Fall is upon us and winter is fast approaching as more then two months have already flown past since most of us left Chikopi. I have never felt more motivated than and as energized as I did when camp had ended this year. We had such a great group of campers and councillors that it made my job that much easier and that much more enjoyable. Unfortunately the weather did not agree with what we had planned for the summer, but there was no stopping the energy and the team-work and the good sportsmanship that was shown throughout the 7 weeks this past summer. To think that we could see our breath in July in the middle of the day because it was so cold and yet we never had a moment where we were not full of that Chikopi spirit. It was great to see such a refreshing group of people coming together and making experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.
When the 7-week camp had ended I was lucky enough to stay at camp for the greater part of the Two-Week camp. Originally my plan was to stay and help the new campers move in and then take off to Florida, but as all of you know it is hard to leave Chikopi. I pushed my departure back and back and back until I had run-out of time and I had to leave to attend to other commitments.
The day I left camp I made it to Barrie for a good nights sleep in my old bed, then the next morning, still with my car full of my stuff from camp headed on another adventure driving down to Florida; where I am currently working with Athletes’ Performance. On my drive down to Florida I made a surprise visit to Greg Gerum at the University of Western Kentucky, I was only able to stay for lunch but it is always nice to see a familiar face so far from home. If there is one thing that every one of us can take from Chikopi is the value of friendship and the connections we can make with people from every area of this world that come from a plethora of religious and cultural backgrounds. It is those connections and relationships that make us who we are and can lead us to worlds otherwise unknown. One of those people that have made me who I am is Coach Dick Bower, whom I have recently spoken to. He says hi to everyone and we all have him and his family in our prayers as his wife and great friend Barbra fights against cancer.
Friends I have made at Chikopi and Ak-O-Mak have brought me to live in Australia, Baltimore, and Sudbury and supplied a home away from home in city’s and countries all over the world. Now I am on another exploration down in Florida where I am interning with a company called Athletes’ Performance.
Athletes’ Performance is an Elite Athlete training facility with a few locations across the United States. I have already learned more then I ever could have imagined in such a short amount of time, everyday I work alongside some of the world’s best athletic trainers and performance coaches from a varying array of sports backgrounds. We work with the very best athletes in the world from the NHL to MLB to the NFL and the NBA. As well we work with those athletes preparing for University or those trying to make it into the major leagues. It’s a very exciting experience that I hope I can share even a fraction of with all of you up at Chikopi.
Another new area I have just become part of is the “post-sport” world. We always talk about fitness-for-life at camp, and early bird being a large part of that. Having retired from competitive swimming earlier this year I tried working-out on my own for a while but I need the social aspect of sport, so about a month ago I joined the local Masters swimming group and am having a great time! For right now I am down in Florida until Christmas from there I am off again to pursue whatever interesting opportunities’ I can find. Stay focused, stay positive, have fun, try new things and do everything in the spirit of a true CHIKOPI MAN!
