Staff Profile: Landon “Rhymes & Dimes” Fink

Landon has grown up saturated in the Christ-centered, others-focused, seriously-funess that is Pine Cove. Starting at the Towers, he’s made memories at almost every camp in East Texas, and joined in the fun of Pine Cove City! Be encouraged by Landon’s humble and fun spirit as you laugh along to camp stories and are spurred on by the Lord’s full-circle work in his life.

Tell us a bit about yourself!
I grew up living in Grapevine, Texas and went to camp every summer from the Towers to the Shores. Youngest of three siblings and proud uncle to five awesome nieces and nephews! After high school, I headed to Abilene Christian University where I studied ministry. Throughout college, I got involved with Young Life and each summer I worked at Pine Cove. In the Spring of 2023 I married my best friend, Avery “Queen Juice,” the associate director at the Shores—and now we both work at camp full time!

Do you remember any counselors from when you were a camper?
I definitely remember some! One of my counselors at the Ranch was Wally “JJ Redneck” Jenkins—he was awesome. A couple of summers at the Shores my senior counselor was Brandon “Bomb Squawks” Gray, and then when I was a Counselor In Training he was also my site director! It was a really cool full-circle moment when he, having been my senior counselor, offered me a job.

What different roles have you held at camp?
I started as a CIT for Pine Cove City, then the next summer I was a counselor at the Shores, then a senior counselor, then the Overflow program director. After that, I was a site director for two years. In 2021, I co-led team Boulder/Edge my first year alongside Antonio “Mamba’s Boy” Wright (City Legend), then our teams split as City got more re-established, and in 2022 I led City Team Boulder. After that Summer, I accepted an offer to become the Men’s Director at the Towers, so I packed up and moved to Tyler! Then Boys Camp Director, and now Camp Director since the Spring of 2026!

What are some things you like to do in Tyler?
I love the 903! I’ve got some really great friends here who I love to share life with, share meals with, and I love to try all the new things that pop in in town through the years of living here. I specifically love supporting my favorite local spots like Stanleys, The Grove, and Changmai Thai! I also love a good house project, and I’ll never turn down an opportunity to watch a movie in theaters! East Texas is home to some really solid golf courses that I love to lose golf balls at!

What’s your camp name story?
The audience asked if I had a rap name, which basically ended in me being convinced to freestyle rap in front of everyone. A senior in high school in front of a full room of cool college students I didn’t know yet. You can imagine how that went. So that’s where “Rhymes” comes in. I played basketball and my favorite basketball player is Penny Hardaway. When you throw a good pass in basketball it’s considered a “dime,” so that’s how the second half of my name came to be.

Do you have any favorite skit characters you’ve acted as?
I like to think I play a great Gru from Despicable Me—FREEZE RAY! Another character I like to bring back every few years is the tone-deaf Leon Green, a bird watcher with a volume problem.

What specifically are you excited about for this summer?
I have the best job in the world, and you can’t change my mind (unless you’re Jim Nantz). I love getting to welcome parents and campers onto the Towers property for what might be their first long stay away from home. It’s such a formative experience for some many of our campers in so many ways. They’re developing in ways you get to see in real time, whether it’s putting their faith in Jesus or trusting the zip line tether to hold them. They get to experience the freedom to be themselves in all the wonderful ways God made them unique. It’s also a ton of fun, obviously! Getting to inspire campers and equip staff is what we’re all about at Pine Cove and what I look forward to every summer!  

If you could go back and give your younger self advice before your first summer on staff, what would you say?
My advice would be to go all-in, and go all-in as fast as you can. Buy into the camp culture around you and invest in all of the fun, godly, awesome people surrounding you. Also, treat every camper like they are the most important person in front of you. You’re gonna be tired, you’re gonna feel like you’re running on empty when it’s your third week of camp or the 5th Tuesday of the summer already, but it’s their first and only at camp that summer! Trust the Lord to provide all you need each day, depend on Him in every moment, decision, conversation, activity. He will provide.

Throughout your time on staff, who are some staffers you’ve looked up to?
When I was on staff at the Shores, Luke “Thunder Up” McGrath was my men’s director, and he’s a huge reason I am the man I am today. My friendship with him was formative for me in college as he consistently walked with me through fun things and hard things and valued me as a friend other than just one of his staffers. Because of all of that, he stood in my wedding and has been one of my closest friends since. There overall is a long list of people I admire whether it be Taylor “Fish Face” Jervis, Rebecca “Deemer” Smith, Antonio “Mamba’s Boy” Wright, or Andrew “Get Smart” Boshell—all great role models and people who are easy to follow and fun to learn from consistently.

Do you have a meaningful camp memory?
Something that I love to think about is the life change I experienced as a young camper at the Towers. Now it’s all come back full circle and I have the privilege to play a role in that for other campers. As a third grader, I learned that Jesus didn’t just save me but He desires a relationship with me! That was a huge realization that changed the way I viewed God. It was the start of walking closely that will be my life with Jesus forever! Now, I get to serve where that happened and pray for other campers to experience the Lord in a transformative way!

What is a funny camp experience you’ve had?
A consistent funny thing at the Towers is our twice-a-summer tradition where after cabin assignments get announced to staff, I crowd surf off stage and the staff surfs me to the pool. After being thrown in, an epic all-staff “Memphis pool party” ensues. You gotta see it to really understand!

What keeps you working at camp? What’s your why?
God used Pine Cove to change my life as a 3rd grader at the Towers, and now I get to see that in our campers every week in the Summer! He also used camp to change my life as a college student. I love what I do and I love the opportunity to see what the Lord does in college-aged men and women every summer. I love camp so much and like I said, I’ve got the best job in the world!