Once upon a time, lifeguarding was one of the coolest summer jobs around. Most of the work involved sitting in a chair, working on your tan, and blowing a whistle every now and then to yell at kids to stop running.

Those days, it seems, are long gone and it’s reaching a crisis point in Vicksburg.
City Pool manager Sylvia Gurtowski is in desperate need of certified lifeguards to work at her facility this summer. She only had 14 last year and says she needs at least 20 — and ideally 25 or 30 — for the pool to operate well.

“Last year we made it happen, but I would rather not go through another summer like that,” she said.

Unfortunately, finding lifeguards is not as simple as placing a classified ad. Lifeguards at City Pool must be at least 16 years old and pass the two-week American Red Cross certification course.

The certification course starts with a strength and endurance test that wipes out some of the candidates, Gurtowski said. Before learning anything about lifesaving, potential lifeguards must swim 300 yards, tread water for two minutes without using their arms, and swim 25 yards with a 25-pound weight attached. It’s a tough test even for experienced swimmers.

Life also wipes out a number of candidates. Most lifeguards are 16-22-year-old high school and college students. An increasing number of activities and better-paying jobs lure them away from the lifeguard stand or keep them from taking the certification course in the spring.

Throw in a half-dozen other large pools in and around Vicksburg pulling from the same talent pool, and there simply aren’t enough qualified applicants to go around. Gurtowski said she’s only gotten five applications so far for this summer.

“It’s not just my pool. A lot of other area pools are hurting. Ours in particular is hurting because it’s such a large pool,” Gurtowski said.

There might not be any easy or fast solutions to the shortage, either. The certification classes are only offered a couple of times per year, and even a large class would certify a couple dozen lifeguards.

If there aren’t enough guards, Gurtowski said she might have to close areas of the pool that cannot be safely monitored.

Lifeguarding — especially becoming a lifeguard — isn’t as simple as knowing how to swim. But it is still a cool summer job. If you or someone you know wants to do it, now is the time to get on it. This year’s certification course is April 1-12 at the Vicksburg YMCA.
Call Gurtowski at 601-634-4516 for information.

Please sign up. The city needs you.

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Ernest Bowker is the sports editor at The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com