|
The 'Land Across
the Water' |
The History of Camp
Ak-O-Mak |
| |
|
1920 |
Matt
Mann arrives in Canada. Establishes Camp Chikopi. |
 |
After a few years as head
of the Detroit Athletic Club's swim team, Matt
Mann established what remains as the world's very
first competitive swimming camp, Camp Chikopi(for
boys). Matt went on to coach at the University
of Michigan, where he won eight NCAA titles. Matt
coached at Harvard, Yale, and Oklahoma University
as well as serving as the United States Swimming
Head Coach for the 1952 Melbourne Olympics. Matt
and Lea (Muller) Mann operated Camp Chikopi until
Matt's death in 1962. |
| The Mann's (L
to R): Lea, Matt II, Matty III, and RoseMary |
|
|
 |
The only means
of transportation in Chikopi & Ak-O-Mak's early
years was the steamboat. From Burks Falls, Ontario,
the 35 mile trip to Ahmic Lake began and passed
through the Magnetawan, Ont.. locks. |
|
| |
1928 |
|
Chikopi
gets a sister! |
| Ak-O-Mak founded as world's second
swim camp – and remains as the World's only all-girl's
swim camp. Rosemary Mann Dawson is Ak-O-Mak's first camper!
When Matt & Lea Mann's daughter, RoseMary, turned
8 years old, Matt asks Hal Ulen (longtime Syracuse & Harvard
swim coach) to serve as Ak-O-Mak's first director. Ak-O-Mak
is indigenous for “across the water.” |
 |
Ak-O-Mak's early
years involved only several swimmers from the Detroit
Athletic Club. Today, Ak-O-Mak now hosts over 230
campers a year, though only 100 remain at camp
at any one time. |
|
Matt's longtime
friend Dick Papenguth served as one of Ak-O-Mak's
first directors. “Pappy” was the Director of
the Indianapolis Athletic Club, and served as
the University of Michigan Diving coach as well
as the 1952 U.S. Olympic Coach for women. |
|
|
| |
|
1930's |
The first 10
years! Camp grows in popularity and size |
As Ak-O-Mak (and Chikopi's) popularity
grew, the program expanded to include more than“just”swimming.
The other sports, Matt argued, would only enhance his
swimmers' endurance, strength and fortitude. Matt encouraged
many of his University of Michigan colleagues to join
him up at the camps to coach their respective sports.
More than half the Michigan coaching staff spent all
or part of their summers at Chikopi & Ak-O-Mak, plus
the future athletic directors of Nebraska, Indiana, Miami
and Penn State.
The likes of Fielding “Hurry Up” Yost (Michigan's Football
Coach and longtime Athletic Director), Wally Weber (Freshman
Football Coach), Ray Fisher (Varsity Baseball Coach) and
Clifford Keen (Varsity Wrestling Coach), and Stephen Farrell
(Varsity Track Coach) made frequent trips to Chikopi & Ak-O-Mak. |
|
Here,
the Ak-O-Mak girls receive instruction in some
of the many sports offerings of Ak-O-Mak. Today,
over 25 sports are offered in the varied, yet
quality program. |
|
| |
|
1941 |
RoseMary Mann
becomes Ak-O-Mak's director at age 21, serving actively
until 1990. |
At the young age
of 21, RoseMary Mann takes over the Director's
duties at Ak-O-Mak. She continues to serve in that
capacity until 1991 with her retirement from the
active day-to-day duties.
RoseMary becomes “chief
inspector” of the campers. Inspection of the
campers and their cabins was an everyday practice
immediately after breakfast. Typical to summer
camps, the “foot locker” served as a great
storage container for campers' belongings.
We still use the “trunks” today! |
|
|
 |
Like father, like daughter. RoseMary
adopted many of her father's coaching traits.
RoseMary's contributions to Camp
Ak-O-Mak go without being said. Her contributions
to the world of women's swimming and women's water
polo are equally impressive. After forming the
Ann Arbor Swim Club in 1956, RoseMary went on to
coach at the University of Michigan, coach at the
University of Western Ontario, revive AAU women's
water polo, direct the first few AAU overseas teams,
and serve as the first woman on the Board of Directors
of the American Swimming Coaches Association. |
|
| |
|
1940's-present |
|
Ak-O-Mak grows
to cater to all! |
 |
Ak-O-Mak's program
expanded to include numerous other sports . When
the first swimming alumni of Ak-O-Mak and Chikopi
reached parenting age, their non-swimming children
needed a camp to attend. For that reason, Ak-O-Mak
and Chikopi expanded their programs to cater to
all children, not just competitive swimmers. The
swimming program, however, remains strong – and
one of the world's finest - to this very summer!
