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Special Millennium Edition

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac

ly 7, 1999 The Western Massachusetts Premier Camp Newspaper Vol. 53 • Issue I

~ Camp Mah·Kee;Nac ~ .......

_._ e>·I"::E ... J .. .'V...L

The We tern Mas achusettes Premier Camp Newspaper

Publishers: Danny and

Nancy Metzger Editor: Corey Cooke Photo Editor: Dylan Pearcy

Contributors:

Joshua Goldman, Barry Finder, Jeffrey Rubin, Eric Karpas, Eric Levy, Ian Assae1, Julian Gompertz, Jeremy Gerson, Aaron Levine, Adam Yarnell, Ian Meller,

Will Lenkowsky, Eli Shoham, Josh Erenstein

Photo Contributors:

Jake Gladstone, Jordan Ledy Jason Maymudes

Design: Corey Cooke Printing: Quality Printing Co.

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac Summer Office

6 Hawthorne Road Lenox, Massachusettes 01240

~I (413) 637-0781

The Totem is a weekly journal of

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, a summer boys camp in Lenox, Massachusetts. Correspondence may be

delivered to the Totem Mailbox in the MKN Office

Winter Office

190 Linden Avenue Glen Ridge, New Jersey 07028

(973) 429-8522

You Ought to be in pictures!

Life at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac

Lower Senior Head

I Counselor Greg Bloom welcomes Navajos and Cheyennes to their new home for the summe on opening day.

Cheyenne Phil Borger and Counselor Eli Levine battle wits in the classic sense.

Many of Mah .. KeeNac's Canadian staff commemorated the 132nd birthday of

,their country on JulJ 1 st. The Canadians assembled in front of their flag and belted out the anthem in proud style.

Head of Jr. Baseball Jason Fesyk observes the fastball technique of a future hall-of-

The Totem Page

:over

Opening day at Mah-Kee-Nac

y Julian Gornpertz - Navajo & eremy Gerson - Cheyenne

The opening day at camp Iah-Kee-Nac was one filled

'ith joy and excitement. It iarked the beginning of the 71 st ~ason and continued the Mahee-Nac tradition.

Many of the 404 campers iled into seven buses to come to imp Mah-Kee-Nac. The buses ere loaded in various locations ich as Livingston, Westchester id Long Island, for the trek

orth to the Berkshires.

As the buses roared into imp, counselors lined the road I welcome the onslaught of impers.

According to camp owner lanny Metzger there are many ~w attractions at Camp Mah-

(Above) An enthusiastic Chris Chater leads the way for camper Ross Green on opening day)" (Right) Danny Metzger overlooking Junior field - a timeless tradition.

Kee- N ac this year ..

"The biggest attractions are Baker Hall," said Metzger, "which is a game room combined with a fitness center, four new Malibu ski boats, and the new Cherokee baseball field."

Metzger said camp will be kept exciting this summer due to the many new campers, counselots and special events planned ..

On opening day, all the campers were very excited to see

dJ

old friends and counselors. All the campers eagerly awaited Mike, Greg or Norbert to assign the campers and counselors to their bunks.

But the campers were not the only ones that were excited. After all these years, Metzger still gets giddy over the beginning of camp.

" I love camp," he said, "It's my favorite two months of the year."

he Totem Page 3

Name: Toni Bloom

Name:

Name: Alan Rudolph From: New York Program: Archery

Program: Riflery

N ame: Gary Johnson From: Oregon Program: Woodshop

Name: Moshe Battel

Name: Brett Miller From: New York

Program: Ropes/Pioneering

The Totem Page

HOOD PROGRAM HEADS

Name: Ken Sanders From: Michigan Program: Sr. Basketball

From: Massachusetts Program: Sr. Tennis

Name: John Latham From: England Program: Sr. Soccer

N ame: Chris Chater From: Ontario Program: Hockey

Name: Drew Adderly From: ew Yor Program: Sr. Basketball

Name: Jason From: Saskatchewan Program: Jr. Baseball

Name: Charles Ned

Program: Jr. Soccer

he Totem Page 5

Lacrosse latest addition to MKN sports program

By Barry Finder - Cheyenne

Lacrosse is the newest addition to the Mah-Kee-Nac athletic program.

According to program director Andy Cole, lacrosse was added to Mah-Kee-Nac because it has become so popular in the Northeast and some other camps Mah-Kee-Nac competes against have also started a lacrosse program.

"We watched it grow and then decided to join in," Cole said ..

"The idea for a lacrosse program has been developing for quite a while, but it was just last summer that we felt there was a good chance of adding the program," he said. "We spent fall, winter and spring planning it."

According to Cole, campers showing interest in the game during free play also influenced the addition.

Lacrosse, which takes place on the lower soccer field, is headed by Charlie Izenstein and Will Bearden who, according to Cole, "are both experienced and worked hard in orientation to prepare an excellent lacrosse program."

"Lacrosse, unlike most other team sports, is only offered twice a day; second period for Upper Seniors, and fourth period for Lower Seniors," Cole said. He hopes that as time progresses and interest grows, it can expand to more periods ..

Mah-Kee-Nac bought all new equipment, including four lacrosse goals, extra sticks, and pads for campers that did not bring their own.

Campers' enthusiasm, new equipment and knowledgeable counselors all ensure the program's success.

MKN Notes

The case of the injured oriole

- -

By Eric Karpas - Iroquois

On June 28, the campers from bunk 12 were enjoy-

I ing refreshments after carrying big loads of animals from Danny and Nancy's house to the Nature Shack.

When they were walkirn out of bunk 12 they saw a hurt baby oriole on the porch of bunk 11. It had fallen from its nest in the rafters and everyom took pictures of the injured bird.

Finally, a camper brought him to the nature cabin. The campers dug for worms and fed the bird. On June 30th, Nature Counselor Andy Kaster said that the bird' wing had healed and that they had let him free.

Case dosed!

Bunk life: exposed

By Eric Karpas - Iroqouis

Bunk life at Mah-KeeNac is fun because you can talk to your friends, read books, play games and so much more .. You can even sleep!

You can do stuff on you: comfortable bed. You can't sleep or sit on your bed at free play, though.

That is why bunk life is fun at Mah-Kee-Nac ..

The Totem _ Page

Mike Muir said the new ski boats are easy handle, run well, and are fun to drive, The boats, made by Malibu, cost over $20,000 each. John Wei! says they traded in the previous ski boats because they were getting too old ..

Muir thinks the new ski boats will influence

New boats blast into Mah-Kee-Nac Lake

y Eric Levy - Cheyenne Joshua Erenstein - Iohican

New ski boats at fKN are sure to make kiing and the whole -aterfronr a whole lot iore fun this summer.

Recently, camp Iah- Kee- N ac purh.ased four brand new

ki boats. According to MKN's ~ew ski boats ensure an exciting 1ah-Kee-Nac waterfront waterskiing program.

irector John Weil, the

ew boats are sure to add excitement to the ampers' waterfront experience. "More campers an ski during each period."

The new ski boats can hold up to ten eople or 1,525 pounds. Ski boat instructor

more campers to sign up for water skiing. He also says that the new ski boats make it easier for kids to water ski,

kneeb 0 ard , and wake board.

Overall, the new ski boats will make a fine addition to Mah-Kee-Nac's waterfront.

Expect the best in main events

,

Y Josh Goldman - Cheyenne

Campers would do well to expect the best " from events lanned for this summer according

, program director Andy Cole. Cole rid new events will make a

amper's stay at MKN better then ver,

There has been a change in ie visiting day schedule. Most ampers must remember watching ie Harlem Wizards put on a thrillrg show against the MKN all-stars, s well as demolishing them. But

iis year a hypnotist will astonish ampers as he puts on a great and xciting show.

''The Harlem wizards have een coming for many years," Cole ays, "This year we wanted to try omething different, A staff member lW this [hypnotist] act and thought

it was great."

Every summer Mah-Kee-Nac has intercamp programs with camps Lenox and Winaudu. This year a new camp will be joining the mix. Later this summer, the seniors will be grinding it out with the campers from camp Winaukee of New Hampshire. The Cherokees are going to have an ovemight trip to New Hampshire to visit Winaukee in tournament play .. "The trip is also known as barnstorming," Cole says

As usual, all of the tribes have their yearly trips: Navajos will be going to Cooperstown; Cheyennes to Lake George; Cherokees to Boston; Algonquins to Maine: and Senecas to Montreal. During this time the juniors will be having college day. The Apaches will be going to the Catskill Game Farm for

a day; the Iroquois will be going to Sturbridge Village; and the Mohicans will be paying a visit to Zoom Floom Waterpark. All of the juniors will also be going to the Albany roller skating park.

TIle first major event to occur will be the MKN Games. The games will begin on July 11 rh, And will continue on July 18th and 25th•

The Camp Sing and the Olympics, which take place near the end of camp, are usually the best events of the summer .. Spending weeks preparing for the sing is typically a good idea. Also, the Olympics tend to make the last few days of camp as exciting and tiring as can be.

The event calendar is filled and should certainly inspire all campers to "expect the best."

he Totem Page 7

2) Which NHL hall of fame~ s€~ with his first shot?

Listen to the Simon and

Matty Show, broadcasted live to Camp Mah-KeeNac and the Lenox area. We've got lots of hilarious material.. .. we're just

not sure what it is yet.

3) Which NHL player has the record for goals scored by a r02]fit;?~ How many did he score?

1:15 pm semi .. daily

640 AM

Down

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac

Triangle hunt:

2) Who was the last player tID ead liis team in hits in his first four years (Jeter might do that this year)?

How many triangles can you fin in the above puzzle?

3) Which baseball player has the record runs without a MVP. award?

5) Which 'Maior League baseball team has the record for th~ longest losing streak at home?

Word Jumble

. ...,.,'"' .... ~I-'Uv~ the following to reveal the secret word:

1) keohyc: __ ___Q __

2) andaaci -=0- _

3)etmtm O

4) otliopQ L......

Secret word: _

Across

1) Last name of last player to get six hits in a MLB game.

2) Last name f last Yankee to win an MVP award.

3) The mean.i.Ng of "Cy" in Cy Young.

4) Las nanie of first player to break Ty Cobb's record for b--~~~~--41_d_;!t~-11108t steals. h;4~-1:--''-:-----4::'-T'---'t----'='7-'-'---,J-- 5) City of last team to win back to back World Series'.

6) Chipper Jones' real [lIst name.

7) Last name of the second baseman for the "Big Red Machine." 8) Las arne of Oriole Itl pick in ill 1990 d~ft. Down arne PLoue 0 the-ail-time leaders in Gold Glove

-...... Camp Mah-Kee-Na.c ~ ~

..._ <:>"1 ":Hi 'V _._

le Western Massach usettes Premier Camp Magazine

PUblishers: Danny and

Nancy Metzger Editor: Corey Cooke Photo Editor: Dylan Pearcy

Contributors:

Joshua Goldman, Barry Finder, Jeffrey Rubin, Eric Karpas, Eric Levy, Ross Green, Ian Assael, lulian Gompertz, Jeremy Gerson, .aron Levine, Will Lenkowsky, Eli Shoham, Jeremy Nowak,

Matthew Morowitz

Photo Contributors:

Jake Gladstone, Alan Rudolph, David 'Speedy' Fein, Simon Dufour, Jeff Rubin, Brett Miner, Matthew Silbennann, Michael parage, Jonathan Hirsch, Jonathan Gold, Corey Schneider

Design: Corey Cooke Printing: Quality Printing Co ..

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac Summer Office

,6 Hawthorne Road Lenox, Massachusettes 01240 (413) 637-0781

Winter Office 190 Linden Avenue

men Ridge, New Jersey 07028 (973) 429-8522

The Totem is a weekly journal of Camp Mah~Kee-Nac, a summer boys camp in Lenox, Massachusetts.

'he opinions expressed herein are 10se of the writer and should not be affiliated with those of the Totem or

Camp .Mah-Kee~Nac.

Correspondence may be 'elivered to the Totem Mailbox in the MKN Office

a particularly elaborate performance of True Colors' by show director and MC Anthony Richards.

Richards said it was very difficult to pull the show off in such a small period of time.

"It was very chaotic," he said.

"We only had four days of very structured time to work with."

Richards said that although he had no difficulty attracting acts to perform, organizing the event was a test of his integrity. He also said that he is grateful to his assistant for all of his hard work.

"I have to thank Mark Berenson for helping me keep my composure. "

Although Richards has assisted in production of the Talent Show for the past eight years, this was his first year as director. He said the top position in the event was exciting because it allowed him to see the show come to life ... Also, Richards said the amazing help he received onthe show was truly what made the event a success.

"The elaborate staff of counselors, campers and support staff was extraordinary. "

Cover

Talent show showcases MKN abilities

(Left) Katie Oliver; Elizabeth Boyd and Beth I Kaufman serenade the

I boys with their heavenly . voices. (Below) Jared

I Katz hosts 'Coffee Talk'

. with guests Eric Cartman, , Danny Metzger and

I Moses.

I

he Tot~-- - -- - Page 3

By Barry Finder - Cheyenne & Corey Cooke - Totem

Mah-Kee-Nac's annual July 4th talent show sent shock waves through the camp that will be remembered for the rest of history ..

But members of the audience were not the only ones that were affected by the power of MKN show biz. Campers and performers alike were taken up in the spirit of the evening.

According to singers/clerical workers Katie Oliver and Beth. Kaufman, appearing in the show was fun and exciting.

"It was very interesting performing for a large group of men in our p.j.'s," Oliver said.

A number of campers performed piano pieces including Michael Wilner, Evan Donahue and Jordan Kaplan.

'Coffee Talk,' a comedy sketch put on by Jared Katz, Stevie Raskin, and Matt Brody from bunk five included mock interviews with. camp Director Danny Metzger and Eric Cartman of South Park fame.

Senecas Craig Rowin, Jon Lerner and Jesse Sackin performed a specially-written blues piece about lifeatMKN.

Other acts included Seneca Michael Metzger and Counselor Jeremy Harris on Guitar, the MKN counselor rendition of Star Wars, and

Tales from the camp

Beat the counselor A fee games experienc

By Julian Gompertz - Navajo

Every night at Mah- KeeNac, as all campers are aware, all tribes take part in evening activities of fun and games. One recent evening activity in Lower Senior camp was "Beat the Counselor." Campers were expected to out-do or defeat a counselor in some way.

Some of the ways campers could beat counselors was by doing such things as scoring on them in a soccer penalty kick, beating them at a hand of blackjack, or asking a particularly difficult trivia question to which the average counselor would

It was very fun! I was playiru with and against fellow camper Evar Diamond at all the activities,

First we played. foozball and tied 9-9 .. Bumper pool was next. It was the two of us versus Matt Cram and Eric Toporoff. We tied 6-6. So

bought a candy bar of the many ties:

camper's choice. On to table hockey! I lost, bi

Cheyenne counselor Andy naturally I can't remember the score Liakos says the activity was fun Then we played ping pong. Within a

and interesting. few seconds we stopped playing pin]

"It was a good opportn- pong because it proved to be more

difficult than we had expected. Then

nity for the campers to try their we played foozbaIl once again .. We

best to beat the people they tied, but of course I can't remember

would never normally compete the score ..

against. It was an interesting role I If you go to rec games, whic reversal of sorts .. " I I recommend you do, I guarantee yo

will have fun!

never know the answer. If the

campers were successful at their attempt to humiliate their counselors, it would mean a reward ofa Mah-Kee-Nac dollar .. Five of theseMah- Kee-N ac dollars

Paint spills on to art shack fence

New art shack fence mural sure to draw crowds.

By Eric Levy - Cheyenne

- ------

The new fence by the art shack is receiving artistic improvements.

I Art and

I rocketry counselor Matt Whitehead spruced up the fence by painting a picture on it He started it on June 28th and completed it on July 2nd.

The painting, which wel-

I comes people to the art shack, is of

a camper painting on an easel.

Whitehead was ap-

proached by Art Director Toni Bloom to make the addition to the fence.

Whitehead, however, came up with the idea for the design.

~ This

~ .. .

;., painting IS sure

~ to improve the '; rut studio and

.",

~

Q influence more

campers into the rut shack.

- - -----

By Eric Karpas ~ Iroquois

Extreme McChallengt

By Jeremy Gerson ~ Cheyenne

The Extreme McChallenJ began on the first week of cam] with excitement.

There were three chosen games to be played by six assorted teams. These 3 games were cricket, ultimate frisbee, and Australian rules football. There was big fun and big scores throughout the evening and a guaranteed continuation ( the adrenaline at all McChalienge nights throughoui the summer ..

The team with the most overall wins at the end of the summer will be rewarded with food from .McDonalds ..

, The Totem Page

Guns blazing at new riflery range

- - - - - ---- - --

Alex Cole, Dillon Reuben

d Justin Schader - Mohicans

The new junior riflery

nge allows for hours of shootg pleasure among the trees and the shade.

The range, built in April of is year, was constructed by ewart Sargent sr, and Mahee-Nac caretaker Joe Sargent. le old range was located di-

ctly behind the field house and is moved in order to make

om for Baker Han, the new ness and recreation center.

According to Joe Sargent, ~ new shooting platform is

uch improved over the old leryrange.

Preparations for the new range included the deming of trees and removal of rocks in order to create a safe environment for shooting. A large new fence was also put in place once the range had been completed as an added safety precaution.

The shooting platform is covered and allows for up to five campers to show their riflery abilities at once.

According to junior riflery

I Junior Alex Chanin displays ~ his riflery obili~ ties within the

.Q

~ confines ofthe

.~ recetuly-budtjr:

u.

~:: riflery range.

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25

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instructor Zeevik Malamed, the range serves its purpose perfectly.

"It's great," he said, "I'm in the shade all day."

