CHRONICLE Vol. XXXIII No. 5 July 24, 2015 Discover the Spirit! Howdy Pardners!

arent visiting, GaGa tournament, Mets All-Star There was a ton of action at the Dream Dome as Jacob deGrom… oh wow! Another bustling campers were vying to add their name to the Wall week on The Ranch! of Fame as well as win P a coveted, personalized Parent visiting continued this week – great job to all of our campers GaGa ball. Campers and and counselors! Pioneers showed counselors watched and off new friends and new skills they cheered as the smoke- have acquired on the field, on the filled doors opened and stage, and in the pool! Visiting for closed in the Pit and Scouts and Explorers concluded each of the finalists were at dusk with a Heroes Pow-Wow officially announced and to close the night. DJ Torto and introduced to the crowd DJ Bekro got the campers up and by Ross. dancing with catchy tunes emceed The 49er week was by Ross. Campers presented a group filled with travel, fashion, and poster representative of how they have been and will adventure! Splish Splash started the cool-down for continue to be heroes this summer. Once each group read campers in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades on Monday as they spent their H.E.R.O. poster, campers brought their shield up to the day and evening at the waterpark. Girls and boys in officially induct their group into the Coleman Country 7th grade enjoyed a trip to Dave and Busters on Tuesday. H.E.R.O. Hall of Fame. The Gary Invitational Basketball Tournament (G.I.T.) Water cannons shot across the Fields of Dreams all week. continued this week and will finish with the championships With shoes and socks off, campers and counselors laughed next week. Campers created teams to compete in this and felt refreshed under the cooling sprinklers. Frolicking half-court event, and the winners will proudly wear their with delight, campers happily wrung themselves out! orange G.I.T. bracelets. One of the highlights of the week was our visit by All- A 49er highlight this week was their fashion show! Check Star Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom. Check out the special out the photos here and on ColemanTown. Jacob deGrom insert! Adventureland was the destination on Wednesday for 5th graders. Drop’ N’ Twist Tower and the Turbulence Coaster were just two of the favorites. Eighth graders are finishing up the week with an overnight on The Ranch and an 8 a.m. Saturday morning pick up. Campers are sure to have a blast playing soccer under the lights, in addition to a night swim and games of football and basketball. They’ll enjoy tasty treats of roasted marshmallows made in the Outback bonfire and will make their own ice cream sundaes. With an early morning wake-up on Saturday, campers will have breakfast before heading home. GaGa Glory! CHRONICLE Special Edition, Jacob deGrom Discover the Spirit!

e hit it out of the park on Thursday when New York His go-to pitch is the four-seam , which he demonstrated. Mets All-Star Pitcher Jacob deGrom spent the day When asked about how he feels now that he has done so well on The Ranch! and is so well-known, deGrom said he keeps a level head, tries W to stay focused and stay the same person, and not think about Each division conducted a press conference with Jacob after he spoke about his road to professional . He also the fame. He feels he hasn’t changed and goes out every day demonstrated some pitches and high-fived every camper as and gives 100% and takes it one pitch at a time! they ran the bases. Much of the action was captured by ABC, NBC, and News 12, as well as , ESPN, the Long Island Heralds, and MLB.com. Check out facebook.com/ColemanCountry for some highlights of the coverage. At the press conferences, we learned many different facts about Jacob - some very interesting and others amusing (such as his favorite shampoo and what time he eats lunch!). Jacob, who is 27 and 6’4”, is married and would like to have children someday! He grew up in a small town in , where he learned early in life that “if you work hard and pursue your dreams, they can come true!” He shared many stories about his past, his drive, and his determination to succeed in baseball as he answered campers’ and counselors’ questions. DeGrom’s earliest memory of HAIR WE GO...Campers and counselors greeted New baseball was playing in the backyard with his father at the York Mets All-Star Jacob deGrom. It age of 5. He said that his father was his inspiration and his was a hair-raising experience to meet the 2014 Rookie motivation to play. of the Year after he answered questions and high-fived Drafted by the Mets in 2010, his first major league game was everyone! at Citifield against the Yankees, during which he said he was nervous. He disclosed that he didn’t get to choose his number, 48, which was assigned to him - but now he would always choose that number. (He revealed that he always gets nervous before a game!) He added that he knew at age 10 that he wanted to play professional ball and began working hard towards that goal. At , where he went to college, he played at first; he began pitching in his junior year. When asked what position he preferred, deGrom said, “If you would have asked me a couple of years ago, I would have said shortstop. Today I would say I definitely like pitching better.” Among the most asked questions were about Jacob’s “hair FRONT AND CENTER...Between questions and high- care”! He even gave us a scoop: he is getting a bit tired of his fives, deGrom posed for a photo-op with campers and long hair and plans to cut it soon! As a kid, his favorite team counselors. Their smiling faces remained throughout was the , though he is a loyal Mets fan now, of the day as campers cheered “Hair We Go!” and “Let’s course. Go Met’s”! ALL-STAR ACTION! Parent GaGa Monday,July 27th 6:45 p.m. Join us in the Dream Dome for a chance to get your name on the GaGa Wall of Fame. Please register in advance by completing the form brought home by your camper.

WE ROLLED OUT THE RED CARPET… Host and Hostess Supervisors Mike and Margie narrated the 49er Coleman After Dark Fashion Show as models strutted their stuff in an array 4th Grade Late Night of outfits that delighted our eyes on Wednesday. DJ Bekro cranked the music beneath the Big Top as campers Thursday, July 30th graced the catwalk showing off all the latest fashions in 6:45 p.m. to 8.45 p.m. sleepwear, sportswear, dazzling denim, and beachwear. Fourth grade campers go home For a brief interlude, the assistant counselors performed on their regular buses and come back a choreographed dance to Footloose. Counselors also for a fun night on The Ranch. took a stroll down the runway, decked out in the latest promwear, with Directors Ross and Kelli closing out the show with a dance to their wedding song! Home On The Ranch Heroes Pay it Forward… August 6th Please bring in new or Dress for a fun day on the farm! gently used books next week July 27th-July 31st to support the Explorer Division as they spearhead a Book Drive. Your donations will provide books to Long Island children in need.

ON THE HORIZON

Monday, July 27th: Parent GaGa Tournament 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 28th: Washington Trip (Optional) HORSE HEROES...Campers saddle up at the OK B 6/7/8, G 6/7/8 Corral and rein in for a ride atop one of our five mares. Drop Off 7 a.m. These horses are heroes in their own right; Aside from Thursday, July 30th: Pioneers-in-Training Visiting their summer residence at Coleman Country, they work 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. with the Nassau County PAL (Police Activities League) 4th Grade Coleman After Dark Special Riding Program. They provide students with Drop off 6:45 p.m. / Pick Up 8:45 p.m. medical ailments an opportunity to shine as they step Return from Washington Trip out of their comfort zones. Pick Up 10:30 p.m. 49er Fashion Frenzy!

WITH BELLS ON... In Music, campers are learning GARDEN GEMS... Campers in Nature are making to play on the hand bells. “Ode to Joy,” “Three Little their annual garden stones. A tradition here at Coleman Birds,” and “It’s A Small World” are three tunes they Country, campers use beads and charms to create have become familiar with so far this summer. The bells beautiful works of art! are color-coded, and campers are able to follow along with numbers on each note to help them learn how to read music, complete scales, and hear different pitches.