Junior Lifeguarding

My division warming up.

Over the summer, I have been participating in the junior lifeguard program, a program run by our local fire department. I had to wake up early every day to arrive at the beach by 8:30 every morning and stay until 11:30.  At the beach, we were divided in three age groups.  I was placed in the B group as I am 13. During our training,  we learned how to save people who may be drowning, paddle, surf, and swim in the ocean. 

Swimming in the ocean to do our buoy swims was the hardest and the scariest part.  I was always worried about stingrays, sharks, and other kinds of sea animals.  Someone in my division got stung by a stingray and had to go to the emergency room to get the stinger removed. We were running into the water to complete our buoy swim when the boy got stung. We are taught to do the stingray shuffle which is a shuffle that lets the stingray know that we are going to invade their territory  but the stingray didn't move.  I loved swimming with the dolphins as they would always put on a show for us.

I also loved to surf.  I have my own short board at home but the long boards are a lot easier to stand up on and I caught a lot of waves this summer. It was hard at first, but then I got the hang of it.  I also was allowed to tour the lifeguard tower and a lifeguard station.  We also learned how to use the cans that the lifeguard swings in the air to use if they need to save a drowning victim.   The other Junior lifeguards and I practiced saving each other. We would swim out past the surf line and pretend that we are drowning and then our teammate would practice swimming us in.  We also competed against different junior lifeguard squads form all the local beaches.  I especially did well in the running and always placed either first or second. 

On my last day, I received a Junior lifeguard badge which my Grandma sewed on one of my favorite sweaters.  I also received a certificate saying that I have finished my fourth year of junior lifeguard training.

Holding my surfboard

Lined up after our buoy swim

My sister Sarah just watching and boogie boarding

My instructor Lance and I