There has been a flurry of activity over the past week at Camp Vega. The Equestrian, Challenge Course, Swim and Water Ski staff began their training. Everyone has been preparing for the campers with happy faces and great attitudes.

Anthony Adams and his staff have been hard at work getting the boats polished, cleaned and the skis tuned for Echo Lake. The slalom course and the ski jump are out and the staff is now spending their time driving boats and practicing their awesome ski and wakeboard moves that are sure to impress.

Tyler and Mary have been preparing the swim staff for a summer on the lake honing their rescue skills and coaching strategies to insure a safe and fun summer on the Vega docks. Monday was a beautiful day and the staff took turns practicing dives of the diving boards cooling off in the lake.

The equestrian center is alive with happy horses eager to meet the campers. Katrina and her team have been getting up early to get horses ready for days of fun and excitement in the arena. Just yesterday Kyle, Emily and Paxton were saying hello to the new group of horses by giving them all a tasty carrots and apples a delicious treat for anyone.

Scott and the ropes staff have been training high in the trees. The ropes staff has been coming together and learning to overcome the same challenges the campers will face at the ropes course. Last night there where screams of laughter and excitement as the Giant swing roared to life for the first time this summer.

While Tiger, Scott and the crew touch up paint on the cabins and get the fields mowed and trimmed, ready for amazing summer. Kyle, Emily, Sandy and Anthony are working hard finalizing the latest summer details.  Everyone from Vega is looking forward to seeing you soon!

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Dear Vega Families,

We want to give everyone who is involved and familiar with tennis a reminder about the USTA tournaments at Vega and elsewhere. Vega is a USTA-sanctioned match site and we hold a USTA tournament during the summer.

In addition to the USTA tournaments, we also have several non-USTA tournaments and invitationals with other camps. Plenty of tennis for everyone!

If your daughter wants to participate in match-play at Vega this summer, she does not need to be a USTA member.  If she is, or wants to be a USTA member, there are a few USTA tournaments that that you can register for.  As a USTA member, your daughter(s) can register for any or all of the following tournaments:

Portland Country Club – Falmouth, ME
Southern Maine Clay Courts Girls 12, 14, 16, 18 Level 7
Entries Close = 06/23/2013
Tournament Dates = June 28-30, 2013
http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=126542

Maine Pines Racquet & Fitness Club – Brunswick, ME
Maine Pines 12, 14, 16, 18 Level 7
Entries Close = 06/30/2013
Tournament Dates = July 5-7, 2013
http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=128376

Racket & Fitness Center – Portland, ME
Southern Maine Hard Court 12, 14, 16, 18 Level 6
Entries Close = 07/04/2013
Tournament Dates = July 9-11, 2013
http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=128330

Camp Vega – Fayette, ME
Camp Vega Girls 12, 14, 16 Level 6
Entries Close = 07/12/2013
Tournament Dates = July 17-18, 2013
http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=130703

Camp Matoaka – Smithfield, ME
Camp Matoaka Girls 10, 12, 14, 16 Level 7
Entries Close = 07/30/2013
Tournament Dates = August 1-3, 2013
http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=126667

Also, keep in mind that you do need to register your daughter with the USTA to be involved in the USTA tournaments.

If you have any questions or queries please email Quito at quitotennis@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing everyone soon!!!!

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Dear Vega,

The Vega docks started going in today

The docks started going in today, and with that great milestone underway, it really seems official – summer 2013 has begun!  Pre-camp maintenance crews have been at camp for 2 weeks now mowing, painting, raking,and cleaning, but it doesn’t seem like “pre-camp” until those docks start going into Echo Lake.

We could not have asked for more perfect weather for the occasion.  It’s sunny and 90 degrees, so spending the day in Echo Lake is exactly where we all want to be.  Spirits are high and we are impressed at the speed with which the docks, and all the projects at camp, have been coming together.

The new Senior outdoor shower house is well underway.  The smell of cedar wood coming from the Senior bunks is wonderful!  We can hardly wait for you girls to see it for yourselves.

On another note, a new Vega tradition was started yesterday, with a twist on the well-known Anchor Swim.  Anchor Swims take place throughout the summer and entail swimming from the Vega beach to the peninsula in the middle of the lake…and back!  No small feat!  Yesterday, we had the first ever Polar Bear swim, which is an Anchor Swim that takes place in the month of May.  We are proud of the 9 Vega staff (including Kyle) who braved the chilly May waters and completed the swim.  With all this hot weather the Echo Lake temperatures are rising everyday and the water will be MUCH warmer by the time our campers arrive in 21 DAYS!

