Blog 15

At camp Spindrift there is a road that is named in honor of one of Chris Xavier’s relatives, I think it is his grandfather. The name of the road is Xavier way and leads to the pool from the parking lot that I had to park in for the week I was working at camp Spindrift. The third day of working on the pool We finally began the painting. The paint we used was very expensive. It was special paint that is meant only to be used on pools. It is very durable and hopefully they will not have to repaint the pool for about five years now. Without the use of this paint they would have to paint the pool every other year. Painting the pool is a very time consuming project so it is very helpful for the maintenance people to not have to repaint the pool every two years. The three of us crushed the painting and were done much faster than we had expected. We had chosen one of the hotter days of the week to be painting so it was very nice to be finished with the pool before the sun was unbearably hot. We had to paint over all of the markings that showed where the deep end started and the different markings for the depth around the pool. The next day we had to go back and paint back in all of these markings with stencils and tape after the paint had dried. 

Blog 14

The second part of my project at camp Spindrift was to clean and paint the pool that I had power washed. There was still a lot of debris left at the bottom of the pool after I had power washed. This debris consisted of leaves, pine needles, paint flakes, and rocks. A used the power washer to push all of the debris into a drain that was located in the bowl of the pool. Once I had gotten all of the debris into the bowl and inside the two drains it was time to suck all of the miscellaneous debris from the drains. To do this I used a bucket head. The bucket head is probably one of the coolest vacuums that I have ever used. This is because it simply attaches to any five gallon pail or bucket with the right sized top and latches on. Once it is latched on it works like a normal vacuum with either wet or dry materials. When the bucket is filled you simply snap off the head and carry the bucket and dump it to wherever you want to get rid of the things that you were vacuuming. Inside the drains there are also springs that let in ground water. When the water pressure is too great under the pool these springs will pop up and let water pour into the bowl. If these springs were not there then the pool would pop out of the ground because of all of the water pressure that is built up under it. 

Blog 13

On Thursday I started a project at camp Spindrift in Gloucester Massachusetts, right next to Wingersheek Beach.  This project had to do with the pool that is at the camp. The camp is an overnight summer camp for children that go to the YMCA. The camp is like the camp at the Ipswich YMCA just bigger and with more things to do as well as a better environment for the children. This project that I began had to do with the pool. Every other year the pool needs to be repainted because of the harsh winter climate of New England. The paint often chips after winter and is very bad for the pool water. To prepare the pool for painting I spent a day power washing the entire pool. The pool is not the usual square or rectangle pool that you often would see inside a YMCA or in another location with a public pool. This pool is in almost a rounded L shape. The primary portion of the pool is a rectangle with curved edges that is from 2 to 4 feet deep. This rectangle then leads into a rounded bowl that is at the boot of the L. The bowl is six feet six inches deep and has waterslides falling into it. I spent the day power washing all of the old paint off of the pool walls and bottom. This was like sanding a house but I was using a power washer to spray water at such a high velocity at the wall that it acts like sand paper. 

Blog 12

The second day of score this week I was again working out at camp. This day was less manual labor and a much easier day. First we had to remove some orange fencing that had been put up around the camp. It was installed in order to help keep kids from veering off of the trail, but after being up the whole woods mood of the camp was destroyed. Something the YMCA likes to keep is the nature setting out at camp. Many of the benches out there are made from two log stumps and a couple two by four’s nailed too it. This helps to keep a very natural setting. To help keep this kind of setting we took out the fences.

After we had taken out these fences it was time to start spreading more mulch. There had been a very large delivery of mulch and in order to bring it around one hundred yards into camp there was a tractor rented. We used the tractor to bring in scoops of mulch and put them into piles in areas that needed the mulch the most. After many piles had been placed it was time to spread the mulch around. Much of the mulch had to go in areas like low ropes courses or areas where the kids would be running the most or would have the chance of slipping and falling and possibly hurting themselves. The mulch was a special extra spongy format that used mostly soft wood like pine so that the impact of a falling child would be absorbed. 