Fishing program hauls in the big ones

Eli Shoham - Cheyenne

ing program at Mah-Kec-

The fishing program is a N ac this summer. The equip-

g hit at Mah-Kee-Nac, ment and bait in the fishing

Head fishing counselor shack includes drop and rods

is summer is Henry Whalen with reels, hooks, bread, and

om Oxford, England. Henry sweet corn.

lS much experience in fishing There is a fine variety

~d said he has been at it since of fish in Lake Mah- Kee- N ac

~ was four years old. .~ such as sunfish, blue gill,

'"

Co-fishing instructor is ~ catfish, bass, and pike. The

dm Sullivan from Indiana. He I ~ campers usually catch one of

o has a great deal of experi- II ~ these fish every few minutes ..

ice in fishing and says that he I •• § Whalen said he has a

I CI'l

ts been fishing for as long as ....... -_.;......_ ;...._---~---....;;;.;.. .... : lot of fun as an instructor in

" can remember, Fishing instructors John Sullivan th f hin '.

e IS· ,. g program.

(right) and Henry Whalen with junior

There's definitely campers Jason Freydberg (right) and 4'I love educating the

tough equipment and bait for Sunge Chul Byun displaying today's young kids at fishing. It's a

ch camper to enjoy the fish- catch. very enjoyable experience:'

he Totem Page 5

MKN Excursions

Adrenaline- filled

excitement at Riverside

By Jeff Rubin - Cherokee

On Wednesday, July T" all of Upper Senior camp went to Riverside theme park near Springfield.

The trip to Riverside has become a tradition of sorts here at Mah- Kee-N ac and this year was no different Riverside has an old-time theme and great rides as well as its own waterpark ..

Upon arrival, the Upper Seniors were treated to lunch and sent on their way into the park. There was more than enough to keep the campers occupied.

Many of the rides had lengthy lines, one of which was the Hellevator' a ride that lifts the unsuspecting park patron 190 feet into the air. From this high perspective, the rider may enjoy a great view of the park just before plummeting all the way down. Naturally, once the 'Hellevator' reaches the ground, it shoots light back up into the air once again. This continues until the ride slows and eventually stops.

Another ride at the park was the 'Mind Eraser;' an

(Above) Riverside theme park - anannual trip that never seems dated; (Left) Upper Senior Campers preparing for a trip Oil the (Cyclone. '

interesting rollercoaster in which the rider is strapped in and sent on a journey of hoops, turns and twists. The Mind Eraser' is a metal roUercoaster and is therefore ver smooth and exciting to ride.

Perhaps the most interesting ride at Riverside was the 'Cyclone' a wooden rollercoaster of gargantuan proportions. Due to the fact that it is made of wood, it is particularly bumpy. Despite this many preferred it to the smooth ride of the metal coasters.

After leaving Riverside.the Upper Seniors returne to Camp Mah-Kee-Nac exhausted after a long day of adrenaline- filled excitement.

Over the mountain and through th,e woods

bJ)

"5 Tuesday morning began with

<Il

6 an hour-long hike to the summit 0 it

, Mount Greylock following three

~

.~ separate paths including the

Appalachian Trail. The Appala! chian is particularly interesting due to its length - It stretches 2,000 More than just a walk ill the woods - the lower miles from Maine to Georgia.

seniors next to the March Cataract Falls. After a much easier decent

from the mountain, all participant! inc1udingtwelve Lower Senior Campers, ropes counselor John Olmsted and pioneering/fitness counselor Stu Barclay, packed up and headed home.

"Everybody had a great time," Barclay said. "Even those who lost in the evenings arm wrestling matches."

By Brett Miller - Pioneering

Sitting by the falls and walking the Appalachian Trail were some of the highlights of the Lower Senior over-night hike to Mount Greylock early last week.

The Lower Seniors led the way by holding the first over-night hike ofthe summer; After everybody got a quick lesson in setting up tents, they were off on a leisurely walk to the March Cataract Falls.

Plans for a post-dinner night were

scrapped in favor of returning to camp for a bonfire and marshmallows.

According to camper Adam Walloch the hike was a huge success.

"Everybody got to find out what it is like to sleep in

the woods, toast marshmallows and cook hot dogs on a stick," Walloch said.

The Totem Page

\_ run for the money at Kenmont

IOpinion ..

, Eat, sleep, Danbee socials

Matt Krasnoff, Michael Fink, an Sanders - Mohicans

By Jeremy Gerson - Cheyenne

--- -

The first social

went so well that one of the Danbee campers asked me to look for her next time, I think

OJ] that they should look .~ out for us. Ready or .s not, here we come. ~ Many of us in ~ Lower Senior camp l:j approached Head

<!.l

P5 Counselor Greg Bloom

and pleaded for socials

to be numerous and more frequent.

But even if we do not have a social

Fifteen Mohicans were chosen to

y in a baseball tournament at Kenmont on t 9ih• The coaches were Counselor Joffre Iiams and CIT Sam Cutler.

Cutler said the experience was new im and very rewarding.

"It was my first time coaching," he I, "and even though I was a little appresive, I was very excited."

Theplayers left Mah-Kee-Nac

rtly after 8 :00 am for the two-hour ride to unont, The lucky fifteen members of the n were Scott Liebman Man Kauffman,

1C Mautner, Zack Carter; Dan Perlin, Eric vvelson, Scott Friend, Alex Cion, Steven lIT, Matt Finkel, Lewis Karpal, Josh Verlin, re Jnreller, Ian Pillinger and Andrew Leff

They played three games in all and 1 their first two before losing in the finals ampl.enox

''They did very well," Cutler said, t just came up short in the finals."

For many young souls the socials Mah- Kee-

• Nac partakes in with its sister camp, Danbee, have be-

I •

, come very important.

In my opinion the first Cheyenne social of the year was a great

, success.

Everywhere I Danbee Counselor Brie

looked, people were dancing in all sorts of ways .. There was slow dancing, back dancing, and even a little break: dancing. As

far as I am concerned, the next social is always be there and waiting for us.

much too far away. 'Til next time ....

Lawson and Cheyenne Michael Tannenbaum gettin' down at the MKNIDanbee social.

soon, the campers of Mah-Kee- Nac know that Danbee will

Handing out spankings at the soccer tourney

Coach Dean Anderson

on to playa semi-final match-up with the home team.

The Mah-Kee-Nac players pulled off a well-deserved 3-1 victory against Pontiac, which landed the boys in the final against Wahnee.

The players were fired up and once Jason Rohlman hammered home a goal fromjust over center, there was no looking back; final score: 3-0.

Six games undefeated with 22 goals scored .. The overall performance was top notch!

Congratulations to the team:

Andy Katz, Eric Hertzog, Sean Posner, Jonathan Bryer, Keith Petri, Brian. Helweil, David Rublin, Jason Rohlman, Tyler Goldman, Adam Raphael, Charlie Mele, Keith Bendes, Marc Leven and MVP Ben Zachs,

It was a pleasure to coach such a talented group, but it always comes down to playing hard!

ready to play - and it showed. MahKee- Nac took the 'first game 3- 2 as Adam Raphael slotted the winner with only 30 seconds remaining; a truly inspirational game that set the tone for the rest of the day.

Following lunch, the team headed back to the field where they spanked the next team 6-1. Mah-Kee-Nac drew much inspiration from Ben Zachs, who netted four goals despite his ann cast

The next two games were easily taken with scores of4-1 and 3-1, both in Mah-Kee-Nac's favor. David Rublin was forced to leave the final game with. a bleeding nose. Normally such a problem would be disheartening, but David claimed that his ride on the back of the 'injury golfcart' was well worth missing the last 15 minutes of play.

With the four victories MahKee-Nac racked up during the day, the camp was ranked first overall and went

There was much excitement in air on the morning of July T", as the vajo soccer team was scheduled to .el to Camp Pontiac for atournament,

After a fantastic pre-game

akfast of chocolate donuts,the team trded me bus for the hour-long drive )ontiac. Along the way, some Mahe-Nac staff members were particularly :ited to catch a glimpse of cows

ling in theirnatural environment

Upon arrival at Camp Pontiac the h-Kee-Nac team was treated royally he host camp served cereal and milk hey awaited the arrival of the other

ms (apparently the wonderful break-

: just was not enough for these hungry lplayers).

Once all the teams were toher, the patient and well-behaved h-Kee-Nac team was more than

e Totem Page 7

You Ought to be in pictures!

Life at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac

(Left) Andres Canaan winds up for the pitch on Cherokee Field. (Below) Simon Borret demonstrating his floating technique in the

.pool:

o .~

t;; z

,

o .:;;

~ Z

(Above) Mick Duchon brings the ball up on NBA day. (Right) Andrew Seiden prepares to boot the ball after stonewalling the opposition ..

Last week's game and puzzle page answers:

1) 9

2) Mario Lemiuex

3) TeemmuuSelanne, 76

4) New Jersey Devils

5) Chicago Bears

Man on the street

What was your favorite act in the talent show?

"My favorite act was definately when Britany Spears and Jennifer Lopez were up there gettin' jiggy wit' it."

- Paul Santos/Nature/Rocketrj

"My favorite act was the Star Wars act. It was funny, different, and I loved the choreography for the lightsabre duel."

- Jeremy Nowak/Cherokee

"The three girls singing were definately the most talented in the show. I loved the harmony and the way their voices intertwined during the bum-burn's"

- Matt Estersonl Algonquin

"My favorite act, speaking impartially, was the Kahane/ Kahane back to back combo.

- Kahane/Blrtwistk

ily 30, 1999 The Western Massachusetts Premier Camp Magazine Vol. 53 • Issue 3

15th annual J~8erkshire Cup

Nancy Metzger has gone to the birds

~._,____.~~---

Submit answe to the following questions to the Totem mailb in th main off,ice. e camper with the most

. n me published in the next be the subject of envy and aw,

1) Who was the last person to win the batting title, a gol slove and a World Series all 10 the same year?

b ,

Wb(\) was the ast Hayer to bit 3 home runs in.a game

II
I' Knicks 26
I
Spurs 4
Bulls 4 Rockets 4)
Nets 2 Raptors
Pacers 2 No Comment
Lakers 1973 Knick
76 ers
Celtics 'Fotal c Wilson has the record for most RBIs in a seasor e time of the all-star break. How many RBIs did]

To win the pitching Triple Crown, one needs to lead t le'l!gU in Pus, ERA and win the Cy Young Award. Wlio was, the last pitcher to win back to back "pitchin ;y-ti I Crowns?

Name the four players who hit 50 or more home runs 1998.

Page The Totem

ro1fr:eiac!.~

e Western Massachu ettes Premier Camp Magazine

Publishers: Danny and Nancy Metzger

Editor: Corey Cooke Photo Editor: Dylan Pearcy

Contributors:

ill Assael, Harry Black, Matt Blake, irian Brauntuch, Barry Finder, Matt 'inkel, Scott Friend, Jeremy Gerson, Jake Gladstone, Joshua Goldman, ulian Gompertz, Josh Gordon, Nick Gottlieb, Ross Green, Eric Karpas, ndrew Leff, Will Lenkowsky, Aaron , Levine, Eric Levy, Evan Ludwig,

atthew Morowitz, Joseph Nerenberg, eremy Nowak, Ross Peyser, Jeffrey

Rubin, Eb Shoham

Photo Contributors:

Jake Gladstone, Jonathan Hirsch, Daniel Jablon, Jordan Ledy, Craig Meyer, Corey Schneider

Design: Corey Cooke

Printing: QUality Printing Co.

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac

. Summer Office

6 Hawthorne Road Lenox, Massachusettes 01240 (413) 637-0781

Winter Office 190 Linden Avenue

Glen Ridge, New Jersey 07028 (973) 429-8522

'he Totem is a weekly journal of 'lamp Mah-Kee-Nac, a summer boys camp in

Lenox, Massachusetts.

'ze opinions expressed herein are iose of the writer and should not be affiliated with those of the Totem or Camp Mah-Kee-Nac.

Correspondence may be elivered to the Totem Mailbox in the MKN Office

MKN joyfully celebrates 2nd place at Berkshire Cup

Sailing on MKN Lake, the scene of the 1999 Berkshire Cup Regatta; John Gold and Brett Habermann taking in a relaxing afternoon on the water.

~ Berkshire Cup, will 8 have the privilege

;>,

~ of hosting the event

U 'd

next year; an 1 ea

Berkshire Cu-'P .... ~ ·or-'[f-a-n-iz-e-r-" which sits very

Greg Nell and Waterfront well with many at

Director John Weil chillin' the waterfront.

at the waterfront. After winning the

By Harry Black - Mohican

The Berkshire Cup is a very large regatta in which many camps compete for the sailing title.

This year Mah-Kee-Nac hosted the Berkshire Cup because the camp won the event last year. The winning camp always plays host in the following year.

The 1999 event marked the 15u1 anniversary of the Berksire Cup. In those 15 years, Mah- Kee- N ac has won (and subsequently hosted) the event seven times.

In the regatta there were ten camps which raced, :' with two boats per camp.

Waterfront Director John Weil

is very pleased with

Mah- Kee- N ac' s performance in the event. Camp Lenox took the cup this year with Mah-Kee-Nac coming in a close second.

Members of the MKN

sailing team this year included Mark Filenbaum, Andrew Nahmias, Adam Nelson, Jo h Rosen, Andrew Cedar, Jesse Sackin, Alex Waldman and Josh Brawer.

Regatta organizer Greg Nell said it was fun putting the event together.

"I enjoyed seeing intercamp

sailing," Nell said. "Even though we didn't win, we worked hard and had fun."

Of course,

~ Camp Lenox, being ~ the winner of the

,

event so many times over the past few years, Nell and Weil feel it is only fair to give another camp the opportunity to organize the Berkshire cup.

re Totem Page 3

MKN Sports

Spirit unleashed at MKN Games

By Eli Shoham - Cheyenne and William Lenkowsky - Navajo

The Mah-Kee-Nac Games began with excitement again this year and the camp spirit was consistent throughout the camp on all three evenings of the games.

The heads for the Green Machine and White Lightning were introduced prior to the beginning of the first edition of the MKN Games. For the Green Team, from Junior, Lower Senior and Upper Senior Camps the coaches were Rob Rees, Simon Borrett, and Joe Smith respectively. Coaches for White Lightning were Donal Marsh, Brett Miller, and Ross Bentley from Junior Camp through to Upper Senior.

On the first night, prior to the beginning of the games, the teams were announced and each coach told the campers which sports they would be playing. The game were very hard-fought. Sports included in the Mah-Kee-Nac games were basketball, tennis, swimming, and the focus event.

UpOIl completion of the sports, on each of the Sunday evenings,.everyone on campus went to the Upper Senior basketball court to await the famed Focus Event. All campers cheered for their teams. All of the White team was brought into the Fieldhouse through the back door and the green team came in at the main entrance .. Anthony 'MC' Richards played a couple of songs and then the campers became very quiet as the Focus Event began.

One of the most interesting activities of the focus event on the first evening was the Apache BenchPress. In this activity, a Seneca lifted an Apache over his head five times. The Apaches in the event were Karlin Auger and Mac Posner. On the econd evening of the MKN Games, the

focu event included 'fishing for juniors .. ' In this test of skill, a Seneca had to catch' three juniors with a ball tied onto the end of a fishing rod and line. The Seneca tossed the ball out to

the three blindfolded and disoriented juniors who, upon bein 'caught,' were reeled in by the Seneca. Perhaps the most interesting, and definitely the messiest activity of all Focus Events was reserved for the third Sunday evening. 'Pudding Us On' involved all of the Seneca passing a spoon attachec to a pudding-filled stocking through their pants and shirt and onto the next awaiting Seneca.

According to Junior Coach Donal Marsh, he loved I have a chance to cheer on his team and organize White

Lightning ..

"The best part of being the head of the white team is that it gets everyone excited," he said. ''1 have lots of energy and it's fun to get the campers into it. Mah-Kee-Na Games organizer Am Cole says the games were first held, in 1986. It started out with four teams: the Green Machine, Whitt Lightning, Blue Demar and Red Raiders. Sino the games' conception the four teams have

I become two.

According to Cole, the Mah-Kee-Nac Games bring all of the camp campuses togeth in a different and excitii atmosphere from what campers may be used to. It gives the entire camp the opportunity to come together as one camp as opposed to the standard three camps divided into Junior, Lower Senior and Upper Senior.

The games are truly an enriching experience to Mah-Kee-Nac life. Oh, and by the way, the Green Team took the overall title this year.

(Left) Green Coaches (from left) Joe Smith Rob Rees and Simon

Borrett get the crowd into the games. (Below) White Coaches Brett Miller

,

o

~ and Don 'Juan'Marsh o

~ sporting their serious

:':l fi

o aces.

u

- -

The Totem Page

f.N Tennis

Campers see results at

Sr. tennis Program

lodel of 'transatlantic cooperation' right here at MKN

Senior tennis

By Eric Levy ~ Cheyenne

The partnership between

uor Tennis program heads John

lane and Mike Birtwistle is a model transatlantic cooperation;' one which United Nations would do well to

Ie into.

Kahane and Birtwistle say the lis program at Mah-Kee-Nac tills r is new and improved.

''The cla sic lecture series

tinues with many new innovations," { said. "Anyone who comes to tennis 'a window of opportunity' to learn."

According to the dynamic duo, tennis program has many new tponents this year, including the .ently excavated Bernoulis Plaque" court 3, a wonderful group of staff nbers, and new hoppers.

The excellent tennis program ds say that results in the tennis gram are certain.

"We see improvements in all els." said Kahane and Birtwistle, "and re already bringing back hardware."

Recently, the Navajos had a

iis exchangewith Winadu. 'We did V well," said Kahane and Birtwistle. Ie tennis exchange wall a learning erience for many players, who had previously experienced competitive

. "

1lS.

Birtwistle, from England, said he els so far from home for the admi-

le conditions he finds in America.

"Here, I find good weather, d tennis, and good friends. I espely like working with Big Daddy .hane ]," he said.

