Opening Day
There are lots of important things that happen on a boy’s first day at camp, and they all begin with check-in at the Chapel. Here you will meet John and Catherine Menendez, who will welcome you to camp and answer any questions you have. Next, you will meet with the camp nurse for a quick health check and review of the health form. After that you can swing by the clothing table to get any Timberlake gear you’d like. Our camp photographer will take a family picture (it will one for the scrapbook for sure) and then you will all get to meet one of our counselors who will walk your camper to his cabin.
Cabin Life
By the time your son and his counselor walk up to the cabin, all your luggage will be there waiting (camp really is magic). His counselor will help him get settled and will introduce them to the other boys in the cabin. We do not allow parents in the cabin on Opening Day. Many first year families are curious as to why and the short answer is we have found it to be the best way to integrate all of our campers into camp quickly and to minimize potential homesickness. We give camp tours throughout Opening Day and parents are welcome to stay as long as they like, but making the cabins themselves a parent free zone is crucial to all our boys starting off the session on a strong footing.
The Swim Check
After the boys arrive counselors will give them a tour of camp, before they head to the waterfront for the “swim check.” Don’t worry, this is not scary and our lifeguards are there to assist swimmers of all levels. The check helps our team prepare for safe session on the water. Then it’s back to the cabin to get ready for initiation, when camp really gets rolling. After being initiated into their tribes, boys eat dinner, compete in their first evening activity, and then head up the hill to cabins for showers, a cabin devotion, and a well earned first night’s sleep.