also started a woman’s swimsuit line (designing and sewing herself) called Surfmade In San Diego.

Aubrey with Grandpa and current staff member Bill Hensel (’66-’69, ’73-’74, ’16-’22)

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Joe Kirkish (Houghton, MI ’52-’58,’80) has published (with the assistance of Meg Ostrum) his memoir. It is entitled, Long Exposure: My Life In and Beyond the Copper Country. Joe was camps photography counselor for decades, known worldwide for his photography work and was a beloved professor of English at Michigan Tech University in Houghton, MI. Jack Wineman (Detroit ’12-‘18) is playing juniors hockey for the Maine Nordiques.

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to Sam Barrows (Chicago/Kula, HI ’97-’02,’04-‘06) and Holly Barrows (Kula, HI).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a girl, Aubrey, for Jaime Hensel (Atlanta/Minneapolis ’05-’09,’11-’13,’17). It’s a boy, Niko, for Eli Fromm (KC/Greece ’06-’10,’12-‘19) and Sophia Gatzionis (New Haven, CT/Greece ‘19). It’s a girl, Hannah Lou, for Joey Notowich (Memphis ’02-’08,’10,’12) and Rachel Notowich (Memphis). It’s a girl, Lucy Eve for Andy Cohen (St. Louis/NYC ’78-’83).

News of the Camp Family – April 2022

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Sailing…what an amazing sport. I love watching all of the campers taking our fleet out on the water every summer, and I’m super stoked to see those boats cruising along in a heavy breeze from the west! I know many of our campers have gotten hooked on sailing at camp and have continued on. Even though I didn’t attend Nebagamon as a camper, I was introduced to sailing at a young age on Booth Lake in East Troy, WI. We grew up sailing a Laser (a similar boat to our Barnetts, but a little bit faster) and windsurfers – always trying to go faster.

I’m thankful for that introduction because to this day I still get out sailing every summer in Duluth on Lake Superior, and out on Lake Nebagamon. I race on a 33’ Pearson at a weekly Wednesday night race league on Lake Superior… I’m on the winches controlling the headsail. Some days are wicked intense at the starting line with big winds and many boats, then there are other evenings when were not sure if there is enough wind to make it to the starting line! Either way, it’s all smiles when you open up your sails and see what wind there is to catch.

Well, my brother and I decided to up our outings of sailing and are now set up to sail year-round. We’ve acquired a couple of ice boats to get out sailing in the coldest of winters, provided the conditions are right. And, the conditions were right at the beginning of the winter and just a couple of weeks ago: the ice was amazing on Lake Superior along the Duluth, MN shoreline! We loaded the boats up, drove down to Canal Park, carried all of the parts of the boats down to the ice (it was a long walk with this much equipment) and ripped along the shoreline on a dreamy 3-5 inches of ice! Simply put, it was epic! Wind was blowing steady out of the NE at 11-14 mph and gusting up to 20. This allowed for some really fasts tacks from the lift bridge to the corner of the lake! We hadn’t planned to be out all day but decided to keep on sailing until dark as it was just so much fun! Getting to sail on a frozen Lake Superior was truly an amazing experience and I owe it all to being introduced to sailing way back when I was a 10-year-old in southeastern Wisconsin.

These life skills that Nebagamon offers have the ability to bring joy to our campers well past their camp years. I’m proud to be a part of the team that gets to provide these life skills and proud of everyone who finds their passions at camp! Can’t wait to see all of you participating in those activities this summer!

