2025 Newsletter #6

Hello from the Shores of Lower Baker Pond,

We’re in the midst of another warm, beautiful stretch of weather here at Pemi, with the sun expected to be shining all week and temperatures sitting in the 80s for the next several days. As I write Pemi campers are out waterskiing, paddling on canoes and kayaks, tacking back and forth in Sunfish, and getting ready for our daily free swim. It should be a perfect few days for enjoying all of our Pemi activities, and especially for taking frequent advantage of such easy access to the waters of Lower Baker Pond.

This picturesque weather has been the norm for most of the summer, but it’s a shift from the conditions that our 11, 12, and 13-year-olds experienced here at Pemi during Tecumseh Day last Friday. While the forecast steadily improved in the run-up to the day’s events, we still entered Friday knowing there was a chance of heavy rain at either camp, and ultimately that’s what the boys experienced, especially those here at Pemi. Neither rain nor the ultimate outcome of the day – 7 wins for Pemi, 11 for Tecumseh, and 2 ties – could dampen our spirits for long. Friday was a thrilling day of competition, with both camps demonstrating why this rivalry has flourished since 1908 and remains the longest-running intercamp rivalry in the country.

Throughout last week, this weekend, and the early parts of Week 6 here, we’ve continued ahead with all of our program, while also focusing on Tecumseh Day. In this newsletter I’ll recap the end of Week 5, provide more details from Tecumseh Day along with some reflections, and give an update on the weekend and beginning of Week 6. We’ve somehow reached the final activity week of the summer, yet there’s still so much left that will happen this summer. Pemi 2025 won’t slow down for even a second until that last boy has crossed the bridge on August 9^th. With so much to share, and so much still to come, I’ll do my best to provide plenty of insights here before running back out to join the fray! Read on for more.

Tecumseh Day 2025

With last week’s newsletter going out on Wednesday, we had only one more day of preparation left before resuming our friendship with Camp Tecumseh on Friday. The boys spent Thursday on final preparations, going over situational work in baseball, perfecting their touches and turns in swimming, committing tiebreaking and scoring rules to memory in tennis, and walking through tactics on the soccer pitch. We also spent a good bit of time throughout the week working on the mental side of athletic preparation and competition. Counselors led yoga, breath work, meditation, and visualization sessions to help the boys stay relaxed and focused. Boys took to these exercises seriously, and we had dozens of boys out in the fields Wednesday and Thursday nights, lying down and going through guided visualizations with our counselors and staff. For many campers this was their first introduction to the practice of mental preparation for competition.

We continued to receive excellent leadership from our 15-year-olds. Their age group has a wonderful mix of highly talented athletes, guys who love sports even if they’re not especially focused on them, and boys whose interests lie in myriad other areas. One of the most fun aspects of witnessing this age group’s leadership was seeing the ways in which boys from all of the aforementioned groups worked together to guide their younger peers. They’re old and mature enough to recognize the different strengths and skills that they all possess, and they worked together as a unit to lead camp. It was a stellar example of everyone striving towards a common goal and being willing to put that goal above self-interest.

With practices completed, words of encouragement delivered, and bags packed up on Thursday night, we enjoyed an early 8:30pm Taps to prepare for our 6:30am Reveille on Friday morning. Tecumseh Day is a long day of competition, with lots of logistics and planning needed to pull it off. It’s truly a camp-wide effort, with all hands on deck. Our Buildings and Grounds team works tirelessly to have camp ready; our kitchen crew stretches their day longer on the front and back ends to have everyone fed; and every staff member either coaches, supervises, or supports the boys both at home and on the road. Our whole community pulls together which helps make it such a special day.

Before diving into the events of the day, here’s a brief overview of how it actually works. Pemi campers compete across five age groups – 10&unders, 11s, 12s, 13s, and 15&unders – in four sports: baseball, soccer, tennis, and swimming. This makes for a total of 20 events on the day. The 10s and 15s play at one camp every summer, with the 11/12/13s at the other. For 2025, our youngest and oldest boys were on the road and the middle age groups stayed home. Each event counts the same as every other, and whichever camp wins the most in total wins the day and the trophy: The Hat. For more on the history of The Hat, which belonged to longtime Tecumseh director George Munger before being doffed in admiration of an heroic Pemi effort in 1967 and given to Tom Reed, Sr., you can read this account from Fred Seebeck or the early parts of last year’s newsletter from Charlie Malcolm.

