Visual aids from the Red Cross for boating and swimming, bulletin boards with pertinent articles to the waterfront, and charts such as “Swim and Stay Fit” or “Basic Survival” hung in and around the boathouse during Nancy Sautter’s 1969 waterfront director days. Even charts with the swimmer’s progress to boost enthusiasm graced the doors near the all important buddy board.
There was a drill, under her careful direction, for the protection and safety of all the girls under her watch. The bell would ring at 4:30 and the buddies would line up by the board. A diagram showed the assigned spots for qualified staff, and they were instructed not to talk to anyone, but to be on guard. One person was assigned to the board to check the swimmers in. Rings and buoys were at the end of the “L” dock and inside the lifeboat.
The swimmers attached their tags on the same hook together under the area in which they were swimming. Each level had to swim in the appropriate area according to their swim level, except area four, and they could swim anywhere. They all had to swim in doubles or triples.
Once the girls turned their tags, they grabbed their bathing caps and sat near the fire circle. (Area two was green, area three was blue and area four was yellow.) They were instructed to line up according to cap colors to be counted in their double buddy lines. There was a buddy check every six to eight minutes. A whistle system was in place with two whistles for buddy check, one to continue their swimming and three meant out of the water immediately!
The drill consisted of the girls finding their buddy, clasping their hands and holding them up, while standing quietly until each area had their count. All had to match the buddy board tally. If it did not match up in a particular area, the girls would come ashore, but if all tallied, they could go back to their swim.
The girls whose area did not match up had to come ashore, remove their tag and hold it quietly in their hand by the fire circle. Whoever was the “offender” had to make their buddy board correction. If a tag was left on a board, runners were sent to find the girls and bring them back to the beach; tags were hung and girls were back in the water. If a camper wanted to leave the water, she had to tell whoever was in charge and her buddy would pair up with another couple. Even changing areas meant the cap color had to change, which also included finding a new buddy and changing the tag.
“I’m sure several girls brough up the buddy tag system swimming or the emergency bell when someone forgot to remove their buddy tag from the swimmer’s board. The counselors would come flying from everywhere to line up and walk the water,” said Beth Phillips (1972-78). “Thankfully, they never found anyone—just a forgetful girl who forgot to remove her tag from the board.”
The periodic head count with the whistle was a memory for Lucille Greenwald (1947-50). “It seemed there was always someone who forgot to put their buddy tag back on the board and there would be a frantic search and threats that we would not get to go swimming the next day.”
Marsha Immerman (1947-53) learned to swim at camp and could walk out to the first raft. “The buddy board was in a different place than it is now,” she said as she had visited the camp when it was privately owned. “But, the same system was in place. You knew when the whistle blew that you had to hold your buddy’s hand in the air.”
Mary Obey knew it was a big offense in the sixties if you left the waterfront without replacing your tag on the board, and could recall the entire drill, as did many of the girls who were interviewed for their memories.
A July 12, 1975 issue of the “Loon” had a little bulletin that read,”Major changed in the waterfront this year included NO MORE BUDDY TAGS”, although there was still a buddy system in place.
Did you ever forget to replace your tag and if so, what was the repercussion?