Lifeguards ;)

RE: Lifeguards ;)

dorothyrde — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:33:02 GMT

Well that is odd. I will have to ask my daughter(who is a lifeguard) why 4 would be sitting side by side. My guess is 4 were assigned to the shift, and when you were the only person, they decided to keep each other company, because you were the only person they could watch. However, at the pool my daughter guards at, they are required to do a certain amount of cleaning before they can go, so in slow times like this, they would be cleaning so they could go home sooner.

RE: Lifeguards ;)

SLOmmafan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:53:44 GMT

I guard at the private club I swim master's at. Outside of limited family swim hours on the weekend, we have a not guard on duty policy for most of the weekdays, etc. I tend to watch people swimming if it isn't busy - I will even watch their times if it is someone who does not swim team but is still fast (recruitment strategy for the swim team, lol).

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Former Member — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:37:37 GMT

You've all heard about the concerns about texting and driving; what about texting and life-guarding? Is there any data out there:afraid: This seem to go on more and more at my pool. One guard in particular thinks he's being sly and we can't see the phone in his lap, but the fact that his head is always down and his hand keep moving back on forth is a dead give away. Needless to say, I don't have to worry about them laughing at my stroke. A lifeguard at a New York beach was fired this summer for doing that -- and it was reported in the press (the city refused to release his name). Not a great way for a 17 year old kid to start a career.

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Former Member — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:32:59 GMT

It turns out that lifeguards often know a fair lot about swimming, and seem to find their inner coaches once you engage with them a bit! Most of the lifeguards at my pool are (or have been) on swim teams (either high school or the pool's own USA swimming club). And I've sometimes overhead them commenting on swimmers. I'm not sure if it's finding their inner coaches, trying to learn from watching, or "that guy looks he might get into trouble" -- probably all three.

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Former Member — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:02:11 GMT

I too have been in this situation,I use to ignore them,after all I am at least out there swimming. But I too now talk to the lifeguards,they all wave when I come in. They ask me questions(esp after taking a lession from their boss), and we give each other pointers. It makes my swim workout much more fun!!!!

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Former Member — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:11:02 GMT

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Former Member — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:33:16 GMT

"they probably have other things on their mind" Very much so...and usually it's that no one is on the bottom....with only one swimmer extreme boredom can set in and it can even be hard to stay awake...but there is a serious job to be done......anyone can have a medical emergency while swimming, no matter how good a swimmer. It's much safer not to swim alone. Enjoy! :angel: Georgio

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Former Member — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:19:07 GMT

Very interesting to read all the replies, especially from some lifeguards themselves :) Just to remind you that in this case it was 4 guards, sitting shoulder to shoulder in a row together watching--whenever I'm out of water at the other end, I saw 8 eyes looking straight my way across the pool, now how does that feel? :rolleyes: :D (of course if they weren't watching I would say they were not doing a good job ;))

RE: Lifeguards ;)

chowmi — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:10:30 GMT

It's the same as when you get up to go to the lavatory on an airplane and everyone watches you as you walk the gauntlet of seat 8B to row 32...but I don't think anyone is really thinking about what you are going to do except to maybe make a mental note to rush to take their turn when you walk back, and calculate the distance and time of the in-flight beverage service cart position..... Everyone's so bored out of their minds that watching anyone walk by is 3 seconds of something to stare at. Well, you think they are staring but I bet no one would pass 3 questions about you in a treasury enforcement exam on observation questions.....

RE: Lifeguards ;)

gigi — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:45:35 GMT

I never really thought about this...I know when I was in that situation as a lifeguard, I'd find myself with the "blank stares" once in a while - eyes open, ostensibly watching the lone swimmer, but mind a million miles away. THere's one guard at my pool who talks on the phone on duty - she keeps the phone in her sleeve and I'm sure she thinks it doesn't look odd at all that she's in an 85 degree room with long sleeved sweatshirt on with her forearm pressed to her ear...

