Tybee YMCA Summer Fun Update

By: YMCA Programs Director, Haley Hill

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YMCA BUMPER STICKER It seems like last week the YMCA was getting ready to begin our winter sports season, and WOW, now it’s July and SUMMER IS HERE so look what you can do at the Tybee YMCA.

Report on the Fifth Annual International Surfing Day: . International Surfing Day, a day where surfers everywhere come together to express the universal love of surfing, the beach and the ocean environment took take place on the South Beach at 17th-18th Street on June 20, 2009. The YMCA, in connection with several local supporters offered free surfing lessons and demonstrations. 

Surf Camp: Surf Camp—Before I talk about surf camp I would like to take this time to send a warm farewell to the founder and developer of the Church of the Open Sky Surf Camp, Alex Arnold. He and his family will be moving to Jacksonville, Florida this month. Many parents and surfers have learned from Alex at surf camp and we all know he will be greatly missed! From the Tybee YMCA and Surf Camp thank you Alex. May your waves be clean, your family be prosperous and your lives be enriched with new memories! Back for its FOURTH season and filling up fast, surf camp teaches the basics to the advanced skills of surfing to participants. Campers will learn about water safety, tides, and balancing on a board, duck diving, paddling, and wave riding. Camp is open to all surf levels, ages 7 to 16, and campers are divided into age and skill groups. All campers MUST be able to swim 25 yards and comfortable with ocean tides, waves and undertow. Swim tests will be performed on the first day of camp every week! Private lessons are available; contact us for details. New to surf camp this year, surfers will have a chance to learn to Stand Up Paddle (SUP) board 

and beginner kite surfing. Under the skilled instruction of our New Sr. Surf Instructor, Turner Horton and staff Jennifer Wittendorf, Sara Bacon, Jimmy Manning, Margaret Maldonado and Mike Fleetwood, your child is sure to have a great time and learn the values of being a surfer.

Kayak Camp: (ages 7-16) Back for its Third Season. This camp is hosted by Shane Parris and guides from North Island Surf and Kayak. Each day, professional staff will guide campers on paddling and fishing trips around Tybee including Little Tybee Island, the Cockspur Lighthouse, and through the tidal channels surrounding the island. The kayaks are top loading and suitable for all ages and skill levels. All participants will be required to wear lifejackets. 

Family Fusion Camp: To help build stronger families the Tybee YMCA/Recreation is offering a new and unique twist to summer camp—Family Fusion Camp. These two-day camps will offer the whole family the opportunity to join in on the fun—as a family or as a couple! These camps are offered on the weekend, to allow working adults the chance to have fun in the sun on the surf this summer. Surf Fusion will meet at the North Beach Crossover Pavilion. Kayak Fusion will meet at the North Island Surf and Kayak dock on the Lazaretto Creek. This camp is an opportunity to learn about yourself and your family. Like the saying goes, the family that surf’s and kayak’s together stays together! 

Tybee Times Excerpt

Island Sports Wrap-Up - Surfer Dad's Special!

By: Columnist Jackie Richardson; photos compliments of Joey Wilson Photography

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Ben Thompson during competition! HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to Three Surfer Dads! Wow! June is already behind us and Tybee Island is buzzing again. But since June is the month we celebrate fathers, I recently had the opportunity to interview these three fathers on what it was like to surf with their sons. Here’s also a little background info on each of these great dads! Steve Horton was born in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to Savannah when he was a year old. He is a retired school teacher/administrator. He started surfing when he was 12 years old. He has surfed the East Coast beaches, Miami to Cape Hatteras, Malibu, Costa Rica, and will be in Oahu/Maui this month. When asked what was special about surfing at Tybee Island, Steve answered, “Becoming a skilled weatherman in order to collect waves, understanding the patience of Job between swells, appreciating and making the most of what life may offer and just paddling out with friends of the same universe.” Steve has two sons Turner and Zach. Of the top awards Steve has received he shared in his words, “I have two great sons that share an appreciation of the surfer’s world.”

Tybee Times Excerpt