Both Kahane and Birtwistle say they take pleasure in instructing in

(Right) fohn Kahane and Mike Birtwistle posing for their recent 'People' magazine photo shoot. The size of their heads has not seemed to impair their game. (Below) Cherokee Dan Rohlman practicing his serve in the Sr. Tennis

the tennis ruts.

"We enjoy teaching tennis because we love passing on our love for the game to others," he said. "We want people to know that tins is a game for life."

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the tennis program is the KahaneIBirtwistle Tip of the Day. The duo says that the TIp of the Day board works "to keep the entire camp appraised ofthe fortunes oftbe Mah-Kee-Nac tennis world."

Despite their regular antics and the traditional comedic stance Kahane and Birtwistle typically maintain, they insist that they are commonly mis-quoted in all of the journals of the tennis world and media publications for which they are so often interviewed.

"We really didn't say everything we said."

Junior tennis

By Andrew Lef! and Joseph Nerenberg ~ Mohicans

Learning the basics of tennis is the first step to playing like a professional.

According to tennis instructor Depuck "Puck" Batish and Head of Jr. tennis Peter Meyer, Mah-Kee-Nac tennis instructors hope to teach campers tennis essentials.

The teachers combine drills and games like Jail and King of the Court to teach all of the neces ary skills. The teachers give lots of helpful advice and they praise all good things .. All of the teachers say they enjoy teaching and they have fun with their jobs.

According to Meyer, all of the teachers hope they can teach campers to learn and enjoy tennis. They try to cover all of the basics and the proper way to hit the ball.

From here, campers learn more complex methods of play and begin their training for Wimbledon.

Cover

dren to their standard activities throughout the weekend. During program, parents watched affectionatel y as their children displayed the skills they had learned since the beginning of camp ..

Parents joined their campers for a scrumptious meal under the large tent. There were a variety of foods such as turkey, tuna, brownies, and miniature cakes ..

Parents 'R' Us

Campers and parents meet for a Mah-Kee-Nac-stylemid-summers visit

By Jeremy Nowak - Cherokee & Barry Finder - Cheyenne

The brief but massive population boom Camp Mah-Kee-Nac experienced recently could only have meant one thing: Parent Visiting Weekend. In the course of only a couple of hours the camp's occupancy increased from about 600 to nearly 2,000 people.

The day began with enthusiasm as the parents came down the hill into the camp at 9:00 .. Some impatient parents arrived early and waited for their kids to wake up. Many parents brougbt gifts, candy,

food, soda and many other items to surprise their campers.

Danbee campers with brothers at Mah-Kee-Nac were bussed in during breakfast to be united with their families for the day ..

After breakfast it was very hectic getting everyone organized and assembled prior to first period. The day was turning out to be a hot one, and, according to camp owner and director Danny Metzger, even the 2,400 bottles of water the camp had specially ordered wasn't enough to cool the campers and their families ...

The camp

stayed in regular program for the weekend because, according to assistant camp director Alan Friedman, presenting the camp in it's natural state is important

"We like to show off the programs we do at MahKee-Nac," Freidman said. "It is important to the camp that parents see their kids in action .. "

Parents followed their chil-

Later on Saturday, the Upper Seniors left camp with

their parents and went out to do such things as eat, shop, play miniature golf and enjoy each others' company.

According to Metzger, only .~ Upper Seniors may leave camp be~ cause "it is a privilege campers get; ~ they get older."

B "We want parents to watch ~ their children's activities," Metzger ~ said. "Parents with campers in UpPf

...... ' ~ Senior camp have likely already had

the opportunity to see their kids in action in previous years."

JUlUorS and Lower Seniors were treated to the

Hypnotist Dan mesmerizes the audience with possessive power.

I Hypnotist Dan slowly

walked down the center aisle in the Kruger Lodge. Dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, Dan spoke into the mic and told us about himself before showing the campers some relaxing exercises.

At this point, Dan asked for counselor volunteers who were interested in being hypnotized. Soon they were under his control. He simply told them all what to do! He made them do some funny

A hypnotic performance

By William Lenkowsky - Navajo

things like dance the hoola and act as thou.gh they were flying a magic carpet or riding a horse ..

After Dan woke the counselors from their hypnosis, he asked them how long they thought they were asleep. Some said two minutes, others said just a few seconds. They were actually under hypnosis for 45 minutes.

crazy antics of a hypnotist who dazzle the campers and daz the counselors [see related story].

Smiling face! excited parents, anc lots of candy were j wonderful characte tics of Parent Visiti Weekend and camp were reminded that life goes on outside camp; it just doesn' seem that way durn the summer.

The counselors had no idea what had happened!

-

The Totem Page

Camper thoughts on Visiting Weekend ...

.Tosh Gordon - Mohican

My parents loved coming to see me ause I'd been away for three weeks.

My sister came too. She learned to swim ently and wanted to show me. I had a great

e seeing my family.

My mom's parents have a house up in Berkshires, so my parents didn't have to stay . hoteL My family live in New York City, so ldn't take them long to get here and they

ed corning.

1 personally had a great time during iting Weekend. It was so cool to see my illy.

Nick Gotlieb - Mohican

Most parents love Visiting Weekend. netimes, the parents encourage the kids to activities .. My parents enjoyed Visiting ekend very much.

A lot of parents drive to Mah-Kee-Nac the weekend from far away_ My parents

ie from Connecticut just to see me.

I think that the best thing about Visiting ekend is an the candy. My parents brought dnds of it for me. The second best thing

ut Visiting Weekend is seeing my parents.

Mah-Kee-Nac wouldn't be the same

The Morowitz family reunites for Parent Visiting Weekend at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac .. The camp became a small town on the weekend when it was flooded by over 1,200 visitors in addition to the over 600

o

.~ campers, counselors and support

~ staff.

OJ

§

'" "0

oj

{3

OJ

~

....

Compiled by Julian Gomperz - Navajo

On visiting day it was ajoyous sight to see all the kids and parents together, so the Totem asked parent about their initial reaction to Visiting Weekend .

"It seems to be so organized. The counselors and directors make it fun." - David Eisbrouch (Andrew)

"I love seeing happy kids. I love seeing Alex." - Tracy Mirenburg (Alex)

"I wish I could come here; I love the spirit of the campers and the counselors." - Robin Tully (Zach)

"Very hot, but fun. I love watching my kids." - Charles Seideman (Todd and Zach)

"It's awesome! There are so many great counselors." - David Kovacs (Jonathan)

"I think it's a beautiful place."

- Jose Cannan (Andres, Solomon and Kareem)

"It has been another great year and a very successful one .. " - Ira Eisenstein (Adam)

''This is great, warm and fun. The people and the spirit make camp fun." - Marlene Karpas (Eric)

"Sizzling and exciting! It's exciting to see the kids in action." - Rachele Rosenburg (Craig)

"Camp is in such beautiful shape. Everybody looks healthy and happy." - Bruce Laskin (David and Michael)

Tales from the camp MKN theater program preview

By Ian Assad - Navajo

Bright lights, Broadway and Tony awards. That's what some Mah-Kee-Nac campers might think of after working in the camp's drama program.

This year juniors and seniors will put on plays that director Anthony Richards says will be the best in camp history. Also directing wi1l be Carla Gerro and her daughter Sarah.

Juniors will put on a review of Dr. Seuss stories while the lower seniors wi1l share the roles of Peter Pan with Mah- Kee- N ac' s sister

camp, Danbee. The upper seniors will work with Danbee also on the hit musical 'Annie.' Richards says he chose these plays due to their fame and large number of parts.

Annie will be on the stage at Danbee on July 29 and 30. Peter

The MKN birthday

•

experience

By Ross Green - Cheyenne

The camper's birthday experience has gone through some revision over the past few years.

When a camper had a birthday in camp last year, he would have had the enjoyment of watching TV with his bunk for rest period. Also, the birthday

boy's bunk would receive cake after lunch and have his name on a birthday poster inside the mess hall.

But this year,

there are a few changes from previous years. Now the camper's bunk still has the enjoyment of watching their counselor catch the cake and the whole bunk still gets to eat it, but instead of watching TV, the birthday camper's bunk gets pizza after evening activity. This is much improved over watching TV.

And, of course, most importantly, the camper still gets his name on the birthday poster.

Pan will be here at MKN on August 3, and Dr. Seuss will set the stage ablaze in the Kruger Lodge on Sunday, August 8.

Both campers and counselors alike will work hard to make the backdrops, sound effects and props that generally make plays a great success. Richards and other helpers will play the music for th performances.

Many people are excited about the plays and until the shox goes on all will be in great antici· pation.

Good food, good company a brother/sister luncheons

By Aaron Levine ~ Navajo

Each Saturday Camps Mah-Kee-N ac and Danbee get together for the weekly brother/ sister luncheon. These luncheons give brothers, sisters, and often cousins, opportunities to meet and discuss how camp is going, share stories, and catch up on events of the

past week.

The location of the luncheon alternates between Danbee and Mah-Kee-Nac. The firs such luncheon this year was held at Danbee. Brothers were invited tl check out their sister's bunks and enjoy delicious food in familiar company.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .' . . . .

Got any story ideas?

We at the Totem would love to hear them Simply write the idea down and submit it to the Totem mailbox in the main office. Or, better still, write the story yourself and be published in the world-famous and award-winning Totem

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .' . . . . . '. . .

TheTh~m h~

s» Sports

Showing the competition

how it's done

On Tuesday, July 13th, Camp r-Kee-Nac demonstrated to the iping community that it ~s its basketball

ously,

On that day, the mean team arrived .ent, Connecticut, and led that 'Bigger is

:er!' Mah-Kee-Nac went in the round robin, easily .ating camps Wahnee, unont and Scatico but ng a heartbreaker to

lp Pontiac in their last round robin te,

"Losing to Pontiac was rstating, but the Mah-Kee-Nac

1 fought back knowing we'd have :her shot at them," said Coach

t Blake. In the single elimination

On the first Rookie Day of the summer on July 10,20 rookies visited Mah-Kee-Nac to see the camp for the first time ..

While they were here, they participated in many activities including art, basketball, soccer, tennis,WCM and riflery as well as going on a boat ride, taking part in a treasure hunt and having a pool party.

There are two Rookie Days this summer, the second of which will be held on Saturday, July 31. According to camp director Danny Metzger, two Rookie Days are necessary due to the overwhelming response the camp gets for these

. special days.

loud-speaker) .. The Mets led 5-2 most ; The purpose of Rookie Day

of the game, but it got closer near the

end as the Expos scored two more is to let potential campers who are

runs making the final score 5-4 for the interested in coming to Mah-Kee-

Mets, There were some great players Nac spend a day here to see for

on the Mets and Expos that may soon themselves what camp life is like.

make it to the Major Leagues. Parents accompanying

The game was still fun even potential campers meet Mah-Kee-

for those who don't enjoy baseball Nac Directors Danny and Nancy

because the food was delicious and before being taken on a tour of the

reasonably priced. Favorites included

camp.

Friendly's ice cream, nachos, coke, The concept of Rookie Day

pretzels, and pizza. Also, the souve- I came from Mah-Kee-Nac's sister nir stands had some cool memorabilia.

camp, Danbee. They had experi-

The game ended at 9:20 and

the kids loaded the buses that took mented with a Rookie Day and found it to be very successful. As a

result, Mah-Kee-Nac now holds these days, also with great success.

round, Mah-Kee-Nac defeated Kenmont to advance to the final to face Camp Pontiac. Led by tourna-

ment MVP Kareem Canaan and an arsenal of big men and tenacious guards, Mah-Kee-Nac was triumphant over Camp Pontiac to take the camp's first B-Ball tournament

victory of the '99 season. Members of the team included

Daniel Winston,

David Fries, Adam Brownstein, Brian Brauntuch, Matt Krasnoff, Ian Pillinger, Justin Schacter, Alex Cion and, of course, Andrew Left,

Of course, according to Coach Blake, "this first victory will by no means be the camp's last,"

Take me out to the ballgame

A Mah-Kee-Nac evening with the Pittsfield Mets

By Eli Shoham - Cheyenne

On the evening ofJuly 15th the fennes were on their way to a fun-

f time at the Pittsfield Mets game.

They arrived at the ballpark at nd 7 :00 pm. Lower Senior Head nselor Greg Bloom handed out !ts to all the campers and counse-

and they headed up to the seats atch the Mets pJay the Vermont JS.

In the first inning, the Expos ill early lead with two runs. As ~ame progressed, it got more ling. The Mets tied the game at

and later scored three more runs iding a home run hit by Mike .dows (which sounded astound-

I like 'Mike Manno' over the

them back to camp to end another exciting day at Mah-Kee- N ac.

Notes

Camper for a day

Rookies experience MKN for the first time

By Matt Morowitz - Mohican

e Totem Page 9

(Above) Campers Dan Winston and Adam Brownstein work at the woodshop as their [amilies look on during Parent Visiting Weekend.}

You Ought to be in pictures!

Life at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac

(Above) Lower Seniors battle for the puck at the Mah-Kee-Nac Roller Hockey Rink.

(Above) Senecas Adam Metzger and Mike Arons visiting Cape Cod with the rest of the tribe.

( Right) William I Lenkowsky displays I his new-found froggy friend.

Answers to last weeks Game and Puzzle page:

Triangle: 29

Word Jumble: Hockey, Canada, Totem, Photo Secret word: Camp

Questions of the week:

1) Larry Walker

2) Ernie Banks

3) Eddie Matthews

Crossword:

The Totem will not be making crossword puzzles

I anymore because the editor cannot get them right.

The second '3' down in last week's Totem beginni with 'C' is CLEMENTE.

4) John Valinton

5) St. Louis Browns

I Across

1) Ripken

2) Mattingly

3) Cyclone

4) Brock

5) Toronto

6) Larry

7) Morgan

8) McDonald

Down

1) Robinson

2) Peach

3) Jimenez

4) Baltimore

5) Berra

6) Denton

7) Kaat

8) KendaH

gust II, 1999 The Western Massachusetts Premier Camp Magazine Vol. 53 • Issue 4

TO~I;E~

The Western Massachusettes Premier Camp Magazine

Publishers: Danny and Nancy Metzger

Editor: Corey Cooke Photo Editor: Dylan Pearcy

Contr.ibutors:

Ian Assael, Harry Black, Brian Brauntuch, Andy Cole, Barry Finder, Matt Finkel, Scott Friend, Jeremy GeT on, Jo hua Goldman, Julian Gompertz, Ross Green Will Lenkowsky, Aaron Levine, Eric Levy, I Neil Levy, Jeremy Nowak, Ian Pillinger, Dillon Reuben, Jeffrey Rubin, Eli Shoham, Jason Werner

Photo Contributors:

Jake Glad tone, Elijah Duncan David 'Speedy' Fein, Charlie Mele, Alan Rudolph, Dan Shaw

Design: Corey Cooke

Printing: Quality Printing Co.

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac Summer Office

6 Hawthorne Road Lenox, Massachusettes 01240 (4] 3) 637-0781

W.inter Office 190 Linden Avenue

Glen Ridge, New Jersey 07028 (973) 429-8522

The Totem is a weekly journal of Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, a summer boys camp in

Lenox, Massachusetts.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the writer and should not be affiliated with those of the Totem or Camp Mah-Kee-Nac.

Correspondence may be delivered to the Totem Mailbox in the MKN Office

Cover

MKN Cruises into Carnival '95

By eu Shoham

The day may have started out lazy, but by the aftemoon, everyone at Mah-Kee-Nac was active.

On August i-, Mah-Kee-Nac held its long awaited Carnival. It began with preparations for the midway as all the booths were built and decorated. Many bunks were very creative in decorating their booths, and took a while to make them look just right

At the end of

the carnival preparation time, every camper was gathered around the Junior Baseball field to witness the wellknown Seneca PieEating Contest. After two minutes, it was declared that Seneca Josh Henry was the winner over the favorite Daniel Jablon. From here the midway opened and the carnival officially began.

All of the rides and exciterm of carnival made campers extremely hungry .. Food from McDonald's was brought in. along with cotton candy, nachos and sno cones. Each tribe w, caned to the food court at different times. They received their meals fro Senecas who served the other camp to uphold the tradition.

In the early evening, the car val came to a close, and everyone began to clean. up the mess that had become of J unior Field.

After dinner each tribe participated in the 71 SI annual camp sing was a grueling ba with camper rend nons of such pop songs as 'All Suu by Smashmouth : 'You Don't Impre Me Much' by Shj Twain. Of course the lyrics of these songs had been dramatically alter to fit the tribal. sp at Mah-Kee-Nac

The Cheyenne Tribe sang their hearts out at the an-

nual all-camp sing.

Some campers

went to booths, and others began with rides such as Human Foosball, the Sports Challenge, Sumo Wrestling, and boxing with over-sized gloves and headgear.

The booths were some of the best Mah-Kee-Nac has ever seen including Bunk 29's 'Chugging Challenge', Bunk 33's 'Maze', and Bunk 31's 'What's Bessie Singing?'. The booths not only attracted campers of all ages, but counselors as well. It was the creativity of the booths as well as the interesting prizes, such as high five from Eli Levine, Fribbles, sodas and candy that kept everyone coming back for more.

the end, it was the Cheyennes and Iraq uoi s that tied to win the event b performing their own I yricall y-alter versions of 'Livin' La Vida Loca' b' Ricky Martin and 'It's All Been DOl by the Barenaked Ladies respective

The Senecas added to the sl with the singing of 'Wacky Mah-Ke Nacky' accompanied by campers dressed up as Lower Senior Head Counselor 'Big' Greg Bloom, caml Owner Danny Metzger and A-I ten instructor Eli Levine. The Senecas performed 'Taps' to draw the night close; a fitting conclusion to a fanta day ..

The Totem Pag

pers saw the world in a whole new way at the 1999 Carnival.

