Last year, Equinunk alumni Brett and Jeff Kotcher ran the first ever Camp Cup Roller Hockey Tournament in January. The Camp Cup is a roller hockey tournament for ONLY current and former campers and counselors. Participants traveled from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida and even Ottawa, Canada! The Camp Cup brought together Equinunk families and staff and saw both our Alumni and 11th grade and under team win their respective divisions.
14 teams, a total of 8 camps, participate in last year’s event. It was an incredible day at Skate Safe and the atmosphere in the building was electric! At times 600-700 combined players, parents, campers, counselors, alumni, head counselors, owners and directors attend the Camp Cup! Roller hockey industry equipment leaders, Alkali Hockey and Labeda Wheels sponsored the event and t-shirts as well as gloves and wheels were given out to MVP, MVG and tournament high scorers.
This year, the Camp Cup is back and will be held once again at Skate Safe America on Long Island on January 3rd and January 4th. The 2015 Camp Cup divisions will consist of…
11th grade and under
Alumni (Current/former counselors as well as former campers)
30 and over
If you are interested in lacing up the skates again for Equinunk this winter, please contact Brett or Jeff Kotcher at brett.kotcher@gmail.com or jeff.kotcher@gmail.com. They will handle all registration.
We are excited to introduce you to Equinunk/Blue Ridge Pop-Up Socials which will be coming to an area near you! Pop-Up Socials are quick get-togethers where CECBR will treat our camp families at a nearby ice cream or pizza shop! The CECBR Team will be on-hand to meet and greet, reminisce about Summer 2014 and look ahead to 2015!
Our Pop-Up Socials are in addition to our Winter Reunion set for Sunday January 11th, 2015! Dates are as follows, with locations being announced a week-ahead of time by email and on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
New York City | October 29th New Jersey | October 30th Long Island, South Shore | November 4th Maryland | November 6th Long Island, North Shore | November 20th Westchester | December 3rd Philadelphia | December 12th Florida | December 16th London, UK | January 24th
RSVPs are NOT REQUIRED for our Pop-Up Social Events. Just bring your camp spirit and smiles!
We certainly hope you can join us at one of our Pop-Up Socials in your area! If you have any questions, please email nicki@cecbr.com who will be happy to assist.
As I sit here at the close of my upper senior summer, I think about everything that I’ve done and been through while growing up here. 336 camping days, 980 meals, 224 laps around the mess hall during color war cheering, 18 different counselors, 5 group heads, and 7 life-changing summers. The word change tends to have a negative stigma around camp. People who have spent their entire lives here want everything to remain the same with little to no change. Since we’ve all had such amazing and cherished memories of past summers, we want the new generation of campers to have the same experiences as we did. But in this world, the only constant is change. Diamonds disappear, pools are built, and mess halls redone. These are all things that make camp appear to be different, however, these are not things that make camp appear to be different, however these are not things that make camp what it is and what it means. Camp is that we still continue traditions that have lived on throughout nearly a century of constant change. Camp is that we still keep score for color war with the hitting of colored hatchets into numbered blocks. Camp is that we still gather at the flagpole twice a day to hear the upcoming activities as if we didn’t have walkie-talkies or the PA system. Sometimes camp isn’t the only thing that changes throughout each summer. You could come to camp, and after one, two or seven summers be a changed person. That’s what happened to me throughout my camping career. I’ve come a long way from being a small, nervous, homesick sophomore who spent way more than his fair share of time in the hobby center. Camp taught me how to be responsible, how to have different personalities, and to try every activity, because you never know which one you might enjoy. That the one thing I wish I had known all along. Don’t take any day at camp for granted because like the song says, “know that time will fly, in Color War we’ll try, but in the blink of an eye, our summer heaven is gone.” Trust me when I say this, but one minute you’ll be touring the campus with Kevin Gray the first day of Sophomore summer, and the next thing you know, you will have just three days left as a camper, and all you can do is sit back and wonder where all of that time went. Camp, you made me who I am, and I thank you for that. My only hope is that you continue to do the same for years to come, turning small homesick campers into true sons of Equinunk.
If this Color War had one message, it would be the blending of old traditions with new ones to create an experience unparalleled by any other!
We began the war right away by holding our traditional indoor games outdoors on our new basketball courts. The lights shone bright as we ran and cheered for blue and grey.
Yesterday, we played group games in the morning. In the afternoon, the Lower Camp played capture the flag and tug-of-war while the Upper Camp had a swim meet. The main event of the day; however, was the much anticipated PC basketball game.
