September Chikopi Chant – enjoy!
Yousuf Eltagouri
October - 3 - 2011 - Monday Comments Off
Article by Terry Laughlin
“On Saturday (Sept 24) I participated in one of the most memorable of all open water events, the Little Red Lighthouse Swim in the Hudson River in uptown Manhattan. The LRLS is memorable for several reasons. It’s the largest 10K swim in the US, drawing over 300 participants from as far afield as Australia and Russia, and as nearby as 20 minutes walk (my good friend Gilles Chalandon). It’s also incredibly scenic. The course changes from year to year, some years going north and other years south, as it did Saturday. But one constant is that at some point you will swim under the George Washington Bridge and past the Little Red Lighthouse which lends its name. This year we checked in at the West Harlem Park, on the river at 130th St. We then boarded a ferry to ride north to 254th St in Riverdale, the Bronx. There, we jumped into the river and swam back down to the finish at 130th St – a distance of 6.2 miles, but aided by a current.
But, it’s not just a swim; it’s also a race. And on Saturday, I swam the poorest race I’ve had this summer. Virtually everything that might have gone wrong did. Sometimes you have days like that.
Fortunately–far more often–you have days like this:
1) It was a beautiful early fall day and I can’t think of a better way to spend it.
2) I saw literally dozens of good friends–all of whom have become friends because of our shared love of swimming in open water. Among them was my good friend Lennart Larsson who traveled to NY from Sweden so we could do this swim together. I also met quite a few TI enthusiasts for the first time.
3) After the race, Gilles invited a group of us (Dave Barra, Willie Miller, Rondi Davies, John Humenik, Janet Harris, Lisa Neidrauer, Lennart and me) to his nearby apartment on 157th St where he and his wife Shelly fed us piles of crepes and we talked for hours more about open water swimming, and about Dave’s attempt five days earlier to swim twice around Manhattan, an effort supported by most of those at Gilles’ apartment.
4) But the most special part of the day happened because of one of the factors that hurt my race results. After jumping off the ferry, rushing to catch my wave since the start horn sounded before I was ready to go, I jammed my goggles on my face and made about 100 meters before they were completely filled with water. That happened three or four more times before I finally gave up and stuck them in my suit. I swam the first three miles without goggles. Visibility was difficult and I worried a bit about whether I might get an eye infection. But then a young man swimming next to me noticed I was swimming without goggles, stopped and put a hand out. I stopped and he said “Do you need goggles? I have a spare pair.” He reached into his suit and pulled them out. I put them on and we both resumed swimming. That’s truly an open water moment, demonstrating the warm sense of collegiality, more than competition, that differentiates open water from pool racing.
I swam the final 3 miles of the race with a smile and a warm feeling just thinking about it. After finishing I found my benefactor on shore and learned that he is a 15 year old high school swimmer. from Grand Island NY named Yusuf Eltagori, whose ambition is to swim completely around Manhattan. I was hugely impressed to find someone of his age with such mature vision and ambition and with the presence of mind to behave so thoughtfully and generously.
A perfect day. May you have many like it.”
9/11
September - 11 - 2011 - Sunday Comments Off
They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
From Laurence Binyon’s poem For the Fallen, written in September 1914
Magnetawan 5K Run
September - 11 - 2011 - Sunday Comments Off
Blair, Joe and Mike raced in Magnetawam’s Annual 5K Run.
Final Night!
September - 9 - 2011 - Friday Comments Off
Tonight, the last night of the 2011 season treats us with this spectacular sunset! To all our friends and families, a safe and healthy winter until we meet again next summer on the front field.
Bob
Clean Up
September - 8 - 2011 - Thursday Comments Off
Joe, Blair and Mike are cleaning out the old tripping room, while Bob is out on the lake teaching University of Western Ontario Sailors their, “Points of Sail!”
Thank You
September - 6 - 2011 - Tuesday Comments Off
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 5:55 pm
Thanks Bob – the boys had another fantastic year at camp!! Chikopi seems to be like home to them!!
Enjoy the fall!
Susan Gibson
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 11:33 am
Dear Bob and Colette
Christopher’s experience at camp this summer was wonderful. Arriving to pick him up was such a joy! Taller, confident, feeling stronger & very, very happy. He made some lasting friendships and also made some really great decisions about what he wants in the next couple of years.
He fell asleep on Chikopi Road (very funny!) and once he napped for a bit we had great ‘car time’ and talks for 5 hours.
All the best to you both and your daughter for a great year.
Laurie Carlyle
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 10:23 am
Dear Bob and Colette,
I wanted to write and let you know what a fabulous experience Drew had at
Camp Chikopi. He just loved it and was missing it shortly after being back
at home. He had tons of experiences to tell us about and he really enjoyed
the open water swimming. He is interested in returning next year as a CIT.
We are also hoping to send his younger brother next summer. Thank-you so
much for providing our son with such a fantastic camp experience!
Jennifer and David Cochrane
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 10:15 am
HI,
Thanks for the info.
Ethan had a great time and excellent first time experience at Chikopi. Will there be a communication for next year’s sign up in Dec/Jan for those who attend this year?
Regina
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 11:05 am
Hi Bob and Colette,
I wanted to let you know that Conner had an amazing time at your camp the last 2 weeks. He is even talking about next year! He made lots of friends, did lots of activities, and we are so proud of his achievements for the 1 and 3 mile swims!
We looked at all the photos together, and it seemed like all the Boys had a blast!
Again, thank you for an amazing camp!
Michele Durham
Mon, Sep 5, 2011 1:48 pm
Hello Colette and Bob
Hugh and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for providing our boys with such a wonderful camp experience. They have been home for 2 days now and they have not stopped talking about all of their adventures. They really have grown as individuals. They have spoken of both fun and cherished experiences. They were challenged by the swimming component and they were introduced to new sports (cricket most notably!). They loved the rustic opportunities such as sleeping outside beneath the stars. They loved the open water swimming and the freedom of that type of swimming without lane ropes. They met many terrific young boys and camp staff. Alex is inspired to become a CIT down the road. They spoke particularly well about the food. They said it was very healthy and tasty at the same time.
Thank you so much for giving them such a fantastic experience. We couldn’t be more pleased about their feedback of your camp.
Take care and thank you once again.
Sincerely
Andrea and Hugh Hamilton
Two Week Cabin Awards
September - 5 - 2011 - Monday Comments Off
Camp Chikopi 2011
2 Week Award Winners
Cabin # Runner of the Cabin Swimmer of the Cabin Camper of the Cabin
3 Aaron Mohammadi Alex Hamilton Connor Bowie
5 Sebastian Carrasco Matt Moore Nick Winograd
6 Jack Bentley Tyler Smith Tyler Wisner
7 Luca Corazza Tom Lychy Mike Bartle
8 Bronis MacDougall Conner Durham Alex Arellano
