Reflections from the Shores – John Haines
Shabbat Shalom,
My name is John Haines and this is my 12th summer on the shores, 4th on staff. I think we can all agree that we have a shared love for this place, and whether you have found it or not, there’s a majestic spark to Kawaga that separates it from just a normal summer camp. Each year I came back as a camper, I developed a new understanding of Kawaga and my individual role here. For those who did not grow up in a place where overnight camp is popular, you may be able to attest to this. Growing up, none of my friends or peers around me could even imagine going to an overnight camp, let alone spending the entire summer here, year after year. Whenever I was posed with the questions of my constant return to camp, I always responded the same way. I tried to think of the right words to say, but nothing came out, as there are truly no words that can describe this place.
As a counselor, you see camp from a completely different perspective, and for me, my understanding of Kawaga dramatically shifted when my time of being a camper was over. I grew to appreciate camp to an even greater extent. For the first 3 years of my journey of being a staffman, I had some sort of role, that being helping with EPs, Leagues, etc. This summer is the first year where I don’t have a role like that, and therefore I’ve had more time to be present around camp, and most importantly, time to reflect.
As most of you should know by now, Kawaga has 4 pillars, Sportsmanship, Enthusiasm, Fellowship, and Spirit. It takes a while to comprehend what these ideals mean and why we choose them to be the highest honors given at banquet night, but after taking time to reflect on their true meanings and purposes, I view them in a completely different way now.
After lots of thought, I can finally articulate why Kawaga is such a magical place. I typically view the pillars as ways in which I should strive to hold myself to, but now I see them as the roots to Kawaga’s culture and identity, in which they weave their way into our daily camp life.
Sportsmanship is not just shaking hands with the opposing team after the game, Enthusiasm is not just being the loudest one in the room. These philosophies go so much further beyond their narrow definitions. Today I am going to elaborate on the way in which I view these ideals and why they are the backbone of our love for Kawaga.
SPORTSMANSHIP. There is no other place in the world where you will find the same amount of raw energy that comes from competition, than this place. The spectacular is a great example of this. The most intense environment that I have ever experienced was in 2022 when as the captain of Arkansas, I beat Frank Kaplan in a game of hockey on the tennis courts. I still give him crap about it to this day, but why? Why was that game so intense, and why do we compete the way that we do? In reality we were playing for a piece of wood that would have our names written on it. Another fond memory I have from the spectacular was in 2019, when I was on the Kentucky Wildcats. I had 2 pretty seriously injured ankles and could not compete nearly to the extent to which I did before. For some reason, that pushed me even more, because there was nothing in the world that I hated more than being injured and having to sit out. I fought my heart out during that Speccy and left the competition bruised and bandaged. I will never forget the senior ultimate game when Alex Davis had to physically carry me from endzone to endzone each time we scored. The reason we compete so hard is that we have a need for competition and a hunger to win. That’s not because we were told to try hard, but because that is the norm here that has been built by decades of those before us.
ENTHUSIASM. There’s a reason that we all lose our voices the first week of camp. It goes beyond cheering for your team or screaming go Kawaga beat Menominee in the mess hall. Enthusiasm is cheering for your friend to get across the bay. It’s singing the Flintstones theme song after saying the pledge of allegiance in wide world of sports club. It’s screaming flame-on in the mess hall at every dinner. It’s yelling “you’re late!” to those on the way to D1 during the morning of senior ball. It’s yelling “get up fire get up!” in the water boil of the Blue/Gold cup relay. Enthusiasm is Frank Kaplan starting the chips are bananas cheer by himself for the 7th straight breakfast, while the chief of the chips, Grey Schneider looked at him in disgust. It’s raw energy in its purest form.
FELLOWSHIP. Each year I came back to Kawaga it was because of the incredible friendships I made here. You can see fellowship in every aspect of camp. From late night conversations in the cabin, to gathering up with your fellow 2022 CITS after the meal to debrief the day, to playing volleyball on D1 before every powwow. Bonds that we build here are strong and are bonds that will last for years and years to come. Every year as a camper, I was in a cabin with Jason Gottlieb and Griffin Lowell. Those 2, to this day, are 2 of my best friends in the entire world. Although I’m sad they aren’t back at camp this summer, I still get to spend the entire school year with them, because we somehow can’t get rid of each other. We share a bond, mended by Kawaga that will never be broken. As many of you know, my CIT age group has a very tight connection. We’ve grown up together, and seen each other at our highest and our lowest. We’re all completely different people, with one similar agreement, and that is a deep love and appreciation for Kawaga and the people here.
SPIRIT. A reason that makes Kawaga stand out is our traditions. Camp allows us to push ourselves out of our comfort zones to strive for things like Mawanda and Sachem. You learn how to fight for yourself and also fight with a team. A camper’s camping career is a journey where they are built into the best possible version of themselves. Each year, I seem to learn something new about myself, learn from other people, as well as teach others the knowledge that I already know. During precamp, Josh Levitan said something that stuck with me for the rest of the summer, and that was this. “We say we go to Kawaga so that we can prepare ourselves for the real world, but this is as real as it gets.” It made so much sense to me, because you will never experience another place in the world where you will laugh harder, cry harder, exert more energy, or push yourself more. We learn and grow here, teach and mentor, win and lose.
What I’ve realized is that these pillars aren’t just awards given out on banquet night. They explain why everything at Kawaga feels like it matters so much. Sportsmanship gives our competition meaning. Enthusiasm turns ordinary moments into memories. Fellowship gives us people to share those memories with. And spirit keeps Kawaga’s traditions alive. I think that combination is the spark I could never put into words whenever people asked me why I kept coming back.
I don’t know where I will be next summer, and I cannot fathom a summer not at Kawaga. I hope that when my time is up at camp that I’ve gotten everything out of it that I could. To my fellow 2022 CITs, I love you guys with all my heart. When time separates us, and we go our different ways, I hope that we keep the same connection we have now. To the 2026 CITs, I hope you guys know that you have made this the best summer of my life. You guys remind me of my own age group in many ways, and I’m sure you’ve heard me say that before. Keep infecting camp with your joy and come back for as long as you possibly can. To the rest of you all, the time you have left this summer is very limited, go make the most of the Blue/Gold cup and take time to appreciate the small things.
Thank you.