Camp Towanda Athletics Archives

Posted on August 14, 2015 by camptowanda

Towanda Sports Center: 2015 Season Review

Camp started and ended with rain- the first and last two days were wet, but in between it was a phenomenal season as Towanda Sports Center raised the bar even more since 2014. It was a summer that flew by with visiting teams coming and going as well as Towanda teams traveling and hosting. We had the highest amount of camper participation in recorded Towanda history, as well as the highest amount of teams wishing to come to Towanda to play. Our teams and facilities looked the part and acted the part.

Consolidation of Our Code

The Philosophy continues, and others continue to recognize it. In sports, just as in life, you need to have focus, balance and a good sense of humor. Our teams were continually complimented on their ethics of teamwork, excellent sportsmanship and fair play among other things. Furthermore, we generally managed to achieve one other important goal: playing attractive sports that are skillful and pleasant to watch, whatever the result. Once again we are proud of all our kids and coaches as they had lots of fun in all their efforts and moved forward.

The results- not a top priority as we have stated before- reflected the spirit. Every age group to win at least one title in many different sports. This is most welcome and if you read on, you’ll see the details!!

Soccer Champs

Towanda’s most successful sport had five teams in Wayne County Finals, as well as a number of successes at invitationals. Some great soccer was played, but two highlights caught the eye: The“Miracle Cadet” who were 0-2 and 1-4 down at half time of their semifinal and final whistle and won both games in shootouts amid amazing celebratory scenes, while acknowledging excellent opponents in Equinunk and Wayne. The junior girls also flexed their muscles after scoring 32 goals in their Wayne County games!!

Grand Slam Hoops

Four finals, four Wayne County championships in Basketball! The most dramatic came when the tweens traveled to Trails End and won 22-20 in triple overtime in a very exciting final. The Club/L.I.T boys also triumphed in a tournament that traditionally consists of some major competitors overall, the coaches and kids had a very enjoyable season, playing many, many games with a lot of playing time for everyone.

Junior Girls Repeat

The girls also kept home their basketball Championships as well as the soccer, and they came close to causing upsets in softball and lacrosse. This is a fun-loving group that loves its sports!!

Tennis on Tour

Continuing our tradition of playing good tennis, both our individual and our team tennis groups enjoyed a fine season, the cutest moment being when a Towanda brother/sister team of 9^th/10^th grade mixed doubles made it to the Wayne County semifinals.

Baseball/Softball is Back

The senior (9^th grade) girls went the distance and brought home a much-awaited softball Wayne County championship. They hit confidently and swept aside champs Bryn Mawr and Tyler Hill on their travels, which speaks volumes. All our teams pitched and fielded very well and look forward to a great 2016 season.

Lacrosse Delivers

After reaching two finals last year, our super-enthusiastic staff made it three this year. The junior (6^th grade) boys lost in overtime, as did the Club/L.I.T (10^th/11^th grade) boys against very strong opponents. But our national/senior (8^th/9^th grade) boys went one better as they triumphed over the likes of Indian Head, Starlight and Wayne on their way to the title. Their shooting was fearless and decisive and lacrosse for both boys and girls is expanding hugely ahead of the 2016 season.

Flag Football Promise

Many participants enjoyed some great games. Our coaching staff ensured that all involved learned techniques as well as plays for all ages. We are looking to expand into tournaments for our girls in 2016 as powder puff grew in popularity within Towanda’s girl camp.

Volleyball Victory

All three of our teams in boys and girls upper camp showed much spirit and enthusiasm as they worked hard with their coach to improve. This brought a very welcome championship home as the Club/L.I.T. boys triumphed at Island Lake with the whole team serving effectively a multitude of aces. Lower camp has taken to this and volleyball is yet another area that is growing at Towanda.

Hockey Players and Swimmers

Hockey continued to develop, thanks to our All-Canadian staff this year, building the skills of all levels and hoping to mount a challenge competitively in 2016. Additionally, our hugely enthusiastic swim team staff led our campers to 3 swim meets for boys and girls. The boys did especially well in all strokes, as did the girls in both freestyle and medley relays.

Undefeated Jets and Debs

These playdates for our youngest campers resulted in much, much fun for kids and staff, and an interesting statistic was discovered after the last playdate: in all the sports played (soccer, basketball, kickball,gaga, newcombe) we did not lose any!! We’ll happily take that!!

