Staff Spotlight – Jeff McCormack
Well hi! My name is Jeff McCormack and I am the CIT (Counselor In Training) Director and “disc golf guy” at North Star. This will be my 20th summer on staff. In my role as the CIT Director, I support the CITs as they make the transition from camper to counselor. As the disc golf guy, I head up the disc golf program and maintain the disc golf course (let me know if you see a wasp nest on the course…I’ll take care of it). I hail from Westminster (a suburb of Denver), Colorado. During the year I teach Special Education for 18-21 year old young adults with disabilities (I have the most amazing students!). I’ve been married to Kim McCormack for 12 years and we have two children, Lake (10) and Summer (2). For fun, my hobby of choice is disc golf. During the winter, a friend and I lead a weekly disc golf series called Winter Warriors that raises money for the Food Bank of the Rockies (this year we raised $15,000!). My favorite disc golf course in the world is the North Star course and I can’t wait to get up there and play it (hopefully with many of you)! Looking forward to seeing everybody very soon for the Summer of 2015!
– It’s a given that I would want to have Kim, Lake and Summer there, soooooo I’m going to assume that they are stranded with me. I would love to have an iPad (in a lifeproof case) with great LTE service and a solar charger, a portable disc golf basket with all of my discs and a yurt to live in.
What is your favorite spot at camp?
– While it doesn’t get more beautiful than sunset at the Council Ring, I’m going to go with the Hole #12 Tee Box on the NSC Disc Golf Course. It’s literally 10 feet from Clear Lake. It’s so calm, quiet and peaceful there, with usually a slight breeze to blow away the mosquitos.
If you could have lunch with any two people, dead or alive, who would they be?
– My Grandfather, Pete Nielsen, who passed away in 1992. He was the best Grandpa a kid could ask for. And Kim McCormack…just the two of us (that almost never happens!).
What sports team(s) that you root for?
– Big time Chicago Bears fan, but also a fan of the Denver Broncos as we live in Denver.
What is your favorite special program at camp?
– Pow Wow Day is my favorite day of special programming (the enthusiasm, the Staff Softball, the silent lunch, Brokaw’s meat roasting all day…just so many great things about PWD!) and the Green White/Egg Marathon is my favorite special program activity. Is there anything more exciting than a close Boil Water Boil?
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do there?
– I’ve never been to Disneyland or Disney World, so it would be great to do that with the family some day. I would also love to go on an all inclusive cruise (mostly for the endless food)!
What’s your go-to pie at the Norske Nook?
– Warm Pecan with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream…oh so good!
Best holiday gift that you’ve ever gotten?
– For Father’s Day this year Kim got me a nights stay at a Disc Golf ranch in the Colorado mountains. It was a very nice mini-vacation!
How has camp impacted you?
– I owe so much of my current life to camp’s influence. It has truly shaped so much of who I am. For me camp is more than just a place and a set of activities, it’s my second family; my home away from home. I call upon skills that I’ve developed at camp every single day of my career as a teacher. Without camp, I may not have met my wife Kim and I wouldn’t have my children, Lake and Summer in my life. I really can’t imagine what my life would be like had I not started working at North Star. It truly changed…and created the life that I have today.
