Wayne County Camps Archives

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 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 7, 2012 by camptowanda

Letters from Parents

Throughout the 2012 summer, we have received hundreds of wonderful emails from parents, capturing the Camp Towanda experience through their eyes (and their children’s). We wanted to share a few of these letters with you:

LETTER # 1

Dear Mitch & Stephanie,
How do you do it? Are you sure there is nothing in the water or bug juice up there? As a first year parent at Towanda, we received a letter from our child today proclaiming, “Camp is now my 2^nd home.” While I can’t wait to have my baby back on Friday, I am now certain that whatever has been going on at camp this summer has had a remarkable and lasting impact .

Thank you!

Letter # 2:

Hi Mitch and Stephanie,

I have wanted to write this since the first week of camp, but every time I went to start, something new happened at camp, or I got an even better letter from my daughter than the week before, so I thought, I should just wait to write this until she gets home, because every week seems to bring her camp experience, and ours as parents, to an even higher level. But now with only days left until when I planned to send this, I can’t hold it in anymore… THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE CAMP TOWANDA. OK, that said…

I will tell you that from the first day we signed her up for camp, you have made our family feel like family. She has always been very attached to us, doesn’t really love to have sleepovers out of our house, prefers playdates at our house, and in the past has had some transition issues with new things. You made the transition to camp absolutely seamless. Of course she was nervous when she got on the bus, but she was so prepared with all of the information and hand holding that you provided, she got on the bus with a big hug, wave and a smile.

Of course we were nervous those first few days. And then we got the first letter… “I am having SUCH a good time. My bed is so pretty! I’m friends with everyone in my bunk. ” Next (our favorite) was a fill in the blank… Biggest surprise so far – “I don’t miss anyone and I do not want to go home”. What I like most about camp – “Everything”. What I like least about camp – “Nothing”!!!

They only got better and better from there. And then we saw her on Visiting Day, and she exuded confidence and happiness that I had never seen in her before, as well as a new level of independence that she could not have achieved at home. Plus, the campers and counselors in her bunk were all AMAZING. What an incredible group of down-to-earth girls and counselors and CITs who were absolutely wonderful with them.

What is so amazing about Towanda, is that it truly balances it all. The need for kids to develop friendships on their own, develop independence, learn new skills in sports, arts, and more, to feel comfortable enough to just be kids and be themselves, and just have FUN – and that balance is SO hard to find. There is a depth and richness in your program that I don’t think exists anywhere else. Because it works for the athlete, the non-athlete, the outgoing child, the more reserved child, it is a remarkable formula.

When I look at her smile beaming in all the pictures, it’s more than just happiness, she looks so RELAXED. So comfortable, and with the pressures of school, and activities, and social things, and all the other “stuff” kids have to deal with throughout the year, I can see on her face that she truly got a needed break from it all. I can see on her face that Towanda will be for her what it was for me – a special home away from home that she will always treasure.

I spent 9 wonderful summers at Towanda and all I can say is that you have honored the traditions and history of Camp Towanda and then made it even better. I am so happy for my daughter (and soon my son in 2014) that they will have this experience.

And I am so happy for us, as parents, that we can give our children the gift of Camp Towanda. Twenty three years since my CIT summer, my favorite childhood memories are from Camp Towanda and my camp friends are still my closest of friends. We really do share something that no one else can understand. And nothing makes me happier than knowing that my children will have their friends and these amazing memories that will last a lifetime.

So this is as long of a “thank-you” as I’m sure you wanted, but to say that the summer exceeded our expectations would be an understatement. We are overwhelmed.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you,

LETTER # 3:

Dear Mitch & Stephanie,

Please share this with parents considering camp for next year.

If you have a parent who is questioning whether or not Camp Towanda is for their child, send them my way because I would NEVER have thought my daughters would be able to separate and love camp the way they do! I mean never! They are different here at Towanda! Confident, willing and happy to try new activities and new friends; separate from home!

Truly amazing….words cannot express our gratitude.

Warmly,
2 Very Happy Parents (write that instead of our names)!!