You helped make visiting day 2014 an absolutely remarkable day. We hope you enjoyed your time at camp and got to see for yourself how special this place truly is. There is nothing quite as magical as watching you run to your camper and hug them so tight you just don’t want to let go. We know how much today means to you and your family and we hope that we provided a day you wont forget.  For 3 weeks, your kids have been navigating their way through this experience, beautifully coping with whatever comes their way and have grown by leaps and bounds. It is such an emotional day for everyone but rest assured your kids, even those who shed a tear upon your departure were in stitches tonight as they watched their favorite counselors get hypnotized and do things that were off the charts hilarious. The laughter was out of control as tonight’s evening activity was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

It is a joy waking up to the bugles and playing with your children all day long. We have 4 more weeks of pure bliss here and we are not going to waste a moment of it. Thank you again for the unwavering love and support you give to all of us up here. We felt it today and hope you did too. Enjoy the rest of your summer because we will most definitely be enjoying ours. Chenny families ROCK!!!!

Chenny out.

We all know what is happening tomorrow and we just can’t contain the excitement. We spent the day getting our summer home ready for you and it looks beautiful.  In just a few short hours, our families will be lining up down camp road and visiting day 2014 will officially begin.

Our athletes were focused and fierce today as they played hard on the courts and fields.

Junior Girls Basketball – CAW 16 vs. Nesher 6

Senior Girls Basketball – CAW 18 vs. Lavi 14

Middy Boys Soccer – Wayne 4 vs. CAW 0

Inter Boys Basketball – CAW 34 vs. Wayne 22 (CAW has moved into the Championship)

Senior Boys Baseball – CAW 11 vs. Wayne 6

GC/CIT Boys Softball – Seneca Lake 12 vs. CAW 3

Another fantastic week has passed by and another hardy congratulations to the following Campers of the Week!!!!

Freshmen –                          Haylin Roth                   Jesse Ryback

Junior –                                Ashleigh Brett                 Max Leff

Middies –                             Lexi Tave                         Mason Berlin

Inters –                                Emily Burke                    Dylan Bortnick

Collegiates –                       Skylar Kohn                  Jack Santoro

Seniors –                             Sara Ackerman             Eli Kellner

Supers –                              Lexi Bernstein              Max Moritz

GC’s –                                  Ashley Epstein              Jared Kohn

CIT’s                                    Ally Kaplan                  Zack Schiege

The night was all about Boys Lip Sync and they put on quite a show. From our most darling Freshmen all the way through to our styling CIT’s they rocked the house tonight. The performances were awesome, entertaining and heartfelt. Shields Hall was rockin’ but there could only be one winner from lower camp and one from upper. Tonight’s winner for lower camp went to the Middies for their incredible performance homage to Miley Cyrus. You have to see it to believe it!! It was a tie between the GC’s and CIT’s for the upper camp win and what better way to break a tie than a game of rock paper scissors. A nail biting effort by both divisions but when CIT Jacob Rubenstein chose paper and GC camper Sammy Metzger threw down Rock, tonight’s Boys Lip Sync Upper camp winner went to the CIT’s. It was a great night full of laughs, entertainment and dance all brought by Boys side.

Only a few more hours until you get to hug your children. We can’t wait to see you in the morning!!!  We wish you nothing but a joyful day with your family tomorrow. Happy Visiting Day!!!

Life is Great at Camp Chen-A-Wanda

Chenny out.

The VOICE

As we have been in our camp bubble for just shy of 3 weeks now, there is no denying what is coming around the corner. The excitement is building as we are getting ready for visiting day and the campers can’t wait to see their families roll through those gates in just 2 days. It was a fun busy day here as campers were making beautiful signs to welcome their families and proudly display their bunks. Arts & Crafts was full of happy smiling faces creating works of art for you to see and enjoy. Boys camp was busy practicing for their big show tomorrow night, Boys Lip Sync. Each division worked on perfecting their dance and lip sync. Each group worked in unison as they came together as a division preparing to entertain us all. We can’t to see them up on stage.  Boys Lip Sync is a highlight of the summer and from the looks of it, this year won’t disappoint.

It was another great day for our Chenny athletes as they played hard and had fun.

