Kamp Olympik

For the average pole vaulter, what could trump winning an Olympic gold medal? For 1960 gold medalist Don Bragg the answer was easy: open a camp where inner-city boys could have a taste of the great outdoors and play some vital scholastic catch-up. For ten years, Don and his wife Theresa treated hundreds of kids to such a program, ably abetted by a cast of characters that ranged from a talented and terrifying chef, through a score of pranksters turned den mothers, all the way up to The Greatest himself, Muhammad Ali.

With the grandeur of the New Jersey Pinelands as a backdrop, the kids who called Kamp Olympik home wrestled with fractions and capsized canoes, and turned ingenious in the never-ending game of Can You Top This? Don and his dedicated staff showed their young charges how to compete in the classroom, on the playing field, and in the art of growing up great. And the kids even learned how to pole vault. Kamp Olympik forever!