Tips for Setting Goals

We are excited for this to be the first summer for your 2-week or 4-week camper.

We know that there is a lot of information to go through and that the Goal Setting Guide can seem overwhelming. As you’re helping your child set goals for the summer, take some time to review it, but don’t worry if you don’t understand everything. We want your camper to be excited about all the possibilities and fun adventures they will have at Camp. When they arrive this summer, they’ll receive their Blue and Green Books and their cabin counselor will help them get started with the activities.

In the “Letter to My Camp Counselor,” your camper is asked to list the ranks they would like to earn this summer. Simply list the three below for Sea, list “Alfa” for Land, and for Aquatics, choose which color band they will work toward in their swim assessment.

Sea Goals

Seaman Recruit: Learning the basics of seamanship as a part of orientation to the Sea Program.

Beginner Sailor: Sailing with a counselor and getting the opportunity to steer the boat and control the sail.

Outboard Operator: Experience driving a powerboat under the supervision of a counselor.

Land Goal

Alfa: Experience every Land activity, learn the safety rules and earn the first rank in each one.

Aquatics Goal

Aquatic activities are an important part of our program, and we place a strong emphasis on safety in and around the water. All campers are required to wear a life jacket when they participate in our boating activities. We assess all campers’ swimming ability in our Swim Lake.

Please note that the assessment takes place in dark lake water and the camper cannot use goggles. The qualifications required for each band are below.

Red Band (Non-swimmer)
The camper can swim less than 12.5 yards and is unable to tread water. Red bands can swim in a life jacket in depths up to 3 feet in our Swim Lake and pool.

Purple Band (Beginner)
The camper can swim 12.5 yards in a natural body of water and can tread water for 30 seconds.

Black Band (Intermediate)
The camper can swim two 25-yard lengths (50 yards total) in a natural body of water and can tread water for 30 seconds.

White Band (Advanced)
The camper can swim four 25-yard lengths (100 yards total) in a natural body of water with rhythmic breathing using freestyle, breaststroke or backstroke and can tread water for 30 seconds.