Stand on the beach at YMCA Camp Crosley on a July afternoon and you can watch a camper ride a wakeboard across a three-acre pond while another launches a friend off an inflatable called The Blob. It’s all happening inside a purpose-built water park the camp opened in 2015, called the H2WhoaZone. The camp says its cable park is the only one in the area, and somebody has to staff it every single day of the summer. That somebody could be you.
YMCA Camp Crosley is a 500-acre YMCA summer camp on the shore of James Lake (the locals call it Little Tippy, the smaller half of Lake Tippecanoe) in North Webster, Indiana, and it has been running camping programmes since 1915. Here at AmeriCamp UK, we place British counsellors at ACA-accredited American camps like this one every summer, and we handle your J-1 visa, camp pairing, and support from start to finish.
Here is the full picture of working at YMCA Camp Crosley: the waterfront, the history, the roles, the training, the daily schedule, and how to apply from the UK.
The H2WhoaZone: Camp Crosley's Signature Waterfront
The H2WhoaZone is a three-acre, purpose-built swimming pond that YMCA Camp Crosley opened in 2015, and it is the reason the camp's waterfront stands out among Midwest summer camps. The camp's own tour of it reads like a theme park inventory:
- The wakeboard cable park: Billed by the camp as the area's only one, towing riders across the water without a boat
- Dual 100-foot Wet Willie waterslides running side by side
- Inflatables: The Summit, The Wibbit, and The Blob, the classic camp launcher
- A sandy beach with umbrellas for downtime between sessions
- A covered brick pavilion seating more than 200, which the camp has listed as coming soon, so check whether it is open the summer you go
Sailing, waterskiing, and wakeboarding are also on offer, plus canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboarding, tubing, snorkelling, scuba tasters, fishing, and even log rolling.
Crosley certifies its own lifeguards during staff training, and it offers waterski and wakeboard instruction as specialty certifications too. Water is central to life here. Confident swimmers are exactly who the camp needs, so if you want your summer to smell like sunscreen and lake water, this is the job for you.
Land Activities: What Crosley Offers Beyond the Water
The H2WhoaZone gets the headline, but Crosley's programme runs on solid ground as well. On land, the camp offers:
- Music Fusion: A hands-on music programme spanning instruments and genres
- A high ropes course and the Giant Swing: The adventure side of the programme, for campers chasing height rather than water
- Archery, tennis, and soccer: Because it wouldn’t be summer camp without sports
- Arts and crafts: Including sketching, painting, clay art, and more
Add-on specialities like horseback riding and mini-bikes give campers, and staff with the right background, even more to choose from. If your skills point away from the lake, there are still some exciting opportunities waiting for you on land.
A Camp Built as a Memorial: The Ball Family Story
YMCA Camp Crosley began in 1915, when the Muncie YMCA started running camps on borrowed land. It found its permanent home in 1921, when a family's grief turned into generosity. Edmund B. and Bertha C. Ball, of the Ball glass jar family, donated the lakeside land as a memorial to their son Clinton Crosley Ball, who died at age four. The camp carries his middle name a century later.
The Ball family never really stopped giving. In 1983, the camp took over the 220-acre Edmund and Virginia Ball Wetlands Nature Preserve next door, which the camp calls the largest wetland preserve in Indiana. The family's foundation has kept funding cabins and facilities ever since, including the H2WhoaZone itself. By 1985, the camp had already welcomed 65,000 campers, touting the same motto since 1915: Live for Others.
You will feel that history in the daily rhythm. The camp runs on the YMCA's four core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility, and there is a short daily gathering at the pine-panelled Pettijohn Chapel. Crosley is a YMCA camp grounded in Christian principles, and it welcomes campers and staff of all backgrounds.
Who Goes to YMCA Camp Crosley?
YMCA Camp Crosley's overnight camp serves campers aged 7 to 15, with a day camp for ages 6 to 12 and a Leaders-in-Training programme for 16-year-olds. Campers come in week-long sessions, drawn from Muncie, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and towns across northern Indiana, plus a Chicago contingent.
Sessions run from Sunday afternoon to Saturday morning, per the camp's published schedule: check-in on Sunday between 2:00 and 4:15 PM, check-out the following Saturday between 9:00 and 10:30 AM.
The camp runs an eight-session season, so as a counsellor, you get a fresh cabin of 10 to 12 campers almost every week during your summer placement. Outside the summer, the camp also runs family camp weekends across the year, including a Mother-Daughter Weekend each November.
