For all you newbie counselors that get suckered into staying an extra day to assist with "wrapping things up", I thought I might reveal one trick that worked for me over the years. .... It's called the "one-finger lift".
Here's how it works:
Step One: Volunteer to assist with taking in the docks. There are always 5 to 6 "heroes" that really WANT to lift the docks --sooooooooooo, let em lift it, while you practive the one finger lift!
Step Two: When it's time to take the docks in, make sure you are standing on one of the long sides of the dock. For example ---each dock is rectangular --- thus, make sure you are on one of the long sides (not the short side). Be careful, some that are wise to one finger lift may try to get to the long side before you. If so, a quick nudge or elbow to the face may be in order.
Step Three: When it is time for everyone to lift the dock, squat down, and mimic all others as if you in fact are lifting the dock. Normally a small grunt and face wince should suffice.
Step Four: Do not ..... I repeat, DO NOT actually attempt any physical effort to lift the dock --- If you do. --Stop right away and re-read Steps one through three.
Step Five: Once the dock is in the air, and everyone attempts to walk it back to the boat house, you can now attempt the one finger lift. Please check your form by putting one finger on the bottom of the dock (while you uncontrollably laugh [in side your own mind] knowing of what you have accomplished). So long as you (1) don't break a sweat; (2) keep a straight face; and (3) [the most important thing] don't lift the dock, you have mastered the one-finger lift.
Step Six: Once the dock is placed on the ground, yell some explicative while complaining to others that the two clowns beside you weren't lifting their share!!!!!!!!
For a seminar on fuseling look back at earlier posts.
Stay tuned to learn how to "clean" the shower room, while actually watching a movie in the movie room (*quoted by one of the posse three "this one is a must read!!!")
Monday, October 29, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Songs of Camp Day
I just heard "American Pie" by Don McLean on the radio. It immediately reminded me of the time I was hanging out at the waterfront with friends, and Dave Grossman cranked this song up on his radio. I again quickly smile, as I envision Billy Rose, walking around the Jr. Unit blaring Van Halen tunes! Of course, songs from BBD, New Edition and Bobby Brown immediately remind me of my Wife, Jen, as these were songs I listened to at camp when we first met.
I bet that all of us that went to camp in the 80's and 90's can relate to different songs or groups that "bring us back to best days of summer". Each song representing a memory of camp, that is quickly brought to mind at the precise moment that certain song is being played. Thus, those that are reading this, and want to put a quick smile on their face, heres a recommendation ........ Go through your old camp stuff (if you have any), put on some of those "memory tunes", and remember the "good times". -- ....................... As I am right now.
I bet that all of us that went to camp in the 80's and 90's can relate to different songs or groups that "bring us back to best days of summer". Each song representing a memory of camp, that is quickly brought to mind at the precise moment that certain song is being played. Thus, those that are reading this, and want to put a quick smile on their face, heres a recommendation ........ Go through your old camp stuff (if you have any), put on some of those "memory tunes", and remember the "good times". -- ....................... As I am right now.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Camp Fires
When was the last time you sat around a good fire? Before I attended camp I had never been to a camp fire. I remember the first one that I went to as a camper, it was down at the waterfront over where the T-dock used to be. Most people walked in little groups and slowly sauntered down the camp road, passing by Bascom and on to the beach. One counselor brought some wood to pile on the huge stack that was already there and another some dry leaves. This seemed to make sense and I realized that I had never given much thought to what went on during a camp fire.
Then I noticed someone carrying a can of gas. Yes, gas. The counselors went kind of nutty and made the fire so big that it actually made me a little nervous. I just sat there in awe of the entire situation. Then someone started to sing a song and a counselor who's name I forget, took a long running start and jumped over the middle of the fire! This made everyone cheer (even me). I thought, at that moment, that these people are crazy. I also noticed, despite the madness, that this fire thing caused everyone to start acting more like a big group than a bunch of little groups.
My favorite part was the camp song. This first camp fire, everyone knew how it went but me. Before I could even think of feeling left out someone leaned over, put there arm around me and said, "Ready, here's how it starts...On the shores of..." I could hardly hear what she was saying, but it actually gave me a feeling that I belonged there. I had never experienced anything like it. It was almost perfect.