The night of the PC basketball game is always filled with honor and pride as the PC girls are individually introduced at dinner and given their Chief Lehrer Upper Senior Basketball Game t-shirts. The PC’s see those who came before them wearing these shirts throughout their camping years and are excited to receive theirs. This year, instead of heading to the social hall for the game for evening activity, we made our way to the outdoor basketball courts once again. To officially begin the ritual of PC games on these courts, we had a special ceremony complete with fireworks and the national anthem. Then, the players were announced again to cheers of the entire camp. The grey team was victorious in an incredibly well-played game that truly honored the new tradition, with a score of 46-42. At the end of the game, the PC’s cut down the nets to keep pieces as a memento of the night.
While it did not seem as if the weather would cooperate with us this morning, we were able to play all of our morning games. The highlight was Senior soccer, which we introduced with a “world cup” style procession of the PC’s and Lower Sophmores, representing our oldest and youngest campers. In the afternoon, we had a spirited full-camp tug-of-war.
At this time, we are getting ready for our Senior volleyball games this evening and the war is incredibly close with only about 20 points separating Blue and Grey- and our main event, Color War Sing, is still to come tomorrow!
Over the course of the summer we have made note of some moments and events which were out of the ordinary. In the six weeks past there has been Red, White and Blue Day, Visiting Day, Alumni Day, Boys Sing, mini-trip day, Trip Day, the Marty Gelobter Games, College Games, Carnival, the Wounded Warrior Run, Color War Cheering and the Color War break, just to name a few. But all of those pale in comparison to what we have arrived at once again.
As of this writing it is five to eight in the morning on Monday, August 11 which for 2014 is the day of days. Every camper, counselor, Color War Judge and camp administrator will wake to the electricity in the air knowing tonight we will have reached the top of the mountain.
The boys will go through Color War activities today, and will fill the fields with intensity and pride. But come tonight in the Social Hall the camp summer will be at its apex with the climax of summer, The Upper Senior Basketball Game.
People will come from far and wide just to be on campus this afternoon and tonight for Equinunk’s signature event in which the oldest campers play a basketball game in front of several hundred people, from the screaming teams to former Color War Chiefs all spanning some six or seven decades of camp history.
It is a date camp Alumni mark on their calendar a year in advance, taking work vacations, days off, or just leaving the office early today to make sure they are in camp tonight. The Opening Ceremonies in which the Hall will be packed, all former Chiefs introduced and the game itself are teeming with pageantry and tradition. In short, it is our most special of nights.
To give you an update on Color War, as of Monday morning wakeup Red is holding a 220-point lead over Gray, however with so many events to be played today and so many points available, anything can happen.
The Blue and the Grey are here, everybody give a cheer…
For those of us who have experienced the anticipation of a Blue Ridge color war, we know that it’s that “what’s going to happen next, can’t take our shoes off, every sound makes us run outside,” kind of feeling! The past few days have certainly reignited this sentiment in our returning campers and created it in our new ones. The cheering reached its peak yesterday afternoon after the girls witnessed Equinunk’s Color War break. Now, it was our turn for fake-outs, tricks, and, of course, the real thing.
The buildup continued last night. We had our CBR dance showcase, followed by our weekly camp cast. The end of the camp cast was interrupted by a “special report-“ video interviews with all of the groupheads, Lizzy, Nicki, and Lori recalling their memories of past Color Wars and advice for the PC’s about what was to come. The interviewees also gave their predictions of when the war would break- some even said they thought that it would break that very minute, stimulating a huge reaction from the crowd. At the end of this fabulous fake-out, which was organized by the CA girls with Mel Cameron’s assistance, it was brought to our attention that there were 2 interviews missing from the video- Sheryl Kamen’s and Julie Dorfmans’s. It was decided that we would see their interviews live in the morning.
As soon as reveille blew this morning, campers could be found on bunk porches waiting for the next sign of Color War. To our surprise, we were treated to a fantastic morning Zumba class at the flag pole led by our Zumba specialist, Julie Dard. The class added to the hype and helped us get into the spirit even more with an activity that we all know and love.
Cameras in hand, we headed to breakfast. Finally, it was time for the missing interviews. Julie and Sheryl stood in the front of the mess hall with the camera on them. Of course, the interviews wouldn’t have been complete without a traditional Camp Cast ending- “Back to you Lori!” Julie and Sheryl said that together, and silence hung in the air as we waited for Lori’s dismissal. However, instead of her voice, the first blast of the cannon was heard…then the second…then the third, signaling the official start of Color War along with papers flying through the air.