All-in-All

Win, lose or draw, it was a superb summer in sports. The concept remains- we love sports!! And, they are available for everyone. We focus on safety, sportsmanship, camaraderie, fun and playing well. This is what brings victory, whatever the results of the game.

We have some really nice surprises in store for next summer. You’ll have to wait and see what they are!! Meanwhile, a big well done to all the campers and coaches, and the very best to all our kid, families and staff for a happy and healthy winter. Looking forward to seeing everyone again in June 2016. Congratulations to everyone who participated this season and our champs and runners up below…

This is Coach Lee with Towanda Sports Center

Wayne County Champions

Boys 10th/11th grade Volleyball
Girls 6th grade Soccer
Boys 4th grade Soccer
Boys 10th/11th grade Basketball
Boys 7th grade Basketball
Girls 6th grade Basketball
Girls 5th grade Basketball
Girls 9th grade Softball
Boys 8th/9th grade Lacrosse

Wayne County Runners-up

Girls 9th grade Soccer
Girls 10th/11th grade Soccer
Boys 10th/11th grade Soccer
Boys 8th/9th grade Volleyball
Boys 10th/11th grade Tennis Singles
Boys 10th/11th grade Lacrosse
Boys 6th grade Lacrosse

Renegade Tournament Winners

Boys 4th grade Soccer
Boys 4th grade Basketball
Girls 6th grade Basketball
Girls 5th grade Softball
Girls 4th grade Soccer

Invitational Tournament Winners/ Runners-up

Boys 4th grade Baseball
Boys 10th/11th grade Lax

Towanda Tournament Champions

Boys 7th grade Basketball
Boys 7th grade Soccer
Girls 6th grade Softball

Posted on August 4, 2015 by camptowanda

Towanda Sports Center- Update from The Field

Here at Towanda Sports Center, every age group, boys and girls, has been very busy having fun on the courts, fields and inside the rinks. It’s great to see our campers getting whatever level of play they want throughout the summer, without the pressure. If they want travel, rec or just fun, our program continues to offer them so much. It’s been rewarding to watch the camaraderie, competition and team spirit develop throughout the summer. And along the way, the kids, as well as the coaches, have also learned a thing or two!

We’ve had some amazing games – too many to mention including Wayne County Tournaments, invitational tournaments and good ol’ intercamps! As we head into the home stretch of camp (before the grand daddy of all competitions begins- Olympics), we have every age group represented in Wayne County Championship Finals across all sports. Our kids have been really into the Wayne County Tournaments with a very healthy attitude, all about having a good time, looking ahead and enjoying the competition. They play hard, but they are not cutthroat. We tell them if they lose a first round game or win a championship, they get treated the same here. Just go in with your head high and leave with your head high and that’s what matters most.

Although we’ve made it to over a dozen Wayne County finals – and won a few already, way to go Cadet Soccer, Junior Girls’ Basketball, Club/LIT Volleyball and Club/LIT Basketball! – we are equally proud of ALL our teams, win or lose! The Cadets 4th Grade soccer team won their Wayne County Semi Final and Championship and are now All County Champs after two great comebacks to defeat Equinunk and Wayne both in overtime shoot-outs! Goes to show, you can succeed if you have a lot of heart and never give up, just like in life! The Tweens Basketball team is also in the Wayne County final. This team has a habit of scoring half its points in the last 3 minutes!! But it seems to be working!Win or lose, we’ll keep enjoying our sports, as always!!

-This is Coach Lee with Towanda Sports Center! Da da da, Da da da!

About Camp Towanda:
Camp Towanda is an independent, traditional, co-ed sleep-away camp in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. It is privately owned, operated and directed by Mitch and Stephanie Reiter. For over 90 years, Camp Towanda has continued to define what camp should really be. Our program offers state-of-the-art facilities, an excellent and professional athletic department, waterfront, extensive arts, drama and adventure programs, culinary cooking classes, and special events. We are highly regarded and respected as an industry leader and are involved in giving back to various organizations throughout the year. Camp Towanda is accredited by the American Camp Association and a member of the Camp-Alert-Network, Wayne County Camp Association, Camp Owners and Directors Association and the Pennsylvania Camp Association.

