Dear Campers, Families, and Friends of Tusc,
For the last four years as a staff member at CSL, I have had the same job title. I worked as a Cayuga activity counselor, sharing my time between the youngest boys and the Craft Shack. Yes, each summer provided new challenges, successes, and failures. Different faces came and went each session in Cayuga, and all the bunks rotated through crafting periods. I would not trade these past summers for the world, and I am so thankful for the two areas of camp that I have called home for the last four years.
Coming into this summer, I knew that I wanted a change of scenery. Perhaps after four summers, this role as an activity counselor had become my comfort zone—a thought that challenges the very core of the camp program. I sat comfortably in the shade of the Craft Shack next to the fan teaching kids how to start square knot with boondoggle or how to make a bowl on the potter’s wheel. At camp we continually stress the importance of breaking free of one’s comfort zone, challenging oneself to overcome fear, try new things, and ultimately grow. During this academic year, I reflected on this mentality as I pictured what the summer of 2014 would look like for me at camp. I knew the best place to embrace this mindset: Tuscarora. The village provides the unique experience of exploring all sides of your character, pushing the limits of your creativity, endurance, and emotions.
Over the course of this last week, the Tusc staff united for the very first time at camp, and it just felt right. Our group immediately clicked. These five days have been the first time in many summers that I have felt like a camper again. We jumped off the party boat in khakis and jeans because we forgot our swimsuits; I climbed the progression and rode on a tube for the first time since being in Mohawk. I leave behind the comfort of Cayuga and the shade of the Craft Shack knowing that this summer will challenge me and push me beyond anything I have ever done before. I will continue to go outside of my comfort zone and grow as a person, just as I know all fifty-four of the tusccampers will as well. We take on these challenges and new experiences together.
Admittedly, I have no idea what to expect for this summer. Over the past week, the Tusc staff has been planning, brainstorming, and laughing along the way. We sat for hours outside of Rachel’s tent bouncing ideas off one another. We have a lot of concrete ideas on paper at this point, but ultimately these are just words on paper. These programs, ideas, and this summer will be what the campers of Tusc 2014 make of it. Things at camp never fully go according to plan, and that is beauty of the program. Plans are constantly evolving throughout the summer, adjusting with the evolution of each individual camper and the village as a whole. We cannot plan the laughs, tears, memories, or the bonds that will undoubtedly comprise our summer.
I do not know what is about to come off the bus next Sunday, what we will become, or how we will get there. But I can’t wait to find out.
See you soon,
Isaac Messina
Tuscarora Assistant Unit Head
