AQUATICS

aka Aqua Soldiers

This session, the Aquatics Staff has eight members, all of whom have been here in previous years. Our staff includes Amber "Indian" Barlaan (Tulane University), Patrick "Patty Cakes" Lindsley (Tulane University), Drew "SpongeBob" Necaise (LSU grad), Ellie "Triple Threat" Platt (McGehee High School), Paul "Tarzan" Remedios (LSU med student), Grace "Dahria" Settoon (LSU,) and our two CITs, Robert Daroca (Holy Cross), who is affectionately known as "Coach Tree," and Rose "R and R" Hemphill (Sacred Heart). Each person brings a wide variety of swimming experience to the staff (over 50 years combined experience!), which allows the campers to learn in whichever way benefits them the most. The campers are being tested and instructed according to the American Red Cross Learn to Swim Program, which includes six levels. Level One helps get the campers accustomed to and comfortable in the water. They develop simple skills such as floating. As the levels increase, different swimming strokes and dives are learned, while technique is refined. At the beginning of camp, each camper was individually tested by the coaches to determine which level he or she should be placed in and which areas of their swimming ability needed improvement in order to move on to the next level. We cannot even begin to describe to you in this newsletter how much improvement we witness on a daily basis. We have had campers who were scared to even enter the water overcome their fear … and swim across the entire deep end! It is because of the leaps and bounds our campers make that all of our staff returned this year, and it is the reason we all love our "job" so much!

Last week, the campers took part in Color War, and things got heated by the pool! Our younger groups competed in such events as Duck Round-up and games of Steal the Bacon. Our older groups participated in intense relay races and the Poseidon played a very competitive game of water polo. The game was so intense and exciting that Coach "Big B" Mike with the Sharks couldn't resist seeking permission for his kids to come play a few games at the pool … and the Sharks really tore it up. Overall, Color War was a great time in the aquatics division, and although the Green team won the overall war, the Blue team won the aquatics battle.

But the aquatics staff is not all about swimming instruction. Every Friday is Free Swim Friday, when the campers are free to play on the wide variety of toys that Ripples has for them. From kickboards to noodles, diving sticks to inner tubes, water basketball, and water polo, the campers are free to have fun. This provides a lot of entertainment not just for the campers, but also for the coaches, which makes for a fun and enjoyable work environment.

The summer is almost over, but it still feels like camp just started. Over the last few days, we will be conducting more testing, to see if the campers can move on to the next level. With some help from home and some effort at camp, everyone should be able to move up!