Posted on August 3, 2013 by camptowanda

Olympics Day 2: Pull that rope!

And we’re off!!

Olympics 2013 is off to an incredible start. Intense spirit, effort and pride everywhere. From the creative athletic apparel (did you know you can play soccer in a tutu?) to the chants and cheers, Olympics is very much HERE!

For those of you who may have tuned into the Camp Cam for your daily weather check, we had a nice weather day (with a few spots of rain). All sports were played. In the morning we had Girls’ Track Meet. From the marathon to the potato shuffle to the 4 1/2 relay, those girls ran their hearts out (with the Generals, CCs, Lieutenants and Sergeants running along side them for EVERY RACE). While they ran the track, the boys competed in basketball, soccer, team handball, softball, football and GHOST. The Grand Master reported some games were down 2-0 in best of 5 to come back to win!!

During rest hour, tennis, soccer, co-ed CIT Ghost were played, while the Senior/Club/LIT boys collected wood for tonight’s rope burning (the Club boys have been practicing with their coaches–it should be an incredible event tonight…you’ll have to check it out on the Skyview Camp Cam!).

In the afternoon, the boys headed to the waterfront for their swim meet. The water was a little cool, but that just made the boys swim faster. Kick-board and kayak races, freestyle relays and the All-Star Race. Everyone competed, tried their very best and congratulated their friends in the next lane. The Girls rocked the fields in kickball, basketball, newcombe, Ghost (of course), soccer, gaga and softball.

As our last Friday evening at camp, we continued the tradition where the Dorm and Deb girls light the candles and welcome us to our Shabbat dinner. To see our 8 year old Debs with our 15 year old Dorm girls…it just reminds us how far these girls and all our campers have come. We had an abridged service, the Red Zombies and Blue Clones did some entertaining skits and everyone got ready to PULL THAT ROPE!

Tug of War was under an incredible sky on Skyview, under the lights. Everyone gave it their all, cheered with pride and celebrated with some milk and cookies!

After Tug of War last night, the National boys basketball game went into OT!!! Fast-paced, evenly matched, well-fought. The coaches were really proud of their boys!!! A great end to Day 2!

Excitement, tradition and warmth are everywhere here at Camp Towanda with over 50 Guest Alumni Judgies swarming and feeling nostalgic! It’s amazing that no matter how long it’s been since they were a camper or counselor, just being here makes them feeling like it was just yesterday!!! Having them here helps make Olympics that much better!

At the end of the 2nd day, the BLUE CLONES are ahead of the RED ZOMBIES by just 13 points and consider that 2200 points have been awarded this far.

TONIGHT is the great ROPE BURNING event, considered to be the best night of camp! Stay tuned….

Events are underway today…Boys Track Meet, Girls Swim Meet and lots of activities on the fields and courts.

Good luck Red Team. Good luck Blue Team.

Posted on August 2, 2013 by camptowanda

Olympics Day 1: Rain or Shine…Game on!

A little rain doesn’t stop Olympics!!!

Despite the gray skies, mist, rain and damp chill; NOTHING stopped ALL the CAMPERS and STAFF from wanting to get out on the fields to play!

In between heavy downpours, we got in most of the scheduled competition between The RED ZOMBIES and BLUE CLONES.

From my vantage point as the Grand Master of Ghost, I witnessed the best match ever of Debs & Dills, playting with their heart and soul in the mud and drizzle…to a tie-breaker; the same was true for the Tweens and the Middie Boys. An intense coed LIT best of 5 went the distance through rain and mud as well.

The thrills, the cheering and the concentration was wonderful! From the coaches to generals to the amazing judgies (consisting of over 65 visiting alumni)!

The reports are that all activities were the same intensity and spirit; From volleyball, soccer and indoor basketball to Gaga and softball!

It is so evident that all that our camp is about comes to fruition in these latter days of the summer; the camaraderie, the respect, the reaching for one’s personal best, the becoming comfortable outside of one’s comfort zone and the genuine pride, sportsmanship and deep friendships are making this OLYMPICS indicative of why we are all here.

It is a proud feeling that I see and sense on everyone; including the alums that have just showed up; they see it, too!

At the end of Day ONE, there is just a 2 ½ point difference between the teams…how about that?

