Riley Cooper
"American Pie" Song
Click here
for a look at the lyrics to the song I wrote about my Phantom experiences.
Be warned: it's a bit corny in places!
Co-ed Camp
The first co-ed camp
happened in August of 1977. I am the one who suggested this idea to
Sir G, claiming that it would be a good thing to try. I'd like to say
I was a visionary who could see the current emphasis on co-ed camping
coming. However, I'd be lying
if I said that!
My main motivation
in pushing for a co-ed camp back in 1977 was the sock hop. I figured
that if sock hops were so much fun in girls camp, then they'd be even more
fun in co-ed camp. In retrospect, I'm not sure that I was right, but
co-ed camp went quite well anyway.
The first co-ed was a big learning experience for all
of us, especially for me and Sir G. We anticipated problems near the
bathrooms in the basement of the dining hall, so we had a big curtain put
up to separate the two sides at night. Well, the campers soon let
us know in no uncertain terms that they did not approve of the curtain and
certainly did not need it. We took it down after a couple of days,
I believe.
The other big impression I have of that first co-ed
camp is that we discovered the need to really emphasize the brother-sister
aspect of the camp for the campers. I think initially the staff thought
flirtation would be a big part of camp and should be expected. You
know, what's the harm, right? Well, we found out that being overly
aware of the opposite sex definitely took away a big part of the Phantom
experience. So we decided to push the brother-sister attitude in all subsequent
co-ed camps. As I understand it, that attitude is still being promoted
today.
Songs in the
Morning
I took over as the camp Program Director
for boys camp in 1975. My best move that year, in my opinion, was
beginning the tradition of playing a record after breakfast, just before
announcements. The first record I ever played in the morning was "It's
A Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals! It started with just one record
being played each day, but before too long, it grew to two or three, with
even more on the last day of a session. I have the lists of songs
I played each morning. Some of them are available at the
Songs in the Morning
page
Phantom Four/Five
Back in 1974 and 1975, four of us
staff members at Phantom Lake YMCA Camp formed a strong friendship through
our experiences at camp. At some point in time, we decided that we
should be known as the "Phantom Four". Looking at this now, I can
see how some would say, "Who are they to get that special name?" Well,
we apparently just thought of it first!
The group was composed of Dave Hodges, Gary Fishleigh, Keith Marty, and me. Later, in 1976, we added Dave Schlegel and became the Phantom Five, even though Keith was no longer at camp. We continued to meet as the Phantom Five a few times during the offseason for years afterwards, and in the summers when we had all left camp. Now, it's been a few years since the last meeting. Kids get in the way, you know.
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A Phantom Five get-together
always included a huge excess of food. Here, in the winter of 1977
at one such meeting, Dave Schlegel displays a huge donut bought in Plymouth,
Wisconsin, home of Keith Marty. The donuts were part of a huge breakfast
which, due to all of us having to get back home, was followed just three
hours later by a huge lunch of cornish hens!
I must have gained ten pounds that day alone! |