Now, we are deep into competition between the Blue Storybook, Led by counselor chief Lauren Lazarus, and the Grey Sesame Street, led by counselor chief Sophie Foster. The Storybook theme will focus on how we create our stories at camp through kindness, friendship, and the magic that can only be found at Blue Ridge. The Sesame Street theme will focus on our strong sense of family and working together to help others be the best that we can be.
After our traditional opening ceremonies, the fields were alive all afternoon and the beginning rehearsals of what is sure to be a beautiful Color War sing could be heard from the social hall. Tonight, we will begin a new tradition by holding our “indoor games” outdoors on our gorgeous new basketball courts.
Over 250 points have already been scored with many more to come.
Make sure to follow the action during Color War on Twitter and Facebook. We will update you as often as we can.
We look forward to many special moments in the next 3 days of Blue and Grey 2014.
It’s hard to believe another summer at Camps Equinunk & Blue Ridge is coming to a close. While our in-camp special events are approaching rapidly; we wanted to let you know about another terrific off-season get-together!
We are thrilled to announce that Blue Ridge On Broadway will be back in 2014 (by popular demand). We would love for Mother’s and Daughter’s to join us on a magic carpet ride, lunch at Carmine’s and a matinee performance of Disney’s Aladdin on Saturday October 18th, 2014.
To purchase tickets for Blue Ridge On Broadway — Please Click Here! * Payments Made by Credit Card ONLY.
If you have any additional questions, please contact nicki@cecbr.com. Please remember that only a limited number of tickets are available for the event.
In the sunshine of midmorning before all of Camp Equinunk and Blue Ridge a helicopter appeared above the hotel, sending the boys into a frenzy. It circled the lower diamond once before hovering over center field when people aboard dropped the Color War sheets and the cannon blew three times, signaling the start of the Greatest of all Color Jubilees.
The camp had gathered for Saturday morning services and while just about everyone thought something was up, they became lost in the moment of the service and the speeches giving out the “E” and “B” Awards to campers and counselors. Some of the girls were singing, which drowned out the sound of the approaching chopper. At a break in the singing it was more audible before coming over onto campus.
Shouts were heard, smiles were seen, hugs were given and tears of joy were shed over the realization of lifelong dreams. The teams for this year’s war are Red Elite vs. Gray Synergy. It is amazing how quickly the teams invent new cheers and even more amazing how so many of them last a lifetime.
Earlier in the morning at breakfast, there was a fake break put on by the CITs, which is tradition. The waiters brought out a plate for dessert which had an apple on it for each table. There was also a message telling campers to “Check your bed”. Word spread like wildfire and in an instant the Mess Hall emptied with everyone sprinting to see if this was the real thing. It was a scene remnant of the movie “Back to School” when a rumor went around that a new course on Bruce Springsteen was open for registration and everyone wanted in.
In any event, it has been a fabulous day at camp. For the first time in a while it is hot, the sun has been out all day long and it truly feels like summer. This evening the campers will participate in Indoor Games, followed by the entire camp watching the Senior All-Star Roller Hockey Game up in the E-Rena.
There have already been over 200 points earned and by tonight we will be in full swing.
To those of you regular followers of this blog, please note there will not be regular posts for the duration of Color War. The camp Twitter feed and Facebook page will be updated with Color War information as the games go on and we will certainly try to put up new posts as time permits.
The time of year has arrived. The thing your children talk about constantly over the winter is here, it is now. Color War 2014 has broken.
Two of the most overused expressions in recent years were certainly not apropos to describe the experience of January 11th reunion. Campers, counselors, staff, and parents were all swept away in the excitement and emotion of the weekend. Months of planning, preparation, and delivery of the entire program enabled 900 members of our camp family to enjoy another wholesome event that is part of the Equinunk and Blue Ridge endless summer experience.
The values that we embrace as a camp community, the high regard that we hold one another, the love, compassion and friendship that was so visible on Saturday is an extension of what happens every day all summer long. Watching this take place in the short span of three hours in a narrow setting magnified for many of us how special, unique, and rare this is in society that regards some of the best moments as “whatever” or “it is what it is.” Those who know us best recognize that CE and CBR moments are tangible, measurable, and life changing. See you at the next one! : )
Looking for plans on Long Island this Sunday? Get out of the cold and come cheer on the CE Alumni Roller Hockey Team. Many current and former CE counselors have gotten together with friends from other camps in the area for a “Winter Classic Inter-Camp.”
Games will be played throughout the day on Sunday alongside a separate tournament — a number of high school aged campers have organized for themselves. We hope to See you there …Lets Go EQUINUNK!
Skate Safe America 182 Bethpage Sweet Hollow Road. Old Bethpage NY 11804