Blog 11

On the first day of score I also had to remove two larger trees that had fallen under the weight of heavy snow and the harsh winter winds. These trees were not too large and had fallen in areas so that they could be cut in half and then removed. Only one half of the tree had to be moved because the other half had fallen with enough space to be off of the trail and to be in no danger to the kids. The first tree that we cut up and threw into the woods was a hard wood. This meant that it was much heavier than a pine tree world have been to clear up. The chainsaw had a much harder time cutting its way through the tree but it still got the job done.

During this day of score working in the woods I learned more about a chainsaw than I had known previously. For most chainsaws that people own in their homes that use something that is called a homeowners blade. These chains have extra pegs that stick out helping to keep the chainsaw in line while it is cutting through something. The problem with these extra pegs is that it slows down the blade a lot making it much less efficient. The chainsaw that the Ipswich YMCA has does not have a homeowner’s chain. This means that it can cut through wood and trees much faster than most other chainsaws as well as being much more efficient.

Blog 10

The first day that I did score this week was a work day out at camp. This means that we had a list of things that we had to do to help get the kids camp ready for summer vacation. The camp has to be able to pass the inspections that it will need to undergo to be able to have kids attend the camp. This first day working at camp we had to clean up some brush that had fallen into the trails, cut branches of trees that were overhanging the trails, as well as cutting up and moving a couple of fallen trees that were obstructing the pathway.

Clearing the brush that was in the way of the trails was not too tough. The hardest parts were when vines had grown on trees and fallen into the path. These vines we very strong and relatively thick so they were not very easy to remove form the path. We had to cut them into many pieces because they were completely tangled together and with other parts of brush or branches covering the path. After the vines were cleared we had to remove some larger branches that had fallen into the paths. These were much easier to remove and we were finished much faster than when we had to work with vines. After we had cut all of the vines and logs into pieces, we than threw them far enough into the woods so that no children would hurt themselves with them. 

Blog 9

On Friday I had the opportunity to go out back to the camp behind the YMCA. That is where they will have summer camp for all of the children of Ipswich. It is like the grove in Essex where kids would go in the summer for daycare. Before the kids can go back to camp after winter it has to be able to pass inspections and codes to keep the children safe over the summer. First we went out with the chainsaw and cleared away fallen branches and trees that were obstructing the path that the children will be following in a couple months. Some vines had climbed a tree and grown too big so it had fallen into the trail. After we had cleared up that tree and some other smaller branches we were sent to see if any of the bridges would need repairs.

We went into the woods with a list of things that we had to get done. We cleared all of the debris on the list and had inspected all the brides in time to check off some smaller things from the list. The bridges that we checked damage on all seemed to be holding up very well. The only problem that we found with any of the bridges was that one had become too narrow because two of the boards had slid off. The bridge was very safe still and every other part seemed fine so we decided that we did not have to fix anything. 

Blog 8

On Wednesday I had a day working with a group of preschool children that were in daycare. The children all came together from the Essex Elementary school. That day was a half day for the entire district so the kids needed somewhere to go before their parents came home. That made it my job to take care of and play with these children till two thirty. First we were in the gym for about an hour. We had time to let the kids play with a parachute, rolling toys, balls, and to play tag. The time flew by while we were in the gym because there was such a large variety in the games that we played with the kids.

After the gym it was time for swim lessons. After helping to play with the kids I thought it was cool that I was also going to be a swim instructor for the kids. It is rare for a group leader to also be a swim instructor. I had already had time to get to know the kids names and their strengths and now it was time to teach them how to swim. Because it was an after school daycare lesson there was a large gap in the abilities of the kids. Some could swim relatively well while others had a very hard time staying afloat. I got to see how the older and stronger kid helped out the younger and weaker swimmers. It was cool to see how the environment of a swim lesson caused the kids to mature. 

Blog 7

This Monday I had my first day operating the front desk of the YMCA. I learned about the check in systems for members and non-members at the YMCA. I learned that around the country it is becoming more and more popular for large non-profit organizations to create software that mimics the actions of the software at the YMCA. At the YMCA the system scans members cards to check them into the system letting the YMCA know when they are there during the day. This has proven to be helpful in solving crime. At the front desk I also learned how they manage sign-ups for lessons. The people must fill out the proper paperwork and then pay. They can pay with credit cards as members and have the money charged to their account.

