BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - A one-week swim camp geared towards teaching children the fundamentals of swimming, wrapped up today (Aug. 11) and the organizers were pleased with the attendance.
The camp, which was held along the shores of the Timothy Beach Hotel, saw 36 children participating and the organizers are hoping to see an increase in 2018.
Eldon Thomas, whose academy – Eldon’s Swim Academy – had organized the event, told SKNVibes that though the camp was hard work, he was pleased to see many of the local coaches were able to teach the children the fundamentals of swimming.
“The advance guys were strong swimmers. Those who came were very much afraid of the water and now they are comfortable working and throwing their hands in the water.”
Swimming has been described as a discipline and Thomas echoed similar sentiment, stressing the fact that though the camp has ended, some of the children would continue with his academy to harness their skills and talent.
Further, he stated that many of the advanced swimmers showed good techniques and form during their time at the camp, which, for him, means that many of them could advance to the competitive level.
“The skills are there to be sharpened, especially in the beginners, but as they go there would be follow-up classes so that they can have their skills sharpened.
“For those who couldn’t swim at all, I think they did very well during the week.”
During the camp, the children, ages 6-15, were taught Fire and Water Safety while being given tips in CPR.
Additionally, they were engaged with members of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force in Crime Prevention.
This year, the camp saw increased participation when compared with 2016, Thomas told this media house earlier this week.
For 2018, they are planning to undertake a similar camp in Nevis, where they are hoping to have more instructors onboard to assist, as they are optimistic that they would have more participants.
On the final day of the camp, the children raced against each other, with the top three in the intermediate, beginners and advances categories being awarded medals.
According to Thomas, the one-week camp was sponsored by FLOW, National Caribbean Insurance, Fraites and Sons, Island Bakeries, Blue Water Safari, Horsford's Valu Mart, Warner's One Stop, Halla and Leah Sahely, and Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris.
Every participant was given a certificate showing that they successfully attended the camp.