Matt's philosophy about Chikopi & Ak-O-Mak
was centered around cross-training activities that
enhanced the swimmer's competitive and physical
edge.
One of the many sports added
to Ak-O-Mak's repertoire is competitive, flatwater
canoeing and kayaking. Ak-O-Mak paddlers went
on to capture numerous national titles at all
levels of paddling. Marcia Jones Smoke became
Ak-O-Mak's most decorated international paddler,
paddling in the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games |
|
| |
|
1956 |
|
Who is that
man with the patch? |
 |
RoseMary marries
Buck Dawson, an All-American runner out of the
Univ. of Michigan and founding director of the
International Swimming Hall of Fame. Buck assists
RoseMary in the director's duties, but there's
no question as to “who's in charge?” Now Director
Emeritus of ISHOF, Buck has written over 18 books,
including We Don't Sew Beads On Belts ,
a scrapbook of memories of Camps Ak-O-Mak and Chikopi
since their start in 1920. |
|
 |
Buck Dawson and
Richard Quick (Camp Chikopi alumnus) at the International
Swimming Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Buck
founded the Swimming Hall of Fame in 1967. |
|
| |
|
1960's-1980's |
|
Ak-O-Mak's
swimming and Water Polo successes bring worldwide recognition. |
 |
Word is catching
on about Ak-O-Mak's offerings. Ak-O-Mak's success
continued to show – not just in swimming, but water
polo and competitive paddling as well. With this
newfound popularity, Camp's enrollment diversified
and campers from over 25 countries have now experienced
Ak-O-Mak's program.
Ak-O-Mak's campers in 2001 came
from 14 different countries, and spoke 7 different
languages. |
|
| Campers partake
in the Ak-O-Mak regatta, one of numerous annual
events that campers look forward to each year! |
|
|
| |
|
1968 |
|
C.A.S.A.Camp started |
 |
The Canadian
Amateur Swimming Association helped Ak-O-Mak establish
a two-week, summer's-end camp to handle those swimming
families from Canada (and beyond) whose coaches
wouldn't allow them to experience Ak-O-Mak for
the full summer. The two week camp is currently
in its 34 th year and the bunks are filled to the
rafters. |
|
| |
|
1978 |
Rosemary retires
from Pine Crest Swim Program |
| After nearly
15 years of record-breaking contributions to Pine
Crest school, RoseMary begins to hang up the whistle,
slowly retiring from active coaching. Nonetheless,
RoseMary's energy at Ak-O-Mak continues to grow. |
|
|
| |
1996 & 2000 |
Two Olympic
Games, Eight Olympians |
| Participation
of camp alumni in the Atlanta and Sydney Games
brings total Olympians to 60. Eight former Ak-O-Mak
and Chikopi campers/counsellors competed in the
Atlanta & Sydney Olympic Games. |
|
|
 |
Over 350 All-Americans and 60 Olympians have trained
with Ak-O-Mak and Chikopi. Numerous inductees into
various halls of fame also highlight the camp's
rich traditions in sport. |
|
Recent Years
While Ak-O-Mak's program of today
may offer many more activities and sports, the
time-honoured traditions and philosophies of
yesteryear are still alive in all we do this
year! |
|
|
| |
|
Ak-O-Mak Today |
|
Appreciation for the past, preparation
for the future |
| Ak-O-Mak remains a vital camp today.
The enrollment is solid and the physical plant and program
continue to be upgraded to meet the growing demands of
today's parents and campers. The camps remain committed
to the values and traditions that Matt Mann, RoseMary & Buck,
and Matt Mann III laid out in making Ak-O-Mak and Chikopi
two of the world's most storied camps. |
|
 |
|
Ak-O-Mak
today! |
| |
2003 RoseMary Dawson
Memorial Reunion |
 |
Alumni gathered
at Ak-O-Mak in the summer of 2003 to commemorate
the life of RoseMary Dawson, who passed away
on May 3, 2003 after a long battle against
diabetes. RoseMary's contributions to the lives
of so many young men and women are rich and
life-lasting. Her legacy lives on at camp – and
in each of her former campers' lives. |
|
|
|
|