If a member does not have their card with them they can check in with the front desk. There is a database with all of the member’s names and pictures that can easily be searched. After you know their name you simply type their names in and check them in. After this is done there are certain warnings for certain problems with member’s accounts. If someone has not paid their monthly fee for being a member a warning appears and you have to confront the member. Often it is only because the member’s credit card had expired and they renewed it. After the card is renewed the expiration date will change. This makes the card not work in the database.  

Blog 6

This Thursday I helped to get the pool deck ready for a synchronized swimming meet that was going to happen this weekend. In the sport of synchronized swimming the pool has to be relatively clear of obstructions. The meet was going to last from one till nine at night so we had to make everything perfect for the people that were going to be attending.  We removed the starting blocks from the pool deck and put them in the basement where all of the pool maintenance equipment and chemicals are kept. Then we had to remove the diving board from its stand.

With most diving boards it is possible to simply lift them up and flip them up onto the wall but of course it is not possible at this YMCA. There is a fire sprinkler that it just hits if you lift it up. We had to remove four large bolts from the stand of the diving board that connect to the hinges that ultimately attach he board to the stand. Once these were removed the board was able to be lifted off and stored next to the wall. We then moved the water slide next to the wall as well. After we had moved all of these things from the pool deck it was time to bring in stands. We lifted in two extra sets of bleachers for parents and team members to sit on. All of this lifting would not have been very tiring unless I was in the ninety eight degree pool with very high humidity. 

Blog 5

The second day that I worked over break was pretty close to the first day of break. I did not have to spend any time cleaning the trim so I was able to help with many other things. I helped mud some holes that we were unable to get to the previous day. Getting time in the fitness room to work is very hard. At the YMCA every day it is being used for classes. Over break the YMCA had decided to suspend classes so that we could work on the project and finish without any further interruptions to the schedule. This meant that we were able to use the room from nine till four ever day of break. Once thing that I did not expect to need to do every day was clean up as well as I did.

After every day of work the last half hour I would vacuum and clean all of the areas of the room that we had used during the day. This made it so that the YMCA was able to have classes while we were not in the room working. By the second day we had sanded all of the mud that we had put up to make the walls smooth for the paint. An electrician had come the day before and rewired some of the areas of the room that needed to be changed. We were able to rearrange these areas of the room and start priming for painting the room. 

Blog 4

Over break I took the opportunity to work extra hours in case I could not make certain days later in the project. On Wednesday of vacation I took part in a project at the YMCA. We are renovating one of the fitness rooms. People had thrown medicine balls at the walls so all of the dry wall had crumbled needing to be replaced. We put plywood over the sheet rock in case people threw balls again. After we had put up the new plywood it was time to mud the holes that the screws had made and also mud any other holes or dents that were in the room.

The room has a hardwood floor so the floor was still in good condition but I had to take out the trim around the edge because we were putting plywood around the bottom as well. The floor trim was made of rubber strips. These rubber strips had been attached to the floor by polyurethane and also attached to the wall with liquid nails. It came off of the floor easy enough but the liquid nails stuck to the paint and sheet rock tearing some of it off. After I had taken the trim off it was time to scrap off all of the residue from the polyurethane as well as to take off the liquid nails. Because it was a nice sunny day out I let all of the trim in the sun to heat up. Once it had heated up the polyurethane and liquid nails was much easier to take off. 

1.3

On the third day of score I started the day working in aquatics again. This time I had to unpack new bubbles for the kids. Many of the bubbles that the YMCA had were becoming old and breaking. I had to sort through the old bubbles and get rid of all of the ones that were too bad to be used safely. Once I had unpacked and labeled the new bubbles I organized them along the wall with the others. After I had finished this I organized the life jackets. New life jackets had been bought so the bin had to be organized by size so that they would all fit properly. I also swept part off the pool deck. The pool deck is often sprayed down but this does not get rid of all of the dirt. Sweeping the pool deck also helps to pick up larger pieces of trash and dirt that spraying down would leave.

