Posts related to YMCA Camp Coniston’s summer sessions and programs.
Since 1996, Coniston has partnered with the Childhood Cancer Lifeline of NH to provide a free weekend for families affected by pediatric cancer. Families, many at different stages of their cancer journey, come together for a weekend of fun, support, respite, camaraderie, and of course, Camp! The success of this weekend hinges on current and previous summer staff members who in many cases donate their time to bring Coniston to families that need it most.
2024 was not without loss. Jesse Barden (CIT ‘94) and Colin Macquarrie, two members of the Coniston family, passed away this past year. In honor of Jesse and Colin, those closest to them gave back to the place the two men loved.
Colin’s father Scott and Jesse’s friend Corey Brown raised over $40,000 each to create two new camperships. These camperships will each send a camper to Coniston, free of charge, every summer in perpetuity.
The generosity of everyone who donated, and especially the thoughtfulness, time commitment, and organizing of Scott and Corey, are what makes the Coniston community so special. Our mission to give every kid, no matter their financial means, the opportunity to enjoy camp is one all of you emphatically support year after year. We extend our thanks to everyone who helped create the Jesse Barden and Colin Macquarrie Memorial Camperships.
Camp has been a hub of construction throughout the fall and the winter with the Lodge renovation and expansion now in full swing! This is the culmination of years of planning and overwhelming generosity of donors and we’re so excited to show you all the progress we are making.
A large multipurpose room, two much needed bathrooms, and an indoor/outdoor stage are being constructed where the old kitchen/arts and crafts once stood. This will allow all of Camp to fit inside on rainy days. The flexibility of the space will allow each Division to enjoy separate activities at the same time in the middle of Camp.
June 20, 2024. All was calm and quiet at Coniston. Staff Week had gone off without a hitch and the grounds had never looked better. Finishing touches were being made in preparation for the first check-in of the summer in less than 48 hours.
As staff milled about tending to their duties, clouds quietly replaced the sun. Moments later a breeze came rustling through the leaves and an unmistakable smell filled the staff’s nostrils. A storm was brewing.
Before you could Class-A-Clap rain pelted in sheets and thunder roared. The wind howled with fury. Staff bolted for shelter and the roll of thunder became the crack of lighting. From windows and porches staff watched as the first branches, then whole trees started falling. With visibility down to less than a few dozen feet everyone sat and waited wondering how much damage nature had wrought.
In the soggy aftermath staff got their answer. Branches and leaves were everywhere. Trees had come down from Boys Waterfront to Girls Camp. Benches were blown over. Personal items were strewn about. John McNair’s sunglasses were slightly askew.
For a moment no one said anything. Then, as if a silent starting gun had fired, the work began. Staff assembled in the dining hall and tasks were dolled out. The maintenance team geared up and got rolling with chainsaws in hand. In the rain and in the sun, staff put camp back together. By the time the first cars rolled onto the A-Field nary a sign of the storm remained.
The Camper vs. Staff Soccer Game is a grueling and explosive competition unlike any other. For three straight years the staff won every game. An unrelenting wave against the plucky underdog campers.
Session 1 saw staff walk out onto the pitch with a swagger that oozed victory. They wore all black. They were stronger, faster, and had better hair. Even the assembled crowd of campers seemed utterly resigned to the inevitable defeat that awaited them. In the hot sun the crowd murmured and golf clapped but hoped little and cheered less.
From the opening whistle staff looked every bit the relentless machine that had tasted nothing but suite victory. Like a pack of lions they circled and pounced. In a flash they had a three goal lead. By the half, they were up 5-2. On the staff sideline, It was all smiles and high fives.
But had staff been looking close enough they perhaps would not have been so confident. Across the grass something changed on the faces of 11 campers in homemade white jerseys. Gone was the youthful gleam in their eye. It was replaced by the fire of the downtrodden.
The campers came out swinging and opened the second half with a lightning quick goal. Still reeling, Staff were left red faced after they scored an own goal to make it 5-4. Suddenly momentum was entirely on the camper’s side. The crowd cheered and hollered. Staff staved off the camper attack with desperate determination. The stakes suddenly felt very high.
As the final minutes ticked down it seemed the campers would once again come up short. Hope was fading. The crowd had gone from cheers to baited breath. In these moments all tactics go out the window. There are no gameplans. There are just those who rise to the occasion. In the dying embers of the game it was the campers who rose. On legs screaming for rest and lungs burning with fatigue they launched one last attack. The crowd rose to their feet as the ball entered the box. For a second all felt still and silent. Then there was thunder. Camp exploded in cheers as the ball shot into the roof of the net. The Campers had done it. The streak was over. Staff lay in shock as the campers rushed the field. History made.
On a sunny day in June the cream of the Conistonian crop lined up at Girls Waterfront to take the plunge and show they had what it takes to don the red and white. Over 100 staff would be entering the water to refresh and recertify in the subtle art of lifeguarding.
“Morale is the key to the whole operation,” said Aquatics Director Brackett Lyons. “You lose that and you might as well pack up and head back to the kiddy pool.”
Lyons was in charge of staff lifeguard training and this year he had a harder job than usual. You see, lifeguarding got a facelift this year. For those not deeply entrenched in the minutia of The American Red Cross lifeguard training program, 2024 was a year like any other. But for the crack team of Lifeguard Instructors (LGIs) of Camp Coniston, it marked the transition from the old to the new. The Red Cross updates its training every seven years. That means in a change year every LGI must update their training, study the new saves, and dive deep into both the subtle and overt changes to Lifeguarding practices. The update also meant all new manuals, tests, videos, and training regimens for every lifeguard trainee.