Some news is trickling in and I appreciate the help! There are still a couple more Arrowheads to go this winter so please keep on sending me any kind of news! Also, I’d like to share your life skills that you learned at camp and still do to this day – so please send me those. You can always reach me at fornear@campnebagamon.com. Till next time, get outside and do what you love doing!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT Sebastian Alderman (Tulsa, OK) and Charlie Fromm (KC) crossed paths on a college visit to Swarthmore. Milo Solomon (Deerfield, IL) was honored to be chosen as MVP for his freshman basketball team.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Jonah Docter – Loeb (D.C. ’11-’17,’19-’21) was awarded a $5,000 prize for his start up, Reveal, as part of a Carleton College Start Up Fellowship competition. Rob Wile (Chicago/Miami ’97-’01,’03-‘05) is starting a new job as a business news reporter for NBC Digital.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Todd Ahlers (Buffalo Grove, IL/Winter Park, CO ’16-‘18) and Rebekah King (Denver). Congrats also go to Spence Myer (St. Louis ’02-’07,’09-’12,’14) and Krissy Herbst (St. Louis).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a girl, Olive, for Derek Iger (Culver City, CA ’98-‘03) and Alix Henick (Culver City). It’s a boy, Miles, for Barry Dan (New York ’95-‘01) and Jackie Iger (New York).

News of the Camp Family – March 2022

Compiled by Adam Fornear

It was another epic weekend on the North Shore of Lake Superior. I met up with some friends in Grand Marias and we headed out to the trailhead for a North Shore classic ice climb on the Cascade River. Mark and I headed to the top of the climb, post holing through three feet of snow and began rigging two ropes for the climb below. Mark then rappelled down the climb and I went a couple yards over to rig another line down this snow-and-ice-filled gully for the rest of the crew to come down. It was a beautiful day; the frozen waterfall was fat and steep and the snowcapped pines in the river valley made for a beautiful scene.

We all rappelled down to the base of the climb. Everyone took their turns picking their way up Cascade Falls, and were having a grand old time. Laughing, kids playing in the snow, kids and adults both climbing, eating great cheese from Hill Valley Dairy and soaking up some vitamin D on a10-degree day. This was my first time to the Cascade climb and it was everything and better than what my friends described.

Some of our party of nine skied in to the base of the climb but those of us that rappelled in had to climb out of the valley back to our trucks. This meant trying to lighten the load for the trip out by eating all our food! Well, this is where it got a little interesting for some of us at the end of the day and some lessons were learned by me. First off, my big puffy jacket for belaying needs to be updated for climbing – too bulky and too heavy to have in my pack. The other lesson I learned or rather was refreshed on was that clear communication is always appreciated and necessary.

Ready for some climbing lingo? We’ve been belaying (a top rope set up) from the base of the climb all day. For the climb out though, after Scott and Mark got to the top of the climb, they switched the belay stations to the top. They would be belaying us from above. They are amazingly safe climbers and belaying from the top is no big deal in most situations. This day though, we had the sound of moving water just below us and Mark and Scott were out of sight, making for tough communication. There was also some running water on the frozen waterfall that would sometimes freeze the rope to the falls giving a false sense that the belayer had the rope taught. So, the key here was effective, loud communication to make sure everyone was as safe as possible.

On my last climb of the day, I was at this crux move, the hardest part of the wall… The crampons had a good bite in the ice and my axes were solid too (so I thought) but as I stepped up with my right foot, both axes came off the ice and I fell eight feet. Scott had me on belay and I found myself hanging there checking out the sights and wondering what the heck just happened. Then suddenly, both of my hands got the screaming barfies… fatigued and in tons of pain, for those of you who don’t ice climb. Of course, because of our safety double and triple checking, I was unscathed from the fall and took a minute to gather myself. I had Scott lower me back to the bottom so I could shake out my arms and get some blood flowing back to my hands! After a ten-minute break (and with some new gloves – always bring extra) I began my climb again. And on my second try, I got back to the crux move and conquered it! Up and up, I went and finally got to Scott and got a fist bump. Admittedly, I worked pretty hard on that last climb. But through encouragement from my friends, some extra communication, and a bit of perseverance, I was able to get to the top and was proud of the hard work it took.

In the end though, I was stoked for the great day out with friends and learned/refreshed the importance of giving it your all, having the right gear and having open lines of communication! Can’t wait to get back out on another sweet climb with this crew.