After the organization on the pool deck was complete I went to work with maintenance. There I sanded a wall that had been puttied the day before. Someone had stepped on a moving treadmill and put a hole in the wall. Once the wall was sanded it was time to apply another layer of putty. The sheet rock had been replaced in the hole itself but some of the surrounding sheet rock was slightly broken, the putty was necessary to flatten the broken sheet rock and cover up the seams between the old and the new sheet rock. 

1.2

During my second day of score I was working in aquatics. The work that has to be done in aquatics is much different than that in maintenance. It is a much more personable task. First I helped to prepare for the lifeguard course that will be going on during April break. I assembled the fanny packs that the lifeguards first receive during the course. These packs need gloves, a whistle and a face guard for CPR and rescue breathing.

After I had assembled the fanny packs for the course it was time to teach swim lessons. The lesson that I was helping with was a kindergarten swim lesson. It was composed of children from Essex elementary school.  During the lesson the children had already been taught how to swim some basic strokes.  They knew front crawl, back stroke, and side stroke. In the lesson we began with a warm up of the kids kicking from the wall to the lane line and back. After we had worked on the fundamentals with the kids it was time for them to individually swim each stroke to the lane line and back. One of the kids lost her earing in the pool that she had just gotten the week before. In the swim lesson the kids shared a sense of comradery. They were all trying to help find her lost earing. I was struck by the realization that in this group setting the children were learning to work together. Even if it was only a swim lesson they were learning social skills that will help them throughout their lives. 

1.1

On Tuesday I started my score project at the Ipswich YMCA. I started out the day by repairing much of the netting that surrounds the outdoor basketball courts behind the YMCA. We used zip-ties and twine. After we had repaired the netting it was time to go to a meeting. During the meeting we discussed the plans for the road race and children’s day that was going to happen on Saturday. The amount of planning that goes into projects like this was much different than I thought. Floor plans were laid out on where to put tables and booths. I never realized that the placement of tables and prizes could have so many variables. Putting the prizes too close to the entrance would entice the children too much, and putting them too far from the entrance the children would lose any desire to win these prizes. The possibility of good weather would also completely change the layout of the day so two plans were created. One was with outdoor activities and one with the activities indoors.  

After the meeting I went to the roof with Rob. We had to replace the filters to the largest HVAC that they have at the YMCA. The HVAC is what brings in outside air and filters it before it can enter the building. Typically the filters are changed roughly every sixty days but during spring the amount of pollen in the air makes it so that the filters must be changed every couple of weeks. The other HVAC systems on the roof only needed four filters while this one needed sixteen. This HVAC system supplies air to the pool. Once we had replaced the filters we were able to recycle the old filters. I was surprised by the amount of paper and cardboard that is recycled at the YMCA. There is a dumpster the size of the garbage dumpster that is dedicated solely to recycling. 

Alex Walder Outline

Alex Walder

Thesis: Due to the correlation between physical activity and adolescent development, physical activity directly results in a beneficial development in children and adolescents 

Body 1: Adolescent development

Adolescent development is the growth of youth as they mature into adults.

·         4 or 5 stages of growth

·         Infancy, early childhood, later childhood, adolescence, adult

·         Adolescents begin to have their own choices and decisions

·         adolescents and young adults enter transitions with the goal of becoming independently functioning adults, as they strive to meet evolving personal and career related needs

·         Developing flexibility in career planning requires a sense of purpose, problem solving skills, and several plans. Helpful strategies include visualization, lateral thinking, assessing options, and decision making in a context of uncertainty (Gelatt, 1989).

o   6,8

Body 2: Physical activity

Physical activity are activities that expend energy, these activities have positive impacts on children and adolescents.

·         Defined as, “A range of structured and unstructured activities within school and out-of-school contexts define where children and youth play, are active, and expend energy. These contexts include organized sport, school physical education, recreational activities, motor skill development programs, dance, recess, and active transport such as walking and biking”

·         Develops Physically, psychology, and socially 

o   11,4

Body 3: Physical development

Physical development is a crucial part of adolescent development and through physical activity physical development is increased.

