Herzl Magic Bracket: Round 3, Tzafona Region
March 24, 2010 by Herzl Camp Admin, under Uncategorized.
By Danny Soshnik
It’s march. Spring is in the air. Everyone has brackets filled out, telling all their coworkers, “I had that upset”, intentionally omitting every upset they had that didn’t come to fruiting. Yep, March Madness is good. Who would have thought a #13 could beat a #4 in the first round? Yep, that’s the way it goes (Hazak V’almatz defeats Kitchen Raids in a shocker).
No, we’re not talking about the NCAA; we’re talking about the Herzl Magic Bracket. We’re on the first round of the Tzafona region and we have some fascinating matchups!
1 World League
16 3 AM Wakeup for the Airport Bus
World League is the true Chugim success story. While chugim have come and gone (Yo Mama Drama, anyone?), World League’s immense success is startling. The Chug is celebrating it’s 21st anniversary this year, and I believe it is still on top. The most amazing thing is that the real football league the Chug was named for only lasted 2 years. I was a big fan of the early wakeup for the airport bus, mostly because I was often the cause of the 3 am wakeup. My thought – once camp is over, it’s over. Might as well get on a plane and get home. I always wondered what went on at camp after the bus carrying the most important campers left. In my mind, the rest of camp was in agony. Soshnik’s prediction: World League, no question
8 Speed Letters
9 Overnights
The speed letters were great – a chance to comment on the orangeness of the cabins without having to write anything. As a camper, speed letters were always the first, and usually last, letter I’d send home for the summer. As a counselor, speed letters were plenty entertaining too. Overnights are intense. Just ask Fun Bobby. I was always fond of the overnights when they were off site, and Klugman’s Forty. Situated right on the St. Croix River, that overnight spot was great. I triumphantly threw a rock all the way across the river into Minnesota and thought I was the man. When the cool kids played “spin the flashlight” with the girls in the other tent without me, I realized that I wasn’t. Danny’s prediction: Since overnights aren’t uniquely Herzl, I’ll go with speed letters.
5 Puddle Jumping
12 Dressing up for Saturday Night Dinner
Puddle jumping is amazing fun. I’m always amazing how many people thought the best jumping was along the caravan circle around camp. With all the rocks and gravel, you all but ensure that you’re only going foot first and not going to really land on anything but your feet. Me, I always liked it in the sports field. Wide open, not a rock in sight. The best puddle jumper I ever saw was Dave Jurisz, who, with a full head of steam, dove head first, reverse arched his back, and could slide 30 feet on his slightly larger than average stomach. Dressing up for dinner is a funny one. Always good to see the entire staff showered and clean for the big Saturday night staff meeting. Also fun when all of camp did themed dress ups (sports jerseys come to mind). Danny’s Prediction: My vote is for the “other” heavy dew activity at camp.
4 Kadimah Canoe Trip
13 Deaver Song
This is a great matchup. I love the Kadimah Canoe trip. So much so that I actually skipped my own intersession in 1997 to go on the canoe trip as extra staff. Great food, bonding, the stressful writing of the Kadimah song – all good things. And what’s a good canoe trip without drama – getting lost in 1990, tornadoes, Ricky tipping. The Deaver Song, in my opinion, is the greatest program song in camp (followed by Maba). Short, energetic, easy to remember, and no cryptic lyrics to make you feel like you’re on the outside of one big inside joke. This song is so good that it was copied by Alex Locke for the K’Shishim song. Danny Soshnik: I’m calling the upset here – The Deaver Song is my Northern Iowa (sorry Jayhawk fans). If you’ve read my other posts, it is no surprise that I lean this way – I love every single thing about the N’Divim program, may it rest in peace.
6 Cabin Raids
11 B’yachad Blindfold Walk
Raids were really fun –sneaking around camp, waiting in the dark to run in as your counselor posed as the Schmear. Then the awkwardness ensued. Boys sitting on trunks talking to each other, trying not to make eye contact with the girls in their bunks. At least there was milk and cookies. And it didn’t feel contrived at all, right? The B’yachad Blindfold Walk must have come from some lousy fraternity hazing ritual. Kids woken up in the night, escorted around Ozo park, being yelled at about how they need to come together. Yep, sounds exactly like my freshman year. BTW, Neil Fink is a ruthless hazer. I wonder if they still do this tradition. Danny’s prediction: Toss up for me.
3 Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
14 Camper/Staff Celebrity Look A-likes
To me, this lunch is the best single meal in camp. Who doesn’t like baked (let’s not kid ourselves) cheese. My favorite was always the “dump and run” system for hoarding all the grilled cheese sandwiches we could before the kitchen would run out. Dan Rodich was a fantastic dump and runner (or so we told him so he would continue to get us food while we ate – I know, we’re bad people). The look alike game is great, though the same names get tossed around each Shabbat. True, there are some classics – Dan Parsow = Yoda, Jason Grais = Costanza, that guy who was a camper in 1995 who looked like Quentin Tarantino). I still think I look like Shawn Kemp. Danny’s prediction: Stop reading this blog and go get me a grilled cheese.
