What Will I Be Doing?
By Jon Deren
Manitou’s professional and friendly staff spends its summer living, eating, teaching, coaching and playing with Manitou’s campers for seven weeks a year.
All of Manitou’s staff are specialty counselors - on top of being a cabin counselor they teach and coach in one of Manitou’s forty activities. No staff member is limited to one area of camp all summer, however. We encourage staff to explore all of their talents and serve in several areas of camp.
On this page:
The typical day begins at 7:30 a.m. and lasts until at least 9 p.m., which is bedtime for the youngest campers. All male staff members live in cabins with six to twelve campers and two to four other staff members.
While your days are busy and filled with activity, Manitou provides its staff with ample time off to recharge. There is no better place to be during the summer than central Maine, which in addition to its natural beauty, offers an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities to take advantage of each summer.
Manitou’s professional and friendly staff spends its summer living, eating, teaching, coaching and playing with Manitou’s campers for seven weeks a year.
Camp Activities
Team Sports
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Lacrosse
Soccer
Hockey (ice, roller, street)
Volleyball
Ultimate Frisbee
Waterfront
Waterskiing & Wakeboarding
Wake-Surfing
Swimming & Lifeguards
Kayaking
Fishing
Sailing
Windsurfing
Creative
Creative
Video
Digital Photography
Ceramics/Pottery
Arts and Crafts
Wood Working
Theater (set design, costume design, technical)
Newspaper
Individual Sports
Tennis
Ropes and Climbing
Fencing
Archery
Riflery
Track and Field
Weights and Fitness
BMX
Mountain Biking
Daily Schedule
- 8:00 am Reveille
- 8:20 Flag-raising
- 8:30 Breakfast
- 9:10 Clean-up and get ready for morning activities.
- 9:45 First Activity. Instruction & coaching (staff work 2 out of 3 morning periods, have 1 period off).
- 10:45 Second Activity. Instruction & coaching
- 11:45 Third Activity. Instruction & coaching
- 12:45 pm Lunch
- 1:30 Rest Period. On-duty rotation with co-counselors.
- 2:40 Games & Special Events. Camp does both inter and intra camp competitions where staff will coach and referee, also run group activities and events — all staff on duty.
- 4:20 Open Waterfront
- 5:30 Wash-up
- 5:50 Flag-lowering
- 6:00 Dinner
- 6:45 Free-play. Opportunity for staff to run specialty clinics or practices for their area.
- 8:00 Evening Activity. Talent show, game show, play, movie, bowling, etc.
- 9:00 Milk & Cookies
- 9:15 After-dark for Older Campers
- 9:30 – 10:30 Bedtime for Campers
- 1:00 am Curfew. Check-in for off-duty counselors.
Time Off
There are two large staff-only areas with a pool table, ping-pong table, library, and board games. This facility also has computers with high-speed Internet connections and remains open until midnight. Cable television and movies are available for evening use when off-duty. All other facilities are open to counselors during their free time in the evenings, including the brand new indoor sports complex with indoor basketball courts and surround-sound movie theater.