As the flames started to get lower and weaker, time sort of slowed down just a bit for me. I noticed the embers against the water's reflection of the dark blue sky. I felt the air of a balmy July night as the sun sank behind the trees across the lake. A few times, when everyone was busy yelling, singing, and laughing, I took a deep breath and just simply watched. I swear that no one noticed. Those camp fires were just the sort of thing that could make you kick-back, relax and enjoy life.
Then I noticed someone carrying a can of gas. Yes, gas. The counselors went kind of nutty and made the fire so big that it actually made me a little nervous. I just sat there in awe of the entire situation. Then someone started to sing a song and a counselor who's name I forget, took a long running start and jumped over the middle of the fire! This made everyone cheer (even me). I thought, at that moment, that these people are crazy. I also noticed, despite the madness, that this fire thing caused everyone to start acting more like a big group than a bunch of little groups.
My favorite part was the camp song. This first camp fire, everyone knew how it went but me. Before I could even think of feeling left out someone leaned over, put there arm around me and said, "Ready, here's how it starts...On the shores of..." I could hardly hear what she was saying, but it actually gave me a feeling that I belonged there. I had never experienced anything like it. It was almost perfect.
As the flames started to get lower and weaker, time sort of slowed down just a bit for me. I noticed the embers against the water's reflection of the dark blue sky. I felt the air of a balmy July night as the sun sank behind the trees across the lake. A few times, when everyone was busy yelling, singing, and laughing, I took a deep breath and just simply watched. I swear that no one noticed. Those camp fires were just the sort of thing that could make you kick-back, relax and enjoy life.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Color War
We all recall whether we were on the green or the gray team; however, I remember that some years there was a black team. The black team consisted of the campers that didn't want to get involved with color war (some for the right reasons [e.g.why compete against others] and others for the wrong reasons [followers trying to be cool]). In any event "I got it". Although I always participated in color war, I remember my first year, and the pressure color war placed on me [and I'm sure some other kids].
The event was..... "Everyone Toss your shoes in the middle of a pile, and then find them" . . . I tossed my shoes in, and wouldn't you know, I was the last kid to find and put on their shoes. I will never forget the ridicule I received from some of my "teammates". Although I was a young Jr. (around 10 years old) some of the Senior Campers wouldn't stop harping on how I potentially cost them color war.
The funny thing is -- I don't remember if we won that year. I don't remember the d-bags that harrassed me. I do remember my sister and her friend sticking up for me though. With the quick use of words and threats -- my sister and her friend got those d-bags to back off quickly. .... Thanks Sis and Becky.
The lesson I learned that day is "competition can bring out the best or the worse in a person". I also learned that next time I play "Everyone Toss your shoes in the middle of the pile" -- to tie my shoes together.
The event was..... "Everyone Toss your shoes in the middle of a pile, and then find them" . . . I tossed my shoes in, and wouldn't you know, I was the last kid to find and put on their shoes. I will never forget the ridicule I received from some of my "teammates". Although I was a young Jr. (around 10 years old) some of the Senior Campers wouldn't stop harping on how I potentially cost them color war.
The funny thing is -- I don't remember if we won that year. I don't remember the d-bags that harrassed me. I do remember my sister and her friend sticking up for me though. With the quick use of words and threats -- my sister and her friend got those d-bags to back off quickly. .... Thanks Sis and Becky.
The lesson I learned that day is "competition can bring out the best or the worse in a person". I also learned that next time I play "Everyone Toss your shoes in the middle of the pile" -- to tie my shoes together.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
The Reprimanded Rescuer
I worked a lot on the waterfront. I always liked to swim and when I figured out that I was pretty good at it, I started to focus on it. After years of swimming lessons, before camp one summer, I spent 2 very cold weeks in Maine and got certified as a Water Safety Instructor (WSI) . I was already a certified lifeguard so it was a logical step. I wasn't a very fast swimmer or flashy in any way, but I could get the strokes down fairly well and I liked to teach. At camp, since I had my WSI, I was given more things to do on the waterfront. I taught a good amount of swimming and also things like snorkeling, sailing, canoing, etc.
One afternoon I was waiting for my snorkeling class to show up. I was sitting on the H-dock next to one of my campers, Aaron. He was also in my snorkeling class. He was a very hyper kid and was very hard to handle some days. I suggested that he do some kind of snorkeling or swimming activity every day because it helped him with his hyperactivity. That kid could swim all day and still keep the rest of the cabin up late talking.
