As with every aspect of life at Kennolyn, SAFETY always comes first. The Kennolyn pool is constantly watched over by American Red Cross Certified Lifeguards. Our Lifeguards come to us with a very strong swimming background and either have their lifeguard certifications or are certified by us. Our Lifeguards attend regularly scheduled 'in-service trainings' and in addition must keep their own personal swim fitness at a high level with twice weekly timed swims. At Kennolyn we are very proud of our water safety record and are constantly updating our procedures as directed by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association. We also have a Waterfront Safety Day in which campers learn about safety at the pool and the beach. They also watch and partake in a mock rescue of a staff member not normally at the pool.

Chris Woodrow is our Program Director and oversees all of our waterfront programs. Chris is an American Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor and Water Safety Instructor. He is also a Royal Life Saving Society qualified Ocean Lifeguard. Working very closely with the Program Director is the Waterfront Coordinator who similarly holds American Red Cross Water Safety and Lifeguard qualifications.


AT KENNOLYN EVERYONE TAKES A WATERFRONT ACTIVITY!!!


Swimming

Our swimming classes are taught by our lifeguards, water safety instructors and water front staff. For the beginner we like to have a maximum ratio of 3:1, intermediate and advanced swimmers may be in slightly larger classes.

Safety and fun are paramount at Kennolyn. Of course we want to help you become a better swimmer, refine your stroke or correct some parts of a stroke however we feel it much more important to be safe in the water and have fun at camp. This isn't swim camp! We work hard but we play hard too! If you can't swim or don't like putting your head underwater, then that's what we look to overcome. If you can put your head underwater or float by the end of a few short lessons then we see that as a HUGE accomplishment to be very proud of.

Beginners can expect to gain more confidence in and around the pool. Exit a pool safely and learn how to attract attention, if nessecary, without panicking .

Intermediate swimmers should expect to swim laps, refine strokes and at least attempt a few laps pf the 4 different strokes.

Advanced swimmers will be taught all 6 strokes and an introduction to diving, turns and helping distressed swimmers.

If you have difficulty deciding what level of swimmer you are, don't worry. Our Waterfront Coordinator oversees a swim test for everyone and will make sure you are in a class you will be comfortable with.

Board Diving

Learn how to approach and dismount the diving board accumulating in a safe and fun aerobatic display into the water.

Emphasis is put on safety around the Diving boards, how to gain height and confidence when jumping from the diving board and how to best enter the water, pain free! Some of the dives we teach are: (Rising in difficulty)

Pencil Dive
Tuck Jump
Straddle Jump
Pike Jump
Half Twist Jump
Forward Static Dive
Forward Moving Dive
Tuck Dive
Straddle Dive
Pike Dive
Forward Somersault
Half Twist Dive
Half Twist Pike
Backwards Facing Pike Dive
Backwards Dive

Waterpolo / Innertube Waterpolo

Waterpolo is a sport growing in popularity around the United States. Waterpolo demands a high level of physical fitness and helps master hand-eye coordination. A great team sport in which you must learn to trust and work with your team mates if you want to succeed. At Kennolyn we structure the classes to allow for regularly schedule breaks in a game. The Lifeguard always has final say and may suggest a break at any time. Waterpolo is available to those entering 5th grade and above. Innertube Waterpolo is similar to regular Waterpolo although played with huge inflatable tires to sit in and situated closer to the shallow end of the pool for our 1st through 4th graders.

Skin Diving

This class is awesome! Skin Diving is a snorkeling class in which we introduce you to swimming underwater with face masks, snorkels and fins. You learn how to enter the water wearing the equipment, how to duck, dive, and pike dive with fins, how to resurface and take breaths without ever lifting your face out of the water.

Skin Diving takes place in our pool where we have a huge array of underwater 'life' for you to practice diving down to, or navigate your way through our mock sea-weed all before the REAL OCEAN TRIP! That's right, if you choose you can get sized for a wetsuit, gloves, boots and a hat to keep you warm then head to Lover's Point in Pacific Grove for the experience of a lifetime. Swim with fish, sea urchins, starfish, crabs, sea otters and all kinds of aquatic life. Of course this is all under the watchful eye of your instructor and another lifeguard.

Basic Water Rescue

Are you a really strong swimmer interested in one day becoming a Lifeguard? This is the class for you. This class was designed by our Program Director Chris Woodrow (when he was Waterfront Coordinator) to challenge you both physically and mentally. Chris knows what makes for a fun waterfront program, he also knows the stamina of the Kennolyn swimmer. Consistently surprised by Kennolyn's remarkable water babies, Chris decided to teach an introduction to Lifeguarding including recognizing and identifying possible hazards around the pool, what to do in an emergency, how to make a 911 call and how to take note of critical information to pass on to EMS. The water skills include, using objects around the pool (throw rope, reaching pole, shepherds crook, balls, inflatables, towels even a safe reach with your own hand), when appropriate a safe entry into the shallow end of a pool and a safe assisted exit of the victim. Other skills which we teach are, using our clothing in a self rescue (inflating shirts and pants), using a rescue board to over turn a face down victim, using the rescue tubes to tow others to safety and safe dismount from the elevated lifeguard stand.

As with all Lifesaving classes, there is much emphasis placed on your own personal safety in any situation.

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