Week one at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac summer 2025 was exciting, beautiful, and of course, tons of fun.
We have more campers than ever this year, all of whom excitedly arrived by plane, train (bus), and automobile to create unforgettable memories at their home-away-from-home. After meeting their counselors, touring their bunks, saying hello to old friends, and meeting new ones, the campers settled into their separate campuses for some free play. Our campuses are divided into three age groups – TJC (Juniors), LSR (Lower Seniors) and USR (Upper Seniors). On each campus, kids play games like basketball, pickleball, Spikeball, Gaga and more with other campers their age. If you need an age group and bunk break down, feel free to check out our cheat sheet.
At the end of day one, we had our first flag lowering and opening huddle at the campfire. Our oldest campers, the Senecas, lit lanterns – our annual tradition – and sent them into the sky to mark the official start of summer. Then, we moved to the field house for Opening Ceremonies, where the Senecas led the camp in the MKN Oath:
I PROMISE TO HAVE FUN. ON THE FIELD, IN THE LAKE, AND IN THE BUNK. I WILL LAUGH. WITH ENERGY, HUMOR AND RESPECT I WILL REPRESENT THE VERY BEST OF MAH-KEE-NAC AND WITH MY FRIENDS,
I HEARBY SWEAR
TO MAKE THIS SUMMER EXTRAORDINARY!
The next morning, campers received their week 1 schedules based on their chosen activities. Schedules alternate each day, then start over each week, giving everyone plenty of opportunity to discover their favorite activities and try new things! After their swim tests, the boys spent the next few days doing everything from tennis to swim to woodshop, sailing, biking, archery, volleyball, basketball, and of course, Tramp Ball. Tramp Ball is like dodge ball on trampolines. It’s a sport unique to MKN and is a camper favorite!
The week ended with our annual Founder’s Cup tournament, and this year we did things a bit differently. Rather than spreading the events across various days throughout Session One, we decided to do it all in one day. And the campers loved the new format! Everyone was drafted into one of the four teams: Kruger, Lilley, Rudolph, and Metzger. After the draft, the first event began: Behind Enemy Lines. This game incorporated flag belts and zones that each team had to defend. Metzger took the lead early on, with Kruger not far behind.
The boys then moved on to full-team obstacle courses. Two teams raced against each other through various obstacles, and the final times were compared at the end. After lunch, the four teams played Four-Way – a game of free-for-all style soccer mixed with ultimate frisbee. The competitors begin one of the sports for a few minutes, and when they hear the whistle, they have to switch to the other sport. Everyone is constantly moving – either playing frisbee, soccer, or enthusiastically cheering their team on from the sidelines.
After Four-Way, the kids were split by campus onto different fields to play a game simply called “BALLl”, which was followed by a quick dinner and flag lowering before the final competition began. The closing event was called Whatever It Takes, which required the teams to simultaneously compete in individual tasks against each other. The final task required selected competitors to assemble their team’s flagpole and raise the flag to signify their win. Metzger took a commanding lead early on and kept it going to become the 2025 Founder’s Cup Winners.
Don’t miss the continuation of our summer podcasts, courtesy of our media group! Hear behind-the-scenes discussions on hot topics like the Founder’s Cup Draft & first event, E-sports, and “in the dugout” – a baseball podcast. Family and friends can listen to them here!
That’s it for week one. Don’t forget, you can get MKN news every day on MKN Today. Be sure to create an account and read about all about the daily happenings at camp!