Our area has experienced a shortage of lifeguards over recent years. The Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA will be offering Lifeguard certification classes to the community this March and April to fill this gap. The first step for candidates is to enroll in one or more prescreening sessions at the Y’s Kontes pool. These will be available at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 4; 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8; and at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 12. Participants may register for one or all of these times.
To become a lifeguard, individuals must be at least age 15. There is no age cap, and at least one person aged nearly 70 has completed the course in recent months.
Prerequisite skills to become a lifeguard include swimming 300 yards, a timed event that involves retrieving a brick from the pool’s bottom, and treading water without using one’s arms.
The prescreening program is free to YMCA facility members, $3 for Y program members, and $4 for the community. For more details, e-mail Mary Desjardins at [email protected] or call the Y at 856-691-0030.
