To some people, we are the invisible force that puts their chairs back at the end of the day. To others, we are the menace that yells at them to follow the rules. Either way lifeguards are there everyday, sun or sometimes rain, to watch your back so that you can swim another day.
A majority of people think that being a lifeguard is all about tanning and occasionally yelling “walk." Yes, we get horrible tan lines that stay until December and are hated for enforcing rules that we did not come up with, but the job is much more than that. We go through intensive training to get certified and are re-tested on our skills at least twice a month. Not only do we know how to apply a band-aid, we can also perform CPR on anyone from six months to sixty years old, give someone oxygen manually or with a tank and backboard someone in under three minutes. The next time you get mad because a pool rule seems unfair remember it is there so you do not have to leave on a stretcher. It may seem like we just sit around all day long, however we are always checking to make sure everyone is safe, so we never have to be the one to tell a person their loved-one drowned.
A lifeguard is part of the pool, along with the noodles and sunscreen. We put up the umbrellas, mop the bathrooms, clean the hair from the drains and pull down the lap lanes. We are there bright and early, so you can get in as many laps or as much sun as possible. At night we teach kids to blow their bubbles and do rotary breathing. Throughout the summer lifeguards, hidden behind our sunglasses, are the ultimate people watchers. We watch kids perfect a dive, see moms chase their babies and judge teenagers who put on too much tanning oil. We see everything, including the couple making out in the corner.
The guard shack becomes our club house as we tally how many flies we kill and swap stories from patrons. The best part of the job is bonding with the regulars, who come to swim or hang out everyday. The mom with her four kids who all have finally passed the swim test for the deep end. The babysitter who judges the jumping contests and wrangles up the boys to leave each day. The seven o’clock fitness class women, who visit again in the afternoon with their husbands and grandchildren. Each bring new stories and entertainment to the otherwise slow days.
Being a lifeguard may not be the most fast pace or challenging job, but without us running the pool, summers would not be the same.
