September 6th, 2003

Hello again, and welcome to this edition of "News from Franklin Lake" where we'll get you all caught up on some great pictures from the 59th annual Nicolet Horseshow and the 59th annual Final Banquet at Camp Nicolet! With the 2003 camp session having concluded nearly a month ago now (time flies when you're having fun), it's been really fun and really enjoyable to go back and look at these pictures from the last week at camp. In looking at these pictures, great memories of good times, good friends, and lots of challenges and accomplishments come to mind. It's always amazing how many fun and exciting activities can be packed into seven weeks at camp, and it can be so fun to think back and remember the great friends and awesome cabinmates with whom you participated in these activities. So without further delay, welcome again to this final summer edition of the newsletter, and enjoy the pictures from the 2003 Nicolet Horseshow and Final Banquet!

- Excellent Events At Nicolet -

October 1st, 2003:
Summer 2004 Early Bird Registration Deadline

Remember to take advantage of tuition discounts like the Early Bird Registration discount, Sister Discounts, and more!

Please call or e-mail the camp office with questions anytime!

"A Great Nicolet Tradition"
The 59th Annual Nicolet Horseshow
photos by Georgianna Starz

When Ann and Wendall Schrader established Camp Nicolet in 1944, Horseback Riding was one of the original activities that made up the Nicolet program. Riding, even almost 60 years later, continues to be one of the most popular activities at camp. Each year campers involved in the program showcase their talents and skills in the annual Nicolet Horseshow tradtionally held during the last week of our regular session. This year, in addition to jumping, walking/trotting, cantering, and the other tradtional events, some non-traditional gymkhana-style games were held as part of the horseshow as well. These games included leading a horse through a set course, dashing to put on your equipment, properly and safely riding your horse through a set course, and more! It was a great event which was met with much support from non-riding campers and the entire Nicolet Staff who came to watch. Congratulations to all who participated, and thanks for being part of such a great Nicolet tradition!

Final Banquet 2003 by Jeremy Starz With activities and events like the Staff Variety Show, the Nicolet Ski Show, Final Campfire, the Nicolet Horseshow, Candlelight Vespers, and more, the final week at Nicolet seems to be full of long-standing traditions. Also one of Nicolet's oldest, and perhaps most special traditions is the annual Final Banquet. Final Banquet is held the last evening of camp and is a time in which campers and staff "remember the days you've spent here" at Nicolet, and serves to recognize those campers who have won awards in various activities, as well as recognizes those who have participated in special trips and programs like Isle Royale, the CIT program, and the JC program. Special presentations are also made at Final Banquet and may include performances from Nicolet alumni contributors, musical performances from Nicolet Staff, and more! It's a very special time to spend with your friends, cabinmates, and fellow staff members. Here are some great pictures from the 59th annual Final Banquet! Hope you enjoy them!

Great friends and great memories at the 59th annual Final Banquet!

Awesome pictures from Nicolet's 59th annual Final Banquet! A special evening to share great memories with cool cabinmates and great pals, and to recognize the achievements of Nicolet campers, CITs, JCs, and Nicolet's awesome staff. Final Banquet, although a bittersweet occasion because of the end of the regular session the following day, is truly a wonderful evening at camp!

"In Recognition of..."
Some Special Awards... 2003!
photos by Jeremy Starz













A big congratulations to all who were recognized at Final Banquet as recipients of area awards, as participants in special programs and trips, as winners of the Cabin Award, and as reciepents of their 5-year camper jackets! And as we traditionally say throughout the summer, "everyone at Camp Nicolet is a winner," and we truly do mean that as Final Banquet not only recognizes the above campers and staff, but also celebrates all campers and staff together as one big "Nicolet Family" in the tradition of "Learning to Live Together!" Thanks to everyone at camp this summer for being a special part of the Nicolet family!


From The Editor:
by Jeremy Starz

The end-of-the-season "From the Editor" seems to be one of the most difficult columns to write in the newsletter because there are so many things from the summer that I want to tell everyone about... but I don't quite know where to start! First, let me again say Thank You to all of our wonderful campers and awesome staff for coming to Nicolet and making it the awesome place that it is. As I said at Final Banquet, each summer is full of challenges, and each summer is full of accomplishments. Challenges for campers exist in such things as "Learning to Live Together" with your cabinmates, learning new OLS skills on Wednesday night cookouts, jumping on horseback or on waterskis for the first time, participating in a talent show or the play, hiking Isle Royale for the first time, or surviving Jeremy's Chicken/Noodle casserole dinner on the second night of the Porcupine Mountains trip! Whatever the challenge may be, I saw many challenges being met with a high degree of accomplishment this summer. Further, accomplishments allow a camper or a staff member to learn new things and to diversify and build upon their existing skills and talents. I watched many accomplish wakeboarding for the first time, getting up on a slalom ski for the first time, accomplish "hiking through the pain" on a 10 mile day on Isle Royale, barefooting for the first time, overcoming the butterflies and singing great solos in "Schoolhouse Rock Live!," and so much more! With challenges come accomplishments, and the entire 2003 Nicolet Staff are so proud of each and every camper who achieved the goals they set out for themselves at the beginning of camp. Staff are also met with many challenges, and I believe staff have many accomplishments from the summer of which to be proud! Thank you for doing such a great job! With this said, I followed at Banquet by saying that as we depart camp and pursue our school years, our college programs, or, in some cases like mine, graduate school, we will be again met with many challenges. Just as at camp, we must work hard to overcome those challenges and to accomplish our individual and unique goals, whatever they may be... the possibilities are endless as to what we will be able to accomplish this winter! I encouraged campers and staff to take this with them as they left camp, and when they were in doubt of their abilities, to think back to some of the great experiences and memories from summer 2003 at camp! And hopefully, if nothing else, thinking back would at least provide happy memories and a smile!


I'll close now with some general information about the newsletter this winter; please do check back regularly for news and pictures from camp (see what camp looks like under the blanket of fall colors - and you thought I was going to say snow!), updated information regarding registration and deadlines, information regarding winter alumni gatherings and camper openhouses, as well as pictures and news from past/present camper and staff gatherings. Do you have news or pictures you would like to share? If so, please send me an e-mail and I will work your contribution into a winter edition of "News from Franklin Lake!" Cool, eh? No pun intended... So, please check in regularly this fall and winter and get the latest scoop on what's happening at camp! Thanks for checking out this edition, hope you enjoyed the pictures, and, until next time, Think Sunshine!


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