lifeguard training

I love camp. Surprise, I know. I grew up attending summer camp at a Girl Scout camp located in Peninsula, Ohio: Camp Ledgewood. It became my summer home and each year, I would spend more and more time there. As many weeks as my parents would allow and could afford, I signed up. I learned so many things; making friendships, cooking on a fire, independence, how to swim, canoeing, rock climbing, white-water rafting, horseback riding, this could go on forever so I’ll stop there. These were lifeskills. Knowing these skills have made me a better person and able to do and tackle anything. When I was 15, I signed up for two programs; Lifeguard Training the first week of camp and Advanced Counselor In Training for the following three weeks. I was excited to spend those four weeks at camp and knew that I would have the opportunity to return after a short break to volunteer at Troop Adventure Camp and Adult Leadership Experience, as I had done the previous summer. 

A few weeks before the summer camp season, my mom took me for my swimming pretest. I was in no uncertain terms a weak swimmer. I was safe. I could make it across the pool, I could do a weird dive, I wasn’t afraid, but I was NOT strong. I had never, in my life, swam laps. The pre course skills consisted of three items: 1) Swim 500 yards, freestyle (or modified), breaststroke (or modified), and sidestroke, 2) Tread water for 2 minutes with no hands, and 3) Retrieve a brick from 10 feet and return to the wall. I was nervous, to say the least. When we swam the laps, I was dead last, but I finished all 500 yards. Treading was easy and the brick wasn’t terrible. I had made it into class! 

We arrived at camp and were assigned to the cabin closest to the pool. Has to be one of the hottest cabins on the property and still is, if you know Hunsicker, you know what I am talking about! We spent every minute starting after dinner on Sunday and running through final testing on Thursday night before the final campfire in class, in the pool, and working on our CPR skills in the grass outside. We practiced our scanning when the pool was full with other campers, we practiced our water skills when it was empty, we did none of the “normal” camp activities. Our skit at the final campfire was a recap of our week. It was absolutely exhausting. 

I passed!

I was so relieved and was able to get excited again because I was returning to camp on Sunday to do my Advanced CIT training after completing my Beginner CIT program the prior summer. On Friday, as my mom was picking me up, the camp director asked to talk to us. You see, the camp was short on lifeguards that summer, and they wanted to know if I would stay on to volunteer. She offered to refund my mom the money she had paid for camp and to let her know by the next day what the decision was. I was ecstatic! 15 years old and I get to stay at my favorite place on earth for the rest of the summer? Yes, please! On the drive home we talked about and decided that instead of ACIT I would volunteer and work for the rest of the summer. My mom even said I would get the refund from lifeguarding class so that I could “earn” some money. 

That was it, I became a lifeguard. I entered the pool life, started an adventure and had no idea how far it would take me.

My lifeguarding class on the final day of that first week of camp.

I found this in some things at my parents house. A copy of my original certification cards.