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Dear Shibley Families,

I am so excited to be joining you at Shibley Day Camp and wanted to take this opportunity to share a bit more about myself with each of you! I have been fortunate enough to spend my whole life in camping living ten for two. I began working my way through the camp hierarchy at a very young age. After having been a camper for many years, I then embraced the roles of counselor, group leader, head counselor and most recently, associate director.

I am so lucky to have been able to spend my entire professional career in camping. After 15 years full time at a premier sleepaway camp in New York it is exciting to now have the opportunity to be a part of the Shibley Day Camp team. I am extremely passionate about camp and all that it affords children far beyond the home and school settings and I am eager to partner with each of you to ensure success for every camper here at camp. I look forward to connecting with you personally and getting to know each Shibley family and staff member. In the meantime, if you would like to reach out I would love to hear from you at Stefanie@shibleydaycamp.com.

Warm Regards,

Stefanie

This past summer I was really impressed by a group of boys. They were our 2018 Super Senior Boys 1 (SSB1) and they embody the GREEN Values that we celebrate at Shibley.

Many of these boys play competitive travel baseball. They are athletes, and they are the right kind of athletes. One evening after camp I watched some of them play and win a championship game. It was especially exciting for me; my daughters are passionate about dancing but I have fond memories of playing ball growing up. I also had the honor to be the special guest pitcher and play softball with SSB1 at camp. Each of these games was exciting, but the game played at camp showed a lot about these boys and all the boys as well as all the other boys in that group.

They were competitive and took every play seriously. They were upset when they made an out. They showed disappointment when a teammate struck out or didn’t make an “easy” play. But all with the most respect and empathy you would want from any friend or child. They get it. They all do. You could see how they felt, but their sportsmanship was top notch win or lose. They moved on to their next activities with a smile.

The campers in the group who excel at other sports or academics or swimming or singing also played hard and contributed positively to the success of their teams. Some surprised themselves and showed great improvement with the bat and glove from the beginning of the summer to the end. The sportsmanship taught by the counselors and displayed by the campers was exceptional.

And then it’s these other campers’ time to shine when they go to cooking…and tae kwon do…and science… and theater…and arts & crafts…and the adventure park…etc. And at each of these venues all of the campers showed the same enthusiasm as when they were on the ball field.

They are great children with great values instilled by the adults and role models in their lives, including of course the excellent SSB1 group staff.  Some of the staff attended that championship game at night and have formed positive relationships with the boys over their summers at Shibley. We are lucky to have loyal Shibley Group Leaders and Counselors that truly care about their campers and spend their own personal time supporting them.  And we are lucky to have the boys of SSB1 at camp. We hope to see them (and you) at our Fall Festival in a few weeks.

Shibley Shibley!

heath@shibleydaycamp.com

This summer we held a food drive to fill the pantry at St. Peter of Alcantara Church. We want to thank all of the families for their donations during Visiting Week! This is just some of what we collected!

Here are some letters the campers wrote to the veterans that this food will be donated to:

 

When the road looks rough ahead

And you can’t get that shibley shibley out of your head

Just remember what your old pals said

You’ve got friends at Shibley

 

You’ve got troubles, and we’ve got’em too

There isn’t anything that we wouldn’t do for you

We’re here all year so come and visit soon

You’ve got friends at Shibley

 

There’s lots of other places that you could possibly be

Faraway vacations and cruises out to sea

But none of them compares to a day at Shibley

 

And as the schoolyear goes by

Our friendship will never end

Any season and no matter what time

You’ve got friends at Shibley

by Brandon Etan Reed

It’s the last week of camp, which for the past 45 years has meant one very special thing – it’s time for the Goose Cup!!  Preparation for the Goose Cup, Shibley’s legendary street hockey tournament, begins early in the summer.  In July, Mark Becker, the SSB1 Group Leader, took all of the counselors in SB3 and SSB1 (the two groups that play in the tournament) out to dinner to draft teams. Once the counselors chose their teams (there were 4 of them this year), our 6 games got underway.  Each game is intense from the first one all the way to the Semi-Finals which ended with a thrilling come from behind victory for the Black Knights.  That earned the Black Knights a spot in the 2018 Goose Cup where they’ll play the Mighty Pucks on Tuesday, August 14^th.

What does it feel like to be in the Goose Cup? Amazing! You get to have an intense battle in front of tons of people. My friend, Craig, has dreamed of winning the Goose Cup and having his name engraved on the cup (which would make him a Shibley legend!) since he was 3-years-old.

The big game takes place at Fenway Park in Senior Camp, which is designed with big banners and lines on the field.  The excitement begins as soon as the benches become loaded with campers and family members.  It builds when Mark Becker (who has been part of the Goose Cup for 20 years) begins announcing some previous winners as well as each current player who comes out wearing a customized t-shirt (this year, we got to design our own shirts and both starting goalies got to design helmets).

