Joshua Pincus
Contents
Early Years
Camper Years
Summer of 1986
===Summers of 1987-1993
CIT Year:1994
Staff Years
Summers of 1995-19
Mike spent his first three staff summers as the cabin counselor of Cabin 1 and loves that age group (ten to eleven) to this day. Mike taught Archery, Baseball, Basketball, and Swimming; and in 1989, Mike and his step-brother Dave created the Volleyball activity at Birch Rock. Mike loved teaching on the field but had a stronger bond to the swim area, the hub of all camp activity.
Summers of 1990-1993
Mike was the Waterfront Director and Senior Camper Counselor in 1990, 1992, and 1993. He was in Pete's Palace in 1990 and Cabin 8 in '92 & '93. These were the lean years of Birch Rock, prior to its resurgence with the reconstruction of the lodge in 1994-'95.
During the summer of 1990, Mike and five campers were in a major car accident while returning to camp from the St. Croix River trip. The accident happened towards the end of the season and Mike was determined to get right back to camp. So after a couple of days rest, Mike was back down on the waterfront teaching swimming. Mike was featured in the new camp video shortly after the accident with scars on his face. This video was the camp promotional video for almost ten years.
From 1987-'90, many campers would beg to be on the Mattson team during Cross-Camp Capture the Flag. Mike and his brother Ron would often serve on a team together and went undefeated when paired for five consecutive seasons during every Cross-Camp game. When Mike returned to camp in 1992, his brother Ron decided to make them heads of the opposing teams. Ron's team won two out three games. Mike was "shot" off the catwalks by his brother for the first time since joining the staff ranks five summers earlier.
In 1990, Mike was a Campfire MC with his step-brother Dave Jenkins. Dave and Mike brought back the Zambini Brothers skit that has been a part of Birch Rock for almost 40 years, and even added the 'mirror push-ups' piece to the Zambini show.
Summers of 1994-1996
In 1994, Director Brad Smith hired Mike to work as the Program Director and move into the Directors Cabin. Mike's job was to plan and help run the program with Head Counselor Josh Church. This would end of being Josh's last summer.
Mike became Head Counselor for 1995 and 1996, but in 1996 at the age of twenty-five, Mike announced to Director Rich Deering that he was ready to move on. Shortly after his announcement, Rich Deering approached Mike with an offer of a year-round job as the Associate Director. This marked the beginning of a team that is still in place to this day.
Mike wrote many of the staff skits for Campfire from the mid-90s through 2000. This included the Prince of Biroca in 2001, a skit performed on a Sunday afternoon in the old rifle range turned outdoor theatre. The Prince of Biroca was a prince and dragon type of skit with elves, witches, knights, etc.
Josh's Summers at the Rock
| Year | Cabin | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Hilton A | Camper | with Counselor ? |
| 1987 | Hilton B | Camper | with Counselor ? |
| 1988 | Cabin 1 | Camper | with Counselor Mike Mattson |
| 1989 | Camper | with Counselor ? | |
| 1990 | Eagle's Nest | Camper | with Counselor Dave Jenkins |
| 1991 | Camper | with Counselor ? | |
| 1992 | Camper | with Counselor ? | |
| 1993 | Cabin 8 | Senior Camper | with Counselor Mike Mattson |
| 1994 | Counselor-in-Training | with CIT Director Dave Jenkins | |
| 1995 | Counselor | ||
| 1996 | Counselor | ||
| 1997 | Counselor | ||
| 1998 | |||
| 1999 | Waterfront Director | ||
| 2000 | Waterfront Director | ||
| 2001 | skipped | foolish | the ice cream truck summer |
| 2002 | Waterfront Director | ||
| 2003 | Waterfront Director |
Plaque Work
The 1994 summer was Josh's first attempt at the plaques for the Lodge. He attempted to woodburn the letters after he carved them. The plaques were not exactly was Josh had hoped for and he swore he would do the plaques again some summer.
The 2002 plaques were Josh's second attempt at the plaques and he did a fabulous job. He was pleased but wanted to do them one more time.
During the 2003 season, the light in the woodshop was on almost every night. Josh spent many many hours working on the plaques and honestly the 2003 plaques are one of the best sets on the wall. Kudos to Josh for his hardwork!