7 Israeli Dancing
10 Mo Cheers
Israeli dancing has come a long way. In the 80s and 90s, it was an optional activity after Friday night songs before lights out that nobody opted to do. It took place in the empty Beitan. In 1993, our Deaver directors, Adam Chall and Jen Horovitz, told us that we had to go and we thought they were insane. The real insanity followed – it was a blast and we never missed again. They became more formalized under Steve Mintz, and people actually learned the real words and real dances. I wonder how Israeli dancing is doing in the post-Mintz era. The mo cheers have evolved nicely with the times. It used to just be “our mo (clap, clap, clap)” repeated. Originality paved the way for creative cheers for all the groups. On a side note, my personal favorite is when Ha’Atid claimed the Ulam as their own mo in 1996. Danny’s prediction: I vote for Israeli Dancing.
2 Ozo Mo
15 Maba Song
The flagship of all Mo’s is undoubtedly the Ozo Mo. It’s haunted. It’s decrepit. It should be condemned. It’s…great. The Maba song gets the short end of the stick with this seeding and in this region. Not even the best song in its own region, it doesn’t have much chance in this first round test. I was never in Maba – my first year was in 1989, going into 6th grade. But I always loved their song. The cool thing was I still got to sing it without having to go to their Hebrew classes. Yishmichu Mabaim!
That’s the region in a nutshell. I think that this region has some interesting matchups. What about you? One more region than we’ll tackle the entire second round. That’s when the matchups get really interesting.
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Everything I’ve learned about life, I learned at Herzl Camp (A Parenthetical List)
January 17, 2010 by Herzl Camp Admin, under What I Learned from Camp.
By The Brothers Puchtel
Part 2 – At the Waterfront
So there we were, Zach and I, getting ready for our first day on the waterfront (24. First day on the waterfront = Swim test!). We were waiting at the top of a winding concrete pathway (25. Stay at the top until you are told to come down!) when Beth Altman, in a stunning red Baywatch swimsuit, told us to come down with our buddy (26. Always choose a good buddy – one with whom you want to be seen holding hands… so not the smelly kid). Buddy tags hung, cubby items cubbied, and off we went into Devils Lake (27. No, not the town in North Dakota, I mean the real Devils Lake). “OK, kids” Alex Locke began, “when I say Go, you will swim to the other end of the dock.” (28. All staff love the illusion of control) Zach and I swam like the wind, partly to avoid the embarrassment of not being able to access the far dock for the rest of the summer, but also because it was cooooooold!
With the swim tests over early, the staff used the opportunity to put their hours of creative programming skills to work by designating the rest of the hour to…..free swim! (29. Free time triggers an unexplainable excitement in campers) Zach and I headed straight for the far dock, (30. The far dock is the cool dock) and upon claiming the territory as our own, proceeded to keep all the other kids off. “But we want a turn”, said the other kids insubordinately. “Alright”, we civilly explained, “But there are Puchtel rules aboard this vessel”. (31. PUCHTEL RULES!!!) (32. Thank you, Marc Warren) “The rule is simple: If you dare to climb up then we will throw you off. Sound fun?” (33. Puchtels are always reasonable) Out in the lake we spotted what seemed to be a sea creature gnawing on the far floating bob. Looking closer, we saw that it was actually Aaron Gelperin munching on some seaweed. (34. Seaweed is a good source of iodine, and there must be some bark in that thing too) (35. I can feel this turning into a running gag)
After a while aboard the far dock Zach looked out onto the lake, pondering the many higher philosophical points of life. “Max”, he began, “do you think G-d is in the lake? And if so, could he beat Kundra in a fight?” (36. What does happen between two invincible forces?) I realized I had an opportunity here to act like the older brother and set things straight. “Zach, that is ridiculous. You’re forgetting about the Lumberjack!” Upon hearing that utterance, Aaron swam towards us. “The Lumberjack, heh?” he said. “If you want to know about the Lumberjack you will have to come back tonight, when the moon is high and the lake is still.” (37. The more ambiguous a descriptor, the cooler it is)
Luckily, that evening’s lights-out program for our cabin was…. (38. Wait for it – it’s going to be good) ….at the waterfront! “Follow me, kids”, said Neil Fink. (39. Shout outs are good, even if uncreative) Hmm, I didn’t know that one could access the waterfront from this shady entrance. (40. The boating side entrance is inherently shady) Down a rickety staircase we went, the forest overgrowth seeming to reach for us. Climbing onto the pontoon boat I noticed that the moon was indeed high and the lake was indeed still, so taking this opportunity to act like the older brother I said to Zach, “Oh boy, I think the Lumberjack is going to get us!” (41. Zach “Zachary” Puchtel is actually quite easily frightened, just ask him about bees, ghosts, and miniature heads) “Shut up, Max. You’re just trying to scare me.” “Oh, you will be, you will be” came a voice from the wheel. (42. No, not Yoda. Although, wait a minute, yes, it definitely was!) Yoda said, “I’m going to tell you a story about a misunderstood man, a very large misunderstood man…” The story of the Lumberjack was told as we came to a stop in the middle of Devils Lake. I, of course, knew not to believe in such silly things. The Lumberjack was just as fake as Kundra, Rosemary, and…… Ahhh! An enormous hand reached over the railing from the water and took hold of my shoulder! The entire cabin screamed and I eff’n pissed my pants. Laughing as he pulled himself onto the boat, Ben Jurisz (43. Yes, he was on staff then) glowed with the kind of pride you can only get from scaring children. “How did you get to us in the middle of the lake?” I asked. “Are you some sort of Navy Seal?” (44. A camper really did ask me that once after that trick) (45. Ooooo, Navy Seals!) Looking us straight in the eyes, he (46. I) said, “Yes, yes I am.”
Well, those are the lessons learned from the waterfront, kids. We’re up to 46 and just gaining steam…
To be continued…