AUSTRALIA—Forty-seven campers attended Australia’s annual Philadelphia Youth Camp from December 21 to January 4. Following last year’s trend, a new venue and several new activities were introduced into the pyc roster.

The camp was hosted at Mount Keira Scout Camp, located near Wollongong, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of Sydney. Its close location to lakes, beaches and a pool made it prime real estate for considering new water activities for camp.

Last year, canoeing was the only water activity. This year’s camp schedule featured three water activities: surfing, waterskiing and water polo.

Surfing

Campers faced the surf their first week of camp, with each dorm having a morning and afternoon block of surfing instruction, totaling eight hours of class time.

Instructors Ross Macdonald and Brent Nagtegaal taught the basics of surfing, including paddling, sitting up on the board, and standing up. They also discussed aquatic safety and knowledge of rips, tides and currents before campers took to the water.

Although it was a new experience for most campers, several boys and girls managed to stand on their board in the water for the first time.

“Surfing was definitely one of the highlights of this year’s pyc,” New South Wales camper and first-time surfer Emma Moore said. “The sense of accomplishment you feel when you stand up on the board is one totally unique to the sport. The skills we learned were initially a little difficult to apply in the water, but the end-results were amazing.”

“Surfing for me was an awesome addition to pyc and really enjoyable,” camper Dimitri Tolis from Adelaide said. “The challenges faced, although daunting at first, were crazy fun and a great way to help build different skills and enhance friendships. I would love to see it again as a camp activity next year!”

Waterskiing

Mount Keira is not only close to the beach but is also a short 15-minute drive from Lake Illawarra. During the second week of pyc, campers journeyed to the lake for waterskiing. Each dorm received 8 hours of waterskiing instruction and practice.

Due to limited time for instruction, it was kept very simple.

Local Elder and head waterski Instructor Colin Hercus emphasized two points: “Don’t let the boat pull you over, and don’t try to stand up too early.”

This was the first time in several years that waterskiing had been held at pyc–Australia. Mr. Hercus said this was the reason he was excited about being the waterskiing instructor.

“Seeing the exhilaration on the face of the campers when they succeed in standing up or skiing for a period of time is very rewarding; it’s very easy to get excited about it as an instructor,” Mr. Hercus said.

Waterskiing is weather dependent, so when water conditions got too choppy, the waterskiing staff got out the “towable biscuit” and a three-person banana boat for the campers to ride on.

Second-time camper and first-time waterskier Mikayla Klusenberg thought the activity was very challenging. “It’s not as easy as it looks. It was awesome watching other people stand up,” she said.

Water Polo

Water polo was played for the first time ever at an Australian pyc. Inspired by pyc in the United States, the camp’s on-site pool made this sport possible.

Instruction for this sport included how to dribble, pass and shoot the ball, as well as some strategic defensive and offensive moves.

Camper Nicholas King, who had played it before at a pyc in America, said that even though it was challenging, “it was probably up there as one of the most enjoyable sports at pyc.”

Madison Schneider served as the water polo team captain for the all-star games. “It was the first time playing water polo for me, and I really enjoyed learning this sport as I have always loved water activities,” Schneider said. “The most challenging part of water polo was staying above the surface while trying to catch and throw the ball and score goals. It is definitely harder than it looks!”