Camper thoughts on Carnival

The carnival was the best because all of the booths were :llent. Everyone worked really

and it turned out great. The ) were definitely a lot of fun. Sumo Wrestling was really ry.

This year's carnival was iitely the best ever .

• Matthew Finkel - Mohican

I did many fun things at the ival.

First I went to the 'Candy in -lay Stack' booth. Next, I went .e soccer shootout, which was mnk's booth. I took my shift, me of my bunk-mates said that I not have to. So, I went to the .0 Wrestling Ring and got my

l knocked off about 3 times (it great!). I went on all the air

; about five times each. The air ; were Sports Challenge, Sumo

Even bobbing for apples was on the agenda at this year ~s carnival. Danny Baneman picks up his second apple as he also picks up a face full of water.

Wrestling, Human Foosball, Jumping Arena and the Giant Slide. Then I did a couple of other fun booths on the Midway before the carnival ended.

After dinner, the Camp Sing began. When that ended, I was really tired .. It was a great day. - Will Lenkowsky - Navajo

Carnival '99 was great fun because every bunk got to choose what they wanted to do s for their midway station. As a

Q)

~ result, all the stations were differ-

::.. ent. Campers had the chance to set

o

~ the record at the booths, which

,c..

; was also fun.

S With all of the inflatab1e

activities, campers were kept well occupied and with all the food, campers were never hungry - even at dinner.

- Ian Pitlinger - Mohican

Totem Page 3

MKN Rocks with MTV Night

Dillon Reuben & Neil Levy - Mohicans, Jeremy Nowak - Cherokee, Josh Goldman & Jeremy Gerson - Cheyen

MTV Night here at Mah-KeeNac has become an annual tradition that is renewed each and every year with fresh music and material.

MKN Program Director Andy Cole says the MTV Night began in 1985. It was created as a junior camp evening activity, but as the event grew in popularity, it expanded into Lower Senior and Upper Senior camps as welt AC says he thought of the activity when he was singing in the shower. The song was by Bruce Springsteen. His main idea was to bring joy to campers as they watched their friends put on an act with bright colors and shining lights. Cole thought that if he loved to sing and

(Above) The ghostly image of Chris Azorr was a highlight at each MTV Night. (Left) Griffin Newman as Austin Powers gettin' funky at MTV Night. Bunk 26 made a show out of Madonna's (Beautiful Stranger' from the latest Austin. Powers movie.

lip-synch in the shower, maybe kids would like it as well. The first couple of years this activity was very will received, and the kids loved it

Every summer there are new bunks that win the event, but what does a judge look for in deciding on the winning bunk? Mike Dale, one of this year's judges, says he looked for lip-synching abilities, choreography, originality,

costuming, and the overall

affect.

Bunks 6 and 10 were winne of the event. Bunk 6 did Imergalacti Planetary by Beasty Boys and Buill did 1 Want It That Way by Backstree Boys .. They each had 1.42 points.

Guest stars of the

evening were Toadfish an Spike. They were really r: 'Juan' Marsh and Andres (Andy) Thorne. They ask: trivia questions after each

song, and gave out candy correct answers.

The winners of MTV night their names on a plaque in the Kru Lodge.

Most bunks had two or thn days to practice. All the bunks did good job and had good costumes 2 props. Congratulations to bunks 6 1O!

Bright lights and Rock n' 1 were the ingredients for a successt and enjoyable MTV night in Uppe Senior camp. On July 25, the Upp Seniors burst onto the stage of the Kluger lodge for their event.

According to MC Richardt this was the first year the Upper Seniors performed in an MTV nig Much rehearsal took place in cann for many days until the big night.

The night began with Richards bur ting onto the stage a announcing the beginning of the f Upper Senior MTV Night. Howe, Ken Sanders, who cleared the sta! for Chris AZOlT to perform his ren tion of Michael Jackson's "Bad," quickly interrupted the event.

After Azorr completed his 8 flaming performance, MTV night ~ truly got underway with acts, inch

, ing Bunk 38's Fight for Your Righ ~

S' Party by the Beasty Boys, Bunk 4

...... __ ... Ul

Anthony Richards made MTV Night possible this year. He decorated the Kruger Lodge with all kinds of different signs and decorations to make this year's MTV Night the best ever. Mark Berenson helped Anthony out a lot by working a11 the music and aiding in the decorating process.

On Thursday July 22, Junior Camp held the first MTV night of the

The Totem Pag

t by Limp Bizkit, and Bunk 44' s 7_S by Steps.

Richards and Azorr' stri via, in h campers had the opportunity to .andy by answering complicated ions, highlighted the night

g the Upper Senior event as

In the end, when the scores tallied, the tribe winners were okee Bunk 39 with Come Sail I by Eric Cartman, Algonquin

40 with Bawitdaba by Kid , and Seneca Bunk 51 with

1 Your Eyes Out by 'Weird' A1 ovic. The overall winners were ampers from Bunk 39, which ded Jon Gold, Matthew Cohen, ~ Morowitz, Andrew

erstock, Jason Meyer, Julian

in, Martin Douglas, Josh Steifel, 11 Levy, Andrew Nahmias, and, urse, Jeremy Nowak.

MTV Night started off for the :r Seniors with a bang and ended an explosion.

The Lower Senior MTV Night I wonderful occasion full of fun, 'n' roll, and cross-dressing.

Three bunks had their hard and practice payoff at Lower

lr MTV Night on July 27 ... Bunk as the Cheyenne winner with performance of Will Smith's Wild West .. Bunk 28 was the

er for the Navajos with their

In of KC and Jo Jo's All My

The grand winning bunk, which lave a plaque of their bunk hung ~ Kruger Lodge in perpetuity was .32 with Welcome to the Jungle uns 'n' Roses. Everyone enjoyed lOW very much.

It is important to mention, the Ie and bunks that worked dili-

y dunking themselves in paint acrificing their bodies for the nis occasion of MTV Night.

The 1999 MTV Night was another one ofMKN's great :sses.

(Above) Navajos Perry Flowers and Andrew Klein prior to taking the stage at MTV Night.

Man on the street Compiled by Ross Green

MTV Night has become such a monumental part of Mah-Kee-Nac life that we at the Totem thought it would be interesting to see what it is about MTV Night that contributes to its continuing success ..

"I liked watching everyone perform because some bunks made their acts funny. It was cool seeing their acts and how they tried to imitate the music video."

- David Herzberg - Navajo

"I liked everything about it because it is fun to see everyone working hard and trying there best."

- Zach Gering - Cheyenne

"I liked watching the other bunks put on an act because it is fun to watch kids dress up in. weird clothes and how they interpret their songs."

- Josh Goldman - Cheyenne

"1 like to see surprises from each bunk because you never know what to expect."

- 1 ason Werner - Cheyenne

"I enjoyed watching the other bunks perform because it was good entertainment."

- Aaron Levine - Navajo.

"I really liked bunk 32's performance. It was good because Michael Lehrhoff (the lead singer) did really well. He knew all the words and the expressions on his face made it even better."

- Ian AssaeI - Navajo

"I liked it when I break danced in front of everyone because it was fun and I get a lot of complements from people."

- Nick Jimenez - Cheyenne

Life at Mah-Kee-Na

You ought to be in

(Left) Seneca Josh Henry celebrates a messy victory after theMKN Games' Focus Event. The activity known as 'Pudding Us On' involved large amounts of chocolate pudding and enthusiasm on behalf of the Senecas.

(Right) Justin Neira looks serious.

Come on Justin, smilefor the camera!

(Above) The Senecas 'Pudding Us On' in I only their parents COl

(Right) CIT Sam Cutler and Junior Camp counselor Andy "Woody' Wood were the winners in the counselor division of the juggling contest in the 1999 Carnival.

The Totem Pa

ver looked so good!

es: special edition

(Right) Bowling for cans was only one of the many activities on the MKN Midway.

ry photo following 'Focus Event. If v.

(Left) Mohican Alex Cole throws up his arms at the nerf basketball booth in the midway.

o

.~

""

z

,

(Left) Even Iroquois get involved in football at .MKN~ Josh Liemer (left) catches the ball and goes for a run against Jon Kovacs.

;>, '0

H

0. ell

'0

os:

oj

Q~------------------~~

Tales from the camp

Campers introduced to arena football

arena football and the NFL-style football were interesting. The field that they played on was only 50 yards; exactly half the size of a regular football field. The game was about 2 hours long; NFL games are usually 3 hours long and have longer quarters.

The shortness of the field made it easier to score which meant a much higher scoring game than standard football.

The enthusiasm of the campers at the game made the experience an exciting one. The game finished in favor of Albany with a score of 71 - 39.

The Upper Senior experience at the Albany Firebirds game was more than enough to cap another day at Mab-Kee-Nac. Following the game, the campers drove back to

camp and retired for the night.

Peter Meyer: standing the test of time

By Jeremy Nowak

It combines all the excitement of the NFL on a smaller scale. That's

how some might describe the recent Upper Senior Arena Football trip.

On Saturday July 24, the Upper Seniors went to Albany, New York to see the Albany Firebirds play against the Florida Bobcats. The game took place in the Pepsi arena, the home of the Firebirds.

After the campers got off their buses and received their tickets, they headed to the concession stand. The game started explosively with fireworks as they introduced both teams. Upon the opening kick, Florida received the ball. The ball was intercepted, though, and Albany scored with the greatest of ease.

Notable differences between

By Aaron Levine

Peter Meyer has been involved with Camp Mah-Kee-Nac for a long time.

The choice of teaching gave Meyer the summer off. When his ons were old enough to go to camp, they came to Mah-Kee-Nac. One fateful Visiting Day five years ago, Meyer was at MahKee-N ac when he heard a

Meyer began here back in the dark ages of 1971 as a swimming instructor and counselor. Back then, Meyer says, the camp was very different. There was no pool, hockey rink, field house, Seneca House or female counselors. There were also

familiar voice. It was the sound of former camp director Steven Rubin asking "What are you doing here?" It was that conversation that convinced Meyer to come back to Mah- Kee-Nac, but as head of the Jr.

Tennis Program.

Five years later, Meyer is still here, and remains head of the Jr. Tennis

Veteran

~~

.t ...

Peter Meyer - MKN

waiters in the mess hall!

Meyer left in 1976 and took time away from the camp to begin a family and become a schoolteacher.

Program.

Notes

Learning from the pn

By Harry Black ~ Mohican

Recently Camp Mah-Kee-Na wa visited by the Pittsfield Mets and given the opportunity to learn from th experience.

Five Mets and one coach em to teach the campers how to catch a p fly, how to field a ground ball, and, al end, each Met offered constructive criticism to each camper on how they might improve their game.

The highlight of the clinic ws when the Mets signed autographs for campers. This gave campers an OppOl nity to speak one on one with the plaj

It was certainly a lot of fun baving the Mets come to camp.

MKN nurses to the resc

By Julian Gompertz

The nurses are just one of the very good things at Camp Mah- Kee-J There are si x nurses in the he center, and they come from all over

·1 America. Head Nurse Anne LaMotte from Massachusetts, and her staff of Kent Henderson, from Ari.zona, Ainu Adams, from North Carolina, Kathy Marcus Jimenez, from Texa , and Sa Delacruz, from New Jersey make it 1 business to patch up the assortment c injuries that are sometimes acquired: the midst of a grueling Mah-Kee-Nar schedule.

The staff in the health center typically stays for the entire summer, which gives them the opportunity to to know campers quite well. On aver the health center sees about 125 cam pass through its doors every day.

Perhaps the most common injuries include, but are by no means limited to, stuffy noses, sore throats; headaches.

LaMotte says that, as a retur nurse to the health center, she looks

!I

, forward to the summer.

1 love being a nurse," she s; "I just love camp .. "

- -

The Totem Pa

Close cal!: at ennis exchange

On July 15, 40 Mohican campers j in 20 doubles matches against

iu. Ten matches were played at

Ju, and the other ten were played here. . of the matches were close, but when tst settled, Winadu had won with an

11 core of 12-8. MKN got redemption invitational, though.

The following is a listing of the

er pairs who played their hearts out at :change: Evan Ludwig and Maxx man; Brian Brauntach and Ross

r: Scott Liebman and Mike J ureUer;

I Fish and Matt Finkel; Matt Brody

ill Pillinger; Max Mautner and Alex Sam Lichtenstein and Brett Parker; Black and Alex Chanin; Andrew Leff oss Cybul; Adam Brounstein and Odwin; Daniel Winston and Michael it; Max Ku ovitsky and Jason Jacobs; Freydberg and Alex CoJe; Lenny

; and Joe Nerenberg; Josh Verlin and 30ttlieb; Neil Levy and Zach Carter; . Goldberg and Dillon Reuben; Justin ter and Steve Shorr; Spencer Kahn orey Schnieder; and Max Selver and ~ren tein.

~o trophies, only watermelons

ott Friend - Mohicall

"What is the Watermelon

e?" asks a curious camper. The .r is more complex than one may

A Watermelon League is a league vacky team names like 'Adam gton's Buttery Porkchops,' 'Ugly sting Mini Me's,' 'The Mega

LIs,' 'The Rejects,' 'Juan Den's Raw and 'The Purple Punks.'

A Watermelon League al 0 has

e ports such as Australian-Rules aU, One-Pitch/One Throw Baseball, ticket.

When the games are aU done for ght, teams get watermelons. But the 11e prize comes at the end of the

l when the teams are treated to nelon 'fribbles' from Friendly's.

the Watermelon League.

",if£t7 .fjTUi"tY

Preparing for the pro tour

MKN teaches new golfers the tricks of the trade

Lamotte, for example, comes from New Jersey, whereas Stuart Mclnnes comes from as far away as Scotland.

Campers learn on the 6- hole, par 3 course here at the camp. Fellow golf instructor Martin Watson gleamed when he informed the Totem that he and Strassner hold the course record of -10 for 18 holes! Strassner calls the small cour e "a fundamental teaching aid which allow development of swing etiquette and course management."

Some aids that the golf program uses to help the kids improve their game are the swing plain, putting track, and a swing speed monitor. These tools give

. ~ both golfers and instructors the ~ opportunity to analyze and

I correct stance and swing while ] increasing distance.

en

~ Four days a week,

1... ...:L,.i:;;;.... .....~ 0 campers in the program travel

Junior golfer Adam Raphael practices to the local golf cour e for a 9

his putting stance and swing on MKN's holes of play. There golfers can

practice green. test out the skills that they have

learned at Mah-Kee-Nac. Also, from time to time during the summer, campers in the golf program retire to the library to observe the talents of professional golfers at work on the PGA Tour. It is here that campers gain the valuable knowledge of playing golf that will certainly lead them to extended careers on the tour!

Barry Finder - Cheyenne

The Mah-Kee-Nac golf program, which started about 50 years ago, aims to help with stance, swing, distance and other special skills required for the game.

'We give the campers the basics of the swing, a well as teaching skills like chipping, putting, and pitching," said golf counselor Terry Strassner .. "Through teamwork, dedication and enthusiasm we instill proper technique into each campers golf swing."

II Golf counselors come from near

. and far. Part-time counselor Brad

Correction:

The article in. the last edition of the Totem entitled 'Has Nancy Metzger gone to the birds?' was written by Jan Pillinger as well as Matt Finkel. The Totem, apologizes for this horrible and

unforgivable omission.

Totem Page 9

Sports

Fire in the gut!

Mah-Kee-Nac emerges triumphantly at Tennis Invitationa

Did somebody say 'Underdog'? Nobody told the MKN Tennis Team that they were not supposed to win the Tennis Invitational. (From left) Seneca Jordan Koss, Mohicans Maxx Kauffman & Evan Ludwig and Chen David Warner.

Few would have thought that a sleepy Thursday morning, in beautiful Berkshire weather, would prove to be the scene for a momentous clash of the titans. All the pre-tournament money was on a Winadu team who had yet to be beaten in team tournament tennis. However, the Mab-Kee-Nac team showed scant regard for reputations once the matches got underway.

The dynamic duo of Kahane and Birtwistle had worked through the night to perfect the draw sheets so that. the tournament could get off to a flying start. As the Big Daddy pointed out, "The Invitational is pretty much the climax of our competitive tennis season. We wanted to make sure everything worked out perfectly."

All eyes were on the much-fancied Winadu team, but in the early rounds it was the Mah-Kee-Nac boys who made the better progress. Mah-Kee-Nac survived their first round matches unscathed and this set the home team up for the tournament run-in. Mike Birtwistle was seen frantically running about co-ordinating the coaching; but, beneath the superficial chaos, lay a steely determination to

succeed.

It appeared as though the home team would ha to settle for second place after they lost out in a couple close matches; both Ian Borg & Josh Scheinerman anr Jason Feld & Brad Feldman were edged out of tie-bre. ers by Winadu despite good performances. However, , goes around turns around, and ultimately it was the M boys who were to triumph at the last.

Jordan Koss had moved quietly through the ea rounds of the 15.6 singles before coming through a t01 semi-final. Coach Derrick Bell commented that, "Jord tennis brain is amazing. He uses his brain to get himse out of tough situations which he has no right to escape This set him up for an even tougher final against Wine which he eventually won 8-6.

The drama of the Koss match may have taken most of the spectators away from Flushing Meadow, b this did not stop the finale to one of the mo t dramatic stories of a dramatic day. Evan Ludwig and Maxx Kauffman had come through an emotional semi-final '

The Totem Page

~)p0if:fW~_~.%:".:w~(&FJifd?N ~:5'Ci'f;('~

:1£). However their job was only half done, for they lad to face the might of a Winadu doubles pairing were clearly very confident. This did not stop the from Junior Camp, playing their first Camp tourna, from racing to an early lead. Despite a mid-match ile, Coach Birtwistle maintained that he remained dent that Mah-Kee-Nac would triumph throughout. boys have clearly been taught well by the Junior

s program. They have tbe shots. All they needed to as believe in themselves. They may have only been cans, but today they played like real men."

