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:
PWB, maybe it is a Northeastern mentality. While in Florida, I don't sense that kind of attitude at all when swimming outdoors, but in NJ, people wake up in the morning with attitude. However, while swimming in Florida during my last visit, (in a rather large pool) this stupid dad was playing Marco Polo with his kids (of course they gravitated towards the right hand side where I was hugging the wall), and as I swam by, suddenly I felt myself being lifted up and carried about 6 feet across the water! The stupid dad claimed he thought I was one of his kids (ages 6 to 9). Now, I'm a 5'6" female, in good form.
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.
wow, I think I need to move out of NJ! Our guards are primarily high school age, if that. I have seen them "getting wet" in the pool, and they swim with the head above the water if they do a lap at all. College level guards are generally much more professional, but they are in the minority of the guards that are hired at our outdoor pools.
philoswimmer, for some reason, that doesn't make me feel better. If you had your eyes closed, I think you'd know the difference between your 6 year old son and a well toned 50+ woman.
philoswimmer, for some reason, that doesn't make me feel better. If you had your eyes closed, I think you'd know the difference between your 6 year old son and a well toned 50+ woman.
You would think!
