Broadcaster Dan Shulman’s first job as a camp ‘counsellor in training’ was peak teenage living

The summer season is officially back – especially true for Blue Jay fans, who’ll be following along thanks to play-by-play commentator Dan Shulman. Sure, he’s got every baseball fan’s dream job now, but where did he start? For this year’s inaugural “How I Spent My Summer,” Mr. Shulman steps up to the plate.

I’d been a camper for three years at Camp Timberlane in Haliburton, Ont., so when I turned 17, I got a job there as a CIT – ”counsellor in training.” “Job” might be a stretch, because honestly, I made about $300 all summer. It was almost nothing, even in the ‘80s. Really, I was working for food and shelter and to go to camp for free.

Nobody became a counsellor at an overnight camp for the money; it was to get out of the city, away from your parents and be on your own. If you could do the camp thing, which is certainly not for everybody, it seemed way more fun than having a job in the city. After a few years there, I had a whole established group of “summer friends” outside of my “city friends.” I looked forward all year to my “summer friends,” and I wanted to spend the summer in Muskoka hanging out with them.

The oldest counsellor at Camp Timberlane was only about 19, so it was basically a lot of kids in charge of a lot of other kids. We lived in cabins for 20: Four counsellors – I was number four of four in the ranking – in two bunk beds in an adjacent room off the main cabin, which had 16 kids in eight bunk beds. There was no door or anything. If you wanted a door, you could hang a towel. In the morning, we’d have to wake ‘em up, get ‘em to breakfast and make sure they showed up to their programs.

I was a cabin counsellor on the swim staff, which meant I’d be down there in the lake right after breakfast. Some days, this is refreshing. Other days, the lake is cold and you’re freezing and you’re not getting out any time soon. Those were the only days I didn’t like the job. I think I had five periods of 45- or 60-minute swim sessions every day, rain or shine.

I was the youngest staff member, so you might think they’d put me with the youngest kids, but nope. They actually put me with the oldest kids who were about 13, and specifically, those who needed swim lessons, which maybe wasn’t great for them. I tried to use that to my advantage and be a very hands-on, in-the-water, I’m-in-here-with-you kind of teacher. I remember being given some of the kids who were very, very afraid of the water.

I had a lot of patience because I’d been one of those don’t-put-your-face-in-the-water kinda kids, too. I remembered how scary it was, and what it felt like when you were scared but other people weren’t. I tried to help them be brave in whatever way I could think of, always going very slowly. In swimming, like in a lot of things, if you take one step too quickly, you can take 10 steps backward. For the first time ever, I had some real responsibility for the safety and well-being of children. I took that seriously.

The other part of the job was being a camp counsellor. After dinner, there was an evening program every night and then bed. The older your kids were, the longer they’d stay up, but once everyone was asleep, you could hang out with your friends in the lounge. It’s a big, long day, but you’re 16 years old, so you have a ton of energy to stay up late and do it all again tomorrow.

A full summer at camp was seven weeks long, and counsellors got a day off every week or two. If you missed the city, you could get a bus down to Toronto if you wanted, but when you’re a teenager in Muskoka with your friends, why would you? Sometimes we’d pool our money and get a hotel room in Haliburton. I probably spent half my earnings right there. It was peak teenage living, really.

– As told to Rosemary Counter

Are you a young Canadian with money on your mind? To set yourself up for success and steer clear of costly mistakes, listen to our award-winning Stress Test podcast.