Once everyone was present, we prepared to embark on a short swim in and out of the weeds in front of the old boathouse. In order to keep other boats aware of our expedition, we used a small white buoy (made of Styrofoam) with a red and white diving flag that stuck out of the top. The buoy was very old and in need of replacement. You could see the end of the flag stick through the bottom of the buoy and it had a small, metal piece on the end to hold it in place.
Since this was an intermediate to advanced class, I took them in to water that was about 6 to 7 feet deep. It was a pretty clear day and we were all diving really well. We were swimming down to the bottom to see what kinds of things we could find. Everything was going fine until Aaron and one of the other campers swam to the bottom and something scared them. I think it was a fairly large pike. When Aaron got startled (and he did often) he would swim up to the buoy and hold on for protection. Usually, there was nothing to be scared of and he was just being his nervous self. This time, however, he lost track of where the buoy was and came up straight under it. He came up so fast that he hit the back of his neck on the metal part of the flag stick.
He seemed stunned in the water for a second or two because he wasn't moving. When he regained his bearings, he swam up to the buoy and held on, but was slipping a bit and seemed kind of "out of it." So, I told everyone else to swim in and I grabbed him in a rescue stroke. I remembered that he hit his neck so I told him to relax and I put his arms over his head to stabilize his neck and spine. As I swam in with him, I asked him if his neck was hurting and he said "yes." I asked him if he felt tingling in his hands and feet. He said "yes." So, I decided that when we got to the beach I was going to put him on a stretcher, stabilize his whole body and take him to the infirmary.
We put him in the stretcher and he was lucid and talking so I didn't think that there was a problem, but you can't be sure with neck injuries, so I decided to keep him tugged in the wraps around his head, waist and feet. We put a neck-brace around his neck as well. We took him to the infirmary across the beach as people asked us what happened. I said, "he hit his neck, we are taking him to the infirmary to make sure he is ok, but he's going to be FINE."
As we were walking to the infirmary, we passed the water front director and she yelled at me. Point blank, yelled at me, "what happened? what are you doing? Is he ok?" She was panicking. I told her the exact same thing I told everyone else, walked passed her and in to the infirmary. When we got there, the nurse (wisely) called the paramedics who came to check out Aaron.
Now, you would think that this was a good thing. However, both the water front director and the director of the camp told me to go to my cabin and they would "call" me if they needed me. When the paramedics got there, they treated Aaron for minor injuries but said that there were no serious problems with his neck or spine. They also said, that the rescue was a "textbook" stabilization and that I had handled the situation flawlessly. This was what the nurse relayed to me when they left a couple of hours later.
Aaron's injuries turned out to be fine. I was hugely relieved that he was ok. I completed my first inline stabilization rescue from swim to beach (which was me treading water along side Aaron holding him up and talking to him). Then a calm and quickly executed backboard usage and carry without causing major panic. Finally, to the infirmary where the victim was taken care of immediately. I felt good about what I did because it was exactly how I learned it from recognition of an injury to crowd control to rescue execution. I was surprised I did it with that much confidence actually. And, it turned out that I did the right thing.
I was never thanked (unless you count Aaron and his parents). Neither the camp director nor the water front director talked to me to ask me what had happened. I was told that the director was actually "mad" at me because I had put Aaron on a rescue board. I was so surprised by this that I said to myself, the next time this happens, I am going to do it twice as good. The director of the camp and the water front director, that day, lost my respect. I was not the "model" counselor, but I knew my water safety better than anyone.
I'm not sure why I keep remembering these types of things. I really loved going to camp. I just think that things like these should not go unsaid. As I wrote earlier, after I stopped going to camp, I applied to the South Yarmouth Beach Rescue. I took the test for beach lifeguards and passed the first time. On many different occasions, I was part of the crew that watched over Seagull beach which holds more than 10,000 beach-goers. Our group for that beach usually consisted of 8 rotating guards either on foot, guard-stand, rescue board or jet-ski. They didn't punish people at the beach for making rescues (which almost everywhere on the planet wouldn't make sense) though they did expect a lot more of you. I think that out of all of the rescues I took part in out on the big beaches, the one with Aaron, at camp was my favorite to remember. Even in front of people who had no idea what to do and misguided leaders like the two directors I mentioned previously, I did my job well.
One afternoon I was waiting for my snorkeling class to show up. I was sitting on the H-dock next to one of my campers, Aaron. He was also in my snorkeling class. He was a very hyper kid and was very hard to handle some days. I suggested that he do some kind of snorkeling or swimming activity every day because it helped him with his hyperactivity. That kid could swim all day and still keep the rest of the cabin up late talking.
