The Waterfront

If one thing can be agreed at camp, it is that almost all the kids love being in the water. And I mean really love. Kids look forward to swimming everyday, and are genuinely disappointed when the lifeguards are on the days off, or it's too stormy to swim. Each unit has 1 hour of swimming per day. The lifeguards teach them for 20 minutes first, leaving the rest of the lesson for free swimming.

We have 7 lifeguards in total, including me. Like the rest of camp, half is from all over the world, including 1 from Hungary and New York. The other half, are from Yorkshire (YORK-SHIRE, YORK-SHIRE, YORK-SHIRE!). We also have the Canoeing instructor also, called Sydney from Melbourne (the irony...). We've all got a mix of experience. Some are/were lifeguards elsewhere, some taught swimming before and a few swim for clubs. I've life guarded in the UK before, as well as swim coaching, but it's really different here - meaning I've a lot to learn. I'm learning a lot from them, especially through co-teaching lessons. Our waterfront director has completed more years here than I have weeks so far. Everyone has a slightly different teaching style also, so I'm trying to find one that works for me (and the kids...).



Because the kids love swimming, it is great for improving behaviour. It is almost as if there is a special chemical (other than kids pee) in the water. One boy, who is both in my unit and my lessons, embodies this. After being a total pain normally, frequently refusing to do things, having tantrums and getting into scraps with the other kids, he changes completely in the water. In my lessons, he is none of that. He is really attentive, tries harder than anyone else and really enjoyed himself. It's slightly strange, but it feels great that that I can get them to behave, learn and enjoy themselves.

Working on the waterfront is also highly rewarding. Every now and then, I have a Heather Small moment. What have you done today to make you feel proud? ; well, I taught a kid to swim...

My lower girls group in this session (the fairies) have come on vastly. They have now begun to swim front crawl (the basic stroke, that most tend to use) which is huge progress for them. Even in a short space of time (9 20min lessons per session) they can develop massively. I took them in the deep end for the first time yesterday, which really meant a lot to them. I hope to get them up to blue band, which means they are an able swimmer. On camp, this is rare as seen as a big mark of prestige which many would love to achieve.
I also co teach an upper boys group with the waterfront director too. This group has just grasped front crawl and treading water too. They really want to move up to blue band also - the highest category of band that will allow them in the deep end. It may seem simple to us, but it really does mean the world to get them there. We are all doing all we can to get them up to the standard, but I will be really disappointed along with them, if they can't make the standard. But, even to get them this far is a huge source of pride for me. This camp aims to improve the lives of homeless New York children - and I play a big part in that be helping them to swim. I can just imagine them when they are older, reminiscing about their camp days, and remembering that it was indeed Liam Cutler who taught them to swim.