Skiin’ With The Galilean Shares The Thrill of Water Sports To Give Hope

Skiin’ With The Galilean, or SWTG, is a non-profit organization with the purpose of providing a memorable day for foster children, orphans, and children with special needs. Through the foundation of unconditional love and a focus towards benefitting the children and their caregivers, SWTG combines the thrill of water sports with a life-changing message from the Bible to give them hope in their circumstance.

The 2014 Austin SWTG camp was held June 24th-26th at Lake Marble Falls. The lake was filled with dozens of ski and wakeboard boats full of laughing, smiling, and excited kids of all ages.

SWTG stated “At any given time you may see a 2nd grader beaming with joy as they glide across the water for the first time – still in a state of shock that they are actually riding on top of the water. Or perhaps you see a child who spends most of their life struggling with the restrictions of their physical disabilities who for one day, one afternoon has the opportunity to be a “normal” kid and experience the thrill of skating across the water on an inflatable.”

Sharing that joy with as many deserving children as possible is what SWTG is all about.

We spoke with one of this year's camp volunteers, Logan Roy, to get the inside scoop. Logan generously volunteered his time and his Tige Z3 for the Austin camp.

TB: How did you initially get involved with SWGT?

LR: Owner of Ski Dock, Del Waters, sent an email out from Ski Dock's emaill listserve. I responded without hesitation, excited to join the camp as a volunteer. I appreciate the Waters for reaching out. It was wonderful to meet them and thank them for sharing the opportunity.

TB: Can you describe your experience with the SWGT camp?

LR: Genuine, Unconditional Love, Barrier Breaking, Liberating, describes my experience. I had worked with orphans and special needs a few times in my life, but never on the water. Teaching children how to water ski, wakeboard, and tube for the first time in their lives revealed their genuine passion to learn. The campers have endured great barriers in their lives, and it was inspiring to watch the power of the water break down those hardships and allowed the children to let loose and enjoy life. The unconditional love from SWGT is powerful.

TB: What was your favorite part about he 2014 camp?

LR: My favorite part of the camp was the excitement. It was an exciting experience to be united with boaters and watersport enthusiast all around Texas. It was exciting to meet and make friends with the volunteers and campers. I asked a young camper named Caleb on our Z3 why he was screaming every time he had something to say. He looked at me and answered back with all the air in his lungs and said, “I am so excited Logan!” The boat filled up with smiling faces and I responded back, “Me Too!”