Warmly,

Kyle and Emily

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Dear Vegans,

There are so many wonderful things that girls take away from their summers at Vega – they learn new skills, grow in self and social confidence, gain a sense of community and belonging, learn respect for tradition and each other, feel the joy of being surrounded by natural beauty, and much more.

Perhaps the most important thing that Vega girls (and counselors) get out of their summers on Echo Lake is life-long friendships.  We hear time and again from grown Vega campers how their Vega friendships are stable and long-lasting.  A true testament to Vega relationships was a reunion held this past weekend from members of Tamary 1982!

As Susan Baren-Pearson, Tamary ’82 (and current Vega mom) wrote to us, “Some girls go to Vega…T’82 – 30 years after. There were 13 (out of our 21) who reunited, coming from CA, CO, TX, FL, MD, PA, NJ and NY. Seven of us have/had daughters or nieces attending Vega. A few others have girls at other ME camps – testament to the ‘ME Camp Experience’.”

Thank you also to Ilona Marsh, Tamary ’82 (and Tamary ’13 mom) for sending us these great pictures.  It is an unforgettable moment watching Vega campers meet new friends and embrace old friends when they arrive at camp each summer, and it is moving to realize that those same friends, though so young now, may be an important part of each others lives 10, 20, or 30 years from now.   The power of camp is timeless.

Thank you Vega campers, parents, friends and staff – past, present and future – for making Vega the magical summer home it is to all of us.

Warmly,

Kyle and Emily

Tamary 1982

Tamary 1982, circa 2013 Left to right back row: Susan Baren-Pearson, Jill Golden Tarnow, Ilona Marsh, Cathi Cozen Snyder, Samara Koffler, Jennifer Goldsmith Adams, Stacey Hackel Campbell Left to right front: Laurie Salzman Gersten, Susan Blackman Tilson, Cheryl Greenblatt Eaton, Tracey Silberman Schwartz, Jill Leanse, Liz Kraus

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Kyle, Emily and Paxton are ready to get to Vega!

Dear Vegans,

The start of camp must be just a few short weeks away, because it is time for the Vega office to move to Maine!  Tiger arrived in CT yesterday, and we are packing up the office and a few of our belongings today.  Tomorrow we drive Vega!  Accordingly, please send all mail to camp:

Camp Vega
317 Echo Lake Rd.
Fayette, ME 04349
phone: 207-685-3707
fax: 207-685-5520

Over the next four weeks all the 2013 Vega staff, new and returning, will arrive to the shores of Echo Lake.   Then, on June 22, 2013, we will welcome the campers through the Vega gates, starting our journey on a fun and incredible summer.

You will all be here before we know it, and we can hardly wait!

Best,

Kyle and Emily

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Dear Vegans,

We have exciting news!  Over the past 5 weeks we have been making plans and obtaining permits for a new building at camp…  A brand new private outdoor shower area, which is located behind Saco and Sebago.  Here is a picture of the work being done at camp.  These showers will eliminate the hike that Seniors used to have to head to the Boothbay showers.  And, it will give everyone in Junior Camp something to look forward to: being able to look up at the trees while shampooing your hair!

Only 45 Days Until Opening Day!

See You Soon!
Kyle & Emily

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New Vega campers and their parents gathered together in NYC last Sunday to celebrate the beginning of their first summers at Vega.  It was wonderful to see new families getting to know each other and girls meeting new camp friends.

Going away to camp for the first time is a major step in a child’s life, and her parents’.  Giving new campers the opportunity to meet with the directors and each other before the summer helps girls feel more comfortable and have more friendly faces to recognize on that first day.

After everyone’s arrival Kyle met with parents in a round table discussion about everything from the first day of camp to communication to activities.  Emily played with the girls who learned some new Vega songs, asked great questions, learned all about Varna (and enjoyed her delicious Varna Bars) and chatted with each other.  The event culminated with a performance of “On the Line” by the girls for their parents.

We left the event feeling more excited than ever for this summer!   Our new campers are fun, enthusiastic, kind and motivated to have the best summer ever.  Thank you to everyone who came, and we missed those of you who were unable to attend.

52 DAYS AND COUNTING!

Kyle and Emily

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Dear Vega,

Happy Earth Day!  Today billions of people around the world are coming together to raise environmental awareness.  With disturbing statistics coming out almost daily about the state of our planet, it is important for all of us to do our part to help.  This is often easier said than done when convenience and cost often impede our ability, or willpower, to make real change in our lives (read this blog post about ways to train your brain to change your habits).

As a summer camp in the beautiful state of Maine, we are very concerned with keeping the environment clean, as the natural beauty surrounding Vega defines who we are and what we do.  We are fortunately to be on one of the cleanest lakes in Maine, which boasts some of the cleanest lakes in the US…and we want to keep it that way.