As they gathered barefoot in the grass, Lyons informed his guards that the prerequisite swim test had been upped from 300 yards to 550. Groans were heard up and down the line. Several exasperated utterances of “bro” and “for real?” escaped the staff’s lips.
“It was tense,” said CIT Director and LGI Charlie Levine. “We’ve all had to do that swim, but finding out another 250 yards were added? That was a tough pill to swallow.”
But swallow it they did. Staff showed grit, hutzpa, and even some panache. Once one was in the water the spirit of camaraderie propelled the rest, and in no time everyone was back on the shore a little shorter of breath but taller in mind, body, and spirit. For the next day and a half, staff were in the water and on land learning and fine-tuning their saves and CPR. They practiced drills and worked on their tans. By the end of it, they emerged from the trials as a cohesive unit of modern lifeguarding excellence. From June to August they roamed the waterfronts, patrolled on kayaks and paddleboards, and guarded all who entered the hallowed waters of Lake Coniston.
“It was a great year for guarding,” said Waterfront Director Izzy Pavano. “Everyone worked super hard with all the new requirements.”
Joining the staff guards were the 2024 CITs who endured long hours of lecture and instruction and joined Staff as certified lifeguards. The influx of new talent helps keep Coniston one of the powerhouses of camping aquatic safety. In total 110 lifeguards received a certification from Coniston this summer with dozens more refreshing their skills.
“You need young talent in this game,” said Lyons. “Lifeguarding takes a physical toll. Just look at me. I ain’t what I used to be. I know I’m on the back nine of my career.” At 24, Lyons is perhaps on hole 18. Many wouldn’t be surprised if the long-time guard hung up his trunks and whistle sooner rather than later. “You’ve got to leave the lifeguarding before the lifeguarding leaves you,” he said with eyes fixed on the lake. “Maybe it’s time.”
After the success of last summer, staff once again wrote letters, made appeals, and donated to help raise camperships for those in need. The 2007 CITs matched the contributions from staff, which pushed the funds over the finish line and will fully fund two campers’ summers next year. In total, the staff raised $3,140! All of the money will go directly to the Campership Fund.
Staff give so much time, effort, and love each summer to ensure Camp is just as magical for today’s campers as it was for them. For so many to give more on top of that is what makes Coniston special. Their generosity shows staff’s commitment and understanding of Coniston’s mission and impact. We are so grateful to have a community that comes together and works toward the dream that any child who wants to come to Camp, can come to Camp.
In its debut summer, Martial Arts made the dance studio its dojo with campers learning Taekwondo.
Adelaide Barnes, 2021 CIT, headed up the new program area. Adelaide has won several national titles and won the USA Grand Prix for Taekwondo. As a dual citizen of the United Kingdom, she was also selected for Great Britain’s Development Squad for the Olympics when she was 16.
Adelaide used her years of knowledge and experience to teach campers an entry level course in the martial arts while mixing in a healthy dose of camp fun.
Adelaide said she saw the confidence of her campers grow dramatically throughout the session. She emphasized how intimidating trying something new can be and that a discipline like Taekwondo offers no shortage of frustration when beginning.
“These campers were amazing,” said Adelaide. “They showed persistence no matter what level they were at. They were always willing to try again and again! I was, and still am very proud of them.”
For the past two summers, the West Coast CITs have ventured to Dupree, SD to visit the YMCA of the Seven Council Fires, the only YMCA located on a reservation. Members and staff of the Seven Council Fires graciously welcomed Coniston’s next generation of counselors and gave them the opportunity to meet and learn from the Lakota people.
Neither the history of the Lakota nor the reality of reservation life is easy to digest. There is pain, but more importantly, there is joy. Simple games like tag left everyone breathless with laughter.
“The connections that the CITs made with the campers there were so, so beautiful,” said West Coast CIT Director Ainsley Conroy.
CIT Caleb Meranus recalled, “The children I met while volunteering at the YMCA in Dupree were some of the most kind, respectful and thoughtful children I had ever met.” After working at the day camp, the CITs traveled to the town of Cherry Creek to distribute meals. Next, they volunteered at the overnight camp of the Seven Council Fires: YMCA Camp Marrowbone.
At Marrowbone, camp feels a little different. It moves at a slower pace, but the fun is the same. The smiles are just as bright – Camp is Camp.
“We should definitely be sharing what we’re learning in South Dakota with the greater Coniston community,” said Ainsley.
“We developed this program to show Conistonians how our camp fits into the larger picture that is the YMCA. I love sending young people to places like this because they are awestruck by the differences while simultaneously heartwarmed by the similarities. It is ultimately the sameness you feel with a person that leads you to understand your place in the world. Perhaps there is no better place to feel that than the Cheyenne River Valley Reservation,” said John Tilley.
After trips to California, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado, the next stop in our West Coast CIT program is the Pacific Northwest. We will send alumni to South Dakota to continue the work begun by the CITs, and to ensure the lessons learned there will be woven into Coniston for years to come.
Ahh, the Chipwich: the unchallenged king of camp desserts. Inside the famous packaging sits delectable vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two golden chocolate chip cookies. Perfection in the palm of your hand.
But could it be better? Could we dare to improve upon perfection? That was the monumental gamble taken by Kitchen Director Stan this summer. To reach beyond what we thought possible.
What if Camp made our own Chipwiches? Instead of pre-packaged desserts, each and every cookie was baked in the hallowed halls of Coniston. Our very own kitchen staff scooped the ice cream by hand. So, was this labor of love worth it? YES. Demand for the already en vogue dessert skyrocketed. Record decible levels were recorded in the dining hall. The game has been changed. There’s no going back now.