Freshman/Junior Girls Soccer – Westmont 3 vs. CAW Gold 1

Collegiate & up Gymnastics Tournament at Bryn Mawr – CAW took 8^th Place

Senior Girls Softball Tournament at Tyler Hill – Tyler Hill 10 vs. CAW 2 / Westmont 5 vs. CAW 0

Super Girls Tennis – CAW 3 vs. Lohikan 2

Middy Boys Tennis – CAW 3 vs. Starlight 2

Collegiate Boys LAX  – Westmont 16 vs. CAW 3

Collegiate Boys Tennis – CAW 3 vs. Lohikan 2

GC/CIT Boys Tennis – CAW 5 vs. Starlight 0

There is one thing that cannot be denied and it’s that we have some extremely talented campers here at Camp Chen-A-Wanda. We are in search for The Voice and this is not an easy fete with the ginormous pool of talent we have here. Tonight was the Live Battle Round and we were all blown away with the talent up on our stage. Each coach chose a song for their battling pairs who entertained us all with their big beautiful voices. Based on tonights performances, each coach chose the performers who they wanted to continue on their team to the final round. It was a night to remember and the list of 24 performances was brought down to the top 12. Congratulations to those who are moving on to the final round. In just a few weeks, these 12 acts will perform a song of their choice live in front of all us for one last time. The final vote will be made by all the campers and the winner will be announced that same night!

Team Natasha – Daisy Chaskin / Dylan & Madison Grabow / Daniel Gur

Team Grossman – Laine Bishop / Amanda Behrens / Max Rovner & Matt Leviss

Team Kessel – Ashley Suckoff / Arielle Ashkenase / Justin Oresky

Team Weaver – Jordan Leeds / Sami Miller

Wild Card Save: Ally Heller

As one of the contestants exited the stage after her performance, she looked exhilarated and summed it up when she hugged her teammate who she just battled and said, “That was so much fun and you were just amazing up there. We did GREAT!”  The joy for performing in front of a packed house will forever be a highlight for these campers. We provide the stage and the moment to shine is all theirs. There is nothing quite like seeing a camper embrace those moments. It’s breathtaking and beautiful.

Chenny out

The sun was shining bright on all of us here at Camp Chen-A-Wanda and it was a perfect day. Days like today we wish we could bottle up and play on repeat. Everyone had a ball at our carnival today. If you weren’t sliding down the giant slide or getting your brain scrambled on the sit on spin you were playing ring toss or tic tac toe for prize tickets. We all munched on popcorn, crunched on snow cones and devoured giant puffs of pink cotton candy. The music was blasting and a giant dance party broke out in the center of carnival. The happy mood here always allows for some great random dancing. It’s fun to watch it all happen but so much better to get out there and dance like nobody is watching you. It’s easy to do that here. There is a freedom to let go and let loose here and as we boogie down with the cupid shuffle or jam with the electric slide, we are left feeling exhilarated.

It was hard for our athletes to step away from the fun at Carnival but both games that were played today ended in  Chenny victories.

Middies/Inters Boys Softball – CAW 17 vs. Nesher 4

GC/CIT Boys Baseball – CAW 3 vs. Nesher 2

The fun continued into tonight’s evening activity with Wild and Wacky Races. We raced on hobby horses,  got pied in the face, played name that tune and giant word scrambler and of course, some of us got slimmed.

It’s a Chen-A-Wanda tradition to give out carnival T-shirts and this year we didn’t disappoint. Collegiate camper Emily Sobel was the inspiration for our T’s as she uttered a phrase to me this past winter that stuck out and was pure brilliance. “Camp Chen-A-Wanda – Where missing your parents is totally worth it.” She couldn’t have been more on the mark. It is the essence of CAW – you may miss your parents buts its so worth it!

It’s days like today that leave an indelible mark with us forever.  The days of homework, tests, college applications, crazy after school schedules, Hebrew school and the daily stress we feel for 10 months, just doesn’t exist here. Here, we spend the day eating snow cones, walk around with sticky cotton candy faces and trying to hit the bulls eye to dunk our favorites counselors. The biggest stress of the day was deciding which prize we wanted after cashing in all our prize tickets we got at the carnival.  Your kids deserve days like today and it’s our absolute joy providing it for them.

