One of the reasons I hate swimming in outdoor community/development pools is the lifeguard glare you get when you come in with all your gear, prepared to swim and hour or two. :banana: I've been swimming outside for 25 years in the summer, and find that the guards are mostly all the same - texting, playing ball, sleeping, eating. Heaven forbid, they have to sit up and watch a swimmer. I feel like they really hate when I walk in because they have to actually do their job. I've treated them to lunch, ice cream, treats and some are fine, but overall, they are mostly very lazy. I tell them I had a guard cert, (I can swim better than almost all of them!), and they don't have to sit in the chair, or even watch, but I still feel the glare. I've even encountered a few occasions when the sun was shining and guards claimed they heard thunder. What happened to the good old days when guards sat in the chair and did their job without resentment? I only see that type of mentality at the indoor pools. On rainy days, they really give me the evil eye. :badday:
I'm guess we're pretty lucky in my county. We have really great lifeguards and they never leave their station unless someone's taking their place. They patrol the decks and watch the lanes, especially during camp season when kids come in and misbehave. I've seen them throw kids out. They are quite strict and dedicated, but most of them are past high school age and this is their regular job. They undergo rigorous training and are serious about what they do. There is one guy who's head lifeguard and worth his weight in gold, IMHO. They know who I am and have probably seen me going from the bitsy bubbles for grown up class to swimming almost daily. Not all of them are great, but most of them behave like professionals. You're not allowed to even talk to them while they're in the chair, or distract them.
We have the same high quality guards here. I have been a guard, managed pools and beachfront, taught guard classes (in IL and FL), and done guard audits for E&A; I'd pull a cert in a heartbeat if I EVER saw a guard behave the way the OP indicates.
I'm guess we're pretty lucky in my county. We have really great lifeguards and they never leave their station unless someone's taking their place. They patrol the decks and watch the lanes, especially during camp season when kids come in and misbehave. I've seen them throw kids out. They are quite strict and dedicated, but most of them are past high school age and this is their regular job. They undergo rigorous training and are serious about what they do. There is one guy who's head lifeguard and worth his weight in gold, IMHO. They know who I am and have probably seen me going from the bitsy bubbles for grown up class to swimming almost daily. Not all of them are great, but most of them behave like professionals. You're not allowed to even talk to them while they're in the chair, or distract them.
We have the same high quality guards here. I have been a guard, managed pools and beachfront, taught guard classes (in IL and FL), and done guard audits for E&A; I'd pull a cert in a heartbeat if I EVER saw a guard behave the way the OP indicates.