Morning Events

After our early wakeup and breakfast, a group of 85 campers and roughly 30 staff boarded buses and vans to head over to Camp Tecumseh, located on Lake Winnipesaukee. After the roughly one hour ride, we unloaded and regrouped in their field house before heading out for the first round of events. As I have for the last several years, I traveled with our group over to Tecumseh, so I’ll be able to provide my firsthand account of how the day unfolded there. For the events back here at Pemi, I’ll be relying on a collection of stories from coaches and others.

The morning over there began with 15s tennis and 10s baseball. Our 15s tennis team consisted of Sam Chapin, Sam Weber, Gray Axel, Rudi Wei, Noah Katz, River Morgan, Trip McNulty, Adam Aronis, Alex Fernandez, and Noah Littman. Walking around their tennis complex, which also boasts red clay courts, allowing us to play on our familiar surface, I saw some excellent tennis and cheering from our boys. At #1 singles Sam Chapin faced a talented opponent, and despite fighting through every point, he came up short in the end. Sam Weber played an incredibly gutsy match, battling both his opponent and a feisty Tecumseh crowd. After winning the first set, Sam dropped a close second, sending the match to a “matchbreaker” – a tiebreaker to 10 played in lieu of a third set. Sam dug deep and pulled out the win in impressive fashion. Gray had a similarly back and forth match, but he demonstrated excellent poise, determination, and competitive fire to earn another Pemi victory. Rudi played one of the better matches I’ve seen in awhile, executing his game plan to perfection. Relying on a strong first serve and his athletic ability, he cruised to a first set victory before finding himself in a battle in the second. With a slim 4-3 lead, momentum seemed to be tipping towards Tecumseh. Rudi found himself serving down 0-40 with his opponent feeling better every point. He dug deep, however, and came back to win that game to go up 5-3 and then closed it out from there.

In the doubles matches, Noah Katz and River at #1 doubles demonstrated why they’re considered two of the most competitive guys in their age group. Playing a pair of strong Tecumseh athletes, Noah and River played relentless tennis, preventing their opponents from ever gaining momentum en route to a straight set victory. Trip and Ryan played a similarly strong match from start to finish, striking first and never looking back. At #3 doubles Noah Littman and Alex earned a decisive win as the first match off the courts. Their strong, confident performance set the tone early, and they quickly moved on to supporting their teammates who were still battling it out. Final score Pemi 6, Tecumseh 1.

In 10s baseball our talented nine faced off against a powerful and accurate Tecumseh pitcher. With Dylan King on the mound, Doc Nick’s Wonders were feeling confident, and Dylan pitched a strong game to be sure. In just the first inning, he found himself in a bases loaded, no outs jam. Undeterred, he calmly went about his business and escaped the frame with only one run thanks to a few excellent pitches and some solid defense behind him. The boys in the field, including Cannon Sears, Trex Lehn, George Kingdon, Finn Pike, Elliot Lefevbre, and Niam Santiago. Unfortunately, Tecumseh had a very talented and composed pitcher themselves, and he kept the Pemi bats at bay. We threatened several times, including a line drive down the left field line that would have scored a couple runs had it not landed just inches foul. Loading the bases up in the top of the last inning, we sparked loud support from the Pemi faithful watching down the first base line and right field. We couldn’t quite put together the final at bats to drive the boys in, however, and the game finished with a thoroughly earned 4-0 Tecumseh victory.

Back at Pemi we started off with 11s tennis, 12s soccer, and 13s swimming. Pemi’s head of tennis Chris Johnson provides the following details for 11s tennis:

The Pemi 11’s Tennis Team donned their crisp Pemi whites and kicked off the day in the oldest camp competition in the country with Camp Tecumseh. Will Fritts and Pepe Sevillano-Luque battled valiantly at third and fourth singles but dropped close decisions to their foe in the first results of the day. At first doubles, the team of Sebby Richards and Jack Moskoff put Pemi in the win column with a dramatic 8-7 tiebreak win. The momentum continued to shift back to Pemi when the second doubles team of Declan Donohoe and Henry Howe overwhelmed their Tecumseh counterparts 8-2. With the score knotted at 2, Tecumseh struck next, taking down the third doubles team of Declan McGovern and James Wasnick 8-5. As the first event at Pemi drew to a close, Tecumseh proved too strong as they used some brilliant play to beat Walker Seidel at first singles and Timmy Lorig at second singles. Although the result was not a win, the valiant play on the tennis courts set the tone for a competitive day.

