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 19th 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 11 years and we have two children, Lake (9) and Summer (almost 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 almost $10,000!).  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 2014!  

 More about Jeff

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are three things you’d bring?
– 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 wifi or 4G service and a solar charger, a portable disc golf basket with all of my discs and a yurt to live in.

Favorite special program at camp
– In camp, I have to go with Pow Wow Day (the enthusiasm, the Staff Softball game, the silent lunch, Brokaw’s meat roasting all day…just so many great things about PWD).  Out of camp I’m going with the Camp Clash disc golf tournament vs. Camp Interlocken at Sandy Point Disc Golf Ranch!  We’re defending our title this year!

Your favorite TV or movie character
– Walter White/Heisenberg, Tyrion Lannister, Michonne & Doug Heffernan.

Your best memory of camp.
– Oh…too many to pick just one, but I’ll give it a shot.  The summer of 2000 with Cabin Manor and the Canadian trip was a camp experience I will always treasure.  I wish I could remember when I first met my wife Kim there, but unfortunately I have no recollection!   

Favorite Sports Teams
– Da Bears.  The NFL is pretty much the only sport I really follow.

What would you choose for your last meal?
– The Bellagio Brunch buffet…I could make it last all day.  If you’re ever in Las Vegas, DO THIS buffet!  It is out of this world.    

If you could be any animal, what would you be?
– A Rhino…tough when they need to be, but usually soft natured.

Your two favorite books
– Where the Sidewalk Ends and the Harry Potter series.

A secret hobby or skill that you have?
– I am a hardcore fan of The Walking Dead.  I love the show and I have all of the graphic novels.  Also loved Breaking Bad and miss it dearly.  I’m currently engrossed in Game of Thrones.  Would love to talk with you about any of these three shows (although I just started season 3 of Game of Thrones…so no spoilers!).  A secret skill is that I can bounce a basketball on my knuckles 100+ times in a row.

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.