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The 2018 Mets

Randi at Mets game

A few weeks ago (to my delight) I took the day off and went on my annual pilgrimage to Citi Field for opening day. I joined my brother, nephew and son. We call ourselves ‘The Faithful Four.” Opening Day is very special as it is the only day of the season where every fan in America is an optimist. For me, opening day is the official welcome to Spring and it’s a stone’s throw away from my favorite time of the year – summer and camp!

So what can we expect from the Mets in 2018? The answer lies with how healthy the team can stay this season. Once again, we’re going into the season with two of the premier pitchers in the game – Noah Syndergaard and Jacob DeGrom. I have faith that without injury these two guys can carry the team far. However, to bring us to the promised land (playoffs), we need Matt Harvey to recapture his form and confidence from yesteryear. Steven Matz needs to remain off the DL. We also need a big comeback year from closer Jeurys Familia.

We have a brand new manager at the helm, Mickey Callaway, who appears to be the polar opposite of Terry Collins. New school versus old school…analytics versus tradition. I loved Terry and I’m beginning to really like Mickey. His new unconventional lineup card and modern approach on how to play the game will keep me intrigued all season.

I predict Yoenis Cespedes will have a career year and Michael Conforto will emerge as one of the best hitters in the game. I am very excited to watch two new young dynamic players, Amed Rosario and Brandon Nimmo.

My concerns are how long Adrian Gonzalez can keep up in this young man’s game. Will Todd Frazier hit for a respectable average? Can the catching duo of Kevin Plawecki and Travis d’Arnaud provide more offense then in previous years? Do they have the arms to gun down opposing base stealers? And finally-can the bullpen with Blevins, Lugo, and company keep us in the game once our star pitchers hand the ball over.

All in all I think the Mets have a great chance at securing a wild-card spot. And with a little bit of luck, battle the Washington Nationals for the top of the NL East.

I can talk baseball all day long. As a matter of fact, I have a great idea! Please join Shibley on Sunday, May 6th as we descend upon Citi Field to root for our beloved Metsies so we can continue this conversation in person!!

Please email me at Randi@shibleydaycamp.com and tell me your thoughts on this year’s baseball season. I promise to respond… even to the Yankee fans!

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April Facility Updates

For summer 2017, we upgraded our junior camp bunks with beautiful pine paneling. This year, we did the same to a number of our senior camp bunks. The team pine paneled the walls, built individual changing areas and upgraded the lighting. The only thing we need now are smiling camper faces in the bunks!

  

Our team also built these security booths for each of our three camp entrances. They are places for our security guards to spend their day whether it’s beautiful and sunny or rainy and cloudy! We will be moving them to the entrances in the next few weeks, so be on the lookout when you visit camp. ​

 

Please join me, once again, in thanking our incredible team – Billy, Mario and Carlos.

I always love to hear from families and staff. Please reach out with any feedback or thoughts. You can always reach me at rachel@shibleydaycamp.com.

Counting down until Summer 2018…

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Tri-State Camp Conference 2018 Recap




  • Rachel

    The American Camp Association Tri-State Camp Conference is the point in the year when it really feels like Camp is around the corner. I was, once again, fortunate to attend the conference and not only network with my “camp” friends…I had the opportunity to LEARN. I learned about how to honor relationships – the concept of putting technology away for the summer and having a face-to-face conversation. I learned why free play at camp is important and possible – thank you Andy Pritikin from Liberty Lake Day Camp.

    I also learned how to be a better manager, how to give helpful and positive feedback, how to build a winning camp leadership team AND how to focus on the positive and nix the negative. Lastly, we heard Billie Jean King, the tennis legend and champion for social justice and equality, speak about her experiences and motivate us to be the best we can be! Bring on Summer 2018…I’m excited to teach and more importantly LEARN.

  • Heath

    As Rachel said, this is always the week that really starts to feel like camp. Wait, weren’t we wearing winter hats? Anyway…The session that really felt important to me this year was called Stand Up, Don’t Just Stand By and was presented by Corrie Sirrota, M.S.W., P.S.W. She explained that children who are bullies and are not confronted are likely to engage in the “adult” forms of bullying we hear too much about these days.

    During our orientation I will share my personal experiences with bullying in addition to excellent talking points and media shared by Ms. Sirrota. We will do an activity with our staff and campers that shows how a person who has been bullied is never exactly the same as they were before the incident occurred. Bullying takes place when there is an imbalance of power, anyone can be a target and only an UPSTANDER can save the day. It is a priority of ours at Shibley, not only to be a Bully Free zone, but to inspire young leaders that will stand up FOR others!

  • Randi

    This past week, I had the privilege and pleasure to attend professional development seminars with leaders in the camping industry at the Tri-State Camp Conference. Thousands of camping professionals gathered for 4 days to learn, share, and inspire each other as the official camping season approaches.

