A Narrative Essay On Being A Lifeguard

I believe that most people have a fairly limited idea of what a lifeguard does. The public sees someone sitting by the pool, getting a tan and thinks ‘That job looks easy.’ For those who take the position seriously, lifeguarding is not easy. The job requires extreme focus, dedication, and a great deal of training. This is, of course, the part that the public doesn’t see. All lifeguards – before they can even begin applying for jobs – must go through weeks of training, which includes CPR, first aid, and crowd control. Lifeguarding requires a deeply nuanced approach to the working environment that balances customer service, biology, and emergency preparedness.

With around 650 people in the water at once, I learned to scan the area of the water quickly and efficiently and to never focus solely on one specific person; on specific occasions, I was too ready and entered the water, only to find that a patron was faking a drowning incident for attention. Additionally, I learned how to comfort a frightened child who had almost lost their life, or who was bleeding after falling and scraping their leg. Lastly, I had to assert myself over patrons who refused to listen, and use my authority to remove people from the pool. The experience from my (so far) one year of lifeguarding has alredy provided me with skills in preparation for a brighter and more successful

The world is full of heroes. The brave men and women who serve in the armed forces protect the United States of America. Local police help ensure safety in cities and towns. Firefighters save lives daily. Doctors perform life-saving surgeries. Heroes are found everywhere. Although some people seem to forget, lifeguards are heroes too. I recently sent in an application to be a lifeguard at the pool on campus. I was discussing hours with a classmate who is currently employed, and he told me that the hours were long, but often a shift would pass without a single swimmer entering the water. Another classmate interjected saying “You can do your homework while you work.” Lifeguarding is not the easy task portrayed in movies. Guards do not suntan and talk to girls for the duration of their shift. Rather, a lifeguard’s duty is in the name: guarding the lives of patrons. The work of these heroes is often gone unpraised. The job is disregarded as an easy way for teenagers to make money, instead of the true challenge it offers to the employees. The process of becoming a lifeguard requires more than blowing a whistle. It is a commitment involving intricate knowledge acquired through training and experience. Lifeguarding is a serious commitment.

It was sometime around 6:00 p.m. on a Thursday night in the middle of January 2016. There was a swim meet going on and it was just about to start. The teams were warming up and getting ready for the meet that was due to start in the coming hour. I was warmed up and concentrating on the race listening to music in my newly acquired platinum studio beats. The music was loud and the nerves were setting as I walked into the locker room with my friend and teammate. As we passed I said good luck to our teammate who I was racing against in the 200 free style. Then out of know were he pulled my friend to the side and whispered something in his ear. I didn’t hear what was said as I had continued to walk. My friend came over to me and I asked what he had said and he told me. He told me

Honestly ever since I was two years old I have been in water, and learned how to swim at around three. I had not learned anything about swimming in Wheeling High School and I can prove that I did not benefit from the swimming sessions. I had already known survival techniques such as not panicking in water and floating on my back to save energy. I already had common sense of not using drugs because I could drown. I had known that many college students go to Lake Michigan at night and die because they can't see or are drunk. To be honest I knew all of these rules but feel maybe Wheeling high school had re-emphasized all of them. I will try to use these techniques at my pool in Florida and continue to teach others how to swim.

I was new, sixteen, and the youngest lifeguard, so it was pretty intimidating at first. After the first week, the head lifeguard told me she was impressed with my work ethic and started assigning me more shifts. I enjoyed working as a lifeguard, but it was hard work. Most people think that all a lifeguard does is sit on the stand and make sure no one drowns, but that is not the case. Lifeguards are responsible for cleaning the pool deck, maintaining chemicals in the pool, and opening and closing the pool. The hardest part of the job was definitely cleaning the pool deck. Each day, I would have to clean up melted ice cream sandwiches, ketchup, and almost anything imaginable off the pool

Lifeguarding is definitely not the job for everybody. This is not just because of the chest crushing anxiety of dealing with drowning victims or all the exquisite and mind boggling training that you have to remember, but the seasons in Arizona are also a make or break factor in this field of work. Seasons are the ultimate test of the human body’s mental strength and some people are just not cut out for it.

I am a senior/potential first year grad student. I spend a lot of time lifeguarding at the Campus Recreation Center and the YMCA. My hometown is in Sterling, Illinois, where there is a lot of banks, bars, churches and parking lots. Growing up, I lived with my mother, father and older brother that graduated from Western Illinois University. I currently attend The Crossing church in Macomb, Illinois, where I was a village leader for our college ministry. Early mornings are the worst thing in the world in my mind, but I want to change that by starting to exercise before my classes. An interesting fact about me is that I can't run straight on a treadmill. I am unaware of the reason why I can’t do it I just blame the accident I had as young child

My daughter’s first birthday, which was July 18th, 2007, is a day that I remember like it was yesterday. We had already celebrated her birthday with the family over the weekend, so I had just planned to do something small with her. I decided I would take her to Water Works, a community family aquatic center that we lived by. When I was younger, my family would get a membership every summer, and I couldn’t wait to do the same with Lauren. My sister, Amanda, who was watching our four year old nephew Charlie, was off that day, so they came along too.

Being a lifeguard will help a person be fit as long as they are consistent with coming to meetings and swimming the given laps. We attend in-service meetings where we swim and also practice saving lives, and at times it can be really difficult. These meetings have taught how important it is to be fit because you never know when you will have to drag a person who is built heavy. Life-saving situations can go from bad to worst on a matter of second where your strenght is put to the test.

If you are part of the minority of people who believe that obtaining an education is the only resource that your children will need to be successful in the future, then I am here to change your outlook . There are many other skills that one must have in order to be successful in the workforce. During the course of this presentation, I will inform you about leadership programs within the Learn to Swim program. As a lifeguard, as well as someone who has been through the leadership pathway, I can personally speak about my experiences and how they have positively impacted my life. My goal for the end of this presentation is for you to understand: how the programs work, the benefits of the programs, and how the skills acquired will help your children

The 21-yeard-old took interest in being a lifeguard just last year. She didn’t have much experience in that type pf job besides the fact that she swam in high school her senior year. While training to get her certificate she soon realized that it’s not just a fun job to lounge in a chair all day. She learned skills that will be useful to her during her whole lifetime and learned how to work cohesively

We can be a hero. We can be a firefighter. We can be a book maker. We can be a movie maker. We can be a doctor. We can be a construction worker. We can be a toy maker. We can be a garbageman. We can be an astronaut.

It was a cold October day. The closer I came to the fogged up windows, the faster my heart would beat making my breath quicken. I step into the locker room to prepare for the pool. As soon as I step out the humidity hit me. I’ve been scoping out the competition for a few hours now and they are good. I say to my friend” I sure hope that I don’t have to race against them” . Then my name gets called and what do you know I have to go against a state winner and 6 more excellent swimmers. Suddenly my number gets called.”Swimmer's step up!”.My heart racing. Adrenalin pumping. Me trying to calm down so I can actually go. “ Swimmers ready?”...The whistle blows.

In late October of 2016 I was contacted by the Aquatics Director about upcoming lifeguard classes. I was very nervous and excited at the same time. Nervous because being a lifeguard meant that I had a huge responsibility and I couldn’t take the job lightly. I was also excited because I’d have a job and I could be making money. After some speculation with my parents, we decided that getting a job would be a great way of gaining responsibility.