Songs of the day played here: TIME OF THE SEASON by the Zombies and and WE ARE ALL CLONES by Alice Cooper.

Today will be beautiful! Cool in the low 70s… a great day for the track and swim meets and tug of war!! PULL, THAT, ROPE!!!!

Good luck Red Team. Good luck Blue Team.

Posted on July 31, 2013 by camptowanda

We’re Good Sports!

In addition to the family atmosphere, the intense spirit, tradition, legacy and incredible camaraderie that flows through our camp, the summer of 2013 has also been a very successful season for Towanda Athletics.

We are proud of our kids’ sportsmanship, participation and respect of other camps, as well as teamwork and Towanda pride.

Although our tournaments are still going on as we speak, we thought this would be a good time to share a recap of the ‘lucky summer of ’13’:

Everyday, our campers are engaging in instruction, skill development and games in virtually every sport. Our coaches, who consist of professionals, high school coaches and college players are top-notch and work with groups, teams, and individuals.

We offer what we call MasterCamp Clinics in Tennis, Soccer, Gymnastics and Basketball throughout the summer, for those campers who want extra focus in these sports (adding Lacrosse in 2014).

We have a very healthy balance and well-rounded program that keeps ALL our campers very happy, motivated and excelling; from our awesome and excellent athletes to our campers who “could go either way”!

Our kids thrive because we don’t put on the pressure and give the parents a much-needed break from getting caught up in the competition from afar (which is why we don’t live-tweet games or share daily scores). Some of our families are in the intense sports circuit for 10 months of the school year with travel sports and practices. It’s refreshing that when the pressure is off…our kids are winners! They feel good, everyone plays and it is a team that cares about each other!

We offer different levels of competition based on levels of interest and ability. For those who are interested in continuing an intense focus in a particular sport, we offer plenty of opportunity through MasterCamp and Tournament play. For those who want to try something new or less competitive, we offer friendly competition through inter-camps and scrimmages. We participate in a great program with other Wayne County Camp Association camps including: Wayne County Tournaments (which run all summer and are single elimination), Inter-camp Tournaments, Towanda Invitationals and Fun Friday Inter-murals. And of course, the grand daddy of them all…our Camp Towanda Olympics (which is also the most fun and spirited).

As you know, Camp Towanda is about so much more than sports, although they are of course a big part of our program. To date, we have had over 40 wins in Wayne County Camp Association soccer, basketball, baseball, football, tennis and lacrosse tournaments; including (only to date so far) SIX Championships and SEVEN 2nd Places. Still to come, another 12 teams have reached the championship round (yet to be played). In addition, we have won FOUR Towanda Invitational Tournaments so far and victories in casual inter-camp playdates.

Regardless, win or lose, the teams are called up to the flagpole for recognition! Because we are really most proud of the excellent sportsmanship, team support and camaraderie which is paramount to our coaching philosophy and our Towanda values!

hockey

Posted on August 15, 2012 by camptowanda

Camp Towanda Wayne County Results

The Summer of 2012 was a home run for Towanda Athletics!

Campers of all ages proudly wore their Towanda uniforms to compete in the Wayne County and Intercamp Tournaments. While we are always proud of the many championships and trophies we brought home to camp this summer, we are even more proud of the sportsmanship and respect that our campers show during these events. Congratulations to our Champions, Winners and of course to everyone that put their hearts into every game they played. You rocked the field, the court and the county!

Here are the Wayne County Tournament results from the 2012 season:

Boys 10th/11th Grade Baseball Wayne County Champions 2012
Boys 5th Grade Basketball Wayne County Champions 2012
Girls 10th/11th Grade Lacrosse Wayne County Champions 2012
Boys 10th/11th Grade Lacrosse Wayne County Champions 2012
Boys 7th Grade Soccer Wayne County Champions 2012
Boys 10th/11th Grade Team Tennis Wayne County Champions 2012
Girls 7th Grade Softball Wayne County Champions 2012
Girls 8th Grade Soccer Wayne County Champions 2012
Boys 7th Grade Lacrosse Wayne County Champions 2012
Girls 10th/11th Grade Soccer Wayne County Champions 2012
Girls 5th Grade Soccer Wayne County Champions 2012
Boys 7th Grade Baseball Wayne County Champions 2012