Personal Essay On Lifeguard

When I first joined cross country I was not fast nor a runner. I was one of the slowest people on the team, but I wanted to get faster and I was determined to improve. Some days we would do a hills workout and I would get to the top of the longest hill and think, “I could just run back to Armstrong right now and be done”. But then, I thought about how if I did another hill, I would get better and some time during a race when there was a big hill I would look at it like it’s nothing. I could go up the hill easily and pass a couple girls. So I would do another hill. Then the next time we did hills I rememberd how many I did the last time and pushed myself to do one more. Through that cross country showed me that I could be faster and tougher than I thought I was if I put in the effort and want it

In the short story Lifeguard, Barbara Scott delineates Chris as a lifeguard at the Bridgeland Community Swimming Pool. A boy named Mike saw Chris dive, from thenceforth he venerated him, Mike made impressing Chris his number one precedence. Be that as it may, Chris was not so affable, one particular instance where this was manifest would be when Chris had completely gone off on Mike, denigrating and insulting him. Mike had not shown up at the pool for a while after that; this led to Chris believing that he was the cause of him not showing up. However, that was not the case at all Mike had in fact been in a car accident with his parents on the way to visit his relatives in Saskatchewan. This unfortunate event caused Mike’s mother to die immediately, his father to die a couple of days after that, and Mike to fall into this state of paralysis which had severe effects on his mental and physical state after the accident. Albeit this event was greatly grieved and sorrowful it essentially created a forgiving and protective custodianship between the two characters. For there were many instances throughout this short story where I was able to make connections to my identity personally and other outside correlations. To be exact, I will give an articulate analysis towards the quote “I start to walk away. But he’s a persistent guy and you’ve got to admit he doesn't take an insult.” and the impact it has on me personally. Secondly, I will connect the quote “Like I promised, I watch him, every day,...” to a youth audience fictional literature piece. Finally, I will express my thoughts on the statement “Leave me alone, you little geek. Just clear off and leave me alone!” towards teenage attitudes and society today.

A number of people are forced to respond to challenge throughout their lifetime. Response to challenge can be defined as an answer given in word or act to a demanding or difficult task. In the short story, "Lifeguard" by Barbara Scott, the protagonist, Chris, is an isolated teenager trying to cope with the numerous predicaments life bears upon him. Chris' father suddenly reappears after abandoning him years ago, which deeply affects him. Chris buries his pain in diving, perhaps because it is the only way he can conceal the hurt he feels within.

I started lifeguarding because it was a natural transition from being a year round competitive swimmer since I was nine years old. I thought it would be a great full time summer job my sophomore year being that most people under the age of 16 find it challenging to get a part time job.

In all my life, I’ve never had a commitment that required so much of me as track and field, both physically and mentally. Towards the end of my high school career, track and field for me meant having to push through a difficult physical condition known as tarsal coalition, a condition that causes inflammation in my feet. With help from my coaches, I had to learn to endure past physical limitation and strengthen my faith in my abilities. By doing so, I became more confident in myself and I was able to help lead other team members to do the same. Not only did track and field teach me to lead, but it also taught me how to be a part of a team. I learned the value of teamwork through building relay race teams. In all relay races, I was either the

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.

I had no experience as a runner nor did I have the form. This did not phase me however. That year I promised myself to push through all the six mile runs, sore legs, gnarly blisters, and at times, lack of oxygen. At every meet and speed workout practice I pushed myself further and further. I set a goal every time I kicked off from the starting line and never let myself get discouraged when I failed. By my senior year, I was the fourth fastest runner on varsity. That year our varsity team won the district meet, which qualified us to run in the 2016 state meet in Oregon. The transformation over the years were evident. My determination to accomplish my goal of becoming a faster runner was complete. If I had simply just given up that first day of practice, I wouldn't have ran along side of the fastest runners in Oregon or have met the multitude of people that are now my closest friends. Having a goal sets one up for a challenge, whether it being physically or mentally, goals keep us active and thinking in more ways than one. Still, if someone has self-control, confidence, and a goal, they are still not complete.

Lifeguarding was one of the most rewarding jobs for me because it taught me numerous things while I was on the stand and working around the pool. One thing that lifeguarding taught me is the importance of always being alert and observing my surrounding for possible danger and trouble. One instance

In light of my, Erin McLendon, recent promotion to Head Lifeguard for the recreation center; I require additional training to fulfill my new position’s requirements. Within the range of Head Lifeguarding, taking the course Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation will expand upon and secure knowledge needed to protect the patrons of the aquatic center. I am asking for the consideration of a tuition reimbursement for additional training needed to properly execute the new position. Below will contain in detail why the course is a necessity to the position.

