I wonder how you feel if you happened to be the only one or two swimming in a pool while there are four highly dutiful lifeguards watching...nothing but you, of course... for the whole time you were swimming? (assuming you were not that great a swimmer to be proud of giving a "performance").
That's what happened to me today. Needless to say I felt damn safe, especially appreciated it very much when at one point one of them poked his head to see if I was OK when I was at the end of the pool, literally under their feet :wave: (I usually thought the guards didn't pay enough attention).
On the one hand I was flattered by the heavy attention and safeguarding (today seemed to be an unusual day); on the other hand, it felt funny "performing" solo or duet to an audience of 4 :D. They did appear to be all watching the whole time, not doing other things.
What's in the guards' mind when they are watching just 1-2 swimmers in the pool? Do they judge their skills? laugh at the guy splashing water everywhere, or the other that swims like a limping shrimp? :rolleyes:
:D
My HS team shared a pool with another HS team and I remember a girl on the other team diving off the blocks into 7-10 feet of water and somehow cracking her head on the bottom. She had to be taken out of the pool (and to the hospital) on a backboard. Since it wasn't my school, I never did find out what happened to that girl but I hope it turned out OK...
I hate jumping into pools and greatly prefer diving (running dives, in fact--ask my teammates). But I don't do it anywhere that it's prohibited AND there is a lifeguard present (unless and until I know that lifeguard is cool with me diving).
When I was a kid I used to lifeguard at pools no deeper that 4 feet (sleepy condo complex pools, for the most part). Oftentimes I would be reading a book rather than paying attention the strictest attention to the 1-2 people in the water (tops). My theory was that if somebody got into trouble, they could always just stand up. Fortunately, I dodged the bullet and nobody ever did get into trouble when I wasn't paying strict attention. One year I lifeguarded at a much larger community pool that got pretty deep and was FULL of non-swimmers on the weekend. I payed attention like a hawk that year and even had a rescue! That was an adrenaline rush!
My HS team shared a pool with another HS team and I remember a girl on the other team diving off the blocks into 7-10 feet of water and somehow cracking her head on the bottom. She had to be taken out of the pool (and to the hospital) on a backboard. Since it wasn't my school, I never did find out what happened to that girl but I hope it turned out OK...
I hate jumping into pools and greatly prefer diving (running dives, in fact--ask my teammates). But I don't do it anywhere that it's prohibited AND there is a lifeguard present (unless and until I know that lifeguard is cool with me diving).
When I was a kid I used to lifeguard at pools no deeper that 4 feet (sleepy condo complex pools, for the most part). Oftentimes I would be reading a book rather than paying attention the strictest attention to the 1-2 people in the water (tops). My theory was that if somebody got into trouble, they could always just stand up. Fortunately, I dodged the bullet and nobody ever did get into trouble when I wasn't paying strict attention. One year I lifeguarded at a much larger community pool that got pretty deep and was FULL of non-swimmers on the weekend. I payed attention like a hawk that year and even had a rescue! That was an adrenaline rush!