Once everyone was present, we prepared to embark on a short swim in and out of the weeds in front of the old boathouse. In order to keep other boats aware of our expedition, we used a small white buoy (made of Styrofoam) with a red and white diving flag that stuck out of the top. The buoy was very old and in need of replacement. You could see the end of the flag stick through the bottom of the buoy and it had a small, metal piece on the end to hold it in place.
Since this was an intermediate to advanced class, I took them in to water that was about 6 to 7 feet deep. It was a pretty clear day and we were all diving really well. We were swimming down to the bottom to see what kinds of things we could find. Everything was going fine until Aaron and one of the other campers swam to the bottom and something scared them. I think it was a fairly large pike. When Aaron got startled (and he did often) he would swim up to the buoy and hold on for protection. Usually, there was nothing to be scared of and he was just being his nervous self. This time, however, he lost track of where the buoy was and came up straight under it. He came up so fast that he hit the back of his neck on the metal part of the flag stick.
He seemed stunned in the water for a second or two because he wasn't moving. When he regained his bearings, he swam up to the buoy and held on, but was slipping a bit and seemed kind of "out of it." So, I told everyone else to swim in and I grabbed him in a rescue stroke. I remembered that he hit his neck so I told him to relax and I put his arms over his head to stabilize his neck and spine. As I swam in with him, I asked him if his neck was hurting and he said "yes." I asked him if he felt tingling in his hands and feet. He said "yes." So, I decided that when we got to the beach I was going to put him on a stretcher, stabilize his whole body and take him to the infirmary.
We put him in the stretcher and he was lucid and talking so I didn't think that there was a problem, but you can't be sure with neck injuries, so I decided to keep him tugged in the wraps around his head, waist and feet. We put a neck-brace around his neck as well. We took him to the infirmary across the beach as people asked us what happened. I said, "he hit his neck, we are taking him to the infirmary to make sure he is ok, but he's going to be FINE."
As we were walking to the infirmary, we passed the water front director and she yelled at me. Point blank, yelled at me, "what happened? what are you doing? Is he ok?" She was panicking. I told her the exact same thing I told everyone else, walked passed her and in to the infirmary. When we got there, the nurse (wisely) called the paramedics who came to check out Aaron.
Now, you would think that this was a good thing. However, both the water front director and the director of the camp told me to go to my cabin and they would "call" me if they needed me. When the paramedics got there, they treated Aaron for minor injuries but said that there were no serious problems with his neck or spine. They also said, that the rescue was a "textbook" stabilization and that I had handled the situation flawlessly. This was what the nurse relayed to me when they left a couple of hours later.
Aaron's injuries turned out to be fine. I was hugely relieved that he was ok. I completed my first inline stabilization rescue from swim to beach (which was me treading water along side Aaron holding him up and talking to him). Then a calm and quickly executed backboard usage and carry without causing major panic. Finally, to the infirmary where the victim was taken care of immediately. I felt good about what I did because it was exactly how I learned it from recognition of an injury to crowd control to rescue execution. I was surprised I did it with that much confidence actually. And, it turned out that I did the right thing.
I was never thanked (unless you count Aaron and his parents). Neither the camp director nor the water front director talked to me to ask me what had happened. I was told that the director was actually "mad" at me because I had put Aaron on a rescue board. I was so surprised by this that I said to myself, the next time this happens, I am going to do it twice as good. The director of the camp and the water front director, that day, lost my respect. I was not the "model" counselor, but I knew my water safety better than anyone.
I'm not sure why I keep remembering these types of things. I really loved going to camp. I just think that things like these should not go unsaid. As I wrote earlier, after I stopped going to camp, I applied to the South Yarmouth Beach Rescue. I took the test for beach lifeguards and passed the first time. On many different occasions, I was part of the crew that watched over Seagull beach which holds more than 10,000 beach-goers. Our group for that beach usually consisted of 8 rotating guards either on foot, guard-stand, rescue board or jet-ski. They didn't punish people at the beach for making rescues (which almost everywhere on the planet wouldn't make sense) though they did expect a lot more of you. I think that out of all of the rescues I took part in out on the big beaches, the one with Aaron, at camp was my favorite to remember. Even in front of people who had no idea what to do and misguided leaders like the two directors I mentioned previously, I did my job well.
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