In 13s swimming we raced our hearts out but ultimately fell to a faster and deeper squad of Tecumseh swimmers. We had excellent performances from Nate Lavelle and Wills Waitzkin, among others. The 12s soccer team likewise battled hard but came up short in a 3-1 loss despite determined play from Finn Shapiro, Julian Blaustein, Hudson Eng, Wilkes Goobic, Wade Fleming, Dani Losada, Manolo Sevillano-Luque, and keeper Kaz Sulski and a number of late chances.

Back at Tecumseh for the second round of events, our 10s were determined to avenge their tough baseball loss. Boasting a talented roster of soccer players including Myles Woolley, Charlie Moskoff, Andrew Ramich, Owen Goobic, Oscar Mulholland, Niam Santiago, George Kingdon, Finn Pike, Cannon Sears, and Bode Gunther in net, the 10s played a strong game. Pemi had the lion’s share of early chances, dominating possession and pressuring Tecumseh at every opportunity. Tecumseh had plenty of talent of their own, however, and they struck first when a dangerous ball into the box on a counter attack ended up pinballing around before bouncing into the back of the Pemi net. Undaunted, Pemi continued to control the run of play, and we equalized before half thanks to a deft touch from Myles Woolley. Tecumseh earned a penalty kick early in the second half that they cooly converted, once again shifting the scoreline against the run of play. As Pemi’s boys continued to link passes together and create chances, Tecumseh’s defense remained stalwart, and they eventually punished us once again on the counter, making it 3-1. Pemi never gave up, pouring on pressure down the left flank and through the middle, even rattling a shot off the Tecumseh crossbar before eventually getting one back to make it 3-2 thanks to Andrew Ramich. We had momentum and confidence, but unfortunately we ran out of time. Credit to Tecumseh for scrapping out a hard-fought win. Their boys stood up to our pressure and converted when it counted.

Up on Tecumseh’s big diamond, the Pemi Flagship, 15s baseball, got off to a roaring start and never looked back. We tagged Tecumseh for eight runs in the top of the first thanks to strong hitting from Noah Littman, Bryce Madom, Ryan Aronis, and really the full Pemi lineup. With Noah Katz on the mound, Bryce calling a confident game behind the plate, and a slew of experienced ballplayers backing them up, the boys remained calm and confident throughout. Tecumseh managed to get a couple guys across the plate, but we added three more runs to stretch it to 11-3 heading into the bottom of the last inning. As they always do, Tecumseh battled to the end, eventually chasing Katz from the game with the bases loaded. Vittorio Campanile calmly took the ball, stayed unphased after giving up a couple runs while finding his groove, and took care of business to secure the 11-5 Pemi victory. It was a masterful game start to finish and continued our strong morning on the road.

Back at Pemi our 12s tennis took to the courts under the leadership of coaches Oliver Giraud and Chris Johnson. Oliver shares his thoughts here:

The coaches had a hard time creating a lineup because of the amount of such solid tennis players. On Thursday afternoon the lineup was announced. Singles: Kieran Clark, Finn Shapiro, Wade Flemming, and Hudson Eng Doubles: Connor Pike and Manolo Sevillano-Lope, Eddie Horn and Sebe Liebel, and Hunter Blauer and Parker Brown

Once the day had begun the boys quickly found out that Tecumseh did not come to mess around. After losing their soccer game 2-1 to a strong team, the Pemi fellas were hoping that Tecumseh would be tired and that they could take the second event of the day. The matches all started out close: 2-1 Pemi. 2-1 Tecumseh, 1-1 tied. The Pemi guys unfortunately fell short, and Tecumseh was able to out grit everyone except Hudson Eng, the four singles player. He won 8-5 in a great game before lunch. Hudson’s was the last match of the event, and the rest of Tecumseh was behind the tennis courts cheering on their player while putting some REAL pressure on Mr. Eng, but he persevered for the win!

Overall Tecumseh won 6-1, and the boys learned a lot about how they need to create a gameplan before the match, and work with their teammates to exploit weaknesses in Tecumseh’s game. The 12’s Tennis guys are now hungry and those spots on the team will not come easy next summer. Let’s get to work. Go Pemi!

