sunil.debnath: Swimming, Swimming, in the Swimming Pool

By Rachel Lyon

Pool Director

Shalom! My name is Rachel Lyon, and I am the pool director this summer. I started going to camp in 2001 as a Garin camper, and I have gone every year since. This is my fourth summer on staff at GUCI! Counselors Hannah Banks, Rachel Houser, Demi Levitch, and Adrianna Schneider make up the Pool Team who assist in instructional swim and guarding during normal swimming times, along with a rotating group of Avodahnikim.

Geza practicing their diving!

The pool is frequented by each unit every day. Shoresh, Geza, and Anaf have one-hour programs at the pool in the afternoon. Shoresh and Geza also have instructional swim three days a week to improve and refine their swimming skills. Instructional swim is one of the few times at camp where counselors can immediately see the improvement of each camper right in front of their eyes. Improvement is fulfilling to watch and it is a heartening feeling to know you helped make that happen. On the other days, they have an hour of free swim. On Friday, we have all-camp free swim and on Saturday the pool is open from 1:30-4:00 PM for anyone wishing to relax by and in the water during Shabbat.

We have two different swimming pools the campers can use. We have a total of two diving boards, an AquaClimb (in-pool climbing wall), and two different water slides. The campers love the AquaClimb, and challenge themselves to climb up using only their arms, or by timing themselves.

The AquaClimb is a favorite part of the pool!

The pool is easily many campers? favorite place on camp and favorite part of the day. Some cabins use the pool during chaveroot, for bunk night, and for evening programs. This year, the sports program also uses the pool twice a week in the mornings, to play water polo and other sports games in the pool. The campers love when there is an extra hour of programming at the pool!

This is my fourth summer on staff and my second working at the pool. I wanted to be pool director this summer in order to improve upon the instructional swim curriculum and be able to spend time with all the campers on camp, not just a specific unit. In my opinion, I have the best job on camp because not only do I get to be in charge of many campers? favorite place, but I also get to interact with each of them on a daily basis!

Overall, the pool is an essential part of the GUCI experience. Whether it is instructional swim or a bunk night activity, the pool is a place where campers have fun with not only their cabin, but also their unit and the rest of camp.