Chenny Out

It was Zeller day today and the campers had the best day ever. Freshmen thru Collegiates spent the day running the Chenny Color Mudder. We had some rain in the morning that only made the course more insanely awesome and muddier. It was perfect and the campers couldn’t want to jump in. Everyone was chomping at the bit to begin their race. They started at the front gate and the whistle blew. It was up the hill they went and off to the Chenny Zoom as they sped down the 150 slip n’ slide. From there, the campers climbed the cargo net wall into the first mud pit. They climbed up then over to land in their first mud pit. Some got right on their bellies into the mud while others walked through loving squishing through the thick mud beneath their feet. They climbed another mud mountain and scooted down into another mud obstacle. There was another cargo net but this one required campers to army crawl underneath. You couldn’t help smile with joy as they navigated this pit. The mud was everywhere. Clumps of mud in our hair and everywhere made today so much fun. There really isn’t anything more fun than rolling in mud and not getting in trouble for it. Actually being encouraged to jump in and get dirty. There was more laughter and smiles at the mud pit today it was contagious. Even the kids that were hesitant at first couldn’t stop themselves to jump in the pit. Our kids were champions of mud and everything dirt. After they completed the mud course it was back down the hill to get doused with neon colored celebration powder. It was streaks of color that made us all look like true warriors. Our Mudder ended at the lake as we all jumped in and washed out the mud dirt and everything else that was on us. We all let go and embraced this race and it felt so good. Where else can kids feel this free to play in the mud?

The CIT’s had a great day spent together and as a privilege of their program, they choose where they spend their day. It was a day full of fun food and movies. They all came back with smiles on their faces from a day well spent. It’s good to be a CIT.

Our Seniors, Supers and GC’s had their own magical day as they spent the afternoon at the roller rink. They went back in time as they put on roller skates and had the time of their lives skating around and around with their closest camp friends. Listening to music, with the lights down low, they held onto one another trying to catch their balance. The laughs and giggles were everywhere. Once they got into the rhythm, off they went. It’s one of those events that most of us parents may remember doing when we were young. I know I recall the rink I used to go to every Friday night and how those memories will forever remind me of my youth.  Well, today your kids made their own memories of skating the afternoon away. We turned back the hands of time for them and they loved every minute of it. After skating it was off for an evening at the movies. As the rolled off the buses tonight back at camp, there was no mention of what movie they saw, just a lot talk about how much fun they had skating at the rink. With all of the advancements in technology our children experience, sometimes it’s the simple things that make the biggest impression. An afternoon spent roller-skating with our friends just makes sense. Some things change and some things just stay the same.

Chenny out

We all got some needed extra sleep this morning after the past 2 ½ days of Olympic fun. It was a lazy late wake-up morning and then off to The Lodge for a delicious breakfast.  We’ve been on high gear since the Olympic games started so our lazy morning was so very needed.

We got right back into camp action this afternoon with regular activities. The weather was perfect and the mood was ideal. It was great getting back to our regular schedule. We went right back into our Wayne County Tournaments.

Middy Girls Softball – CAW 8 vs. Bryn Mawr 4

Middy Girls Soccer – CAW 4 vs. Poyntelle 0

Collegiates Girls LAX – CAW 7 vs. Towanda 4

Senior/Super Girls Tennis Tournament @ Indian Head – Congratulations to Jayden Bier for winning the entire Tournament – Way to go Jess Leichter and Casey Kaplan for making it to the finals!

Freshmen/Junior Boys Baseball – CAW 13 vs. Chestnut Lake 1

Collegiate Boys Softball – Lavi 11 vs. CAW 9

Collegiate Boys Basketball – CAW 45 vs. Tioga 5

Super/ Senior Softball – Westmont 6 vs. CAW 1

GC/CIT Basketball Tournament at Tyler Hill – CAW 41 vs. Tyler Hill 25 – Trails End 36 vs. CAW 34

At evening line-up we announced our Camper’s of the Week. There is nothing quite like hearing your name being called knowing that you have done a great job this week. These campers earned it and deserve it. Congratulations to these outstanding campers!! We are so proud of you.

Freshmen                        Addison Rubovitz                                   Jack Resnick

Juniors                            Jordan Shohet                                         Jordan Stone

Middies                           Chloe Ross                                                Cole Sussman

Inters                               Anna Kaplan                                            Noah Hirshfield

Collegiates                      Jordan Ash                                               Wolf Cukier

Seniors                           Jordan Huberman                                    Sam Rochlin

Supers                           Carly Wills                                                 David Mason

GC’s                               Ashley Haber                                            Henry Weinstock

CIT’s                              Lindsay Sandler                                       Jason Rossell

Then it was off to an absolutely perfect night for Round Robin as each division took over a spot on camp and had the best time at their own evening activity.

