There is an article in the Review Section of the Wall Street Journal, “The Life Lessons of Summer Camp.” The first camp was started in Washington, Conn. In 1891, just after the Civil War started. It was designed for a few weeks, to teach children how to face new situations, and learn new skills. Since then, summer camps have evolved through the years, from experiencing, and learning to live another more authentic life in two short weeks, to spending an entire summer away from home. There are even specialty camps, concentrating on a particular skill, boating, tennis, horseback riding, and even computers.
I have experienced all the facets of summer camp, but not from a camper’s perspective, but through a counselor’s perspective. Actually, my first time I spent the summer at a camp, was as a waiter. My best friend had gotten the job, and wanted me to join him that summer. I think I was fifteen or sixteen at the time. By that time, I had spent several years in scouting. So, I was very proficient in all the hiking, and camping skills. I was also an excellent swimmer and boater, thanks to my father’s instruction throughout my early years. What was new was being away from home, and the interaction with the campers, and counselors. It was a great experience, and my friend and I did things, you probably couldn’t, or shouldn’t do in this day and age. The camp was located in the town of Willimantic, CT, in the middle of the state. We would hitchhike on our days off, south to New London, CT. There was a wonderful beach, I think Ocean Beach. We would spend the day in the surf, and watching the submarines, coming and going. Luckily, we never had any trouble while hitchhiking.
For the next two years I spent working in two different summer camps as a counselor. I always had the senior boys, ages about ten and eleven. With my co-counselor we taught the boys new skills, and honed others. One of the favorite events was a free-for-all wresting match. The entire bunk, about a dozen kids against myself, and my co-counselor. Lots of fun tumbling on the grass, laughing and yelling. It also worked out, just before bedtime, the boys were so tired, they fell asleep quickly.
That second year was for my former scout master and his wife, who purchased a small hotel in the Catskill’s, and converted it into their summer camp. I even spent time before camp opened, helping them with the conversion. But I wanted more than just being a counselor. Luckily it happened.
I was approached by the director of a summer day camp in the city. They need a waterfront counselor. I sounded like a great opportunity, just what I wanted. For two weeks in May I was enrolled in the eastern Red Cross aquatics school, held in a camp in Pennsylvania, to become a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor. I was already for several years a Senior Red Cross Life Guard. It was a grueling two weeks, eight hours a day in the water. Perfecting swimming skills, and teaching them. All the rescue techniques, practiced over and over, then learning how to instruct them. Every morning, a warm-up three-mile swim, and all this in lake water in May, which was probably only sixty degrees. But it was worth it.
During that summer, I taught different levels of swimming at a pool, and once a week monitored the swim in the ocean, at Reis Park Beach in Brooklyn. Since I was only working during the week, myself and two other former counselors, spent every weekend at our former summer camp in the Catskills. I ran the waterfront, which gave their waterfront counselor a two-day rest. I continued the campers lifeguard rescue skills. These were good years, teaching, and also learning from the different campers.