I trust all is well in your worlds and I’m hoping you are all enjoying the winter. I would sincerely love it if you could all help me out with some news of you! I’d love more alumni, staff and camper news. The Arrowhead will make you famous! Please send everything and anything to fornear@campnebagamon.com. Till next time, keep on smiling’ and have a great day!

Seth and Brady at IMEA!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT Brady Rivkin (Chicago) and Seth Lambert (Bloomington, IL) were involved in the Illinois Music Educators’ Association’s Illinois Music Education Conference in the Honors Band. Seth was fifth chair euphonium and Brady was second chair trombone!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Hugh Broder (Detroit/NYC ’66-’69,’74-’75,’16-‘19) and Jeremy Kotin (Chicago/NYC ’94-‘96) teamed up together to produce the film He Went That Way. Right now, the title is at the European Film Market in Berlin, Germany, and is slated for wide release in early 2023. Peter Blair (Memphis/Charlotte ’86-’90,’92-’98,’01) has been named President and CEO of the Lynnwood Foundation in Charlotte, NC. Heidi Serwer (Chicago) has released a new record called Palm Tree on the Drywall. It’s available for digital download on Bandcamp and iTunes, or you can check it out here!

 

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Finally, Nebagamon had quite the crew ski the American Birkiebeiner cross country ski race this past Saturday. This was no small undertaking by our fabulous crew! Zayla Asquith-Heinz (Duluth ’17-‘18), Jamey Sharp (Duluth ’05-’10,’12-’15,’17-‘18), Elizabeth Becker (Duluth ‘18) and Emily Prudhomme (Bend ’95,’04,’09) all skied the classic Birkie – A whopping 55K (34 miles). Mitch Cohen (Boulder ’79,’84,’90,’94,’04 & camp doc for a ton of summers) skate skied the Birkie – 50K (31 miles). Nice work team! And of course, the support crew gets a little shout out as well, they were Amy Mack, Andy Mack, Jim Koretz, Elissa Polan Koretz, Morgan Mack, Julie Seymour and Adam Fornear.

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a girl, Sophie Kate, for Joel Saslawsky (Memphis ’02-’08,’10,’12) and Stephanie Saslawsky (Memphis).

News of the Camp Family — February 2022

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Winter in Duluth continues to keep on giving! With deep snow abound, frozen creeks, frozen waterfalls, groomed bike and ski trails, flooded skate rinks, and open alpine resorts, it’s tough to get everything in without feeling rushed. This time of year, Duluth is like a summer at Nebagamon. There are 21 in camp projects to choose from, a wilderness trip schedule to take advantage of and of course S.I.’s and Wannado’s! There’s so many things and so little time…but instead of thinking what you should do, the best course of action is to just put on your boots and get after it!

Last weekend we had an epic adventure of sorts. I loaded up the truck with ice climbing gear, donuts, firewood, cheese, cookies, river skis, and a portable fire pit. My destination was up on the North Shore, nearby where a lot of our trips kick off. 30 miles north of Duluth and just 3 miles up the road from Betty’s Pies there is a great exposed rock face overlooking Lake Superior called Silver Cliff. This cliff turns out to be a great place for rock climbing during the summer and ice climbing in the winter months. Well, last winter we started a tradition to get together outside with a great group of friends and set up shop proper for a winter picnic with ice climbing. There’s a fire pit for warmth, ambience and cooking brats. Just a couple feet away is the cliff covered in climbable ice, and most importantly great people that all enjoy hanging out in sub 20-degree temperatures.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Blue skies, a beautiful blue Lake Superior, and great ice for climbing. The fire was lit, everyone climbed many routes, and lots of laughter was to be had. As the sun began to drop it was time to head on over to Silver Creek to stretch the legs. With everything packed up, we switched out of our climbing boots and laced up the cross-country ski boots.

