Waterfront Safety And Preparation
In 1981, I was the assistant waterfront director (AWD) at a camp that had nearly a mile of lakefront on Lake Lure in western North Carolina.
Day Camp Excursions
Day camps are big business with fierce competition. Sports camps, YMCA and YWCA camps, recreation departments, churches, and community camps are all vying for the interest and attention of parents and children.
Shipped Off To Camp
The challenges of running an outdoor recreation facility keep even the most competent manager on his or her toes. A camp adventure on the high seas.Buying new safety gear, renewing annual insurance,
Shade Structures
Remember those teenagers who used to baste themselves with baby oil and park on beach towels all day long? They grew up to become sun safety-conscious adults. These days, they are the parents of
Be A Good Neighbor
Imagine the sounds of a peaceful lake in the mountains on a summer morning--the birds chirping, fish jumping out of the water for a bite to eat and splashing back in, and the spinning of a reel as
Ready, Set, Slide!
What do 214 feet of pure, liquid awesomeness feel like when it’s 105 degrees outside and you’re zooming downhill with your arms stretched out like Superman, being sprayed by a hundred streaming water spouts and landing in a bodacious, cataclysmic splashdown?
Separate Outstanding From Adequate
When the time comes to hire a new aquatic director for your summer-camp program, or if you are seeking to groom current employees for promotion to an aquatic supervisory
The Aquatic Art
Formerly, the term “aquatic” in organized camping meant teaching swimming and boating—period.
Lifeguard Training: 101
By reviewing and evaluating the plan for addressing these issues, you will be on your way to employing lifeguards who not only understand their responsibilities but are competent and confident enough to perform them!
Jumping Wakes Or Puttering Around
Boating has been an essential and much-loved part of summer camp for decades, and continues to be a popular offering at traditional and specialty camps.
Rules To Blob By
We camp people are a strange lot. We involve ourselves in discussions using terms such as blob, blobbing, blobber, blobbee, and then expect people to take us seriously.
Smooth Sailing At The Beach
It's another spectacular New Hampshire afternoon at Camp Birchmont as I sit alongside Lake Wentworth, enjoying a moment of quiet.
Just Add Water
YMCA Camp Wakonda in Ash Grove, Mo., has good bones. This was my impression as I drove home after an investigatory trip.
The H2 Whoa Zone
Some of the most creative and surprising solutions evolve from the most nerve-wracking situations. Such is the story of Camp Crosley YMCA’s Whoa Zone, a recreational pond/wake cable park that now plays a
Flushing Out A Focal Point
Like most non-profits, our agency has learned to do more with less—to take what we have, mix it with the determination and creativity of our staff members and volunteers, and turn the impossible into reality.
PRM -- Prevention, Recognition and Management
Since water and pool safety is such a huge issue for camps that provide aquatic recreation for their campers it's important to understand that the primary responsibilities of management and lifeguards are:
Maintaining Safety
The owner or operator of a public/semi-public swimming pool must do everything possible to assure the safety of patrons and to safeguard them from injury or incident.
Emergency Response
The drowning process includes a series of destructive progressive stages, which will result in cardiac arrest and death if rapid and effective intervention is not provided by appropriately trained rescue
On the Waterfront
There are two basic rules to follow when managing camp waterfront programs: Rule number one: Have Fun! Rule number two: Play Safe! The information below is designed to serve as a primer for those charged with the