By thi.s time, Mike and Jon had done their sums. .cores had come out at 29-29 between Mah-Kee-Nac Vinadu going into the finals .. However, mission

01 was quite happy to propagate tbe mistruth tbat Kee-Nac was out of the running, The duo pointed rat, "A little dis information never hurt anyone. We vanted to take the pressure off Dave Warner."

If Warner felt any pressure, he certainly didn't

it. Despite falling behind early on, he staged an ed comeback in front of a sell-out crowd on Court

e excitement climaxed in a tense tie-breaker in which er eventually prevailed. When asked how he felt

: winning the Mah-Kee-Nac, his only comment was, nk I'm going to throw up." Birtwistle added, "I'm

y surprised. The effort he put into that match was

.y phenomenal. He really had fire in the gut!"

The result of this match ensured that Mah- Kee'egaine:d the Invitational trophy. The efforts of all the rs did not go unnoticed. Scott Cohen said, "Those matches were really tense. All the crowd was really lUS, although the most nervous spectator was

ristle, I thought he was going to explode!" Coach

m added, "That was high drama. All the crowd were IUS. If Birtwistle was bad, then Kahane did not even watch."

As the trophy was lifted, and Coach Birtwistle was I a ceremonial soaking in iced water, the tennis staff eft to reflect on a momentous day .. Justin Kirouac "Our boys were amazing. There were so many good nuances that it is impossible to single out an MVP. vinners were obviously outstanding, but so was

ew Davidson who reached the semi-finals against all

It was great to see our players scrapping for every

. That is how tennis should be played .. " For once the nie duo of Birtwistle and Kahane were lost for

s. When asked how they felt, their only reply was, must start making the draw for next year!"

Mirri- galf cornpenrron rierce when Cherokee's involved

By Andy Cole

It was a windmill, sure. But it was more than

II that I looked at Graham Zifferer, Graham looked at AJ. :. Stott. AI. Stott looked at the windmill. The windmill looked at me.

So began a grueling round of miniature golf at the challenging "Funfipot" course at Weirs Beach, New Hampshire (rated third among New Hampshire's Minigolf courses, behind 'Mel's Golf & Live Bait Outpost' and the nice little course AI and Lurlene Stool put in behind their trailer in Concord).

As we stared down the 15 feet of fairway of the par-2 first hole, the rest of my threesome looked ready for any hurdles that might come their way. After all, their Cherokee tribe had won the majority of their intercamp games against host Camp Winaukee the past two days. And, just as importantly, they had romanced the hearts of the girls at Camp Robindel th.e night before ..

The competition turned out to be gentlemanly, but fierce. Concentration was intense, with only the slight distraction of the twosome in front of us - Zach Toland and Ian Borg - celebrating a "hole-in-one" at a miraculous rate of every other hole.

By the time we reached the treacherous 12tl\ our time to leave had arrived .. While I totaled the scores, my two golfmates managed to "speed-golf' their way through six exhibition holes in four minutes .. The final scores were Graham, 33; AJ., 33; A.C., 29.

And just to prove this all happened, I brought back a souvenir from the 18th hole:

Route 3,. Weirs Beach, NH

Totem . Page 11

GOOD FOR 1 FREE ROUND OF GOLF

on the Lakes Region's Only

Classic Mini-Golf Course

WAIT'l YOU SEE All THf FUN Wf'Vf GOT!

The fun and games page

Answers will be published in next week s Tote'II\' Last ",eek's answers on this page.

Questions of the week

By Joshua Goldman

Submit answers to the following questions to the Totem mailbox in the main office. The camper with the most correct answers will have his name published in the next issue of the Totem and will be the subject of envy and awe. We're serious ... really.

1) Who was the original "Rocket" of the NHL ?

2) Who was the first MLB All-Star game'"MvF?

3) In 1997 the NHL A.ll-Star MVP was Marc Reeci.

How many goals and assists did he ge in that game?

4) Who was the first MLB player to.make over $100,000 in one season?

5) Who scored the game winning (an subsequently series winning) goal in game 4 in the 1999 Stanley Cup Series?

Word Puzzle

By Jason Werner Determine the common word pma::ses from the I following puzzles:

Word scramble

By Brian Brauntuch

Decipher the following to reveal the secret wo

11. selalbktba: _ -0- _

2) igponngp: -Q_ __

3) ololatbt: --0- _

4) escocr: -0

5) ellints:O _

6) leablsab: _ -0- _

Secret word: _

The Totem Poll

By Joshua Goldman

The 1999 baseball season is rounding out tr be a spectacular one. Many milestones may be achieved and records may be broken. We at the Totem thought it would be interesting to see what t average MJ<N camper see. as having the best chan of ha"ppening (35 people were asked):

Ped! Martinez winning 30 games 45%

Manny Ramirez breaking the RBI record

20%

Jose Canseco hiting 60 or more HR's

15%

1)

3) WAVE

4) WORKING TIME

5) ~ Z Z

~

6) Red. Riding Hood

'20%

Answers to last weeks' Game and Puzzle p, Questions of the week:

1) Bernie Williams

2) N ornar Garclapparra

3) 101

4) Roger Clemens

5) Greg Vaughn, Mark McGwire, Samm:

Sosa, Ken Griffy Jr.

------

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac

The fun and games page

Answers will be publishedtln n Xit w ek's totem. Last eek's answers on tbis page.

Questions of the .week

By Joshua Goldman

Submit answers to the following questions to the Totem mailbox in the main office. The camper with the most correct answers will have his: name published in the next issue of the otem W]ili win e the subject of envy and awe, We're seriolls .... reaIly.

1) Who was the original "Rocket" of the NHL?

2) Who was the first MLB All-Star gafue MVP?

3) In 1997 the ~An-Star MVP was Mar,G Recci.

How manl' goa\s and assists did he-ge I in that game?

4) Who was the first MLB player to make over $100,000 in one season?

Word scramble

By Brian Brauntacb

Decipher the following to eveal the secret WOI

1) selalbktba: _ ~O- _

2) igponngp: -0- __

3) ololafbt: _ -O~ _

4) escocr: --0

5) enints:o _

6) Ieablsab: _ -0- _

Secret word:

The Totem_Poll By Joshua Goldman

The 1999 baseball season is rounding out tc be a spectacular one. Many milestones may be achieved and records may be broken. We at the Totem thought it would be interesting to see what t average MKN camper ees as having the best chan of happening (35 people were asked):

5) Who scored the game winning (and subsequently series winning) goal in game 4 in the 1999 Stanley Cup Series?

Word Puzzles

Pedro Martinez winning 30 games 45%

By. Ja on. Werner Determine the common word phrases from the following puzzles:

3) WAVE

5) ~ Z Z ;:;

00

1)

Manny Ramirez breaking the RBI record 20%

Jose Canseco hiring 60 or rna e HR's 15%

4) WORKING TIME

Ton~:'~ernanclez hitting aye 0400

20%

Answers to last weeks' Game and Puzzle ps Questions of the week:

1) Bernie Williams

2) Nernar Gatdapparra 3) a

4) Roger Clemens

5) Greg Vaughn, Mark McGwire, Sammj Sosa, Ken Griffy Jr.

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac

The fun and games 114 page

Answers will be published in issue #6 in the yearbook. ast week's answers on page 8.

1) Who i the omy person to hit mere nome runs than singles in a season?

Questions of the week:

By Joshua Goldman

e his first

2) In what year did Satchel Paige start in the major leagues?

3) Which team has the record for the most runs

scored in the first inning? How many were scored?

4) Ho~.many 200 hit seasons bas Ted Williams lu in his career?

5) Jim Kaat and Brooks Robinson are tied for the record for the most career gold glove awards. How many do they each have?

Targets not the only thing campers shoot fc in MKN Riflry Program

By Ross Green and Josh Goldman - Cheyennes

Every year Mah-Kee-Nac shooters strive for one goal and one goal only. This goal is to be in the Mah- Kee- N ac Invitational Riflery Tournament.

The mo t accomplished shooters in Mah-Kee-Nac compete against each other for the title of Mah- Kee-Nac's best

hooter at the annual tournament. This year, Mah-Kee-Nac's shooting department had 18 members on the second level of three Olympic levels. According to head of the Sr. Riflery Program, Moshe Baitel, to even get past the first level is a tremendous achievement.

This year, in another extraordinary feat, three Navajos have completed 50 targets. They are Adam Alovis, Scott Bres ler and Adam Winkler.

Baitel says that the riflery

"Everything works in a system. Everyone earns thei title," he said. "The awards the kids earn here are genuine at authentic. "

Some days, towards the end of camp, Baitel says, a not regular progeram days. On these days, instead of shootii targets, campers may have competitions. One such competit is the tennis ball hoot where campers shoot a ball as far a can. Baitel assures that such an activity as riflery promotes happiness and is free from danger.

'1 want my students shoot the be t targets they ca achieve. I also want themto I happy. But most of all, I war them to be safe."

Baitel is particularly proud of the fact that in 199£ camp' riflery program won .§ year's title of top camp rifler ~ program in America. Mah-K '" Nac was one club of 10,000 .:.c

g the country that was in conte

~ for the prestigious award.

8 "Among oUI shootin

program happened to be a ve effective and educated group shooters have fun under a tI:

umbrella of safety." Baitel also said, «The basic daily work part of this milestone in their lives. Target shooting, which i positive, shows campers to focus and concentrate. But most all, it gets them to realize and achieve goals that they've wo

program is very important to campers at Mah-Kee-Nac,

"This short period of the past few weeks will be remembered by the camper a a milestone in their lives," Baitel said. "Hopefully, it will make them better decision makers in striving for their goals and targets."

Baitel jokes that his favorite part of camp is located right beside the swimming pool. This area, of course, is the riflery range. The activities inside the range, aocording to Baitel are very organized, and the campers learn from such a process.

Adam 'Anakin' Alovis getting ready to fire another round at the Sr. Rfilery Range.

for."

The Totem Pa

3aker Hall breaths new life

into old pro grana

aron Levine - Navajo irey Cooke - Totem

Mah-Kee-Nac is still going

g after more than 70 years of uion, This is evident in the !lUOUS expansion and improveof the camp facilities. This year ed the opening of the latest

ion to the campus, the new gym ;ameroom known as Baker Hall.

The building was named in ary of long-time Mah-Kee-Nac idskeeper Vern Baker, who

d on a few years ago.

Camp rDanny

ger decided ild the new ty in order to lp space 10 ieldhouse and improve the fitness :ame areas. Now there is a

td gym in place of the old game uness room. The new facility is nuch brighter, more open and fresh environment that is sure to

(Left) The recreational games facility in Baker Hall offers Juniors much improvement over the old gameroom in the Fieldhouse. Here, Counselor James Heath and Iroquois (L-R) Evan

~ Diamond, Brett Iureller and Logan ~ Berkowitz demonstrate their bumperJ;! pool 'teamwork.'

g (Below) Algonquin Eric Mausner

';, shows off his pipes ill the new fitness

• ~ area of MKN's newest facility .. \j

Construction on Baker Hall began in spring of 1999, in time to be completed by the beginning of the camping season. The building carried with it a price tag of between $50,000 and $60,000, and local contractors did all the work on the facility.

Next year, Mah-Kee-Nac may to build a new Lower-Senior recreation hall to complement Baker Hall.

With an ever-full camp popu- 1ation, Mah-Kee-Nac is continuously looking to stay on top of things and provide adequate facilities for camp-

increased interest to the fitness ers,

am.

T O~r~elac~1_V[

The Western Massachusettes Premier Camp Magazine

Publishers: Danny and Nancy Metzger

Editor: Corey Cooke Photo Ed.itor: Dylan Pearcy

Contributors:

Harry Black, Brian Brauntuch, Andy Cole, Barry Finder, Matt Finkel, Scott Friend, Jeremy Gerson, Joshua Goldman, Julian Gompertz, Ross Green, Will Lenkowsky, Aaron Levine, Eric Levy, Neil Levy, Jeremy Nowak, Ian Pillinger, Dillon Rubin, Jeffrey Reuben, Eli Shoham

Steven Brauntuch, the Totem wants you!

Photo Contributors:

Toni Bloom, Alan Rudolph

Design: Corey Cooke

Printing: Quality Printing Co.

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac Summer Office

6 Hawthorne Road Lenox, Massachusettes 01240 (4]3) 637-0781

Winter Office 190 Linden Avenue

Glen Ridge, New Jersey 07028 (973) 429-8522

The Totem is a weekly journal of Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, a summer boys camp in Lenox, Massachusetts.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the writer and should not be affiliated with those of the Totem or Camp Mah-Kee-Nac.

Correspondence may be delivered to the Totem Mailbox in the MKN Office or by writing to the above addresses.

Cover

Broadway, here we come!

MKN Theatre Program review

JJ

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By Jeffrey Rubin - Cherokee, Aaron Levine - Navajo & Corey Cooke - Totem

The Drama Program here at Mah-Kee-Nac has outdone itself for yet another year. The cast of the performance in each camp put on familiar plays with a style and professionalism that resounded of Broadway.

Every year the Upper Senior put on a play with MahKee-Nac's sister camp, Danbee. The choice this year was the popular musical Annie.

The haws were performed on July 29th and 30u, and ran very smoothly on both occasions. Everyone in the play had fun putting it on and the audience showed their appreciation through their applause.

The show was directed by Tina Beard and Kathryn Batycky and starred Laura Heumann as Annie, Jordan Ledy as Daddy Warbucks, Jaye Samuels as Ms. Hannigan, Adam Metzger as Rooster, Rachel Shuman as Lily, and Maddy Weinstein as Sandy.

The show was a fantastic success and all participants should be proud of their effort.

The Lower Senior play this summer was the timeless clas ic Peter Pan. Performances were held on August 3rt1 and 5th here at Mah-Kee-Nac in the Kruger Lodge. This play was also a joint venture with Mah-Kee-Nac's sister camp, Danbee.

The show starred Danbee campers Vicky Schussler as Wendy and Danielle Pogachefsky as Little Fern. Mah-Kee-Nac Campers in the starring roles were Logan Needle as Peter, Sean Posner as Michael, Michael Feld as Captain Hook, Ben Schein as John, and Brett Kern as Smee,

But there was more than just cast in this party.

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(Above) The evil Dr. Hook as played by Cheyenne Michael Feld during the 1..011 Senior presentation of 'Peter Pan. ' (Left) Jordan Katz and Eric Toporofj introducing the Dr. Seuss plays during Junior performance,

Backstage Jordan Kaplan lent a hand, while Kathryn Batyd played all of the music for the show on piano. Carla Gerros directed the show and was assisted by Sarah-Jane Hebler. Together, the two camps put on a wonderful performance of adventure, wonder and excitement.

Dr. Seuss classics were performed on the stage in fi style at the Junior drama night.

On August 8th, Junior camp followed suit with the r of Mah-Kee-Nac and held a serie of plays of their own. Op ing the show was the Seuss favorite The Sneetches. Ben Juli narrated the playas other Junior tars, uch as Joe Nerenbu McBean, acted out the show.

From here, the Juniors performed the timeless Seus: classic Green Eggs and Ham. This show took split-second timing on behalf of the cast, as the lines had to be deli vered quickly. The cast managed beautifully under the lead of Ian Dubrowsky and his hat a Sam (I am).

The Lorax was next. The cast of this how was par larly on their toes and all put forth an incredible delivery of story with a deep underlying mes age. Andrew Wesley was on the role of the Lorax alongside narrator Gregg Fish and ; young and old Once-ler played by Matt Brody and Michael Helweil respectively.

Carla Gerros, who devoted countless hours for the benefit of the Drama Program, directed all of these shows. J amounts of time were given to the Drama Program by orgai Anthony Richards as well.

All camps rehearsed for only a few weeks in preparation for their big nights. One might have thought that they had been rehearsing for months, thougb, with the performances they put forward.

Taking flight in Rocketry

Future NASA scientists can be found right here at MKN

laron Levine - Navajo orey Cooke - Totem

Have you ever had dreams of g a part of the NASA Aeronaurogram? When you look into the do you imagine possibilities and ries of flight? If so, Mah-Keehas a program that can satisfy lying desires of any future

et scientist.

Program Director Andy Cole the idea of a Rocketry Program borrowed from other camps in

i that had already experimented such a program.

"Other camps got us intert in rocketry," Cole said .. "It ed like a lot of fun, and we

gbt it would be a good addition

to Mah-Kee- Nac."

Rocketry instructor Matt Whitehead says the program is fun and exciting .. Although Whitehead's experience in Rocketry was limited when he began, he says he really enjoys it now due to the challenge and excitement of building and launching model

rockets.

The essence of the Rocketry Program is learning to design, construct, decorate and launch model rockets. Basic safety is also taught in the program and the proper handling of rocketry material and

correct launching procedures.

According to Whitehead, perhaps the biggest challenge in rocketry is keeping an eye on a rocket once it has been launched. The models are typically equipped with engines that can propel them more than 5,000 feet in the air!

(Above) Rocketry instructor Matthew Whitehead sends a rocket to the moon while spectators look on.

(Left) The 4' 4" Phantom 4000 takes its inauguralflight on MKN's upper soccer field .. This particular rocket, constructed by Health Center Nurse Kent Hendrickson and son Sean, launched perfectly and came toa gentle rest on

· the ground thanks to the massive parachute

· that deployed when it had reached its peak

· altitude.

Totem Page 5

Sports

Topping the competition

By Matt Finkel and Ian Pillinger

Recently, Camp Mab- KeeNac hosted a Mohican basketball tournament in which Camps Lenox and Winadu came to try and beat the home team.

The event took place in the Fieldhouse. Each team played two games. The team with the best

record would get a team trophy and individual trophies. The members of the Mah-Kee-Nac team included Daniel Winston, Matt Crasnoff, Karim Cannan, Justin Schacter, Scott Liebman, Brian Brauntuch, Alex Cion, Maxx Kauffman and, of course, Matt Finkel and Ian Pillinger.