Zigging and zagging up Silver Creek we went. The sun was setting and the moon was rising in the early darkness. We laid the first tracks in the area with the exception of some coyotes and deer. Great laughter again, fun frozen waterfall drops on the return and catching the final rays of the sun setting in the distance over Lake Superior.

After a long day, we were headed home laughing and bragging to each other how awesome this place is we call home. We got after it that day and every second of it felt great. I hope you do the same in your region and at camp this summer!

Nice work on those of you that sent me some news since last month’s Arrowhead. Thank you a million! Let’s keep up the good work and have the rest of you send me some news so I can make you famous in the Arrowhead and maybe even get that news/picture on our social media. Please shoot me an email at fornear@campnebagamon.com. Till next time, I hope you all are Getting After It!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT Micah Stone (Chicago) is staying busy with indoor rock climbing and getting ready for volleyball season to begin. Oliver Gray (Chicago) has also been rock climbing indoors with Micah. Oliver also took 2nd place in two different regional Chicago sailing regattas this fall. Asher Mendelsohn (Highland Park) is a student commissioner for the city of Highland Park on the Historic Preservation Commission.

[Ed. Note: Fornear wouldn’t put this in the news himself… but take a peek at who the Lake Nebagamon Volunteer Fire Department selected for Member of the Month for January here!]

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Travis Timm (Austin, TX ‘12) is a firefighter for the city of Austin, TX. It’s a bit delayed, but Nicolas Kemper (Kansas City ’11) reached out the other day to share that he is married to Molly O’Laughlin and they have a daughter, Sylvie Pia O’Laughlin Kemper. Great to hear from you Nicholas!

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to Maggie Horvath (St. Paul/Boston ’10-’11,’15) and Alex Stone (Boston).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a girl, Adira Vanya, for Tucker Slosburg (KC/Seattle ’93-’99,’02-‘11) and Krista Slosburg (Seattle).

News of the Camp Family – January 2022

Compiled by Adam Fornear

The off season is rolling right along and moving fast! Winter has finally arrived and is now in full swing. More importantly, my brother and I were able to get a full afternoon of ice sailing in on one of the few lakes in the state of Minnesota to have clear ice with no snow! It was spectacular.

We loaded up the two “boats” in the back of the truck this month and headed 2.5 hours west to get our one and only chance to sail on ice. The whole drive over my brother was checking the wind conditions, a Facebook iceboater group page (am I supposed to say Meta here???), and the directions to the Costco so we could get lunch for two for $3.23…important stuff. We wanted to make sure that our bellies would be full and that it was still worth the gas tanks to make the trip west. Arrival at the ice was a joyful site, as stretched out before us was many acres of good, clear ice.

Just as we do during pre-camp, it was time to get the “boats” on the ice and rigged up. Step the masts, run the sheets, and attach the 20-inch-long steel sharpened ice blades to each boat. Soon enough we were all rigged up and ready to grab some wind. The last preparations for ice boating are to put on a helmet (ice is hard and you’re moving fast) and some ice creepers for your boots to help slow down when you put the “boat” in irons to stop. Just as in sailing, there are no brakes. You have to drop the sail or put the boat in irons (pointing the boat into the wind) to hit the brakes.

All suited up, we pushed out past the rough ice and took off! We had great wind, giving us high speeds zipping across the lake. Gusts would come in and the boat would accelerate so fast that all you wanted to do was just give out a big “Wahooooo!” We spent hours tacking and jibing for long, straight, fast runs over and over and over. It never got old. It’s a similar feeling that our boys at camp get every summer sailing on one of our many sailboats. There’s something special, peaceful and exhilarating about sailing on soft or hard water.

Ben and I sailed till the sun got low in horizon and we finally had to call it quits for the day. It was worth every minute of the long drive, every cent of gasoline for the truck, and of course the Costco lunch special.