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Former Member — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:42:01 GMT

I have been that person swimming alone many times. I just do my workout and don't think about it. I was bothered one time, though, when I forgot the no diving rule and dove in from the side to begin my workout. The lifeguard actually stopped me to tell me diving was against the rules. It was in 7 feet of water for God's sake :duel: , and I was swimming and life guarding long before this lifeguard was born!!! Who hurts themselves doing a shallow dive in 7 feet of water to begin their swim. I did not try to do any flips and no one else was in the pool:blah:. :fish2: The lifeguard was correct in their actions. There is no diving into water depths less than 9'. One meter spring diving boards have water depth requirements of no less than 12.5' The guard was doing their job the guidelines were established by the INSURANCE CARRIERS and other GOVERNING BODIES (the organization holding the certification of the lifeguard, county, city, state, etc.), not the facility and not the lifeguard. Thank you for not doing other tricks or flips when entering the pool - you could have been asked to leave. As a side note, USMS guidelines for warm up state that you can only enter a lane FEET FIRST unless a dedicated sprint lane has been established.

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Former Member — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:33:00 GMT

As a LGI for Red Cross & YMCA certification programs, we don't distinguish between slow times & busy times in the pool. We follow the same scanning techniques, alertness, prevent and continually rehearse "what if" scenarios as we sit in the chair or roam the deck. It is unacceptable for any guard to be reading, texting, eating, or engaging in any activity other than the ones listed above. If you notice this behavior, I encourage you to mention it to the facility manager on duty. That is neglect and is a liability to the facility. Occasionally, we do notice strokes for the lap swimmers and wonder where they picked up that particular technique . . . we do look for the odd and peculiar and must consider if it's a distress signal.

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Former Member — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:32:17 GMT

RE: Lifeguards ;)

swimsuit addict — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:40:29 GMT

Once or twice I've had lifeguards in the situation you describe ask me about the swim set I'm doing. Once one even started giving me sendoffs and calling out my times as I came in. I wasn't self-conscious, just glad to have a makeshift coach while I was practicing on my own. The guard was happy to have something to do to make the time go by more quickly. I have also occasionally asked guards during slow times to watch a particular thing in my stroke and give me feedback--something like, "Hey, I've been trying to put my left arm in the water directly in front of my shoulder--can you watch on the next lap and tell me if that's what I'm doing?" Once I ask a single time, I tend to give me really enthusiastic feedback for the entire session I'm swimming, and often on subsequent days as well. It turns out that lifeguards often know a fair lot about swimming, and seem to find their inner coaches once you engage with them a bit!

RE: Lifeguards ;)

swim4me — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:15:37 GMT

The lifeguard was correct in their actions. There is no diving into water depths less than 9'. One meter spring diving boards have water depth requirements of no less than 12.5' The guard was doing their job the guidelines were established by the INSURANCE CARRIERS and other GOVERNING BODIES (the organization holding the certification of the lifeguard, county, city, state, etc.), not the facility and not the lifeguard. Thank you for not doing other tricks or flips when entering the pool - you could have been asked to leave. As a side note, USMS guidelines for warm up state that you can only enter a lane FEET FIRST unless a dedicated sprint lane has been established. I understand the rules, and I ALWAYS follow them. This time I had forgotten though, and because I always dive in when my coach is there - it is just a habit to dive in. I know it was his job to stop me, just thought it ironic and embarrassing :blush:, when it was a shallow dive to start my workout in 7 feet of water and the lifeguard was the same age as my daughter. :fish2:

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Midas — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:25:14 GMT

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!

RE: Lifeguards ;)

swim4me — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:59:18 GMT

RE: Lifeguards ;)

Bobinator — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:48:07 GMT

Their boss was probably in the facility so they were doing what they should be doing, "watching the swimmers." I'm pretty sure lifeguards don't judge us while we swim. I think they probably have other things on their mind and could care less about lap swimmers and their lack of stroke perfection. :blush:

RE: Lifeguards ;)

That Guy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:07:43 GMT

What's in the guards' mind when they are watching just 1-2 swimmers in the pool? "tee hee, he thinks he's putting on a performance"