Dear Moose Families,

It is our pleasure to write this first weekly letter home from Moosilauke during the second session of summer 2025–our 121st year!  Along with chronicling the day-to-day happenings at camp we will also use the intro section to write about issues related to boys.

In keeping with tradition, after a recent breakfast, Bill started our announcement time by reading this famous quote from Michael Jordan: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”  

Bill then read this excerpt from Roger Federer’s recent commencement speech at Dartmouth: “In tennis, perfection is impossible . . . In the 1,526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches . . . Now, I have a question for all of you . . . what percentage of the points do you think I won in those matches? Only 54%!” Federer went on to state that, “When you lose every second point you learn not to dwell on every shot . . . This mindset is really crucial, because it frees you to fully commit to the next point with intensity, clarity and focus. The truth is in life you’re going to lose. The key is to understand that negative energy is wasted energy.”

Bill then tied these quotes together by talking about the importance of embracing a growth mindset where you recognize that 1) your skills and intellect were not given to you on the day you were born, and 2) that working hard and smart and embracing challenge and failure make all the difference relative to success, well-being, and the development of performance character. He closed with this call to action: “Everyday at camp take on at least one activity or experience that makes you nervous and that you know will be challenging. If you do this, by the end of the summer you will have learned skills you thought impossible, you will have gone on trips that once scared you, you will have played on teams in sports that you don’t play at home–and you will be happier and more resilient in the process!”

Enough philosophy! Time for a daily recap of life at Moose from Wednesday, July 23 through Sunday, July 27, 2025.

On Opening Day of the Second Session, we welcomed 140 campers from 21 states and 5 countries. After the campers unpacked in their cabins, checked in with the nurses, had their photo taken, and set up their lockers, they enjoyed free play including pick-up lawn games, basketball, board games, volleyball, and ping pong. The camp then convened at the office for the traditional game of “Bill Says.” It was then time for campus tours, before we had our traditional first night meal of “Moose Burgers,” french fries, salad bar, and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. After dinner, the campers gathered by age group for a round of “name games” and getting-to-know-you activities. Then it was time for counselor introductions at our opening bonfire.

On Thursday, we had our first full Moosilauke day. The fun started at breakfast announcement time during which campers and counselors told jokes, did silly dances, and rocked the house with many loud chants. Kenny then did his daily reading of the sports scores. After cabin clean-up it was down to the fields and waterfront for two assigned periods across 18 different activities. During rest hour Bill, Sabina, and the Head Counselors visited each cabin to speak with the campers and staff about the importance and power of inclusion. The overarching point was that Moose is a community where we are kind to each other, where we go out of our way to include and not exclude individuals from interactions, and where every individual and group is welcomed, respected, supported, and comfortable to be their authentic self. Given this, it was made clear that it is never OK to use terms or words that can be construed as negatively stereotyping (or making fun of) an individual due to their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, body image–or any other identity element. Cabins then discussed their own guidelines for living together as a group. In the afternoon, the Senior A1s and Senior A2s spent the afternoon swimming and jumping in the natural waterslides at Baker Cliffs, followed by a trip to Moose Scoops. On campus, the boys had their first two afternoon sign-up periods, with water skiing, wakeboarding, and fishing topping the list of the most popular activities. In the evening, there was kickball, dodgeball, Ultimate frisbee, wiffle ball, a hike to the Point, tubing, and fishing. 

Also on Thursday, Charlotte led our Counselors-In-Training through the Via Character Strengths Survey which is an integral part of the leadership training we do with them. The Via survey is a psychometrically validated personality test that measures an individual’s character strengths. As the survey materials state: “When you discover your greatest strengths, you can use them to face life’s challenges, work toward goals, and feel more fulfilled both personally and professionally.” The CITs engaged enthusiastically with the material and each other as they discussed the various findings. Charlotte will hold a follow-up session with the group near the end of the session to discuss how they leveraged what they learned.

Friday was the first morning of Moose Bears for second session campers. Nearly 60 participated in the pre-breakfast swim club that spends more time singing and chanting (“We are the Moose Bears, the mighty, mighty, Moose Bears . . .) than actually swimming. Also on Friday, after a meal of breakfast sandwiches, the whole dining hall took part in a speed math problem followed by a trivia contest with categories that included the NBA, Happy Gilmore, and the Camp’s Wall Fish hall of fame. (At Moose, if you catch a fish that is over 3 pounds we cut out a wood replica and hang it in the dining hall. The oldest fish on the wall is from 1909!) After breakfast a group of Inter As (twelve-year-olds) ventured out on a mountain biking trip on the roads and trails surrounding camp. An all-ages group headed to the Rumney crags in the morning for a day of top-rope rock climbing. The Senior Bs (fourteen-year-olds) had their turn playing at Baker Cliffs, although a brief but powerful rain shower cut the trip short. One highlight of the afternoon was the first wake surf adventure of the session. Every boy taking part was able to get up, and a few dropped the rope and stayed in the wake. Shakas all around! Another highlight was the drop in visit from a local skunk who took a liking to our beautiful campus. With the help of the local fish and game we were able to safely help Mr. Skunk find a new home in another section of NH–but not before camp dog Winston got a brand new eau de cologne!     

Dinner Friday night was our first “Kenny Cookout” of the Second Session with grilled chicken drumsticks, Italian sausage, veggie burgers, pasta salad, fruit salad, sodas, and ice cream. In the evening, Port regaled a standing room only crowd with a tall-tale around our beach campfire. Evening activities also included kickball, street hockey, arena soccer, dodgeball, rugby, cricket, bucket golf, fishing, and the fan favorite tubing.  

Saturday was a hot, sunny day, perfect for our first round of intercamp tournaments that included 10s, 13s, and 15s basketball, soccer, and pickleball. Before lunch a veteran group of wake surfers took to the lake for a carving session. The full boat of campers added some zest to our Master Craft’s already powerful wake. The morning also saw a large group of campers head out to the docks with fishing poles because a big bass had been spotted in nearby waters. Bill pledged to the boys that if someone caught a bass 3 pounds or more they would be crowned camp director for a day. An eight-year-old caught a big large mouth, but lucky for Bill and Sabina it was only 2.88 pounds! The big event on Saturday was the Mt. Cube hike for almost all of our new campers (not going on another mountain hike) and a group of enthusiastic returning campers. Nearly 60 members of the camp reached the 2,915 foot North summit where they enjoyed a great picnic lunch. In the evening, after a deep dish pizza fest, the campers enjoyed tubing, an open swim, and gaga pit, among other activities, with a lucky group of juniors going to the Point campfire for S’mores.

Sunday was the Camp’s first “Lazy Sunday” of the Second Session. It started with an amazing brunch that included fritattas, scrambled eggs, chocolate croissants, cinnamon buns, fresh fruit, yogurt, sausage and bacon. After brunch there was free play time that included skiing and wake boarding for first timers. After lunch, it was our traditional camp-wide Capture the Flag fest. The teams were the “LeBron James” vs. the “Michael Jordans.” The Counselors-in-Training did an excellent job organizing the event and fun was had by all. In the evening, there was the first cabin cookout on the field with grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, potato chips, sides, and S’mores for dessert.

That’s a wrap for the first 5 days. We will provide more updates throughout the session. Feel free to reach out to Bill or Sabina if you have any questions. Thank you for sharing your boys with us.

Happy Summer!

Bill, Sabina, Ken, Ingrid, Todd, Preston, Jake, Quinn, and Charlotte