    The highlight of my week was listening to one of my childhood heroes, and one of the most influential sports figures of our generation – Billie Jean King. As the key-note speaker, she shared her inspirational story of how she used tennis as her platform to champion social justice and equality. Her message was all about inclusion, a topic that is as important today as it ever has been.

    This summer, similar to the past, the Shibley team will be focused on a big responsibility – creating a community and environment that allows our campers and staff to feel comfortable being their authentic selves each and every day.

  • Bob

    I also enjoyed my 2018 Tri-State experience! My favorite topic is and has always been customer service and two presenters that I enjoyed were Roz and Jed Buck. Shibley has always been known for excellent customer service. We will do whatever it takes to accommodate our camper families if it is at all possible.

    When I am out in the world at restaurants and stores I too often see a lack of customer service. Employees don’t come over quickly to greet you and see if they can help you. Many cashiers don’t say thank you for coming or even look at you when they take your money. They make you feel like you are there for them, not that they are there for you. We at Shibley welcome the challenge to solve any issue that that is causing a family to not be satisfied with their camp experience.

    We are always willing to go above and beyond for our camper families and we are glad to have the opportunity to do it. If I can come up with a creative solution that solves something for a family, I go home feeling extra good. Camp is only 39 days long so time is of the essence when a camper family needs something to be attended to. We at Shibley feel that if we do whatever we can to make you happy, then you should no longer feel like a customer but instead like a part of our Shibley Family.


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Summer Camp Jokes


At camp what does the sun drink out of? Sunglasses.

The seaside summer camp we visited last summer was so boring that one day the tide went out and never came back.

Why don’t mummies go to summer camp? They’re afraid to relax and unwind.

At summer camp, what did the lake say to the sailboat? Nothing, it just waved.

Where did the sheep go to summer camp? The Baa-hamas!

Why didn’t the elephant buy a suitcase for his summer camp? Because he already had a trunk!

Teacher: Where did your sister go for summer camp? Student: Alaska. Teacher: Never mind, I’ll ask her myself.

Where do cows go for summer camp? Moo York.

Where do eggs go for summer camp? New Yolk City!

Where do sharks go to summer camp? Finland.

What do cows wear to summer camp in Hawaii? Moo Moo’s.

Teacher: Please use the words “letter carrier” in a sentence. Student: Yes, ma’am. “My dad said that after seeing how many things my sister was bringing on to summer camp, he would rather letter carrier own luggage.”

Why do fish at camp swim in salt water? Because pepper makes them sneeze!

At camp when do you go at red and stop at green? When you’re eating a watermelon.

Where do canoes at summer camp go when they are sick? To the dock.

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March Madness


Spring has nearly arrived, which means two things: First and most exciting…Summer 2018 is rapidly approaching! But a few months before the campers arrive we turn our attention towards one of the most enjoyable and unpredictable sporting events of the year- college basketball’s March Madness!

One of my favorite parts of the NCAA tournament is the display of teamwork and camaraderie shown on the court. All season long teams develop chemistry and bond together as a cohesive unit with one goal in mind- to be the last team standing so they can cut down the nets. While four talented teams are given coveted #1 seeds in the bracket, we very rarely see those top four teams still left standing in the Final Four. Many times they are defeated by lower seeded “Cinderellas” who play well together and relish the opportunity to overcome the odds against them. One common theme among these underdogs is that they always seem to be having the most fun! Unburdened by lofty expectations, these players simply go out and enjoy playing the game. This often leading to memorable results.

March Madness is an annual reminder that talent and athletic ability may help but working together as a strong and unified team is just as, if not more, important in attaining success and accomplishing the team’s objective. At Shibley we know that each and every camper shares the same objective- having a great time! We play the game to have fun, and win or lose, we always remember to enjoy the ride!

As a mom of a University of Florida graduate and a fan of the Gator Nation, I will go out on a limb and pick # 6 seed Florida to win it all. I love a Cinderella story. I have witnessed many campers experience their own Cinderella stories here at Shibley and I cannot wait for each of them to experience their own “shining moments” in Summer 2018!

Who do you think will win March Madness 2018? Please email or post your predictions on our Facebook​ page.

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What’s Cooking?

Kitchen

Something you might not know about me is that I love to bake – chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cupcakes and the list goes on and on. For years at Shibley we have brought in two wonderful women for a program called Bakers and Shakers. Campers get to bake all different sorts of fun items (and then, of course, they get to eat them!). Since the program was so popular for so many years, we’ve decided to introduce Shibley Cooking this year!

As you probably already know, Shibley is built on three estates. The original house, Attara, where Jeanne Shibley Bell started camp, has a beautiful (and large) kitchen. Our amazing maintenance staff have converted the original kitchen into a camper cooking kitchen. Campers of all ages will get to take part in the program and we couldn’t be more excited.

Check out their hard work:

Please let us know what YOUR campers will be interested in cooking at Shibley this summer and we will add it to our cooking curriculum. Email me at rachel@shibleydaycamp.com

I always look forward to hearing from you!

Happy Cooking!!