I would consider myself to have been a very committed athlete in high school because I worked my behind off training for every season. Leaving my blood, sweat and tears on the track, not walking off of it until I felt I had accomplished what I set out to do. We don’t just run, we work. We work on speed, endurance, strength and technique. We work on teaching ourselves how running is mostly about mindset rather than a physical thing. We do this exercise where you run a 400 meters telling yourself you’re a brick, sounds kind of dumb, I know. But after you run another 400 meter telling yourself you are feather, telling yourself you’re like Mayweather “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Without even realizing it, even after running the first 400 and being dead tired, we realize our times for the second lap were faster than the first! You have to tell your body what to do and be mentally in control so when you’re on your final 200 meters you can push yourself to limits you didn’t know you had. You will find very few track athletes who actually enjoy running themselves to death on a daily basis, but we do it because when you cross the finish and look up and see you name on the score board in a top place, you will want to relive the moment over and over again because it is absolutely priceless. Then when I received the letter telling me I had been offered a scholarship to run and jump at a D1 school, all the hard work I had been putting into this sport over the past four years felt completely worth

The runners who were naturally gifted often did not work hard, did not go the extra mile, and when faced with hardships would often quit. The ones who worked hard were dedicated and stronger runners as individuals. I fell in the place of the hardworking group. I became more dedicated than most with my practice, diet, and workouts. Coach would look to dedicate himself to the strongest from the talented and hardworking individuals. When I stayed back with the few other dedicated runners, it became rewarding knowing that I was going the extra mile. I slowly began to learn that in order to keep up with my competitors I would have to work twice as hard as them to only get half of their talent. I taught myself that practice doesn’t make perfect and perfect practice doesn’t make perfect. I knew I would have to practice until I could not get it wrong and that stuck with me during all my practices and meets.

Not only do they have to do all the work that their coaches give them but they also have to maintain a high enough grade point average (GPA) to even compete. So say a runner is training hard all through the fall semester and has below a 2.5 you can’t compete all of next spring, indoor or outdoor track. It’s hard for ant athlete to have the GPA that they want because of the time that they are spending with their sports instead of school. It’s easy for a none student-athlete to say that it’s easy for them to get straight A’s or B’s but look at what they can do. They wake up at like eight or nine have a nice little breakfast go to classes, then before lunch they can take a nap or do homework, then go to lunch and maybe go to another class after. After that they go to dinner and maybe after hang out with friends or do other homework and study, but by that time it’s like eight or nine o’clock and can just chill and go to bed

For 2 years I was a member of the Central Toronto Athletic Club. CTAC is a competitive middle distance running club that trains its athletes to compete in track and field and cross country events. It is a year round athletic club that is a platform for talented people of almost all ages to train and to focus on their self-progress as an athlete. At CTAC I was encouraged to push myself to test the limits of my speed, endurance and strength and to discover what my body is truly capable of. Running was a very satisfying sport because my achievements were directly proportional to the amount of work that I put in. At CTAC, I learned discipline, dedication and perseverance. I had to balance my schoolwork with daily practices or workouts, I ran six

I have always been told that I got blessed with my genes. Everything I do athletically just comes natural to me. I have had the opportunity to play multiple sports whom of which I have had success in. In all of the sports I’ve participated in I have loved soccer the most and track is just the most natural sport for me. I’ve played soccer for over half of my young life. Soccer just makes me happy when I play. I have also been blessed by being average at soccer too. I didn’t do well my 9th grade season so coming into being a Sophomore I wanted to change that. I worked hard in the off-season and I became a varsity Captain and I finished the season 3rd in the area for assist and was a 2nd team All-District player. I was proud of myself but i knew I didn’t give it everything I had.

Many activities I participate in require serious commitment. Most notably, I am the captain of the Cross Country team and on the varsity Track team here at Brookfield East. To be at peak performance, I must train every day. Although running is difficult, it is how I “seize the day.” To get to where I am now, it took countless hours and substantial dedication. Now I am at the end of the road, all the time I put into acheiving my goal was not in vain. I have become faster than I ever was before and have lead my teamates to do the same as we pushed each other and met with success. The demands of race also require a straightforward mindset focused on competing. The difficulties that were tolerated during the training and race are turned