11s baseball took to the small diamond and found themselves up against an ace pitcher. It was a tough game for the Pemi boys, but they played their hardest through to the final out. The team had great defensive efforts from Declan McGovern behind the plate and Leo Schirripa who made a beautiful diving catch on a well-hit line drive. Declan Donohoe stood tall on the mound. Tecumseh had a lineup of formidable hitters, but he did his best and kept his confidence throughout the outing. Tecumseh earned the win in the end.

13s soccer played the game of the morning here at Pemi. They took the pitch against a talented Tecumseh squad knowing that they needed a full team effort to hold their own, and that’s exactly what they delivered. It was a back-and-forth game, with Tecumseh often controlling the run of play and putting Pemi’s back line under pressure. The Pemi backline of Tyson Madkins, Devran Efe, Shields Waitzkin, and Julian Park-Jacobs, central midfielders Brecken Putzel and Jack Donohoe,and especially our goalkeeper Gabri Hutchinson, withstood wave after wave of attack to keep the game knotted at 0-0 at the half. Gabri continued his heroic efforts in the second, making repeated diving saves before leaping back up to block shots off the rebound. A game that could easily have finished 4- or 5-0 in Tecumseh’s favor instead remained goalless as the final whistle sounded. Pemi may not have gotten the win we hoped for, but this was a hard-won draw and provided the spark needed heading into lunch here at Pemi.

At the midway mark, Tecumseh stood solidly in control of the day, but it was still far from over.

One of the truly remarkable aspects of the Pemi-Tecumseh rivalry is the sharing of meals smack dab in the middle of a day of intense competition. At both camps the hosts go into their Mess Hall first, fill in at their regular tables, and the invite the guests from the other camp to take the remaining seats, leading to 20+ tables completely mixed with Pemi and Tecumseh campers and staff. To pause in the middle of the day and break bread with the very people you’ve just been competing against creates a special atmosphere and bond between both camps. It’s a living testament to the idea that you can simultaneously be fierce competitors on the field and friends off it. Not all of our boys may realize how unusual this arrangement is in the world of sports, but as one of Tecumseh’s directors remarked over in their dining hall, there’s no gesture that speaks to welcome and friendship more than inviting someone to dine with you in your home. It’s a hallmark of the spirit of the day and a chance for all of us to really appreciate the immense value of this 118-year-old rivalry.

Afternoon Events

Buoyed by the strong 15s performances in the morning, our road warriors came out fired up in the afternoon. The 15s spent our post-lunch break encouraging the 10s, letting them know that we were all so proud of the efforts they put in during baseball and soccer. Our oldest boys displayed tremendous leadership in picking the 10s up, cheering them on, and instilling in them the spirit and determination to bounce back from their two morning losses.

And bounce back they did! The 10s came out firing on all cylinders in their tennis matches. The Pemi lineup of Teo Ivanov, Niam Santiago, Dylan King, Russell Follansbee, Andrew Ramich, Jay Wall, Finn Pike, Mac Casertano, Jeffrey Eng, and George Kingdon got off to a strong start across the board, taking the lead in every match and never looking back. With ominous clouds looming, the boys kept playing and excelling. Even injury couldn’t slow the 10s down – when Mac suffered an elbow bruise that forced him to withdraw, Charlie Foster was right there, ready to step in as the alternate and keep the momentum going. In the end six of the seven matches finished before the rain arrived, and the seventh match had gone deep enough that it was also an official result when it was called. Final score 7-0 Pemi!

Over on Tecumseh’s soccer pitch, the Pemi 15s were locked in their toughest test of the day. With the midfield trio of Colin Pham, River Morgan, and Emmitt Baggish controlling the center of the pitch, Sam Weber, Tom Mele, Noah Littman, and Toven Putzel across the back in front of keeper Noah Katz, and Miles Whitcombe, Matthew Kusik, and Rudie Wei stretching the field, Pemi had a talented and athletic lineup in place to start, and we also got outstanding minutes from Zach Pierson off the bench, who wound up being one of the most impactful players on the pitch. From the start it was clear it would be a gritty and tenacious game. Both sets of players desperately wanted this win, and our guys knew that Tecumseh’s 15s would be on a mission after we’d won both morning contests. The early parts of the game were largely played between the boxes, as both midfields contest every 50/50 and chances were hard to come by. A few Pemi fouls provided Tecumseh with decent opportunities, but Pemi’s back line never relented. Despite some outstanding midfield play from Pemi, we never seriously threatened in the first half and went into the break 0-0.