Furthermore, new research by scientists, psychologists and educators has found that getting kids out into nature is not only fun, but fundamentally necessary for healthy emotional and physical development (see here for more on this).

A loon on Echo Lake as the sun rises at Camp Vega

Did you know that Vega strives to embrace Earth Day every day? Here are some ways Vega helps keep our planet clean:

• uses only energy efficient bulbs;
• uses only low-flow/high-pressure shower heads to reduce water usage and waste;
• installed on-demand/tankless water heaters which are much more energy efficient;
• recycles all bottles and cans;
• recycles all office paper;
• recycles Dining Hall food waste with local farmers to use as compost and animal feed;
• uses organic and local item in the Dining Hall when possible;
• has planted an organic garden, which is used by Cook’s Corner, Vega’s culinary program;
• rents Prius’ to use as camp vehicles for the summer;
• holds Green Care Day once a summer when all lights stay off all day to save energy and increase environmental awareness;
• inspects boats entering Echo Lake at the public boat launch with cooperation with the Echo Lake Association to prevent invasive plant species from entering the lake;
• constructed loon, osprey and other bird nests and houses to maintain a healthy bird population;
• Vega campers planted blueberry bushes along Echo Lake to help filter ground water entering Echo Lake and the 30-mile watershed it is a part of;
• replaced disposable plates and flatware with the reusable kind.

Here are some new things we are implementing this summer:

• battery recycling bins in all the bunks;
• more recycling bins around camp and in the bunks;

Do you have ideas of how we can be even greener?  What did  you or your class do to celebrate Earth Day?  We would love to hear from you!

Here’s to our one and only Earth!

Kyle and Emily

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From Vega Theater Department Head, Shannon Thurston:

The cast of Winnie the Pooh performs for Vega in 2012

Hello Friends!

Camp is almost here and we are excited to announce the Musicals for Theater 2013!
We hope everyone is ready to dive into the ocean, explore enchanted castles, win some competitions and go to law school!

• Sub Juniors, Juniors and Sub Super Juniors, we hope you’re ready to swim under the sea as we perform The Little Mermaid!
• Super Juniors and Inters help us invite the rest of the camp to be our guest as we present to them Beauty and The Beast!
• Seniors and Super Seniors strap on your thinking caps as Vega is entered into the hilarious and upbeat musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
• And last, but certainly not least, we’re hoping Tamary has done their homework in both law and fashion and we change Vega colors from green and white to pink and white in Legally Blonde: The Musical!

So brush up on your musical theater! Get to know the songs because we’ll be auditioning with a song from each musical:

The Little Mermaid: Part of Your World
Beauty and The Beast: Beauty and The Beast (Tale As Old As Time) or Gaston!
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: I’m Not That Smart
Legally Blonde: So Much Better or Oh My God You Guys.

The Vega Theater department is ready for an amazing summer under the lights in the Lodge.  See you there!  The Vega stage awaits!

Sincerely,
Shannon

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Dear Vega Family,

Having lived in Boston and having had our Boston office located just 3 blocks from Boylston Street, the recent events that occurred at the Boston Marathon have affected us all. Many of our staff and children live either in Boston or outside of Boston. Many alumni either are attending or attended school there.  We have not received any reports of injuries to members of the Vega family, but for those watching and running, the affect is profound.

I have a Boston apartment just 4 blocks from where the tragedy occurred. Although I was not present in the area, I would like to share that the city of Boston has a wonderful spirit of coming together to help one another. I feel that New Yorkers during and after 9/11 set the bar on heroism and responses for other cities to follow. In this case, albeit on a much smaller scale, Bostonians saw the same kind of spirit and determination to help.

The use for the up-to-date information on the unfolding situation regarding transportation, closures and missing persons is the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. (http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/). I found this useful and shared this with friends. Twitter accounts and other social media channels contributed, but were not always accurate.

Although there is not an immediate need, we know that local hospitals will need to replenish their blood supplies at the end of this week or next. If you live in the general vicinity, you can call 1-800-REDCROSS or by visiting redcrossblood.org.

We are heartened by the heroism of everyone who took action Monday and cared for those who were injured and needed immediate help. The loss of life, the injuries suffered, and the impact on the local community will be felt for some time. So many of us know someone who was running, watching, or volunteering at the Marathon, and our sincerest thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved, especially to the surviving families who lost their loved ones.

Emily, Kyle, and I will be vigilant to address any concerns or feelings that surface on this subject this summer.  Our focus on our campers’ and staff members’ emotional well being and physical security is, and will continue to be, at the forefront of our minds.

With Loving Thoughts,

Linda

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