I’ve worn many hats in my camping career – I think it’s a really important aspect of the job. I feel like I am able to instruct campers in sports, arts, and adventure activities in a pinch. I could even lead a pretty great soccer activity…and I bet you wouldn’t even know that it’s my most dreaded sport!
There are three main “campy skills” that I feel I’m lacking and I’m hoping to acquire them over time…
1. I do not have a loud voice – I really can’t be heard in a crowd. If I try to raise my voice too much, I can lose it, so it’s best to not even try! I feel like I can overcome this by learning how to make the REALLY LOUD whistle sound using my fingers, so it is my goal to learn how to do that this summer.
2. I can’t play the guitar – I took lessons a few years back, and I even learned a few Beatles songs, but nowadays, if you can’t play Taylor Swift at a campfire, you can’t really call yourself a song leader. This is definitely one of my goals for the fall – at camp in 2012, I’ll be making the rounds with my guitar, and we can have TSwift sing-alongs all night!
3. I’ve never been a lifeguard – It’s pretty hard to believe that I’ve spent 27 years at summer camps and never been lifeguard certified! I plan to take the course at some point in my career (I want to know if I can pass the test!). It’s a long shot, but maybe I’ll even be able to take the course this summer with our Super Senior (9th grade) and Counselor-In-Training (CIT’s, 10th grade) campers. It’s an option we provide these oldest campers. It’s very cool that they don’t miss out on any of the summer fun, but for an additional $200, they can end the summer being a certified Lifeguard for the next two years! See the above picture of our 2010 Lifeguard Graduates!
