What's Happening at Camp: Swimming!

Remember January, February, and March’s cold and snow? New England native T.S. Eliot called April “the cruelest month” in the Wasteland. What a far cry from our beautifully hot July weather! Don’t worry, campers are keeping cool and hydrated thanks to the Camper Car Wash and the many sprinklers and water fountains across the camp grounds. And then there’s Swimming, which everyone has twice a day (or one-third of the camp day). Our four pools and spring-fed swimming pond are welcome intervals between activities.

With Free Swim in the morning and Swimming Lessons in the afternoon, our program is tailored to accomplish the twin goals of fun and learning. We evaluate proficiency according to the Red Cross’ six levels of skill. Each level includes about fifteen individual skills, which campers are taught and on which they are evaluated. Progress reports are sent home at the end of each camp session (and midway through for the six and eight weekers), using three categories: M(astery), P(roficiency), A(pproaching). Once all of the skills have been mastered, the child is then passed onto the next level.

Our swim lessons are taught by twenty-five Red Cross certified swim instructors, and the campers are grouped according to ability, with no more than seven campers in a group. Placement evaluations are sent home on the second day of the camp session. For Free Swim, the grouping is by tribe, and the spirit of fun and safety are our primary guides. Our tribe leaders and assistants go into the water with the children, organizing games and playing with the children under the watchful eyes of our swim instructors. The Eagle section takes turns using the water trampoline, and this year’s most popular free swim games include “500,” “What Time Is It, Mr. Fox,” and “Fishy, Fishy Cross My Ocean.”

Our team of Waterfront Supervisors, Katherine, Victoria, and Sam, are led by Tara Davidson, who is spending her 9th summer at Sewataro. Each of our Supervisors has extensive experience teaching swimming, and they are the ultimate arbiters in judging camper proficiency. Tara’s organization leadership has been invaluable in restructuring the program to better meet the needs of our campers and meet parental expectations. Tara’s biggest satisfaction in her position comes from watching our campers grow more comfortable in the water, and she loves to see the visible expression of happiness on a camper’s face when he or she masters a new skill.

Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your experience at Sewataro even better than it has been.