Once the players are ready to begin, Mark starts his play-by-play, which he continues throughout the entire game.  In addition to the play-by-play, we also have referees, penalties, and time outs if we attempt any high sticks, slashing, or heckling.  There’s an intermission too.  This makes everything feel like a replica of a real hockey game.  The Goose Cup is always very exciting and competitive!  Shibley Day Camp is also concerned with every camper’s safety. The goalies have helmets and the rest of the players in the field wear goggles.

When the final whistle is blown, the winning team’s coach carries out the tradition of choosing 4 MVP’s to pour fruit punch into the famous Shibley hole into the ravine.  The winning team also marches around the field with the famous Goose Cup trophy chanting “goose, goose, goose.”

At the end of the day, you get to bring two things home (well, three if you’re the goalie and have a helmet) – your jersey and some wonderful memories!

Thanks for reading and have an amazing rest of your summer!

By Jamie Haberstumpf

I hope you read Part 1 and now I’m happy to share Part 2 of my ShiBlog!

Let’s jump right in and discuss some important skills that we teach every day at the Shibley pools:

Breathe! An often overlooked basic skill in swimming is the ability to time your breaths. If you’re not comfortable breathing while swimming, you’ll struggle to make streamlined, coordinated movements. The basic idea involves breathing out through both nose and mouth when your head is underwater, then lift your head to the side, taking a full breath before plunging your face back down under the surface. We practice this motion holding onto the side of the pool with outstretched arms.

Streamlining/Gliding through the water is a basic skill to master before kicking and paddling, it helps you to get used to the sensation of moving through the water headfirst. Try gently pushing off the side wall of the pool with your arms stretched out in front of your head. Keep your head face-down in the water and glide until you slow down.

Beginner swimmers often find themselves chopping through the water with their limbs. That’s fine. It takes a while to get a feel for moving your limbs in time. You must also get used to moving muscles in your lower back, abdomen and hips to power you forward. Similarly, try to let your legs come up behind your body, and keep a slim, streamlined position. Over time, this reduces drag from the water and makes you a more efficient swimmer.

The Freestyle Stroke or front crawl is often the preferred stroke of seasoned swimmers. It uses alternating arm movements with an above water recovery. The legs execute a flutter kick.  Freestyle is fast and efficient.

Breaststroke is the most popular swim stroke of all. In breaststroke, both arms execute half-circular arm movements at the same time under water in front of the swimmer. The arm recovery also occurs under water. The legs simultaneously execute a whip kick.

Breaststroke is often the first swimming stroke taught to beginners.  Breaststroke is the slowest of the competitive strokes.

The Butterfly Stroke stands out among the competitive strokes because of its unique and spectacular technique. It uses a symmetrical arm stroke with an above water recovery. It also uses a wave-like body undulation and a dolphin kick. Butterfly is the second fastest swim stroke after freestyle.

As its name suggests, Backstroke is swum on the back. It uses alternating circular arm movements and an above water recovery. The legs execute a flutter kick similar to the one used in freestyle. Backstroke is faster than breaststroke but slower than butterfly.

The Sidestroke is an old swim stroke swum on the side that uses a scissor kick and asymmetrical under water arm movements.  It is easy to learn and can be an interesting alternative to the popular swim strokes. It is also used by lifeguards to rescue victims.

Elementary Backstroke is a swim stroke that is swum on the back, using a reversed breaststroke kick and a simple synchronous under water arm stroke. Elementary backstroke can be used as one of the first swim strokes taught because its technique is very simple.

Diving into the pool is a basic swimming skill — even if it starts out of the water. Always practice diving in a deep pool with a lifeguard on duty. When you begin, diving may only involve putting your hands together above your head and gently curling your body forward toward the water until you fall in, headfirst. As you progress, try jumping slightly and straightening your legs behind you as you dive to enter the water smoothly.

According the National Institute of Health, any regular exercise improves focus and ability to retain memories!

Swimming is good for the body and mind. It can instantly lift your mood. Water’s buoyancy reduces stress by giving weightless feeling only felt in the water. Studies show that many swimmers report an instant mood improvement and over time they can even benefit from new relationships that are possible when joining a pool, swim class, or swim team. Research from Australia found that children who begin swimming at an early age develop physical milestones, language skills, and confidence earlier than those who do not. As a final benefit, swimming also increases blood flow to the brain!

Here at Shibley, EVERYONE BECOMES A SWIMMER!

Fun SwimFacts:

• Ancient drawings and paintings found in Egypt depicting people swimming date back to 2500 BCE.
• The first recorded swimming races were held in Japan in 36 B.C.
• Swimming first became an Olympic event in 1896.
• The oldest form of stroke used is the breaststroke.
• An hour of vigorous swimming can burn up to 650 calories – more than walking or biking.
• The resistance of water is over ten times that of air, making swimming an efficient way to improve muscle strength.