All our Freshmen campers spent their night making chocolate in the canteen. Junior boys had a night playing Wiffle Ball under the lights as the Junior and Middy girls played a GaGa tourney in Shield Halls. Middy boys got busy in the Roller Hockey rink with a giant game of Dodgeball.  Inter boys enjoyed their own World Cup Soccer Tournament up on the field while Inter girls had fun playing mass BBG. Collegiate boys got wet wild and wacky on the Chenny Zoom and Collegiate girls spent their night in Arts and Crafts making friendship fish tail bracelets. It was a movie in the Chen-A-Plex for our Senior boys and girls. Super boys had a treat as they dined in the Cookhouse making Dan’s famous Pizza.  Super Girls enjoyed their spa party in their bunk tonight. The GC’s and CIT’s had a cupcake decorating party in the lodge while watching the Homerun Derby.

It was a homerun of a night for each division.

Chenny out.

After two and a half intense days of Olympic games, Red Madagascar brought home the victory. The morning was full of games and the Olympic spirit was strong. Everyone gave it all they had. No matter if it was a game of steal the bacon, kickball or basketball the intensity and desire to win was there. Each team fought a great battle to the very end.

After a full day of games and track meets, the scores were too close to call and in true Olympic spirit, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO SING. We loaded into Shields Hall tonight and each team presented their plaque and banner.  The artwork was spectacular and will forever be a part of Chen-A-Wanda Olympic history, as we proudly will display them for years to come. Each team presented a Cheer, an Alma Mater and a March for the judges.  The lyrics they wrote and sang, the meaning and the heart in which they were performed made everyone in the Shields Hall feel as if they were part of something special. All singing in unison, these words will never be forgotten and will leave an indelible mark on all of us. To be present for such a display of sportsmanship, honor and camp pride is quite humbling.

What made this summers’ Olympic games so special was to see the elation of each team member on Red Madagascar as they worked so hard over the past few days and reached their goals. Their celebration was well deserved but after the hugs and cheers every Red team member turned to their fallen comrades and congratulated those on Gold Bahamas and Blue Greece for a battle well fought.  The sportsmanship and empathy displayed in Shields Hall this evening was awe-inspiring. There were tears of joy for winning and there was heartache of defeat but in the end these three separate teams came back together as one camp family and showed respect for the games and honor for one another. That is what these games are all about. In life there will be times we win and times we loose but at camp, we truly honor the effort we have all given and the respect we have for each other and that makes all the difference.

Chenny out.

Our Olympic games stands out as a true picture to why Chen-A-Wanda is truly a remarkable place. Victory is not defined by wins or losses. It is defined by our effort. If you can truthfully say, ‘I did the best I could, I gave everything I had,’ then you’re a winner. Today our campers gave it everything they had. Every camper put their heart and soul into each battle and gave it their all in every competition. The battles were fierce, they were fun and in the end it was the undeniable effort that made today such a standout day. We played hard, had fun and in the end supported one another. When you walk around camp, in the midst of hearing all the chants and cheers during all the games, you also heard “great job, amazing effort, proud of you.” There is something equally valuable to encouraging those around us that actually feels better than getting the win.

Being part of a community that comes together and supports one another regardless of the outcome is what makes Chen-A-Wanda Olympics so spectacular.  Tonight was the Apache Relay and everyone from our Freshmen campers to our CIT’s, play an integral part.  Each individual makes up the team and everyone counts.  No matter if you had to hit a half court shot, leap frog from the lake to arts & crafts or ride a bike to the finish line, the team depended on you. Tonight, Gold Bahamas finished Apache by hitting that pole first as the camper rode his bike on to Camp Rd. knowing that 1^st place was so close. Red Madagascar ended the relay in 2^nd place only minutes behind. Blue Greece came in third place just moments behind. The excitement to finish the race was amplified by each member of the team knowing they had a part in something bigger than themselves. It is the essence of belonging to a team and the importance that we all finished this race together. The cheers were deafening as each team hit that pole and the pride that accompanied completing Apache filled us all up with a joy that is indescribable.

When all is said and done, it’s not the shots that won the championship that we will remember, but the friendships we made along the way that will stay with us forever. All of our campers are sleeping peacefully as they rest their bodies for another amazing day of Olympics. Doesn’t get much better that this!!!

Chenny Out

There was a buzz all around camp today about when Olympics would break out. A rumor began and the chatter turned from when Olympics would breakout to if we were having Olympics at all this year. Questions were flying and the excitement was building. You could actually feel the energy in the air but the day just went on as business as usual.

Even amidst the Olympic craze, we were able to get a ton of games in today. We played hard and we couldn’t be more proud of the effort set forth from our awesome Chenny athletes.

