Beyond the Waterfront: Summer Skills That Last a Lifetime
It would be nearly impossible to go to camp and not come home with some kind of new or improved skill. In many ways, the skills learned at 2-Week Camp set the foundation for the longer trips and more challenging activity progressions that boys can work up to in the longer June and Main Camp sessions.
Many of the skills learned at camp are “soft skills,” or things you pick up with experience. Think self-reliance, teamwork, communication, resilience, or collaboration: all things the boys work on when away from parents, living in a group setting and trying new activities.
Other times the boys are learning “hard skills,” or measurable things you have to intentionally learn and practice. Think paddling strokes, rock climbing techniques, knot-tying, blacksmithing, making pottery, riding a horse, or even how to sweep the floor of your cabin.
Most of these “hard skills” are chosen by boys based on their activity interest. However, knowing how to swim is a skill that we want each camper to be proficient in. Why?
We think swimming is a life skill that everyone should learn, and that’s why we teach it. Just like other important things Falling Creek teaches, we feel that camp should equip boys for life. Swimming is one of those necessary skills to know.
Marisa Pharr, Camp Director/Owner
In 1989, Marisa worked as a counselor at Falling Creek and was head of the waterfront. She taught at her local YMCA for years, and still feels strongly that knowing how to swim is necessary for a lifetime of safety and enjoyment in the water.
The swimming ability of each camper is assessed on Opening Day for the June, Main, and 2-Week Camp sessions. Campers who have previously classified as “Gold Swimmers” don’t need to reclassify each year. (Junior campers also don’t participate in a swim skill classification and wear life jackets at all times.) Boys that demonstrate solid swimming skills will be classified as “Gold Swimmers” and those who need to work on their skills will be termed “Green Swimmers”.
However, the Swim Skill Classification shouldn’t cause any worry for campers. “It just assesses their current swimming ability. We hold them to a standard so they’re safe on trips, but they can still enjoy everything at the waterfront, regardless of swimmer status,” says Asst. Communications Director, Carol Jones.
Since boys wear lifejackets during free swim, both Green and Gold Swimmers can do the blob, zipline, roller coaster, and swim during free choice time. The only difference is that Green Swimmers are required to take swimming instruction as one of their six daily activities and are not eligible for out-of-camp sailing, paddling, or other water-related trips, until they become a Gold Swimmer.
If they’re not at a Gold Swimmer level yet, no problem! Counselors are here to help.
Sometimes counselors offer swim instruction, and sometimes they just need to give a little extra encouragement. “Some boys are just scared of the lake because they’re used to swimming in pools,” says counselor Mary Steward Efird, from Gastonia, NC. “Putting their head in the water and breathing is usually the hardest part, but the boys have a huge sense of accomplishment when they get it.”
“I’ll get in the water with the boys sometimes to help show them that it isn’t scary,” says counselor José Sahagún, from Puebla, Mexico. If boys are nervous, he’ll start with them on the beach, then move to the shallow swim lane, and then they’ll be more comfortable jumping in.
The counselors work with the boys to not only build their confidence in the water, but also their endurance, stamina, and swim stroke skills. Mary Stewart says that it’s rewarding for boys to see their swimming improve.
In Main Camp, we worked with Eli from Cabin 1 for two and a half weeks, mainly building up his endurance in fun ways so he could work up to doing the 5 minute water tread. We would swim intervals in the lanes, or do lake laps while wearing life jackets just to practice swimming for a longer time. When he passed the swim check and became a Gold Swimmer, he said it was the 2nd best day of his life. The first best was getting his dog.
Mary Stewart Efird, Counselor from Gastonia, NC
In this session, we’ve already been seeing boys gain confidence in the water. “I’ve never treaded water this long!” exclaimed Fionn K. during the swim check with his cabin mates. “Let’s go boys! New record!”
Before the boys got in the water, Mary Stewart demonstrated how to tread with your arms and legs. She chatted with them as they persevered through the 5 minute tread, distracting them with questions so they didn’t think about being tired.
“If you could be any fruit what would you be?” she asked.
“Dragonfruit!” said James K.
“What would you guess I’d be?”
“Strawberry, no wait, blueberry, because it’s the healthiest fruit!”
In addition to the 5 minute tread, boys have to swim 4 laps in a freestyle stroke, and one lap in elementary backstroke. The full criteria are listed here, but there’s no need for boys to be nervous about it. The counselors will work with boys individually when needed.
“Different things are easy or hard for different kids,” says Eleanor Donohue, waterfront advisor. “We teach the same basic swimming instructions, but personalize the lessons based on individual skill and comfort level.”
Even if a boy isn’t interested in sailing or paddling at camp, he’ll encounter water everywhere in life, and knowing how to swim will give him the freedom to safely explore and interact with the world. Being able to swim well will increase confidence and open the door to new opportunities, not just with trips at camp.
Speaking of which, we’re halfway through the first week of 2-Week Camp, and boys are opening lots of “new doors!”
There are multi-day trips heading out for backpacking, paddling, and rock climbing today, as well as single day trips for mountain biking and rock climbing. Each outdoor adventure activity is continuing to offer “preps” so more boys can be ready to join the upcoming trips too.
A Note About Homesickness
If you do get a homesick letter in the mail over these next few days, don’t panic. These feelings are common for all campers at some point throughout the session. The challenging times for them can be when things are moving at a slower pace, such as during rest hour or at night. This is also usually when they have the most time to write home!
Parents also can experience the challenge of their son being away from them. Many of the boys have highly scheduled days at home with not much opportunity to play freely and make decisions on their own without parental input. This may explain why many parents are feeling more anxious than their sons, since they are not used to them being away.
Your boys are making their own decisions here at camp on what activities they want to take, walking themselves to the classes, signing up for trips, learning new skills, and making friends. These life lessons learned at camp can help in many situations back home where they may be the new boy in school, moving to a new neighborhood, or even later when preparing for college.
Please be assured that if your son shows any continuing signs of homesickness, we will be in touch with you. A good rule of thumb typically is that no news from us is good news, and the homesickness usually passes quickly. Getting them doing things is the quickest way to get their mind off of home and distracted by the fun trips and activities. The boys are learning to be independent and resilient, and you are giving them a great opportunity to do that by allowing them to be at camp.
We’re ready for a wonderful Wednesday at camp today!