Nice work on those of you that sent me some news since last month’s Arrowhead. Thank you a million! Let’s keep up the good work and have the rest of you send me some news so I can make you famous in the Arrowhead and maybe even (no promises) get that news/picture on our social media. Please shoot me an email at fornear@campnebagamon.com. In the meantime, start YouTubing some videos about windsurfing so you can have a head start on ripping around Lake Nebagamon on the three new windsurf setups that I picked up this month. These new boards and sails are going to be a hoot!

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Arthur William Brook Young (Isle of Skye, Invernesshire ’15-’16,’19) has started a new folk band with his friend Louden Mackay, called Carnan. Arthur is an amazing musician and I cannot wait to hear them play!

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Sam Muzik (St. Louis ’04-‘08) and Sammy Schlisel (LA).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a boy, Elliott “Eli”, for Andrew Schram (Boston ’94-‘99) and Yuan Zhang (Chicago)

Andrew better work on his diaper changing form!

News of the Camp Family — December 2021

Compiled by Adam Fornear

The transition from Fall to Winter is on, but it’s kind of dragging a little bit. Boats are all put away, fly rods are tucked into a tupperware bin, and non-studded-tire bikes are in the basement. The long underwear is out, skis are at the ready, and ice boats are dialed in to hit some frozen water. Now we just wait for the lakes to freeze over, snow to fall (after we get a couple good days of ice skating and ice boating in), and waterfalls to freeze up for some ice climbing.

I’m particularly interested in getting the ice boats out for a couple good days during this transitional phase. My brother and I picked up two more ice boats last spring and are very eager to get in some winter sailing. These boats are wicked fast and a real hoot to sail. I was able to get out ice skating last Tuesday for a short bit, but it was a little sketchy as the ice was only two and a half inches thick, which is technically enough, but the cracking under skate was enough to keep us close to shore. We are headed out tonight as there is more ice which should allow for more miles.

The timing of seasonal transitions varies from year to year and this year it is really dragging out. We’ve gotten some dustings of snow that are hampering great ice skating. Tomorrow’s weather is looking a little crazy as we will hit 40 with a chance of rain, though I’m hoping for rain to clear up the ice for sailing and skating. If it all aligns, we should be able to get the fleet of ice boats out on some area lakes this weekend. Last winter we had some great sailing on Nebagamon and fingers are crossed that we’ll get out there next week.

Alright, time to get back to hiring staff (returners – there’s still time to get that sign on bonus), getting wilderness trips on the calendar and picking up our sweet new windsurfing boards and sails in Madison…these are going to make learning easier and letting our boys rip across the lake under the power of wind!

Nice work on those of you that sent me some news since last month’s Arrowhead. Thank you a million! Let’s keep up the good work and have the rest of you send me some more so I can make you famous in the Arrowhead and maybe even (no promises) get that news/picture on our social media. Please shoot me an email at fornear@campnebagamon.com. In the meantime, get your gear ready for the winter season and share with me how you get after it outdoors! 

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT Charlie Goshko (Ottawa, ON) is loving his new city of Ottawa, his new puppy – Duke and learning to ski this winter.

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Sam Prince (St. Louis ’02-’07,’12,’15) is the Regional Admissions Counselor for his Alma Mater, Bard College. Traveling to high schools that are west of the Mississippi River. Nicky Hirschhorn (L.A. ’11-‘13) is a writer on the HBO series, Barry. Jason Hirschhorn (LA/Hanover ’00-’02,’08-’13,’15,’18,’19) is a public high school computer science and math teacher in Hanover, NH. Adam Hirschhorn (LA/Washington D.C. ’08-’13,’15,’17) is a 1st year associate with the Boston Consulting Group. Charles Hirschhorn (LA ’68-’72,’74-’79,’04,’11) is currently President of Otis College of Art and Design.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Spence Myer (St. Louis ’02-’07,’09-’12,’14) and Kristen Herbs (St. Louis), and to Shayna Rosenbloom (Nashville ‘21) and Nathan Earl (St. Louis).

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