Can I become a Life Guard?

Question

I here its hard to pass. Honestly , I can swim but I dont really knwo how to porperly. I am EXTREMLY athletic though ,and run 5 miles a day with out stopping play every sport you can think of at the varsity level .Basically I can pick up any sport really easy. Will I not pass the lifegaurding test or will I be able to after my training. Any good tips to help me? I am in great shape , but i need proper training woth my swimming. Will I pass?

p.s its just to certify to work at my local pool ( i am a girl)

Answer 1

The whole training or qualifying process is one whole big giant test, been there done that, dropped out after the third day, with a fever, and all sore, couldn't get out of bed to go to the fourth evening of it at the college big ole swimming pool, yeah, it is hard, if you can pass that, you keep training at the beach racing to the float bell and back, hope you don't have to get rescued. at the college pool you go back and forth racing about 4-5 times, don't remeber but you just keep doing that over and over again for about an hour or more.

Answer 2

You can do it easily I'm sure. A couple of lessons first just to help with your technique would help you immensely. Go to a different pool than the one you want to be a l/g at though if you're worried what they think.

Answer 3

It is NOT extremely hard to pass.

If you are athletic you will do fine.

There will be people in the pool that have swam their whole life's, but that doesn't mean they have what it takes to be a lifeguard. No one can catch on being a life guard it takes skill and time and patience.

The normal prerequisite is...

-Swim a 300 that's 12 laps down and back

*4 laps free style or front crawl

*4 laps breaststroke

*4 laps either

- Swimming 20 yards to retrieve a brick at the bottom of the pool then swimming back with the brick in your hands located on your chest

-Some pools make you tread water but that is not a requirement

Its not that hard it just takes patience.

In my first class there are people who have never swam before and they did just fine.

Its all about attention to details and scanning and safety techniques.

You will pass.

Good luck!

Answer 4

If you know how to swim,

you'll be fine.

becoming a lifeguard is a pretty intricate  process though,

you need to be able to get a ten pound brick off the bottem and so many seconds, tread with it, and be able to do spinals that WONT snap the "victims" neck.

I'm a lifeguard, i've  been for a couple months, i love it, theres nothing better than having the capability to save a life.

you'll carry those skills for the rest of your life.

I think you should go for it. Its an amazing job.

One tip of advice, this is what my teacher told me and I always think about it when my mind starts to drift off while guarding,

"You wont find what you're not looking for."

goodluck. :)

Answer 5

It should be easy as long as you are a good swimmer. You need to pay to earn a qualification over a day course where you need to swim 2 lengths of a 25m pool without stopping and they show you some health and safety.

Answer 6

For lifeguarding, you only need to be able to do head up front crawl, and eggbeater.

Lifeguarding is mostly about making good decisions, and mentally staying alert. For example, the one guy that failed my lifeguarding class failed because of this situation:

I was the victim. It was a spinal, in the drop-off area. I dove in near the drop-off, and came up face down. The girl that saw me was yelling "OMFG HE HIT HIS HEAD" for about 2 minutes before this guy saw me. Then, he proceeds to do a highly jerky rollover, and carries me TO THE DEEP END.  He then makes his team do a deep-end boarding, which they botch up incredibly because of him (once I got dropped and sank to the bottom).

So don't worry about your swimming, focus on all the other aspects, like airway management, scanning, response times, lifeguarding roles, decision making, communication, leadership, and public relations.

Answer 7

Sounds like you can do about anything.  Diving is really easy.  To become a lifeguard you do have to learn the proper strokes and know how to dive.  You'll also have to tread water holding a 10 lb. brick for 3 minutes.  I know a girl who couldn't swim at all and they taught her during class.  Talk to the instructor and see if they can teach you the proper strokes.  There's a lot of bookwork that goes into lifeguarding as well.  Lots of class time and they need to certify you in AED/Oxygen/CPR/First Aide.  I think it's about 40 hours of learning!  At the end of the class you will have a written test and a water test as well to see if you pass.  Good luck!  Being a lifeguard is really fun and so is class.....just relax and practice when you aren't in class!

Answer 8

yes you should be able to pass. basically theres CPR and lifesaving. you need them both and with your condition you should be fine