MJ: Hi Yitzy! Can you tell us what it’s like to be a sports counselor?

YS: I organize which bunks play which sports. Every morning we give out activity request forms to the bunks and they write down what activity they would like to do that day. We collect all the request forms and work out a schedule that will give all campers a great time.

MJ: When do the games begin each day?

YS: In the afternoon. Mornings are filled with davening breakfast and learning. The excitement and ruchniyus of learning gives extra geshmak to the afternoon activities and the campers really feel that positive influence stick with them throughout the day 

MJ: What kinds of sports do you play in camp?

YS: All sports! — baseball basketball volleyball soccer flag football hockey and many many more. We also play water sports in our five-acre lake including water biking paddle boating kayaking etc. And we have hiking as a sport too — there are lots of great hiking routes around our campus! Plus there are other fun activities like “Switch ” that are played throughout the camp session even on rainy days.

MJ: I’ve never heard of the game “Switch”! How does it work?

YS: Oh it’s lots of fun! You play it in a large area like our gym (it’s a great game for a rainy day). A lot of boys — sometimes the whole camp! — can play it at the same time. We set up booths around the room. Each booth is related to a different sport — hitting a hockey puck in the goal or shooting a basketball into a hoop for example.

Each bunk is only at each booth for two minutes. The boys stand in a line taking turns at each booth as their counselor writes down how many points they’re getting. After only 120 seconds the whistle blows and they have to move on to the next booth — so it’s very fast-paced and exciting!

We call this game “Tashbar Switch Exclusive” because we also have special Tashbar-only booths. For example there’s a costume booth where you have to get dressed in a funny getup and run around in a circle shouting how much you love Camp Tashbar!

After each bunk has been to each booth once the game is over and we add up all the points. The bunk with the most points wins. Everyone gets really involved rooting for their teammates hustling through the booths and straining to do their best by the time the whistle blows!

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