2014 season recap

The 2014 season of Water Monkey Camp is history and - with no hyperbole - could be described as epic.  Each year I leave camp thinking it was the best summer ever and the next summer just blows it out of the water.  Many thanks to all of the campers (and their parents), staff, and my friends and family for helping make it all possible. This year we had a 100% fresh staff which included all new instructors and a first time chef.  I was constantly impressed with the quality of work they all produced and the height to which they raised the bar for the Water Monkey Camp program and any camp that hopes to teach water sports.

2014 showed that we are certainly not lacking in top notch students to teach on the lake.  The guys and girls we have welcomed to camp have come from all over the U.S. and the world and each bring with them their own unique backgrounds, water sports abilities, and personalities but all share the same desire to have fun, learn, and make the most of their short time at camp.

Here is a breakdown of the 2014 season:

  • We filled 68 out of 70 spaces this summer over seven weeks of camp
  • Campers came from 12 states (California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas) as well as France and Canada
  • The average age of our campers was 13.849
  • Campers were 74% guys, 26% girls
  • Peak sustained water temperature was in Week 7 at 81 degrees
  • Lowest water temperature was in Week 1 at 74 degrees
  • 10,828 unique visitors to www.watermonkeycamp.com in the past 12 months
  • Served up 2,205 meals (and almost infinite snacks)
  • Taught eight campers how to do back rolls or tantrums
  • Racked up another 200 hours on the Centurion odometer to bring us to 500 hours of fun!
  • Burnt through 940.28 gallons of gas producing 8.344 metric tons of CO2...offset by planting 150 trees through www.CarbonFund.org! (we planted an extra 60 trees to offset some of the camper travel to/from camp)

It is too early to tell what the 2015 season will be like for Water Monkey Camp.  We hope to move to our new property but are still facing a long process obtaining zoning approval.  Having turned away more than 60 campers this year we desperately need to increase our capacity in order to make Water Monkey Camp accessible to more kids.  To that end we are purchasing a second boat (we have narrowed down the new boat options to two companies) and already started recruiting additional coaches so that we will be able to instruct 20 campers per day for the length of the summer.  One thing we can guarantee is that camp will continue to deliver the same experience that our campers know and love.

Keep in touch throughout the year and we hope to see you back at camp in 2015!

Sincerely,

Evan Goldner

617-855-WAKE

Big props to this organization...

At Water Monkey Camp we teach water sports to teens of all abilities but one thing they all have in common is that they do not have to do it without the help of their sight.  We just learned about the Leaps of Faith organization that teaches wakeboarding, waterskiing, tubing, and kayaking to sight impaired and blind kids and teens.  Below is a link to an article about their new summer camp. Water Sports Camp for Blind/Sight Impaired

Check out their website as well:

http://www.lofadaptiveskiers.org/

Very cool.

New counselor profile - Ryan Suplee

Ryan has been a professional wake board/waterski coach for over a decade and has spent his entire life in, behind, or around boats growing up in the heart of the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.  Ryan first started his coaching career down at the famed Orlando Watersports Complex where he worked on their boat as well as their cable park helping anyone from absolute beginners to semi-pro riders looking to tweak their style.  From OWC he made his way out to High Cascade camp in Oregon where he again taught riding/skiing on their boat.  After a brief stint of being a surf bum in Hawaii, Ryan made his way back to New Hampshire where he has been coaching privately for the past couple of years.  He is pumped to progress our program and give our campers the instruction and support they need to achieve their watersports goals.  (Red Cross Lifeguard/CPR, Commercial Boat Driver) suplee, ryan

 

Ryan also loves to fish and hopes to get a chance to teach our campers some fly-fishing techniques this summer.

flyfish13

New counselor profile - Chelsea Clark

Chelsea hails from Arizona where she has just graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from ASU.  While her education is a great accomplishment, we are more interested in her 2013/2014 collegiate rider of the year award as the top female wake boarder in the U.S.  Chelsea, an ASU Wake Devil, will be an awesome addition to the staff and will surely keep things fun on and behind the boat.  When not wake boarding, Chelsea can be found longboarding, hiking, skiing, and reading zombie books! (Red Cross Lifeguard/CPR, Commercial Boat Driver) 537447_10200980696702388_1144179597_n Photo on 2014-04-21 at 14.18