gawam's activities span waterfront, land sports, creative arts, and outdoor living skills, including overnight trips for all ages. A wide range of activities is offered to appeal to many interests and abilities. Our program encourages campers to experience all activities while allowing ample time for pursuing areas of personal interest.

Each camper is given guidance in selecting his program, and most activity curricula incorporate a multilevel award system to monitor progress and provide motivation.

Special emphasis is given to tennis and sailing. With four tennis courts, we provide daily instruction and team practices. We feature tournaments, a tennis ladder for each age group, and inter-camp matches. The sailing department has thirteen sailboats and six windsurfers. Instruction is given to beginners as well as advanced sailors. Racing techniques are taught for weekly races and regattas. Agawam also hosts a multi-camp six-a-side Soccer Tournament.

Each of our activities offers challenge and excitement of its own. All have structured as well as relaxed program components, some offering nationally recognized awards, such as Red Cross swimming and water safety. Organized team sports are available for all age groups. Campers choose some activities; others are assigned as part of our camp program. Campers must follow all safety rules, explained or demonstrated at their first visit to an activity, at any time they choose or are assigned to participate in a camp activity.

Equipment is available in a variety of sizes, and campers and staff members work together to ensure that appropriate choices are made. Some activities may occasionally require the use of protective gear (i.e. Soccer shin pads, Baseball catcher’s gear, batting helmets, Lacrosse helmets and pads, Archery armguards, etc.) PFD’s (Personal Flotation Devices) must be worn in any Agawam watercraft.  Campers must pass a swim test or demonstrate certain levels of swimming proficiency in order to participate in some aspects of waterfront and trip programs. Fifteen passenger vans, with trained drivers approved by our insurance company, are used to transport campers to trips, team sports activities and other outings.

 

ACTIVITIES

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Outoor Living:
Astronomy, Axemanship & Knife Safety, Fire Building, First Aid & CPR, Hiking, Backpacking & Canoeing Trips,  Knot Tying, Leave-No-Trace Camping Skills, Nature Study, Orienteering, Outdoor Cooking, Weather.
 

Land Sports:
Archery, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Bocce, Challenge Course, Croquet, Frisbee, High Ropes Course, Horseshoes, Lacrosse, Riflery, Soccer, Sports Training, Tennis, Volleyball/Newcomb
 

Waterfront:
Boating, Canoeing, Diving, Fishing, Kayaking, Racing Sailing, Red Cross Swim Lessons, Sailing, Snorkeling, Swimming, Water Safety, Windsurfing.
 

Creative Arts:
Arts & Crafts, Bugling, Camper Choir, Camper Newspaper, Dramatics, Parade Float, Photography, Skits, Woodshop.
 

Inter-camp Teams:
Archery, Baseball, Basketball, Kickball, Lacrosse, Riflery, Sailing, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball.

 

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Traditional Agawam Activities:
Saturday Night Council Fire, Cabin Ropes Course Days, Vespers and Awards on Sunday Morning, Fourth of July Carnival, Pom Pom Pullaway, Buzz Ball, Frisbee Tag, Cops ‘n Robbers, Ags v. Wams Intracamp competitions, Campus Campfire programs, Beach Trips, Movie Nights, Dances and mixed doubles tennis and sailing with neighboring girls’ camps.

 

Trip Program:
All campers participate in our well organized trip program. Led by skilled and certified Trip Leaders, our campers venture far and wide. Younger campers participate in simple overnight canoe and hiking trips. As campers get older the challenges and thrills their trip choices provide increase. Our shortest trip is a quick overnight to the other side of our lake and the longest a 6 day adventure in Maine’s Baxter State Park, culminating in a climb up Mt. Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak! Here is a run down of our typical trips:

 

 

• MASON/YALE
  (ages 8 & 9) –
  Wabinoden (Canoe Trip) & Lords Hill (Hiking Trip)

• LANG/TRINITY/CARGILL/PENN
  (ages 10 & 11) –
  Tour De Crescent (Canoe Trip) & Pleasant Mountain (Hiking Trip)

• BOWDOIN/COLUMBIA/AMHERST/PRINCETON/OTYOWKA
  (ages 11 & 12) –
  Hawthorne Cove (Canoeing Trip), Speckled Mountain and Imp/Carter (Hiking Trips)

• WESLEYAN/COLBY/HARVARD/SPRINGFIELD/BATES/BROWN
  DARTMOUTH/WILLIAMS/CORNELL/OUTPOST/ACCOMACK
  (ages 13, 14 & 15) –
  Acadia National Park (Rock Climbing, Hiking, Sea Kayaking Trip)
  Mt. Washington, Mt. Katahdin, Appalachian Trail (Hiking Trips)
  Rangeley Lakes, Moosehead Lake, Umbagog/Androscoggin, Saco River (Canoeing Trips), Flagstaff/Bigelow (Hiking and Canoeing Trip)

SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS

CAMP AGAWAM IS CLOSED FOR THE WINTER! 

 

DAILY SCHEDULE

Morning 7:30 Reveille and Morning Dip Campers rise at the bugle, dress and get ready for breakfast. Boys can enjoy a traditional “Morning Dip” in Crescent Lake. 8:00 Flag Raising and Morning Announcements Many details of the morning program are announced here after we honor our flag. 8:15 Breakfast Groups of 5-7 campers of various ages, and 2 staff members are assigned to a dining room table for a week. Food is served family style, and campers share in the serving and clean-up responsibilities. 8:45 Cabin Clean-up and Camp Improvement Campers have beds to make and personal areas to clean, as well as shared common jobs. Cabins are inspected later in the morning in the weekly race for the cleanest cabin. 9:30 Cabin Assigned Activity Period By assigning a camper and his cabin-mates to most of the camp activities, each boy has some exposure to all that Agawam has to offer. 10:20 Specialty Activity Period Campers select four favorite activities on which they wish to concentrate over the course of the summer. They are scheduled into activity groups which are age and skill-appropriate. 11:30 General Swim Optional time to go to the waterfront to cool off, swim laps or play water games. This time can also be used as free time.   Afternoon 12:10 Relaxation Campers and staff report to their cabin areas to relax and wash up for lunch. 12:30 Lunch 1:20 Rest Hour Quiet time in the cabins -- a great opportunity to read or write letters home or to friends. 2:30 1st Optional Activity Period 3:30 2nd Optional Activity Period A wide variety of activities, inter-camp games, and special camp events are scheduled in the afternoons.  Campers must attend activities, but may choose their afternoon program, allowing the best use of time to achieve personal goals. Optional periods encourage time management and decision-making skills. 4:30 General Swim 5:45 Dinner 7:00 Evening Activities There are no formal teaching periods after dinner, and most evenings are “free.” Many activities occur, such as large group games, supervised boating and fishing, frisbee games, recreational sports leagues, tennis, informal guitar playing and singing, or simply relaxing, reading, or spending time strengthening friendships. One or two evenings a week, there is a large group activity scheduled, including our traditional Saturday night Council Fire. 8:30 Bed Bell Campers get ready for bed. Cabin members enjoy each others’ company as counselors lead discussions, tell stories or read books. 9:00 Taps The traditional bugle call, signaling “day is done,” and “all is well.” Senior campers have later bedtime privileges.