Campers sleep in heated, air-conditioned, carpeted cabins of 10 to 14 bunks, including a village of yurt-style cabins built in 2007 and 2008.
What Do Camp Counsellors Do at YMCA Camp Crosley?
Counsellors at Camp Crosley live in a cabin with a co-counsellor and 10 to 12 campers. You lead activity areas throughout the day, and you answer to a programme manager, so you are never left to figure it out alone. The camp publishes its staff structure, and it is worth knowing:
- Cabin counsellors: Two trained adult counsellors per cabin, running the daily routine and cabin community
- Programme managers: Each oversees an age group of 50 to 80 campers and coaches a team of 8 to 16 counsellors
- WhoaZone Coordinator: Runs the water park and its lifeguard team
- Wrangler Coordinator: Runs the horse barn, herd care, and trail rides
- Watercraft Coordinator: Runs canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing, and the waterski boats
- Support roles: Media team, nurse intern, office, kitchen, housekeeping, grounds, and night watchman
A typical day at camp looks like this at YMCA Camp Crosley:
- 7:15 AM: Wake up
- 7:45 AM: Flag raising
- 8:00 AM: Breakfast
- 8:40 AM to 12:15 PM: Adventure areas, with mornings focused on skills clinics in athletics and the arts
- 12:30 UHR: Mittagessen und Ruhezeit
- 2:30 to 5:00 PM: Swimming, camp store, snacks, and cabin activities
- 5:30 PM: Dinner
- 6:15 PM: Chapel
- 7:00 PM: Evening programming
- 10:00 PM: Lights out
Placement listings describe daily two-hour breaks plus 24 hours off between sessions from Saturday to Sunday. The camp says it hires over a hundred summer staff each year and recruits American and international staff alike.
Two Weeks of Training Before a Single Camper Arrives
Camp Crosley trains its staff for two full weeks before the season, in the camp's own words, "a week of specialty certification training and a week of summer staff training before camp starts."
Staff training includes First Aid and CPR, while specialist staff can train in areas such as lifeguarding, Waterski Works for wakeboard and waterski, the Certified Horsemanship Association for wranglers, the Association of Challenge Course Technology for ropes staff, USA Archery, and the Civilian Marksmanship Program for target sports.
That means you’re not expected to show up knowing everything on day one. You’ll get hands-on training before campers arrive, then put those skills to work throughout the summer. Plus, you’ll leave camp with reputable certifications and significant training hours that go straight onto your camp counsellor resume.
What a Summer at Camp Crosley Does for Your CV
A Crosley summer gives you plenty of real experience to talk about: responsibility, teamwork, and staying calm when things get busy. You’ll co-lead a cabin of up to 12 children through week-long residential sessions, teach your activity area as part of a structured programme, and work within a professional camp team with two weeks of training behind you.
When you put it on your CV, be specific. You supervised children in a residential setting across a full eight-session season, delivered daily activities to mixed-ability groups, and worked within a team led by programme managers. That’s genuine workplace experience, even if your office happens to be a summer camp in Indiana.
The weekly camper turnover helps too. Eight different cabin groups in one summer means you’ll interact with many different personalities, learn to handle a lot of different scenarios, and experience a wide range of group dynamics.
What a Crosley Summer Costs You
It’s important to understand what you’re signing up for when you decide to work at YMCA Camp Crosley. Your days will run from around 7:15 AM to 10:00 PM, and even with built-in breaks, you’ll spend most of your waking hours around kids.
A new cabin group arrives almost every Sunday, so by session six, the constant reset may feel less exciting than it did at the start. The pay is modest when you factor in the hours, and Indiana in July is not exactly shy about the heat.
The good news? You get 24 hours off between sessions each weekend, a programme manager for support, air conditioning in your cabin, and your food and board are covered. And when the day is done, there’s a pretty impressive waterfront waiting for you. The $2,250 minimum AmeriCamp UK guarantees helps too, especially since you won’t need to spend it while you’re actually at camp.
How Do I Apply to Camp Crosley Through AmeriCamp UK?