In the second half, Pemi pushed for the win, eventually moving Putzel up top and throwing bodies forward. Whitcombe had the best chance of the game, sneaking through Tecumseh’s back line and winding up one on one with their keeper, but he couldn’t quite convert. The rain started light and then picked up into a full-on deluge for a solid 15-minute stretch, turning the game into an ever more physical and scrappier affair. Both teams did an impressive job of keeping the play hard fought but clean, with the fouls being committed on legitimate attempts on the ball. The boys demonstrated all of the heart, talent, and sportsmanship that we expect from our leaders, turning in an excellent performance that ultimately ended 0-0. It was on to the water at Tecumseh.

Back at Pemi our boys were determined not to let the morning’s disappointing results dictate the afternoon. What nobody could have accounted for, however, were the weather conditions. Pemi experienced our hardest rains of the whole summer, leading to a reshuffling of some events as we waited for the tennis courts to be playable again. It’s a sign of the depth of friendship between our two camps that these schedule changes were discussed and implemented in an effective and practical manner, with both camps’ leaders partnering together to figure out the best interests of all our boys.

The post-lunch events at Pemi wound up starting with 11s soccer, 12s swimming, and 13s baseball. Just like the 11s, the 13s baseball team came up against a dominant pitcher who took us out of the game from the jump. We played a solid defensive game, with composed pitching from Cairo Clapper, but sometimes you just go up against a superior opponent, and their pitcher was certainly that. Hat’s off to him for a stellar performance in a Tecumseh victory. Our talented 11s soccer team, meanwhile, came up against an equally skilled Tecumseh team. Despite strong play from Pepe Sevillano-Luque, Declan Donohoe, Sebby Richards, Hy Butler-Scott, Declan McGovern and more, we came up short in the end.

12s swimming pulled out a big win on the backs of strong performances from Parker Brown, Julian Blaustein, Hudson Eng, Wade Fleming, Brandon Lyu, Oliver Nevius, Connor Pike, Michael Vitale, and several others. Many more details to follow in Bean Soup, and apologies to the squad for not having them on hand for this update!

This left 13s tennis, 12s baseball, and 11s swimming to be completed at Pemi. Our 11s had the misfortune of losing two of their top swimmers to injury during the soccer game, taking away from what would have been a highly competitive roster. The remaining boys swum their hearts out, however, with many of them putting up significantly lower times than what they’d swum in the buildup to the meet. We saw great swimming from Sam Fox, Mason Russell, Declan Donohoe, and Benny Evan, along with an incredible display of cheering and moral support from Leo Schirripa and Henry Raslavicus, who provided nonstop vocal encouragement for the entire meet. Despite their strong efforts, they fell to a tough Tecumseh squad.

13s tennis played a rain-delayed match that wound up being the final event to conclude on the day. Playing late into the evening, the boys kept their energy and focus all the way to the end. Pemi’s squad of Alex Ivanov, Danny Follansbee, Will Dennis, Emmet Greene, Julian King, Ben Comey, Gabri Hutchinson, Elijah Brown, Shields Waitzkin, and Nicholas Kusik displayed excellent resilience as they played out every point of every match to the fullest. When the final competitors came off the court, we’d fallen 5-2.

12s baseball played a classic defensive battle, with small ball the order of the day. Connor Pike took the mound and pitched a gem backed by his squad of Jasper Gandhi, James Brennan, Wilkes Goobic, Ahran Santiago, Wade Fleming, Hudson Eng, Hunter Blauer, Parker Brown, and DH Eddie Horn. Late in the game, Pemi was clinging to a slender 2-1 lead but Tecumseh managed to load the bases with two outs. With the game on the line, Pike dealt and the Tecumseh batter made contact, sending a line drive into shallow right field for what looked to all in attendance like a base hit to put Tecumseh in front. Hudson Eng, however, had a different idea. Tracking the ball from the jump, he read it perfectly, charged in, and made an all-or-nothing dive – either he’d catch the ball to win the game, or his gamble would lead to a bases-clearing three run hit. Hudson’s footwork and timing were perfect, and he laid out, caught the ball cleaning on the sprawl, and leapt to his feet in celebration before being mobbed by teammates and coaches! It was a highlight reel play that will surely go down in Tecumseh Day lore.

