This summer South Shore YMCA Camp Quirk welcomed hundreds of campers to our Y for a jam-packed summer of camp fun. Campers in our programs enjoy daily swim at the Hale Family YMCA, with a mix of open swim with friends and swim instruction from our staff. Throughout the summer, our staff made great memories with our campers, and shared with us these camper stories from the season:
Jimmy was a first-year camper at Camp Quirk, a bright, funny and friendly kid. Jimmy was, however, a reluctant participant in swim instruction. Working with Jonny, a Swim Instructor and Lifeguard, Jimmy came to enjoy and appreciate his lessons. Jonny and our staff enjoyed Jimmy’s wit, commentary, and quips during classes. As Jimmy became more comfortable and confident in the pool, his trademark personality and humor became more apparent, and his fears seemed to disappear. By the end of camp, he even said to Jonny, “Watch this – I can do seven front-flips underwater,” demonstrating his tremendous improvement in the pool.
Pablo is an eight year old boy who was in our Camp Quirk Navigator group. Pablo is very quiet and at first was hesitant to swimming. Our Y swim instructor Jesse got to know Pablo and his interests, and once she mentioned Pokémon, Pablo was excited. He talked about Pokémon with Jesse during the entirety of the lesson while enthusiastically participating in every skill and activity. Once he stopped thinking about his fears, and focused on something he loved, swim instruction came naturally.
This summer was filled with great memories for our campers and our Aquatics Staff. We can’t wait to see some of these familiar faces in our swim lessons this fall.
