Swim Time!!!

If you were ever a Cheuk camper, you probably asked one question more than any other. And if you were ever on staff in the Cheuk group, you heard this question more than any other..."When is swim time?" We can pretend that this was only a Cheuk obsession, but let's be honest, everybody loved spending time in the pool. The pool at Camp Deer Run has been around for a very long time, and has been a centerpiece to daily camp life. There was nothing better than running around in the hot Texas heat only to be able to cool off in the cool waters of the swimming pool.
One story that may not be well known is how the pool was filled when the it was first built. If you were at the 50th Anniversary Reunion, you heard that the original water in the pool came from the rushing waters of Killi Creek.

Its always a great time to see what kinds of crazy activities take place at the pool. During swim time the campers could be playing sharks and minnows, having diving contests, or making up games to play. The pool was also a popular place to just hang out and relax. Chairs were added over the years for campers or staff to use to just sit and watch the fun in the pool.

Every Thursday after the camper/staff softball game, all of camp would head to the pool and watch as the staff punished themselves by doing bellyflops into the pool. Not sure who came up with this idea, but what a painful tradition! After the bellyflops, all kinds of controlled chaos would break out. The following pictures show some of the craziness that went on at the pool over the years.

There is no denying that the pool was a very fun place to be during camp, and swim time was a highlight for many campers. But the most important duty that the pool served was as a place of birth for hundreds, and maybe thousands of new Christians. It was always such a special moment to be able to gather around the pool with everyone at Camp and watch as a camper take Christ on in baptism. Whether it was a Sunday afternoon, or after a Wednesday night worship, these baptisms represented what Camp is all about.

Maybe you have noticed, but I have been referring to the pool in the past tense. That's because the pool that has served Camp for somewhere close to 50 years is no more. There has been a need for a newer, bigger pool for several years now, and Camp is finally in position to build that new pool. The new pool is going to be a wonderful asset for CDR. Because of the size of this new pool, more than one group will be able to swim at a time and this will the daily schedule flow more smoothly. The new pool is going to be much bigger than the old one, but at the same time will not take up any more room that the previous pool and gated area took up. Here are a few pictures of the old pool in its final days followed by the construction of the new pool.

The new pool is being built in honor of David Ward, longtime staff member and Camp Director from 1995-2005. The Board of Directors decided that a new pool was a priority for the new summer and decided to take out a loan for $222,000 to cover the costs of the pool. Fundraising for the new pool started this summer and so far we have raised over $70,000.
In order to stay on track with other plans for the camp it is important that CDR pay off this loan within two years. Accomplishing these plans cannot happen without support from those who know and love the mission of this camp. You can help make this happen! Please prayerfully consider making a donation, large or small, towards this project as you will be blessing the lives of thousands of young people. You may send in a one-time donations by check, credit card online, or set up an automatic withdrawal through your bank account or by a monthly credit card charge. All donations are tax-deductible. If donating to this fund is something you are interested in, please click here.

The building of this new pool makes this offseason a very exciting time. We look forward to seeing the campers enjoying the pool this summer, and witnessing new brothers and sisters in Christ being born.