·         Motor skill competencies and movement literacy

·         Sport-specific competencies

·         Physically active lifestyles

·         Knowledge about physical activities, sports, and games

·         Physical fitness

·         Physiological capacities

·         Physical health

o   11,7

Body 4: Psychological Assets

Psychologically children need to develop; through physical activity this development is improved.

·         Self-determined motivation toward physical activity

·         Positive values toward physical activity

·         Feelings of self-determination, autonomy, and choice

·         Positive identity, body image, and self-esteem

·         Perceived physical competence and self-efficacy

·         Positive affect and stress relief

·         Moral identity, empathy, and social perspective-taking

·         Cognitive functioning and intellectual health

·         Hope and optimism about the future

·         Regular physical activity has been associated with a high self-esteem and a low level of anxiety symptoms in this population (Calfas and Taylor, 1994; Sothern et al., 1999)

·         http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org/content/20/2/113.full

o   1,2,10

Body 5: Social Assets

Socially children must develop to become successful later in life. Children who participate in physical activity are shown to develop farther socially.

·         Support from significant adults and peers

·         Feelings of social acceptance

·         Close friendship and friendship quality

·         Leadership, teamwork, and cooperation

·         Respect, responsibility, courtesy, and integrity

·         Sense of civic engagement and contribution to community

·         Resistance to peer pressure to engage in risky behaviors

o   11,6,

Body 6: effect of exercise on the Brain

Exercise causes neurological activity that is beneficial to the development of children as well as in adults.

·         causes the release of endorphins

·         Defined as: Any of a group of peptide substances secreted by the anterior portion of the pituitary gland that inhibit the perception of painful stimuli. Endorphins act as neurotransmitters in the pain pathways of the brain and spinal cord. Narcotic drugs may stimulate the secretion of endorphins. Aerobic exercise reinforces neural connections by increasing the number of dendrite connections between neurons, creating a denser network, which is then better able to process and store information (http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro05/web2/mmcgovern.html)

·         Endorphins block pain and create a feeling of euphoria that is beneficial to not only the young but also adults

o   5,11,9,

Body 7: Physical activity in a positive environment

A positive environment is necessary to achieve the best possible outcome through physical activity.

·         The environment where physical activity is taken place has a large impact on adolescents.

·         To maximize the beneficial response to physical activity and environment is needed

·         It is vital to have a clearly articulated philosophy or statement of purpose , Close and consistent relationships are an essential part of the care environment, A physical environment that is safe, comfortable and personalized is important to children and young people

Works Cited

1.      Sothern, M. S., Loftin, M., Suskind, R. M., Udall, J. N. and Blecker, U. (1999) The health benefits of physical activity in children and adolescents: implications for chronic disease prevention. European Journal of Pediatrics, 158, 271–274.

2.      Calfas, K. J. and Taylor, W. C. (1994) Effects of physical activity on psychological variables in adolescents. Pediatric Exercise Science, 6, 406–423.

3.      Brunelle, J., Danish, S.J., & Forneris, T. (2007). The impact of a sport-based life skill program on adolescent prosocial values.

4.      Applied Developmental Science, 11, 43-55.

5.      Wiese-Bjornstal, D.M., & LaVoi, N.M. (2007). Girls’ physical activity participation: Recommendations for best practices, programs, policies, and future research. In M.J. Kane & N.M. LaVoi (Eds.), The 2007 Tucker Center Research Report, Developing physically active girls: An evidence-based multidisciplinary approach (pp. 63-90). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.

6.      Gelatt, H. B. (1989). “Positive uncertainty: A new decision making framework for counseling.” Journal of Counseling Psychology, 36, 252-256.

7.      "Child Development Institute Parenting Today." Child Development Institute Parenting Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.

8.      "The Childrens Guardian." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.

9.      "The Effects of Exercise on the Brain." The Effects of Exercise on the Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.

10.  "Our Journals." Oxford Journals. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.

11.  "President’s Council on Fitness and Sports." Presidents Challenge. N.p., n.d. Web.

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