At YMCA Camp Round Rock, weather can be unpredictable – but kids having fun, well that isn’t. The question then becomes how staff can keep things safe and on schedule, without sacrificing the fun that makes camp such a memorable experience for every child.
“They all knew what to do,” says JC Wagner, the Associate Executive Director of YMCA Camp Round Rock, about the camp’s warning system recently firing during an unpredictable Texas storm. “It was an easy, ‘Hey, we’re all heading inside.’”
And that’s exactly what Wagner and his team need when running a busy campus. On any given day, Camp Round Rock can have 330 kids rotating through archery, the climbing tower, and swim time. Some groups take a bus to another branch to use the pool or visit activity rooms. It’s a lot to coordinate, and watching the weather just adds another layer to Wagner’s plate.
Wagner puts it plainly.
“I definitely do not want my full-time job to be a weatherman.”
Instead, he wants his staff playing games, teaching new skills, and spending time with the kids. That’s why YMCA of Central Texas put its teams on one weather alert system. With Perry Weather, every staff member is empowered to keep the kids safe – so camp leadership can focus on creating a memorable experience for the campers.
Multiple facilities, one way to communicate inclement weather
When lightning closes the pools at the CHASCO branch, the aquatics team needs to clear the water. Back at Camp Round Rock, counselors need to know before they put the next group on the bus. And a parent getting ready to take their kids swimming has a decision to make, too.
Wagner set up his team, even part-time counselors, on Perry Weather to receive notifications about severe weather, including lightning, heat and wind. He describes how his staff often wears multiple hats between traveling to different fields, games, and administrative tasks. But that doesn’t mean things slip through the cracks.
“We’re all getting notifications when there’s weather in the area,” says Wagner. “Immediate ping boom. You have soccer practice going on, you can stop and get everybody moved indoors.”
Staff receive weather alerts directly on their phones, and some even get it on their watches. The Y gives families a way to check weather, facility closures, and delays for themselves, too.
“They should know exactly what they’re going to get,” says Wagner. He adds that they include Perry Weather widgets in their welcome emails and have QR codes posted around the facility, and encourage parents to check their website to see the facilities’ latest status to help with scheduling.
“They see exactly the same thing we’re seeing on our phones,” says Wagner. “It gets us on the same page.”
Empowering counselors to make the call
On a busy afternoon at YMCA Camp Round Rock, one director might be down the street at a baseball game while another is overseeing a group on the basketball court. Meanwhile, a part-time counselor is running soccer practice. But if a storm rolls and the siren sounds, that counselor is the one standing with the kids.
“It’s teaching the part-time staff that are actively on site to be more hands-on,” says Wagner. “You’re not just training that into them, but they’re physically able to do [it] because of the alarms.”
With the audible outdoor sirens and Perry Weather alerts on their phones or watches, even part-time counselors have all the information they need to make a call – immediately.
Wagner describes a scene where the siren sounded during a baseball game on the other side of campus. Staff at the field heard it, called leadership, and helped get players and families to shelter.
“Most of the time the roles are reversed,” says Wagner. “They’re calling you first. ‘Hey, the alarm just went off.’”
That responsibility carries over to hot days, too. Depending on the heat index and the Y’s policy, the counselor leading an activity knows when to pause for water, when to take the group to a shaded spot, or when to switch activities altogether.
“We’re empowering them to make more decisions,” says Wagner. “We’re able to do even more out here at camp when our leaders are able to make decisions on a day-to-day basis.”
Making weather calls with confidence
But empowering counselors to make decisions doesn’t mean much if there’s not correct weather data to back it up. With Perry Weather, Camp Round Rock can set individual lightning, heat, and other weather policies designed to keep their campers safe across their organization. On-site hardware means conditions are recorded with accuracy, rather than relying on measurements taken from nearby areas.
“It takes any sort of error out,” says Wagner. “When we make the call, we’re 100% confident.”
This sort of confidence helps the YMCA camp team adjust more quickly, too.
“There’s no questioning anything,” says Wagner. “Hey, the alarm went off, we’re all going in.”
Once counselors have moved their groups inside, they can turn their attention to starting a new activity on their indoor rotation, rather than checking the weather. They might miss what was on the schedule, but there’s still plenty of camp day left.
Keeping the focus on the kids
Ask Wagner what makes a good day at YMCA Camp Round Rock, and he’ll tell you about a kid scoring a goal or making a basket for the first time. Those are the moments he wants his staff there for.
With Perry Weather keeping an eye on conditions, counselors can give the kids their attention and know they’ll hear when it’s time to change plans. The afternoon might look a little different from what they had in mind that morning, but what Wagner wants for the kids is the same either way. He just wants them to get to play, try something new, and have a good day at camp.
“Perry Weather helps us be safer, but still have fun at the end of the day,” says Wagner.
After all, that’s what matters most.