The tournament started out with Mah-Kee-Nac playing Lenox and Winadu sitting out for the first game. Mah-Kee-Nac won the first game in a fantastic come-frombehind effort. After a twenty-minute break, Winadu took to the floor against Lenox, giving Mah-Kee-Nac a well-deserved break and the oppor-

tunity to see the competition in action. Lenox took the game from Winadu in a close contest. At this point, Mah-Kee-Nac's record in the series was 1-0, Lenox was 1-1, and Winadu was 0-1. Lenox, having played their two garnes, were finished for the day ..

The tension was thick as Mah-Kee-Nac took to the court against Winadu for the third and deciding game. If Mah- Kee- N ac won, they would win the tournament. Mah-Kee-Nac took control of the game from the start and that is the way it would stay for the rest of the game .. Mah-Kee-Nac went on to win the contest hands down.

Program Director Andy Cole gave out the individual trophies to each team member and put the team trophy on display in the Fieldhouse for all of camp to see.

It was a great tournament.

Mah- Kee-N ac came out on top, Lenox went horne with the second place trophy.

Tearing up the water

By Ian As ael- Navajo

The sun beats down as a camper floats in the warm water of Mah-Kee-Nac Lake. The engine starts and runs to full throttle as a rush runs through the awaiting camper holding onto the end of the rope.

Water-skiing gives a rush through the body and offers the feeling of flight. Ski boat driver Rich Clements gives that feeling to campers on a daily basis. Clements, from Tampa Bay, Florida, is enjoying his first year at Mah-Kee-Nac, He says the water-skiing program is great fun

and told the Totem what goes on in the program.

According to Clements, during each period, there are six campers to each of Mah-Kee-Nac's four ski

boats. Each camper is allowed ten minutes in the water, or three attempts to get on top of the water. Clements says the most requested activity in the water-skiing program is

kneeboarding.

After taking a ride on a ski boat, and watching all the fun that campers seemed to be having on the water, I just had to switch into the program!

MKN does it aga at Crane Lake

By Ross Green

In the Crane Lake soccer invitational for the Cheyenne age group on July 23rd, Mah-Kee-Nac very well. They came in first place

In the first game against Greylock, Mah-Kee-Nac lost 2-0. The next game, against Camp

I Scatico, Mah-Kee-Nac won 6-0.

This enabled Mah-Kee-Nac to rna the semi-finals .. In this round, Mal Kee-Nac played Camp Taconic at defeated them 12-3. Then, in the finals, Mah-Kee-Nac played Greylock once again and scored f off a goal by Jason Rohlman. In tl second half of the finals, Ben ZacJ scored on a beautiful. play to malo the core 2-1 following a Greyloc

I I goal. That proved to be all that M Kee-Nac would need, but Zachs ( not think so and scored again on : break-away. The game ended in Mah-Kee-Nac's favor with a scor 3-1. All the Mah-Kee-Nac player: were jumping up and down as the whistle blew to end the game.

In a small ceremony, Mab Kee-Nac was presented with the tournament trophy shortly after t final game was won.

Congratulations to the tel Andrew Seiden, Jordan Spitz,

~ Michael Lehrhoff, Andy Katz, M Leven, Brett Kern, Jason Greenstone, Ross Green, Jesse Rentz, I Warheit, A.J. Reisman, David Ru and, of course,Coach Mike Burr.

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vlore than, .memurahilia ar the Basketball Hall of Fame

rett Weinstein and William owsky - Navajos

The Navajos latest trip was to asketball Hall of Fame .. Early on orning of July 28th, the tribe

ed the buses and headed for gfield. An hour later, the Navarived and prepared to enter the IS building. From floor to floor avojos slowly made their way gh the Hal] of Fame, admiring awking at every signature and jersey.

Famous memorabilia was not ily attraction at the Hall. There also games and activities to keep rs busy. One such activity was

the basketball shoot on a conveyor belt This involved standing on a conveyor belt and trying to make every basket as one went past, There was also a game that used the aid of a computer to determine a person's hang-time when they jumped on a special surface. Another game put people in a one-an-one situation where an imaginary basketball player attempted to block the shots of the user or turned the user into the defender who must block a shot from the imaginary player ..

The Navajos saw some famous and amazing things at the Hall of Fame and a good time was had by all.

WJldfun,at Z,oomFlume

I By Harry Black B Mohican

On July 22, the Mohicans went to Zoom Flume .. It was an extremely cool trip.

At first, it looked like the smallest waterpark I had ever seen. But when I entered the park, it seemed much bigger.

Zoom Flume has eight different rides .. I had the pleasure of going on six of them. The day went by fast; each one of the four hours went zipping by. I spent a lot of time going on the rides with Mike Muir, one of my counselors.

When it was time to go, I wished we could have stayed longer, but I knew it was time to go. Maybe we'Il go back next year.

Cherokee Gridders top Lenox

lex Sheridan - Cherokee

On Saturday July 31, the hitting campers in the MahNac football program partici-

I in the first and only Cherontercarnp of the 1999 summer, )r Gentry and Scott im took a team of

Camp Lenox for rng-anticipated

: ... After the Senecas \lgonquins had

d hard in a losing

: with Camp Lenox the previlay, Putnam and Gentry were . to win with a younger team.

Camp Lenox started off the : with the ball, but failed to

, Upon Mah-Kee-Nac's first .ssion, they stormed up the and completed the run with a tdown pass to Alex Sheridan David Warner.

Clinging to a seven-point lead, Mah-Kee-Nac scored again on their second possession when Warner made another pass to Sheridan. A Lenox defender deflected the pass, but Sheridan was able to hold onto the ball.

Mah-Kee-Nac cruised to end the half with the lead by a score of 30- 6. Mah-Kee-Nac scored by a touchdown pass to Ross Mendlinger as well as Jeff Rubin's 60 yard touchdown run.

In the second half, Lenox narrowed the Mah- Kee- N ac lead to four points, which was the result of three Lenox touchdowns.

With two minutes remaining in the game, and with Lenox threatening to take the lead, Ross Mendlinger came up with a key sack. This and a David Warner interception clinched the victory for Mah-Kee-Nac.

Other key players for Mah-Kee-Nac were Matt Kushner, who bad numerous receptions, and Tight End Scott Cohen, who also made many key receptions.

After the game, Coaches Gentry and Putnam concluded that the game was well played .. Gentry then awarded Ross Mendlinger the game ball for his achievements in the game.

Congratulations to the team for winning their only true test of the year.

Totem Page 7

MKN Cleans up at 3rd Annual Archery Tournamer

(Above) Cherokee Jason Meyer ready and aimed at the 3rd annual MKN Invitational Archery Tournament. (Right) In a semi-related story, the modest Scott Wesley, Seneca, recently pegged the first and only perfect 60 on the MKN archery range. Wesley, however, was not ill the tournament and sadly could not grace the MKN population at large with hisextraordinary talent.

ers that were involved in the archery tournament were organized by age. In division one, the 151 place spot we to Alex Cion, 2nd was A1ex Chanin, 3rd was David Goldberg, and 4tb was Evan Schneider. In division two .~_~~ went to Zacb Cion, lake Levy came 2nd, 3''d went to m~ Jeremy Gerson, and Jason Goldman took 4th. Division three's positions went to Russell Krupen with 1. st, Jon ( with 2nd, Jason Meyer with 3m , and 4U1 went to Eli Sali All are Mah-Kee-Nac campers.

Rudolph attributes the camp's success in arche good equipment, talented and skilled shooters, and a it that takes the sport very seriously as a whole. He says the maturity of the team, and the discipline that they sl on the course are traits that are valuable on and off the archery range.

Congratulations to the Camp Mah-Kee-Nac ar chery team!

By Jeremy Gerson - Cheyenne

Shooting arrows and keeping score were not the only aspects of the 3rd annual Mah-Kee-Nac Open Archery Tournament, It also involved skill, the thrill of competition, and a sense of teamwork.

The day began sunny and hot; typical Berkshire summer weather. Camps Emerson, Taconic and Danbee made their way into Mah-Kee-Nac early in the afternoon eager to get the tournament underway.

The tournament was held on the lower soccer field, which was converted into a large archery range with eight targets lined up at 20 meters from the shooting line. Each grade from 4tl1 to 9th had representatives at the tournament. There were three divisions, and MahKee-Nac had four campers in each division.

According to Alan Rudolph Head of the Archery Program, the tournament was very successfuL "Despite the agonizing heat, the tournament went off without a hitch and was fun for aU the participants."

Mah-Kee-Nac dominated each division capturing the top four positions in each. Mah-Kee-Nac camp-

Russell Krupenand Jeremy Gerson, along with campers from the other camps at the invitational take score following a round at the archery tournament.

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Alan Rudolph: Standing the test of time

Ii Shoham ~ Cheyenne

then, Alan says, there used to be a huge building providing many activities like photo, woodshop, and the nature shack. But this building, which was lo-

cated where the chimney currently stands near the mess hall, burned down many years ago. Another interesting aspect of camp life long forgotten, according to Alan, is the old waitered-type service in the mess hall.

s Altogether, Alan says his

dl

~ many years at Mah-Kee-N ac have

5 been fun and exciting. He enjoys

o ..

@ teaching archery very much and

'15 hopes to come back as head of

t..:. archery again next year and for the

Alan Rudolph, head of archery, has been ved with Camp Mah-Kee-Nac ; long as he can remember ..

Over 23 years ago, not inng the time he spent here as a er from 1959-1963, Alan 1 his term as an Archery in.or. In 1994, Alan became the of the Archery Program here at amp ...

His fondest memories of I as a camper were the life-long is he made in his bunk. But l has changed since Alan was a er here at Mah-Kee-Nac. Back

Alan Rudolph ~ MKN Veteran painted up during Carnival.

years to come.

Clvl: political-correctness agoal, .. not a necessity

~remy Nowak - okee

WCMonce

! is proyiding the Itrack for the

ner here at Camp Kee-Nac,

WCM, as most ers may know, is Kee-Nac's radio In, According to i[ Program

er Chris Azorr,

i[ offers campers le range of learnossibilities.

"In WCM, we

edy Show, Matt Whitehead, the program tickles his fancy.

"We try to remain as politically correct as possible," Whitehead said, "but some days we're not as successful at achieving this as we

El should be .. Basically we ~ just have a really good ~ time interviewing and

oM

8 embarrassing people." u

6)' WCM offers an eclec-

8 tic variety of music

througbout its many periods. Geoffrey Raskin and Andrew

Senecas Dan Jablon and Adam Metzger kick out the jams during an afternoon WCM session.

campers how to

Ice their own shows, talk on the id all the other mechanics that go naking a radio program," Azorr

The shows consist of sports, pes of music, talk shows,

ier and news. Some weekly

shows include Comedy Central, Coaches Corner with Kenny Sanders, Blazin' Wit' Flava' (the hip hop/rap show) andthe Simon and Matty Unrehearsed Comedy Show.

According to co-host of the Simon and Matty Unrehearsed Com-

Cantos put on the morning show, while Jon Terbell, Andrew Klein, and Tyler Goldman do the J.A.T. Show later in the day.

The wide diversity of shows put on by WCM promises a memorable summer at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac full of rock.

Totem Page 9

Tales from the camp

Water fun at the waterfront

By William Lenkowsky - Navajo

Recently, the Navajo evening activity was either the waterfront or the pool.

The evening on the Waterfront included activities such as canoeing, playaking and funyaking. One had to be quick, though, or other campers would try to take one's boat away from him. The two canoes that were taken out were full of water and almost

Wateifront activities may include recovering tipped canoes and draining them as Navajos Adam Winkler and Malt Zuckerman discovered.

been flipped over at least five times. The two horns blew, and all the campers headed back to shore. It took the campers at least fifteen minutes to find all of the boats and oars and put them back on shore where they belonged.

Scoring easier in Mini-golf than bowling

sank. Some of the counselors gathered among a group of boats and all of the campers charged them and tried to tip them over.

There were abandoned oars and boats allover the place! In a couple of minutes aU these boats were captured. All of the boats had

By Julian Gompertz - Navajo Jeremy Gerson - Cheyenne

A few short days ago, both the Navajos and Cheyennes enjoyed nights at a place called The Cove.

The Cove is a bowling alley combined with a miniature golf course. They have a small game room as well.

The Navajo went on Wednesday and the Cheyennes went on Thursday. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves on both occasions, even though some of the campers clearly drank too much Pepsi. Some camper bowled much better than others. Jeremy Gerson, for example, had a gra.nd bowling total of 87 points, consisting of 6 strikes, in two games whereas Julian Gompertz was lucky if

he could keep his ball from the gutter.

Following bowling, the campers moved on to mini-golf. One of the holes was in the form of a castle. It was especially difficult because the ball had to pass through the castle door, out the other side, and into the hole. Despite its difficulty, most people got a bole in two. Another difficult hole was the water wheel. Most campers were incapable of completing the hole without at least a dozen strokes. Therefore, one either had to place the ball into the hole manually, or skip it altogether.

Despite the challenges of bowling and mini-golf, the Cove was an interesting experience and a fun night.

Notes

The cleanest

bunk in histor

•

By Ross Green - Cheyenne

Bunk 29 holds the recoi for the longest winning streak record. The streak is not in basketball or baseball, not in tennis or hockey. The streak is perfect inspections scores.

The Cheyenne bunk achieved 22 consecutive perfe: scores on inspection beginning on the first day of camp. Every morning, the campers made su their bunk was in prime condition.

The campers in the bun worked as a team prior to insp tion each morning to make the bunk spotless. During weeken tours and on Rookie Days, the bunk was used as a model of t perfect bunk.

Contributing to the bur success are the 10 campers an two counselors in Bunk 29 .. TJ names of this fine group are A Delacruz, Josh Goldman, Crai Goldslager, Evan Schacter, Br Edwards, Ben Gellis, Jake Le1 Keith Robbins, Tommy Crarm and, of course, Ross Green. T counselors are Andy Liakos aJ

I· Terry Strassner. Special thank: must be afforded to camper N Jimenez and counselor Corey Cooke for their help as well.

In time, Bunk 28's stre I was broken, but they will nevr ! lose the reputation as the deal bunk in camp history.

The Totem Pag

of&~pheart Mah-Kee-Nac

Sixteen years ago, Danny Metzger made a base that dramatically changed his life and his ~e. The offer to Buy Camp Mah-Kee-Nac was an ntunity that he simply could not turn down.

Metzger started with -Kee-Nac as a camper, and ts as a camper that he says

ad his most exciting and tatic experience at Mah-Nac, This wa when he won lecathlon as a Seneca in

t After he was a camper, he ~ back as a counselor, after .h time he thought he was ing Mah-Kee-Nac for good ..

Metzger moved on to the rton Business School of the rersity of Pennsylvania

re landing a job in marketvith the Pirelli Tire Corporaof Italy, Danny expected to

1 business his whole life, but irtunity knocked elsewhere.

Joe Kruger ran Mah-Kee-Nac from its concepin 1929 unti11983 when he was 79. He bad exed that his daughter would want to run the busi-

, but when his

ihter said she did vant to, Metzger cached Kruger and d him if Mah-Kee-

'elfrey Rubin - rokee

Metzger spends his summers at

Mah-Kee-Nac, and has left the grounds once in the 16 summers that he has owned the camp. He spends the winter promoting the camp by visiting the families of potential campers.

Metzger also said that Nancy plays an essential role in the running and stability of Mah-Kee-Nac.

"N ancy is the camp Mom," he said .. "Nancy read

to the juniors and takes care of health problems and sick kids."

Recently, Metzger became invol ved in a Camp Group. He explains this move !:; by saying that by pooling the

~ finances of a number of camps, ~ individual camps can do things g they would not be able to do

~ under normal circumstances. It

'"

a was the Camp Group organiza-

tion that allowed Mah- Kee-

N ac and other camps in the group to purchase the new ski

boats and build new facilities.

Dan Metzger: camper, counselor, owner, director.

Metzger says that the most important benefit to the group is the greater efficiency it offers in finding and hiring staff. Currently there are 6 camps in the

Camp Group: MahKee-Nac, Danbee, Winadu, Winaukee, Walt Whitman, and Ramaqouis. In addition, Metzger said there are 3-4 other camps that may be joining Camp Group this

"Each year is different. You're only as good as your last summer."

- Dan Metzger

was for sale.

Metzger purchased the camp in May of 1983, was still very nervous by opening day. After the hase, Kruger stayed on as a consultant until 1998 n health problems prevented his return.

Since the purchase, Metzger says that business ieen very good and that Mah-Kee-Nac has had a ing list for the past seven years .. When Danny took the camp it had 240 campers. Now, Mah-Kee-

's camper population is at 400.

year.

Metzger said he hopes to stay at Mah-Kee-Nac for at least another twenty years and looks forward to a long future with the camp.

"Every year is a new challenge," he said. "Each year is different.. You're only as good as your last summer."

Totem Page 11

You ought to be in pictures!

Life at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac

(Above) Navajo counselors Chris Bloom and Chris McLaughlan take it easy 011 the porch of bunk 24.

E 1£

~

I

.>.

~ &!

B

>.

Cl ...... _

(Above) Navajo Max Sluuran winces just before being hit by the wet sponge that is hurtling towards him on carnival day.

( Right) Ross Green high in the trees of mIIi1i1Joj.iI""".3~ the MKN ropes course.

(Above) Counselor Matt Whitehead standing on guard with Navajos Kyle Epstein and Brett Weinsteil

Answers to last weeks Game and Puzzle page:

Questions of the week:

1) Bernie Williams

2) Nomar Garclapparra

3) 101

4) Roger Clemens

5) Greg Vaughn, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffy Jr.

