Mission Bay Youth Watersports Camp Springs into Action with New Staff

While many of your favorite counselors are back for another great season of Mission Bay Youth Watersports Camp, you will also see plenty of new faces around the camp. Having just graduated from our rigorous training program, several new counselors have been added to our already motivated and qualified staff.

The training program consists of several days of intense training in boating safety, emergency procedures, and accident prevention, as well as training in all of our outstanding sports and camp activities. At the completion of the program, all counselors hold certifications in CPR/AED, First Aid, and Lifeguarding including waterfront rescue, have completed a 25 hour California Boating Safety Course, have submitted fingerprints to the Department of Justice and have been cleared for employment to work with children.

"The days were really long," remarked new counselor Courtney Brant referring to training schedule which often started at 7:30am and ended after 8pm, "but we were so busy learning everything from emergency preparedness to working as a team, that the day just flew by!"

Like much of the new staff, Courtney who is a San Diego State University Junior studying Social Science with an emphasis in Teaching, comprises of college students from SDSU, UCSD, and USD. Courtney feels that one of the greatest benefits of the training is confidence.

"All of the certifications were challenging, but give me the confidence that I am able to respond to any situation I may encounter."

Successfully completing the training program is just one of many steps to becoming a Mission Bay Youth Watersports Camp Counselor. Candidates are selected and interviewed from a pool of several hundred applicants considering their past experience working with children, watersports background, area of study, career goals, certifications, customer service skills, etc. Camp Director Kevin Waldick says the process ensures that only the most qualified and motivated staff members are selected.

"I understand the great amount of responsibility involved in being a counselor at this camp," says Kevin. "So I make great efforts to select individuals who I can trust to exceed these expectations."

And of this year's new staff: "After observing our new staff in training, and in action during the first couple weeks of camp, I believe we have one of the best staff yet! They are not only motivated and super-friendly, they work together like a team and that helps everybody to do a better job and leads to campers having a great, safe, camp experience."

When asked how it felt to earn a position at Mission Bay Youth Watersports Camp, new staff member Nick Stauroulakis replied, "This is the best job ever! I get to be an older brother to all these kids and do all these great sports. This is like no other camp I've worked at before. It's great!"