Junior Girls Tennis – Weequahic 5 vs. CAW 0

Collegiate Girls Soccer – CAW 3 vs. Morasha 2

Senior Girls Soccer – CAW 7 vs. Indian Head 4

GC/CIT Girls LAX – Towanda 22 vs. CAW 11

Collegiate Boys Roller Hockey – CAW 5 vs. Island Lake 4

Super Boys Baseball – CAW 9 vs. Nesher 4

GC/CIT Boys Tennis – CAW 3 vs. Westmont 2

Well, our campers did not have to wait long as the entire camp was enjoying snack call when a very familiar song began to play throughout camp. The Olympic Fanfare sent chills up our spine and out from the The Lodge came our Head Counselors with a lit torch symbolizing Olympics is upon us. The entire camp followed them up the hill to our little league baseball field where the Olympic rings waited their arrival.  We announced the Captains and highlighted what the games are all about. We will compete, we will play hard, we will show spirit and dedication, we will play fair but most importantly we will have fun in our Olympic Games! The Olympic rings were lit and the games the games of 2014 officially began. Our camp is now split in three equal teams, Red Madagascar, Blue Greece and Gold Bahamas.

Just when we thought that camp could not possibly get any better, Olympics takes us to a whole new level. Tonight was a great night as we started our battle with Tugs of War. There has never been a Camp Chen-A-Wanda TUGS OF WAR WITH MORE SPIRIT AND INTENSITY.  It was an electric night. We are so proud to be part of these games as we watch your children thrive and be the best they can be. Best news is we get to do this again tomorrow. There is no place like CAW.

Chenny out.

Today was an absolutely perfect day her at CAW. The sun was shining bright, there were happy kids playing outside all day long and it was one of those days that just felt so right. If you can imagine center camp full of kids tossing a football around having the time of their lives. You can’t tell who was having more fun, the campers or the counselor. It is an ideal world we get to live in all summer long, where tossing a ball under the warm summer sun is how we spend our time.

Another day of fun and competitive games played by our Chenny athletes. The pride we feel as our campers exemplify good sportsmanship and dedication.

Inter Girls Softball – CAW 9 vs. Wayne Girls 5

Collegiate Girls Tennis – Wayne Girls 5 vs. CAW 0

Senior/Super Girls LAX – CAW 15 vs. Tyler Hill 10

Senior/Super Girls Basketball – CAW 20 vs. Starlight 16

Freshman/Junior Boys Soccer – CAW 4 vs. Tioga 2

Middy Boys Basketball – CAW 16 vs. Westmont 13

Miidy Boys Roller Hockey was cancelled due to a Trails End forfeit – CAW moves onto to semifinals

Inters Boys Tennis – CAW 4 vs. Cayuga 1

Collegiate Boys Soccer – Starlight 5 vs. CAW 1

Collegiate Boys Baseball – CAW 15 vs. Nesher 1

Senior Boys Tennis – Tioga 3 vs. CAW 2

We held auditions for the new craze here, The Chenny Voice. Soloists, duos and groups auditioned hoping that one of our 4 talented judges would turn their chair in our blind auditions. We have such a pool of talented vocalists who gave it everything they got. Chairs turned for 24 acts that were placed on 4 teams. The excitement was contagious as they were announced tonight in front of our entire camp family. There chants and cheers as we watched the blind auditions. We sang along and supported everyone who sang their hearts out. It takes an enormous amount of bravery to get up their and sing but when you have an entire room full people backing you with undying support, nerves turns into a feeling you cant quite describe. A cracked voice or missed lyrics will still get that standing ovation. It is the best part of being her, watching how much we care and support one another. That is the true magic here. It comes from all of us and propels us all to greatness. Giant congratulations to the 24 acts that move on to the next round. You all amaze us and we can’t wait to hear you sing live!!!!

Team Rachel: Abby Leeds, Emma Goldenberg, Rachel Knee, Jordan Leeds, Sami Miller and Jillian Oresky

Team Grossman: Laine Bishop, Mia Sutton, Jordana Leff & Maya Cohen, Maci Rubenstein & Carly Wills, Amanda Behrens, Matt Leviss & Max Rovner

Team Kessel: Kate Richman, Ashley Suckoff, Sara Kay, Arielle Ashkenase, Justin Oresky, Josh Polansky

Team Natasha: GC Boys, Daniel Gur, Ally Heller, Daisy Chaskin, Dylan Bass & Olivia Minneroff, Dylan & Madison Grabow

Their voices are beautiful, powerful and make us all smile from the inside out. Chenny kids got crazy talent!!!!

Chenny out