Word Puzzles:

1) Hole in one

2) Big Mac

3) Microwave

4) Working overtime

5) Sunny-side up

6) Little Red Riding Hood

Word Jumble:

1) Basketball

2) Ping - pong

3) Football

4) Soccer

5) Tennis

6) Baseball

on parade. erstown to Montreal

To~i~eiac~lVI

The We tern Mas achusettes Premier Camp Magazine Publishers: Danny and

N alley Metzger

Editor: Corey Cooke

Photo Editor: Dylan Pearcy

Contributors:

Brian Brauntuch, Barry Finder, Aaron Levine

Steven Brauntuch, the Totem wants you in 200m

Photo Contributors:

Katie Oliver, Alan Rudolph, Jake Gladstone, Will Lenkowsky

Design: Corey Cooke

Printing: Quality Printing Co.

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac Summer Office

6 Hawthorne Road Lenox, Ma sachusettes 01240 (413) 637-0781

Winter Office 190 Linden Avenue

Glen Ridge, New Jersey 07028 (973) 429-8522

The Totem is a weekly journal of Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, a summer boys camp in Lenox, Massachusetts.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the writer and should not be affiliated with those of the Totem or Camp Mah-Kee-Nac.

Answer to the fun and games 114 page in the 5th issue of the totem:

Questions of the week:

1) Mark McGwire

2) 1948

3) Cincinnati Reds

4) 0

5) 16

..

..

Hard-hitting Olympic Breakout sees coaches emerge victorious

By Corey Cooke - Totem

There was certainly nothing fake about the impact of the hard-hittin: 1999 Olympic Breakout.

Traditionally, breakout has involved extreme organization and utter " secrecy in planning extravagant events to get the summer-ending Olympics underway. Naturally, in following with the tradition, Mah-Kee-Nac spared I effort or expense in this year's breakout.

The first of two fake-outs began early on a beautiful August mornin Nobody expeoted.Darth Maul and Yoda of Star Wars fame to come riding on tI Junior field blowing airhorns on four-wheeled ATV s. Of course, campers knew this was the day ofbreako t. They just didn't know what to expect, or when it would take place. Campers quickly made theirway to the mess ball hill to obse the strange duo do theitla_p.s aroqnd Junior Field. Shortly after their arrival, thoul Darth and Yoda quickly left the scene never to be seen again. Campers were the surprised to havt1Jists of the Olympic teams own down on them by Alan Rud and Jon Kahane from atop the mess hall. But there bad been an e or. On these were not the names of current campers, but the names of campers who took p<u the Mah-Kee-Nac Olympics in the dark ages of 1987. Apparently someone arr the Mah-Kee-Nac office staffhad become delirious and printed off the wrong roster. But low and behold this was not breakout; this was a fake!

Why did Darth Maul and Yoda leave so abruptly? One may ask such a question and expect a rather straightforward answer, but one would not rec such an answer. Perhaps they were bored or had a prior engagement with 11 force elsewhere. Or, perhaps the sight of the Mah-Kee-Nac cowboys on he back, converging on Junior, Field cared them off. Could these eight legenc men - John Weil, Ken Sanders, Greg Nell, Josh Cohen, Peter Meyer, Gary Potts, Anthony Richards and Brett Miller - be the coaches of the 1999 Mal Kee-Nac Olympics? One may have suspected so, considering their fine ham of the beautiful horses they trotted in on and their massive hats. But it was to be. One by one Program Director Andy Cole introduced the "coaches" ;: the countries that they represented. The "coaches" revealed the flag of eacl country as it was called, but it became obvious that these "would-be" coacl were yet another fake-out when the last coach presented a flag bearing the

words "Gotchal Fake-out."

So when would the actual breakout occur? The campers would hax wait and see.

At approximately 11: 15 am on that fine day, fireworks could be he, atop the hill on the upper baseball field. Within minutes, every individual in camp had made his way up the hill to find a professional wrestling ring con plete with ropes, turnbuckles, and crowd control barriers. It appeared that Kee-Nac would be getting some entertainment

The Totem Pa

wrestling ty le. The official for the match atroduced to extreme fanfare. Fonner

i Wrestling Federation champion and dian Wre tling Hall ofFarne and New md Sports Hall of Fame inductee Walter er' Kowalski would be watching over this 1. Soon, the wrestlers themselves were lueed, and The Annihilator (with manager 1) and 'AU Star' Mike Hallow (with his ger Violet) made their way to the ring to be anticipation out of the audience.

Thematch ed even as

10 men took iuous shots sanother, old-school ling tech-

s like the

, slam,' elclutch.'

nle driver. ' nanagers of the wre tlers could not keep selves out of the action, and were soon in the s well. The ladies dueled just like

iys, and seemed to put forth a good fight

in their own light - that is, until Doink the Clown of the WWF entered the ring to tip the scales in AU Star's favor; Before the crowd knew what was happening, Mah-Kee-Nac counselors were entering the ring as well in what became a 'battle royale." The heroic counselors quickly pinned The Annihilator, and sent him and his slightly bruised manager on their way. Thereafter, it was soon revealed that these brave young men who defied doom and death for the honor of liberty and freedom

were, in fact, the 1999 Mah-Kee-Nac Olympic head coaches. As they were introduced to the audience, they flew the flags of the countries they represented to cheers and applause from everyone in

attendance - except for maybe The Anniliilator.

Breakout was complete; the teams were named and it was time for the games to begin 1

(Above) The events of the day were numerous and exciting. The breakout consisted of a visit from Darth Maul and Yoda, the arrival of the cavalry, a wrestling match with All Star Hallow and The Annihilator (with their managers), and the announcement of the coaches and teams that would be competing ill the Olympics.

(Far Left) Junior campers run to their teammates after hearing their names at the Olympic Breakout.

(Left) Cheyenne John Terbell trying not to squint for the camera in the afternoon sun during breakout;

Exciting Olympics draws 1999 SUlI

By Corey Cooke - Totem

Once again the camper of MahKee-Nac took part in exciting Olympic Games, to be remembered throughout history.

It all began with the Olympic breakout and the announcing of the countries and the teams that would be representing them. One by one, names were read and campers were instantaneously tran formed into Olympians. But these were no ordinary athletes. The talents in these groups ranged from

wimming experts to masters of chess to home run sluggers and accurate archers. Their mission: wave their flag with pride and have as much fun as possible; and maybe capture the gold along the way.

Following the naming of the teams, the Olympians wasted no time getting into their afternoon activities. No camper was excluded, none were idle and all were excited. The energy that 400 campers unfurled was staggering and their enthusiasm was enough to knock over even the largest of counselor .

After the activities of the first day, the team known a First Place Finnish (or Finland, for short) had hold of the lead with 252 points, but their lead was neither strong nor secure. Nipping at the heels of the Fins were the tough, relentle competitors of Cameroon Diaz. with 248 point. The South Africrombie and Fitch athletes presented themselves proudly and put forth a good showing with 226 points and third place.

By the late evening, all the events of the day had concluded, but the be t event of the first day was yet to come. The traditional Seneca run of the Olympic torch and subsequent lighting of the flame has traditionally been a highlight of the Mah-Kee-Nac Olympics .. Naturally, this year was no different. Junior Field was lit as each of the 28 Senecas had their chance to run the torch throughout Junior Camp and up the mess hall hill. The rest of Mah-Kee-Nac watched in awe as the flame was lit by the torch and the darkness was split by the large symbolic flame.

scheduled for the afternoon had to be postponed until the fourth and final d:

The last day began on a higb note, as the athletes did not allow th gray skies and rain to dampen their spirits. After three days of events, tb Cameroon Dias: team held a healthy with. 1135..5 points. But in this Olymp the tide couJd turn very quickly, The

_~ .. 1111111 § Upper Seniors and Juniors adapted tl ~ events, while the Lower Seniors held ~ mini-octahlon and triva/name that tu

~

<:> ••

a competinon,

,,_, The homemade boat race, th(

~

a grand marathon and final leg of the

~-. ..... --- .... ;"",,;;--..... decathlon were major events that tool Ryan Kriser of South Africrombie &

place on the fourth day. Early in the Fitch makes his way to the water

afternoon, the rain subsided and the' during the triathlon.

races got underway. The comical eve

saw each team getting wet and wild i pool. When the event was all over, Jc Gold and Cameroon had the best mal time trials, with Finland coming in second.

Later in the afternoon. the gi marathon got underway. The massive relay race included running, swimmii and three-legged racing, among other things. TIllS close race saw Finland t an early lead that remained througho The finish line, though, told a story ( hard-fought competition. Singapore e out Cameroon to round out the top tl: places. With the evening Cl the closing ceremonie the song, ( and banne competitio and the ar nounceme the decath winner. 11 events we highlyvah and could

The second day proved to be as adrenaline-filled as the first. The Upper Senior Triathlon sawall the Mah-KeeNac athletes at the waterfront cheering for their country. The camp triathletes went through a grueling trial of rowing, running and swimming to test their endurance and teamwork. In the end, it was Brad Feldman and Craig Cohen of the Finland team who captured the triathlon, which put the Finnish ahead of Cameroon for first place in the point standings.

The third day event proceeded without incident until late in the afternoon, when the heavens opened up and brought some much-needed rain to the area. Indoor competitions that evening included a boisterous Lower Senior track meet, a spirited bombardment tournament for the Juniors, and an exciting team casino night for the Upper Seniors. The homemade boat race

Holding on to a greasy watermelon is harder than one may think

the lead in any team' direction.

The banners, cheers and SOl were presented before thejudges. Be offered a fantastic showing, taking tJ

The Totem Pa

.o a close

for best song and best cheer. The of the Cameroon artists, under the tion of Head Coach John Latham, off as they won the gold for best

er.

Next up was the announcement of ecathlon winner. The proud athletes

d their flags as decathlon organizer Nell introduced the winners. Josh

took the bronze medal for South rombie and Fitch, Jonathan Lerner red the silver medal for Large and tArgentina and Stephen Gardner the gold for The Belligerent Buck-

Belgians.

Mah- Kee-N ac owner/director

y Metzger then read the 24 names of impers who won the Joe Kruger

:l for Outstanding Spirit. The name se campers will be engraved on a

e tbat will hang in Baker Hall for years to come.

Finally, the moment came to mce the overall winners of the pies. The Fieldhouse grew quiet as : Senior head counselor Norbert

: read the standings of the teams.

g the bronze was Singapour in Rain ipore); First Place Finnish man-

he silver; and the campers and

es erupted when it was announced 'ameroon Dia; won the overall oics,

And so, the spirited Olympics rded and essentially brought to a he scheduled whole-camp events

! 1999 summer. The activities of the ncs brought all of the camp to-

in spirit and substance for the final of the milleni urn. Camp ended on a ate and left many campers counting the days until next year.

: complete list of Joe Kruger

I winners and final statistics from ympics, see page 6,7)

The Spirit

of the Mah-Kee-Nac Olympics

A note on the theory behind the traditional games at MKN

By Corey Cooke - Totem

Traditionally, the Mah-Kee-Nac Olympics has been the most spirited and exciting event of the entire summer. From the moment campers arrive at Mah-KeeNac, they anxiously await to see the extravagant breakout, learn what country they will be competing for, and begin the games tbat embody everything that MahKee-Nac tands for. The theme of the Mah-Kee-Nac Olympics, according to Director Danny Metzger, is spirit, not competition.

"In most other camps, the last few days of the summer are marked by a separation of the campers through a Color War," he said. "They place half the campers against the other half in a grueling competition that divides the

, campers instead of bringing them together."

The Olympics, according to Metzger, bring campers together by putting many new twists on the old notion of Color War. Instead of having two teams, which is the tradition of color war, Mah-Kee-Nac creates eight. Victory becomes much sweeter when the odds

I against it are high, pressure to win is substantially diffused, and defeat becomes much more bearable when seven of the eight teams are not among the winners. There is no rivalry within bunks that are split down the middle and athletes are much more likely to offer encouragement to opposing team members when there is more than one opposing team.

Also, the very notion of the Olympics is based on the concept of

I solidarity among countries that come together for the sake of peaceful competition. Cornaradery, unity and friendship are encouraged among all teams and countries, not just within individual teams. Race, ethnicity and nationality are discarded and all that remains is the raw talent and skill of the athletes and their

ambition to succeed in their own right.

There is a wide range of activities in the Mah-Kee-Nac Olympics, ju 't a there are in the true Olympics. AU campers have the opportunity to excel at an activity. A camper that is much more effective as an individual can help his team greatly by pur uing non-team sports, such as archery, riflery or even chess. Naturally, the traditional team sports are also played during the Mah-Kee-Nac Olympics, such as baseball basketball and soccer.

According to Metzger, Mah- KeeNac founder Joe Kruger envisioned the Olympics during a time when other camp directors were bent on Color War. Kruger was director of the camp for 55 years until. Metzger took over the camp in 1983. In

the time that Kruger was director, he turned his back on extreme levels of competition and remained true to his commitment to a camp where victory was appreciated, but spirit was rewarded. At the conclusion of the Olympics each year, awards were given to camper that best exempl.ified the Olympic spirit that Kruger valued so much. When Metzger became camp director, he upheld the tradition that Kruger began so many years before. Last May, when Kruger passed on, the Olympic Spirit Awards were named in his

honor, and are now known as the Joe Kruger Awards for Outstanding Spirit.

The Mah-Kee-Nac Olympics attempt to capture the spirit of the true Olympics. The games promote lating bonds between campers and counselors and act to bring campers closer together as opposed to splitting them apart as the summer draws to a close. It is important to Mah-Kee-Nac to impart the values of the Olympics to campers. Hopefully they will find such values and principles of use in their lives, and will leave the camp with a lasting impression of what they learned through the Mah-Kee-Nac Olympics.

T t Page

.10 em

1999 Mah-Kee-Nac Olympic Games

1999 Joe Kruger Awards for Outstanding Spirit

Decathletes

Beam Me Up Scotland Simon Abrahms - Iroquois Ben Zachs - Navajo Michael Arons - Seneca

Large and in ChJ!rgenti'fla Sam Lichtenstein - Mohican Michael Schwartz - Cheyenne David Warner - Cherokee

South .Africrombie & Fitch Matt Krasnoff - Iroquois Julian Gempertz - Navajo Bryan Assael - Cherokee

Cameroon Diaz Jason Kleinman - Iroquois Andrew Davidson - Navajo Dan Jablon - Seneca

Peru de Awakening Max Kusovitsky - Mohican Keith Petri - Navajo Andrew Cedar- Seneca

Singapour in Rain

Josh Lierner - Iroquois Michael Lebrhoff - Cheyenne Lance Po Ii vy - Cherokee

Michael Arons Jonathan Lerner - Silver Josh Rosen - Bronze Jordan Koss Gary Rubin Adam Metzger Stephen Gardner - Gold Craig Cohen

Final Olympic standing:

1. Cameroon Diaz

2. First Place Finnish

3. Singapour in Rain

4. Large and in ChArgentina 5. Beam Me Up Scotland

6. Belligerent Bucktooth Belgians 7. Pemde Awakening

8. South Africrombie & Fitch

e

Non-sport competition resul

First Place Finnish Brett Feldman - Iroquois; Jon Terbell - Cheyenne Brad Feldman - Algonquin

Banner

1. Cameroon Diaz 2. Siugapour in Rain

3. Beam Me Up Scotland

Cheer

1. Belligerent Bucktooth Belgians 2. Large and in ChArgentina

3. Singapour in Rain

Song 1. 'Belligerent Bucktooth Belgians 2. Singapour in Rain

3. Large and in ChArgentina

The Totem Pa

1999 01YH1pic Banners & Plaques

, (Prom tpp t-~) Large and in ChArgentina, South Africrombie & Fitch, Belligerent

, Bucktooth. Belgians, Singapour in Rain,

(Above L-R) Perude Awakening, Beam Me Up Scotland,

Totem Page 7

----

Big Trips

MKN Seniors hit the road

Baseball and more in Cooperstown

By Aaron Levine - Navajo

On the morning of Tuesday August l O'", the Navajo got on their coach buses to leave for Cooperstown. When they reached their final destination, they ate lunch and watched some American Legion baseball at the local field.

From the baseball field, they went to the Baseball Hall of Fame ... The big building was full of the old uniforms of famous people. The Hall of Fame even had Mark McGwire's own bat. There were many displays showing the history of the game. The old baseball gloves looked like really big winter gloves ..

When they were done, they were given time to walk around Cooperstown. There were many stores to go into. It was impossible to leave any store emptyhanded. There were enough baseball and sporting stores to keep a person busy for hours. After that, they went to the Ponderosa Steakhouse for dinner and ate to their hearts delight. Later, they went to see the movie Runaway Bride at one of the nearby theaters.

The next day, the tribe only ate fast food for meals .. In the morning, the Navajos visited the Howe Caverns. It was cold in the caverns, as it was underground. After lunch, the tribe went to Zoom Flume for an afternoon on the water rides. The park had a new ride, which was really fast.

From Zoom Flume, the tribe hopped back on the buses to go home and end an exciting and eventfilled couple of days. A fantastic trip to Cooperstown and a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame was the perfect way to conclude an exciting summer before Olympics.

Freedom and excitment at Lake George

By Barry Finder - Cheyenne

Early on the morning of Tuesday, August 1 C the Cheyennes boarded the buses for the two and a half-hour drive to Lake George. They stopped alon the way to go white water rafting. After a while th came to a flat zone. In the flat zone the campers co swim around.

Following rafting, the Cheyennes checked iJ their hotel rooms. The latter half of the day consist of shopping in Lake George Village and a visit to Action Park, an interesting mini-amusement park. There were go-karts, a slip track, laser tag and mal When the tribe left the park late in the evening, it 'I almost empty,

The next day, the Cheyennes woke up early and had brunch, followed by outlet shopping, Nexi the tribe went to the Great Escape amusement park Many campers felt that the highlight of the trip wa the visit they paid to the Cro gate Mall in Alban:

The campers shopped there for a while and then w to a movie to close off the day.