British applicants reach camps like Crosley through us here at AmeriCamp UK. We are an official BridgeUSA J-1 visa sponsor, and we handle the whole pipeline. The requirements come down to:
- Aged 18 or over by 1 June of your camp summer
- Available for the full season (typically mid-June to mid-August, but exact dates vary by camp and season)
- Confident spoken English
- A clean background check, which we coordinate
- The fitness and energy for long, active, outdoor days
The application process looks like this:
- Complete your AmeriCamp UK online application
- Pay the GBP 49 deposit
- Do a relaxed video interview with our team (these camp counselor interview questions will help you prepare)
- Complete your AmeriCamp profile, which we’ll circulate to our camp partners in the U.S.
- Undergo an interview with a camp director who feels you’re a good match for their camp
- Receive and sign your official offer letter
- Complete the J-1 Camp Counsellor visa paperwork (we’ll help with this), including the DS-2019 form, and undergo an interview at the U.S. embassy or consulate in your country
Of applicants accepted into the AmeriCamp UK programme, 99% are placed.
The programme fee is GBP 399, or GBP 419 split into three instalments. This covers your placement, visa sponsorship, and support, while the camp provides accommodation, meals, and medical insurance on top of your salary.
You don’t have to leave the U.S. immediately after camp, as your J-1 visa also includes up to 30 days of travel after camp. Chicago is about two and a half hours northwest of YMCA Camp Crosley, which makes it a natural first stop.
Bring Your Summer to YMCA Camp Crosley!
Some summer jobs give you a desk. YMCA Camp Crosley gives you a beautiful lake, a horse barn, a century-old mission, a water park with its own cable wakeboard system, and two weeks of proper training before your first camper arrives. You will earn a guaranteed $2,250 minimum, live in an air-conditioned cabin, and finish with 30 days to travel anywhere in the United States.
Apply with AmeriCamp UK today and let us help you lock in an unforgettable summer job. The Blob is waiting!
YMCA Camp Crosley FAQs
What Is YMCA Camp Crosley?
YMCA Camp Crosley is an overnight summer camp on James Lake in North Webster, Indiana, operated by the Muncie Family YMCA. It has run camping programmes since 1915, moved to its permanent lakeside site in 1921 through a memorial gift from the Ball family, and serves around 275 campers per week-long session.
What Lake Is Camp Crosley On?
The camp sits on James Lake, known locally as Little Tippy, which is the smaller portion of Lake Tippecanoe in Kosciusko County, Indiana. Beside the camp is a 220-acre wetlands nature preserve that the Ball family purchased in 1983 to protect the lake's water quality.
Is YMCA Camp Crosley Accredited and Safe?
Yes. Camp Crosley is an accredited member of the American Camp Association (ACA Camp ID 679), which involves meeting hundreds of independently verified health, safety, and programme standards. Every cabin has two trained adult counsellors, staff are First Aid and CPR certified, and a nurse is on site.
Is YMCA Camp Crosley a Religious Camp?
Camp Crosley is a YMCA camp grounded in Christian principles, with a short daily chapel gathering at 6:15 PM and the motto "Live for Others." It is welcoming rather than faith-exclusive, and campers and staff come from a range of backgrounds.
How Much Does YMCA Camp Crosley Cost for Campers?
Overnight camp cost $840 per week-long session in 2026, with day camp at $200 per week and add-on programmes such as waterskiing, horseback riding, and mini-bikes priced from $90 to $150. Staff obviously pay nothing to be there, and get paid instead.
How Much Do Counsellors Earn at YMCA Camp Crosley?
Counsellors placed through AmeriCamp UK earn a guaranteed minimum of $2,250 for the season, with accommodation, meals, and medical insurance provided by the camp on top. Specialist qualifications, especially lifeguarding, can raise your value to the camp and your pay.
When Does the YMCA Camp Crosley Season Run?
In 2026, the camp ran week-long overnight sessions from 14 June to 8 August, each from Sunday afternoon check-in to Saturday morning check-out. Placement listings show staff arriving in late May for two weeks of training, and your J-1 visa allows up to 30 days of U.S. travel after the season.
Do Counsellors Get Time Off at Camp Crosley?
Yes. Placement listings describe a daily two-hour break at lunch or dinner, plus 24 hours off between sessions from Saturday to Sunday. Nearby North Webster and the Lake Tippecanoe area are great for day-to-day downtime, and Chicago and Indianapolis are each about two and a half hours away for bigger plans.
How Do I Get a Job at YMCA Camp Crosley?
UK applicants apply through us here at AmeriCamp UK. We match counsellors to American YMCA camps and sponsor the J-1 visa. The process covers an online application, an interview, a background check, camp matching, and visa paperwork, and 99% of the applicants we accept are placed at summer camps.
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