Down at the Tecumseh waterfront, Pemi swimmers and supporters were a tidal wave of energy and determination. Coming off their dominant tennis performance, the 10s jumped out to an early lead that they would never even come close to relinquishing. Here’s coach Eli Brennan on the meet:

After a rousing cheer led by Charlie Moskoff, the meet kicked off with the medley relay. Elliot Lefebvre, Dylan King, Charlie Moskoff, and Finn Pike placed first, while Trex Lehn, Andrew Ramich, Haben McNulty, and Thomas Sullivan placed second to deliver an early 9-1 Pemi lead… In the 25-yard breaststroke, Dylan and Andrew finished far ahead of their opponents, placing first and second in a performance Doctor Charlotte Jones described as “unreeeaaasonably good.” Oscar Mulholland, Sam Moskoff, Niam Santiago, and Myles Woolley also swam valiantly in the breaststroke against competitive Tecumseh swimmers. After the breaststroke, Pemi led 24-2… Finn, Trex, Oscar, Niam, Myles, Bode Gunther, Noah Laas, Jeffrey Eng, Owen Goobic, and Morgan Greene swam the 25-yard freestyle with a strong showing from all. In the most difficult race of the meet, the 100-yard individual medley, Haben and Sam placed first and second in an impressive display of Pemi’s aquatic dominance. As we headed into the 100-yard freestyle relay, the boys prepared to swim their fastest. Our teams of Trex, Andrew, Thomas, and Finn, and Elliot, Oscar, Bode, and Sam took on powerful Tecumseh teams and placed second and third. Sam Moskoff, exhausted from his impressive second-place finish in the IM, touched out his Tecumseh opponent to secure third place and score points for Pemi as we finished the win.

Meanwhile, during the 15s swim meet that ran concurrently with the 10s, Pemi yet again faced off against a Tecumseh group desperately looking for a win on the day. Our swimmers, however, had their hearts set on an undefeated day for the Pemi 15s. Pemi jumped out to an early lead with strong performances from Sidney Harris, Bryce Madom, Marcus Vitale, Trip McNulty and many more. Backs against the wall, Tecumseh’s 15s never gave up, taking points throughout several of the individual events to remain within striking distance.

Heading into the final event, the free relay, Pemi needed a second place or better to clinch the victory; a 1-2 finish from Tecumseh would result in a tie. Second place, however, was not what our lead relay team of Trip McNulty, Miles Whitcombe, Marcus Vitale, and Johnny Thibault had in mind. It was a back and forth race through three legs, with Pemi jumping out early, only for Tecumseh’s second and third swimmers to claw their way back and take the lead heading into the anchor legs. Tecumseh’s swimmer entered the water first, several strokes ahead of Johnny Thibault. By the time they hit the far wall for their flip turns, Johnny had pulled within inches but was still trailing. A hush fell over the crowd as both swimmers disappeared under water. Tecumseh’s swimmer surfaced first in lane one, but he was only a stroke into his final 25 yards when Johnny popped back up nearly a full body length in front. The Pemi faithful erupted on the beach, screaming every remaining ounce of energy over the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee. Johnny kept his head down and his legs firing, pulling away at the end for a decisive Pemi win. The crowd exploded, knowing that we had secured the race, the meet, and an undefeated day for the Pemi 15s!  

One of the beautiful aspects of Tecumseh Day is that we spend it simultaneously laser focused on individual contests while always keeping a mental tally of the overall results that we’re away of in either location. For the boys over at Tecumseh, this meant that the unbridled exhilaration of the waterfront would soon give way to the harsh reality of the overall score on the day. Gathered together on Fraser Field at Tecumseh, with some events still going at Pemi, we knew enough to announce that Tecumseh had once again earned victory on the day and would be keeping The Hat another year. Heartbroken and exhausted, Pemi’s 15s managed to muster one more round of exemplary leadership as we gathered for a final cheer for our opponents. We put everything we had into it, in acknowledgment of the excellent competition we faced all day long. As the post-cheer handshakes finished and we walked back to gather our belongings, there were few dry eyes in the hall. Pemi’s boys had battled with everything they possessed, and while they came up short in the end, they did themselves and the entire Pemi community proud. We loaded up to head home for one of the highlights of the day: our reuniting as a full camp back at Pemi.