By the time the Cheyennes got horne on Wednesday night, they had shopped to their hearts content, had eaten more junk food than most thou] humanly possible, and had explored some of the II interesting parts of eastern New York,

Cherokee invasion of Boston

By Jeffrey Rubin - Cherokee

Every year the Cherokee tribe from Mah-K Nac and the corresponding age group from Danbe to Boston for their bigtrip, or "VAG" as girls fron Danbee would say. The Cherokee left on Mondaj the 9th,. while Danbee left on Tuesday, the l O" of August.

The Cherokees' first stop in Boston was th.

Museum of Science. Upon arrival, the Cherokees spent a lot of time walking through the museum ar looking at all the exhibits, many of which were in active and very interesting. Eventually, they all nu and went to see an I-Max movie. The feature was Everest, a movie about a trip to the top of Mt. Eve

The freedom and excitement of Lake George made the Cheyenne trip well worth the long wait through the summer.

The Totem Pa

Following the movie, the Cherokees headed to , motel just outside Boston. That evening, the

went to a local mall. When they got there, they t copious amounts of money before it was time ave. After the mail, they went to the movies and lots of fun. By the time everyone got back to

room that night, they were exhausted and had 'Dubie sleeping.

The next day, the Cherokees ate a very nour- 19 breakfast at a spectar little place in

I. Afterwards, they ed the buses and .ed for New Hamp-

! to go to a water park d Water Country

The park had many s and many interesting ~s to do . When they .ed, they were given a t that allowed them to eat

Ie of the [me restaurants in

lark. The weather was great everyone was kept busy on the

and in the restaurants. Finally, had to leave and go back to the :1, which disappointed everyone.

Upon arrival at the motel, the Cherowashed up for an upcoming night of fun. First went to the Boston Hard Rock Cafe. The food the best they had had in a while and they en-

j looking at the rock n' roll memorabilia around . After the dinner, the Cherokees went to see the Sheer Madness, a very interesting interactive

in which the audience was encouraged to get .ved. That night when they got back, the Cherohad pizza, which was very much appreciated ..

The next day, the Cherokees ate another

ying breakfast and arrived soon after at the New and Aquarium in Boston, where they had a lot of noking at the different exhibits and marine

lfe. The most interesting aspect of the aquarium .he penguin exhibit. Everyone enjoyed watching waddling along and feeding.

After the aquarium, the tribe went for a cruise Danbee in the harbor that was both fun and

educational. They then went to Quincy Market, which is a very big shopping center in Boston with a lot of big-name stores. Due to the fact that it was raining, they didn't spend a lot of time at Quincy Market. Therefore, they drove half the way home and stopped at a mall where they ate dinner and continued shopping. Afterwards, the Cherokees drove the rest of the way home.

An in all, everyone had a great time and enjoyed the sites, sounds, and cuisine of Boston and all that the city had to offer.

Making memories in Montreal

By Gary Rubin

The trip to Montreal the Senecas took at the end of the '99 summer didn't start on Sunday, August 8th,when the tribe boarded the coach bus with the Danbee Wel-BYonds. For me, it started six years ago when I met my

bunk mates for the first time ..

The Montreal trip was just a great finish to some of the best times I've had in my life. The great events or activities one does on a trip are inconsequential; it is the people one goes with and the relationships that one establishes over the great summers at Mah-Kee-Nac that make memories.

There were certainly no boring activities in Montreal. There was laser tag, white water rafting, the Expos game, the Olympic swimming pool, shopping, and a few colorful French Canadians, just to name a few of the interesting things that the Senecas aw and experienced. But aU these things seemed second next to the people that were experiencing them with me.

The trip to Montreal was indeed a great and memorable one. But it was the people that made it great, and the people that made it memorable.

Totem Page 9

Some hiding spots less obvious than others in Counselor Hunt

Where have all the counselors gone?

By Brian Brauntuch - Mohican

On July 28tb, the Juniors did not have a normal evening activity. It wa the Counselor Hunt

The object of the game was to find a hiding counselor and bring him back to the Junior field before the end of the round. Counselors were assigned a certain amount of points, whicb the camper would receive upon fmding them. There were three rounds in the activity, and points got higher and higher with each round. Tbere were two rules counselors had to follow. They could not hide inside buildings, and could they could not go beyond five step into the woods. In all, there were 13 counselor hiding.

In the first round, Bunk 8 found counselor Matt Blake in a record-breaking time of 41 seconds. Bunk 10 and the Apaches were winning after the first round. In round two,

Bunk 8 looked in the same spot that they had found Matt Blake and discovered counselor Don 'Juan' Marsh lying on the ground. Also, counselor Larry Law cheated by telling Bunk 4 that he wasn't hiding when he really was. Following the second round, Bunk 8 had taken the lead. In the third and final round counselors were very difficult to find. Counselors Peter Meyer and Andy Thorn were hiding during this round.

In the end, Bunk IOwan the first ever Counselor Hunt. It looked like the activity was all over, but there was something funny about where Andy Thorn had been hiding. Out in the open, in front of everybody, Andy was sitting at the picnic table on Junior Field. His hiding spot had been so obvious that nobody even noticed him sitting there. It was a shame that no campers found him because he was worth 100 points]

Adding color to the art shack

Art director Toni Bloom offers instruction to Apache Ryan Erenstein in the newly improved art shack.

By Aaron Levine - Navajo

Over the years, the rut shack accumulated paint marks on all of the benches and tables. Eventually, it came time to give the old building a makeover. Estelle Auger and Toni Bloom, therefore, brought out the green and white paint and went to work on the benches. When they were all green, shelves were built in the room so that more camper projects could be displayed.

Also.the walls and door to the art shack were refinished with a fresh

coat of green and white paint. The old wood now looks good as new. With the mural that counselor Matt Whitehead painted on the fence just outside the art shack, the building looks fresh and much improved.

The spiritual sic of Mah-Kee-Na

By Barry Finder - Cheyenne

Sp011s and Totem are not thl only aspects to Camp Mah- Kee- N ac There is also a spiritual element as \\

Every Friday night, the caml owners, Danny and Nancy Metzger 1 the camp's optional weekly religious service.

Services have been going on here at Mah-Kee-Nac for14 years. '] are brief and last for 20 to 25 minute immediately foHowing Junior dinner

According to N arrey, finding time to hold services that is convenir ! to all of the campers is a challenge,

"It is difficult because we h~ three meal times [JR, LSR, USR], aJ we don't want to interfere with even activity," Nancy said.

Nancy also said that the sen are popular with campers and COUll, lors alike. Services attract people 01 faiths.

'We encourage all people tc come no matter what their religious beliefs are." Nancy said.

Nancy does not think the campers only reason for coming is the cookies and challah, but there is doubt that they enjoy them. Nancy bakes all of the food, with help frorr some campers. She likes kids to he: because she thinks it makes it more meaningful. The cookies take two h to bake, and she makes them on Tlli

day. The challah also takes two hours.and she bakes it on Thursday!

Nancy's biggest challenge i! trying to impart to the campers sorr thing meaningful. N ancylikes to he the ervices outside by the lake so tl campers can enjoy the mountain ar the beauty of the lake while listenin] the messa e.

The Totem Pag

Junior Camp

Apaches

Iroquois

Mohicans

e Totem Page 11

Apaches

BUNK 13

Seated: Jon Rogoff Zach Langendorff Mac Posner, Adam Bienstock, Zeke Scl Jeffrey Baxt

Standing: Adrian Czernick, James Rea Michael Krupen

Seated: Karlen Auger, Jeffrey Needles, Robbie Babus, Matt Alovis, Brett Duchon, Ryan Erenstein, Lucas Auger

Standing: Josh Cohen, Scott Meyer, Max Davidson, Alex Graham

Iroquois

BUNK?

Seated: Todd Feldman, Josh Salsburg, Michael Fink, Brett Feldman Zacb Rubenstein, Simon Abrahrns

Standing: Jason Smith, Ben Julje.Phil raghan, Sean Gordon, Zeevik Melamed

Missing: Evan Sanders

Seated: Max Gerson, Dean Frankel, SungChul Byun, Zach Gompertz, Salomon Canaan, Matt Kahane

Standing: Paul Santos, Alex Klyde, Brad aMotte, Eric Toporoff, Matt Krasnoff, Joffre Williams

Seated; Ryan Cohen, Todd Seideman, Scott Winston, Michael Fogel, Randy Goldstein, Brian Samuels, Brett Jureller

tanding: David Laskin, Joey Hochberg, n Sullivan, Graham Gering, Dan Rosen, Michael Helwe.il

e Totem Page 13

Mohicans

BUNK 4

Seated: Scott Friend, Jason Freydberg, Josh Gordon, Dan Morowitz, Nick Gottlieb, Max Mautner

Second row: Matt Morowitz, Max Eckman, Karlin Canaan, Ross Cybul

Back row: Michael Muir, Stephen Behling, Deepuk Batish

Seated: Matt Brody, Josh Verlin, Steve Raskin, Sam Lichtenstein, Harry Black, David Goldberg, Jared Katz

Standing: Milan Mihaylov, Tyler Odwin, Corey Schneider, Rob Rees, Gregg Fish, Michael Wilner, Kevin Woolf

Seated: Brian Brauntuch, Evan Brenne Max Kusovitsky, Alex Cion, EVfLfrLud Alex Harris

Standing: Alex Zoli .Daniel Perlin, R( Pey er, Don Marsh, Spencer Kahn, Mal Watson

-

The Totem Page

Lower Senior Camp

Navajos

Cheyennes

e Totem Page 17

Navajos

BUNK 21

Seated: Harris Reichenbaum, Jake Flo) Max Shutran, Adam Alovi Edouard Aghion

Standing: Henry Whalen, Michael Sparago, Eric Weiser, Sean Hendrickso Adam Cutler

BUNK 22 Seated: Michael Kozin, Trace Cohen, Brett Weinstein, Jeremy Katz, Daniel Lederman

Standing: Dustin Fankhauser, Bobby Bardin, Justin Kirouac, Jon Carter, Chris Donahue I

BUNK 23

Seated: Alex Glick, Charlie Mele, Scot Bressler, David Rublln, Tyler Goldman

Standing: Dylan Pearcy, Justin Neira, Simon Borrett, David Herzberg, Mike BUlTOW

Second row: Jon Kurzner, Ross Wei man, Ian Assael, Adam Yarnell

Navajos

eated: ?;ach Drillings, Willy Welt., Aaron Iorowitz, Julian Gompertz, Kyle Epstein

econd row: Zach Davis lake Gladstone, .1ax Rabkin, Eric Nehs, Matt Zuckerman

Back row: Matt Whitehead, Chris McLoughlin, Evan Weygandt

BUNK 25 Seated: Will Lenkowsky, Julian Levine, Eric Ross, lordan Kaplan, Adam Winkler, Adam Attas

Back row: Chris Bloom, Juan lose ViUeda, Dave Belliveau

BUNK 26 ited: Zach Abrahm , Eric Hertzog, Ben .hs, Keith Petri, Sean Posner, Jon Bryer

Second row: Brian HelweiI Spencer Heuman-Gutman, Andy Katz, Logan Needle, Sam Fanburg, Griffin Newman, Robby Hochberg

ck row: Dean Anderson, Elijah Duncan

Missing: Brian Polivy

e Totem Page 19

Navajos

BUNK 27

Seated: Isaac Gilman, Andrew K:lein'~lll Adam Raphael, Greg Mortner, Dan .84 Alex. Goldstick

Standing: Dan Regan, Zach Cion, Simc Dufour, Andy Kaster, Perry Rowers, Zach Tayne, Jeremy Harris

Seated: Danny Baneman Keith Bendes, Jesse Tasher, Marc Leven, Jason Goldman, Aaron Levine

Second row: Jason Rohlman, Andrew Davidson, Leland Snaider, Daniel Shaw, Brian Warheit, Josh Levine, Sam Nayrnan

Back row: J.B. Rutagarama Steve Ewart

BUNK 29 sated: Ross Green, Evan Schacter, Keith Robbins, Josh Goldman, Brian Edwards

Back row: Jason Villoria, Simon Molyneaux, Charlie Izenstein

Cheyennes

Second row: Ben Gellis, Jake ,LeyY.

Tommy Cramer, Nick Jimenez, Craig Goldslager

.ack row: Corey Cooke, Terry Strassner, Andy Liakos

BUNK 30 Seated: Ben Schein, Daryn Hornby Michael Rubin, Burton Witman, Mitchell Leff

Second row: Michael Park, Zach Gering, Adam Donato, Barry Finder, Greg Postyn, Brett Kern

BUNK 31

;,eated: Barrett Gold, Michael Schwartz, h Sonstein, Jake Kahane, Philip Borger, David Fein

Second row: Andrew Seiden, Jeff Barry, Jon Terbell, Jeremy Gerson, Ian Meller, Eli Shoham

Back row: John Hector, Eli Levine

he Totem Page 21

Cheyennes

c

BUNK 32

Seated: Michael Lehrhcff Jesse Rentz) Josh Egert, AJ. Reisman, Mick Duchon.1 Bret Kaye

Second Row: Michael Feld, Jordan Spin Zach Dauber, Cory Warheit

Back Row: Mike Manno, John Latham Ryan Kean

BUNK 33 Seated: Zach Seideman, Dennis Kramer, I Eric Himmelfarb Josh Rosen, Garret Miller, Logan Hirsch

Standing: Eric Levy, Jon Olmstead, Jason Greenstone, lnsuk Lee, Robert Siegler, Mike Beckerman, Paul Trichon

BUNK 34

Seated: Jon Michaels, Zach Gordon, Da Scheininger, Craig Mey r, Adam Wallo

Second Row: Michael Tannenbaum, Ja Werner, Andre Canaan, Lee Farber, Evan Donohue

Back Row: Brett Miller, Chad Taldo, Tc Lazur

Upper Senior Camp

Cherokees

c

Algonquins

...

Senecas

re Totem Page 23

Cherokees

BUNK 35

Seated: Josh Petri, Craig Rosenberg, Max Bryer, Jon Zeller, Justin Reitman, Andrew Werner

Second Row: Ian Bojg, Andrew Becker, Scot; Rodburg, Jordan Berg, Josh Perlin

Back Row: Chris Azorr, Derrick Bell, David Wilson

Missing: Lance Polivy

Seated: Mark Filenbaum, AJ.. Stott, Graham Zifferer, James Rosenthal, KevinHu

Standing: Zach Toland, Michael Parneli, Scott Schonfeld, Craig Feibusch, Jdn Brekan, Jordan Greenberg

BUNK 37

Seated: Matt Hoffman, Josh Toporoff, Josh Weiler, Morgan Mindell,

Dan Rohlman, Andrew Scheinerman

Standing. Jacob Kaplan Darmen GOn;n3 JeffRubjo, David Wru;ner, Joe Smith, Corey Cummins, Bryan Assad,

Scott Putnarn

Missing: Alex Sheridan

Seated: Andrew Nahmias, C Andrew Fensterstock, Adam Levy,

Jon Gold, Josh Stiefel

Cherokees

BUNK 38 Seated: Andrew Cantos, Brett Habermann, Eli Saline, Matt Silbermann, Sam Homburger

Standing: Kyle Sloane, Geoff Bemrose, Geoff Raskin, Nick Zildjan, Jordan Ledy, Raoul Martin-Blovin, Matt DiLorenzo

Missing: Ross Goodman

Standing: Justin Walker, Brent Morowitz, Michael Roberts, Jason Meyer,

Julian Packin, Mark Taiatini, Matthew Cohen

Missing: Martin Douglas, Jeremy Nowak

BUNK 43 ,eated: Adam Eisenstein, Ian Wishingrad, Adam Kusovit ky, Matt Carples, Jeff Liffrnann

Second Row: Ros Libby, Matt Kushner, Ahdrew White., Seth Waldenberg, Kyle Di am 01;1 d

Back Row: Dave Grady, Stewart Mclnnes, Whitney Baker

-

he Totem Page 2S

Cherokees

BUNK 44

Seated: Max Leibowitz, Adam Brenner, Josh Scheinerman, Warren Spitz,

Stuart Chanin

Standing: Justin Todd, Will Bearden, Michael Laskin, Ro Bentley, Ros Mendlinger, Scott Cohen, Scott Mason, Greg Beaton

Seated: Jason Needles, Tom Kilberg, David Guttman, Drew Weiss, David Salz, Jon Kilberg, Russell Krupen

Algonquins

Seated: Ben Wesley, Andrew Feldman, Jason Barash, Craig Ross, Sam Gordon

Standing: Dave Farrell, Richard Bravman, Paul Halverson, Matt Brod, Richard Bailey

Standing: Brad Feldman, Matt Estersohn, 'Jason Fesyk, Jacob Lithgow,

Richard Clements, Brett Weiss

BUNK 42 Seated: Adam Hill, Michael Gorin, Andrew Kahn, Jordan Weiss, Eric Mausner, Ryan KI1ser

Standing: Zach Ta her, Stu Barclay, David Oosterdijk, Darnien Merrick, Brett Goldberg

Missing: David Brauntuch

The Totem Page 27

Senecas

Seated: Jon Hirsch, Max Kaplan, Brad Erlich, Matt Wever, Dan CSoldweit, Jordan Traister, Josh Henry

Standing: Trevor Gentry, Dan Jablon, Shaun Glassman, Josh Taylor,

Adam Metzger, Mike Metzger, Chris C

BUNKSI Seated: Josh Rosen, Jesse Sackin, Justin Raphael, Michael Arons, Jason Feld, Andrew Cedar

Standing: Leigh Fitzpatrick, Jon Lerner, Adam Nelson, Craig Rowin, Greg Nell.

Scott Wesley, Jordan Koss, Adam Brown

BUNKS2

Seated: Gary Rubin, Alex Waldman Josh Bra er; Derek Green, St.ephen (j~

Standing: Geoff Morgan, Craig Cohen "Mike BirtwistIe, Matt Kraus, Jesse Ruf

The Totem Page