Pitt-Bradford Offers Camps From Science to Swimming

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will play host to more than a dozen camps, gatherings, clinics and other events this summer.

The camps take place in May through August and are open to the public.

Ongoing through July 8 are Advanced Swimming Classes with Pitt-Bradford head swimming coach Ed Bahan. The classes are open to swimmers age 8 and older with at least two years of competitive swim experience.

Swimmers can choose which weekday sessions are the most convenient to attend. Through June 10, sessions run from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. or 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. weekdays at the Paul C. Duke Aquatic Center in the Sport and Fitness Center.

Between June 13 and July 8, swimmers can choose between a 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. session and a 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. session each weekday.

This class is designed to allow athletes to experience different types of training techniques for the sport of competitive swimming and to expose them to training for longer, more difficult collegiate events such as the 1000 freestyle, 1650 free, 400 individual medley, 200 butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke.

The cost is $190 for the 12-week program, which can be pro-rated.

Bahan, head women’s and men’s swimming coach, is a six-time senior national competitor and a 1980 Olympic Trial competitor with 24 years’ coaching experience. He was named the 2009 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year for men’s swimming, and the 2010 and 2011 Coach of the Year for women’s swimming.

Bahan also will hold Panther Swim Clinics for children age 8 and older from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 13 to 17 and June 20 to 24.

The basic swim clinic is for children age 8 to 11 years old who know how to swim all four competitive strokes, perform open turns and flip turns, and dive from the blocks.

The advanced clinic is for children 12 and older who, in addition to the requirements of the basic clinic, can start from the blocks and have been or are on a swim team.

The cost for the swim clinics is $125 each week. A second swimmer is $40.

For more information on the advanced swim class or summer swim clinics, contact Bahan at egb17@pitt.edu or (814)362-5034.

For those with a more leisurely approach to the water, two sessions of the Kinzua Fly Fishing School will be held May 14-15 and May 20-22.

Beginning and intermediate fly anglers, male and female, age 12 to adult are welcome to come learn fly tying, fly casting and fly-fishing techniques with nymphs, wet flies, streamers and dry flies. For more information, visit users.penn.com/~skvarka/ or email Steve Skvarka at skvarka@penn.com.

For those looking for a drier way to enjoy the out-of-doors, the Division of Continuing Education and Regional Development is offering several personal enrichment and recreation opportunities this summer.

An Introduction to GPS and Geocaching will be offered for youth age 7 to 12 with a parent from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 11 at Kinzua Bridge State Park. A second session for adults 16 and older will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 18.

Participants will learn about a geographic positioning system and how to use it. They will participate in a gentle, 1.5-mile geocaching treasure hunt on the park trails. GPS equipment and water are provided. For more information or to register, contact Continuing Education at 1-800-872-1787 or contined@pitt.edu.

X-treme Science Camp, which is being co-sponsored by Continuing Education and Science in Motion, will take place for children 7 to 12 years old from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 13-17.

Students will participate in a variety of labs and science activities on many different topics as well as enjoy gym games, swimming and free time. Cost of the camp is $125 for one child, $110 for each additional child. Registration is limited to 100 campers. Register by May 27 by contacting Continuing Education.

A class in Youth Archery Fundamentals will be offered the same week. Students age 9 to 13 will learn the history of archery, how to hold a bow properly and shoot arrows, proper archery techniques and safety.

The class takes place from 10 a.m. to noon June 13 through 15 in the McDowell Fieldhouse of the Sport and Fitness Center. Cost is $35 per participant, and bows, arrows, and arm and finger guards will be provided for student use. For more information or to register, contact Continuing Education.

The 14th Penn’s Woods Jeep Jamboree rolls on to campus June 16-19. This popular camp offered by Jeep Jamboree USA has already sold out for this year, but placement on a waiting list is possible by calling 530-333-4777, ext. 18. For more information on the jamboree, visit www.jeepjamboreeusa.com.

The Bradford Creative Performing Arts Center will hold a theater camp conducted by the Missoula Children’s Theater June 20-25. Sixty community children occupy Blaisdell Hall from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily to practice for a performance of “Robin Hood” at 2 p.m. June 25 in the Bromeley Family Theater.

The cost of the workshop is $100 per student. Registration takes place on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information or to register, visit www.bcpac.com or call BCPAC at 814-362-2522.

Continuing education hikes along the Timberdoodle Flats in the Allegheny National Forest will be offered on four Fridays for children age 8 to 12 who register with an adult.

Through hands-on activities, participants will explore a wetland, hemlock bottoms, wildlife openings and an Allegheny hardwood forest.

Timberdoodle Treks will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 24 and July 8, 15 and 22. Cost is $20 per participant. For more information or to register, contact Continuing Education.

On June 25, Continuing Education will offer a Summer Craft Class from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the ground floor lounge of the Community Education Council of Elk and Cameron Counties in St. Marys. Relax and have fun as you make creative crafts to decorate your home. The $30 cost per participant includes all craft materials. For more information or to register, contact Continuing Education.

During the week of June 27-30, students from Floyd C. Fretz Middle School in Bradford can explore careers at Camp Compass, a free camp sponsored by the TRiO Educational Talent Search office at Pitt-Bradford.

For more information or to register, call the TRiO ETS office at (814)362-5115.

Pitt-Bradford will host Embraceable Ewe Knitting Camp from July 8-10. Beginners, intermediates and experts are welcome to work on a knitting project, learn techniques, and share ideas and tips with other knitters. For more information or to register, call (716)646-6674.

Molly Brennan, head women’s basketball coach, will run a Basketball Day Camp this summer from July 18-22.

Details were not yet available at press time. For more information, contact Brennan at (814)362-7521 or mbrennan@pitt.edu.

Finally, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 4, Continuing Education will offer a program on Pennsylvania’s Whitetail Deer for anyone 12 or older.

Participants will learn about the social and political forces that shaped today’s deer management programs from Wildlife Conservation Land Management Officer John P. Dzemyan, who has worked with the state Game Commission for 32 years in Cameron, Elk and McKean Counties.

Dzemyan will also teach participants about the deer themselves and their biological needs. Participants will also receive handouts about the deer and participate in hands-on learning activities about deer aging, antlers and foods. Cost is $25 per participant. For more information to register, contact Continuing Education.