As our buses rolled in, we were met in front of the Senior Lodge by the 11s, 12s, 13s, and staff. Long hugs were given, consoling pats on the back doled out, and congratulations offered for individual and team performances. Throughout dinner you could feel the air coming back into the room as boys traded stories from the day, learning about all the heroic efforts that took place in other events and at the other camp. We headed off to bed with a simple but profound idea in mind from Kenny: We’d given it our all, we should be immensely proud of our efforts, and now we had the privilege of getting to return to the joys of daily life at Pemi.

Start of Week 6

After a sleep-in on Saturday morning, with an 8:30 to 9:30am buffet breakfast, we had a full day of activities plus a series of additional athletic events on Saturday afternoon. Boys played soccer, basketball, and pickleball against our fellow Baker Valley camps, providing the perfect excuse to dive right back into our regular rhythm. Nothing could symbolize the full Pemi spirit better than being back around the campfire circle on Saturday evening for some inspiring performances. Things kicked off with a hilarious skit from Pierce and Charles Golay. We then had an a Capella song from Wills Waitzkin, Finn Pike, Jacob Modzelewski, and counselors Merrick Chapin and Colin Ross; a guitar duet from Finn Gaughan and Sam Chapin; a display of lacrosse tricks from Russell Follansbee using a tennis ball, with an assist from Mac Casertano who impressively rebounded every single toss back; a poem recited in both Arabic and English from Yaseen Usman and Ludmila Zamah; and a saxophone solo from Nick McCay. Undoubtedly the star act of the night came from Dylan Thibault, however, who sang “Giants in the Sky” from Into the Woods. As he belted out the final notes and let them linger over the valley, the audience leapt to its feet in a spontaneous round of standing applause. It was a beautiful rendition and an even more beautiful moment.

Week 6 has already seen a whole host of trips head off camp, including several banner hikes such as Katahdin (Sasha Honig, Miles Whitcombe, Adam Aronis, Vittorio Campanile, Matthew Kusik, Colin Pham, Ryan Aronis, Noah Littman, Will Bixby, and Bryce Madom), the Mahoosucs (Tyson Madkins, Devran Efe, Sidney Harris, Tom Mele, Kai Karsan, Rudi Wei, and Nick McCay), and the Pemigewassett Wilderness (Walker Seidel, Dylan Thibault, Nick Brown, Julian Blaustein, Kaz Sulski, Ben Comey, Cairo Clapper, and Trip McNulty). The boys of Lowers 2 and 3 – Benny Evan, Sam Fox, Ariyan Gandhi, Declan McGovern, Jack Moskoff, Henry Raslavicus, Mason Russell, Pepe Sevillano-Luque, Hunter Blauer, Declan Donohoe, Henry Howe, Chuck Kilcullen, Arjun Patel, Walker Seidel, Dylan Thibault, and James Wasnick – also took a day hike up Mt. Cube today, cruising along despite the heat and getting back well ahead of schedule.

We’ve had nature trips head out the last two afternoons to the Palermo Mine (Julian Blaustein, Eli Enders, Russell Follansbee, Landon Dow, Anderson Stritar, Saleem Usman, Zach Goobic, Benny Evan, Walker Seidel, Finn Gaugahn, and special guest, Pemi’s Head of Buildings and Grounds Frank Roberts and his daughter) and a nature art trip to nearby Shin-Boku Nursery (Charlie Toomey, Sebby Leibel, Santi Losada, Danny Follansbee, Russell Follasnbee, Yaseen Usman, Saleem Usman, and Landon Dow) to see some masterfully trimmed and guided trees in the tradition of ancient Japanese gardens.

We also had basketball BVTs yesterday and today, a 10s baseball game this afternoon, a 14s soccer tournament as well, along with our usual Sunday Meeting and Bean Soup the last two nights. As you can tell, we’re right back into the groove here at Pemi! With under two weeks left in the summer, there’s no sense of slowing down yet, and there’s so much left to do that the last day of camp barely registers on the horizon. It’s all systems go as we take advantage of every minute we have together on the shores of Lower Baker Pond!

Pat Clare