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i really hope i posted this in the right section. i couldnt decide btwn sports, health&fitness, or general discussion. since theres swimming involved, i decided sports in the end. if this is wrong, im really sorryyyy and please move it for me.

ok, so im thinking bout taking lifeguard lessons but im wanted to get some input before i made my decision.

do you have to be a REALLY DANG good swimmer (like swim team good) to be able to take and get the certification? i know im definately better than the average swimmer, but not swim team material. is that enough to be able to pass by lifeguard lessons?
how hard is it to lift up the 10 lb. brick/dummy? how deep do you normally have to dive to get the brick/dummy? like 6ft.?
and this is gonna sound really gay, but do you have to swim freestyle in the 300 yd. continuous swim? im MUCH more comfortable with breastroke.
and does it matter if you're not a fast swimmer?

any advice from ppl who have taken lifeguard lessons?

[suki_*]

i am a certified lifeguard/instructor and no you do not have to be a hardcore swimmer but you do need to have the stamina and energy to perform better than the average swimmer BECAUSE you'll need that extra strength and energy to haul them out if they drown and what not.

i'm sure they will test you on endurance once you take the course so it's something you can always build and get better at. you're pretty lucky that you only have to lift 10lb of a dummy... my dummy was average 90 pounds but submerged at the deep end which was 12 ft deep. we had to go down there fish it out to the surface and tow it back to the shallow end. 10lb-20lb for me is usually a brick in the deep end and we have to carry it back to the side of the pool or walk with it under water to the shallow end.

you'll also be doing alot of standard first aid scenarios ranging from pregnant woman giving birth at the pool to dealing with a spinal victim in the deep end of the pool and how to stabalize and remove them from the water to single and double drowning victims.

once u become a lifeguard you'll have a training session that determines whether you can work for the next season. Here's what i remember what i had to do during the training sessions:

- various scenarios to practice standard first aid
- lifting 20lbs brick from the deep end and treading it back to the side of the pool
- swimming 2 km lane swim non-stop
- manican tow
- treading water for 15 minutes with arms above water... u basically eggbeat for the whole 15.

if you pass all that you are eligible to work for the next session...

i think you should totally try it, not everyone gets the opportunity to! teaching little kids are fun and you feel awesome being the one that does the counting for lane swims (after all the years that you had to do the lane swimming!) the training sounds tough and it is, but once the real deal happens you are just so ready !!!

my first victim was a drowning what stopped me was actually seeing it happen and that adrenaline... feels good saving lives when you can don't forget to bring your Fox40 whistle, buy one without the bead i'm sure u already know that though

[Christinaisweird]

^
so how old do you have to be to be a lifeguard.
is 15 old enough or 16?
planning to be a lifeguard at a community pool once i join the swim team

[xvi3txl0v1ngx]

^
so how old do you have to be to be a lifeguard.
is 15 old enough or 16?
planning to be a lifeguard at a community pool once i join the swim team

In Canada, you need to be at least 16 to take the course. I don't know how it is in other countries.

I took the lifeguard class and well, i didn't pass. It was due to a lack of communication and i couldn't do one of the physical's(it was the Pia carry). Honestly, it was a very good experience. I went into it with negative mentality, i kept saying that there's no point of me taking the class since i knew i would fail, but if i had believe in myself more, i believe i could had done a whole lot better. so seriously, if you're of age and have all the qualifications for it(bronze cross, First aid and CPR-C, keep in mind, this is for Canada. If you're in the states, i seriously got no idea how it works there)

suki_* pretty much covered everything. If you're having a hard time with the physical's at first, DON'T GIVE UP! i couldn't get the 20lbs brick until the exam day! honestly, i worked SOO hard just go get that brick. I practiced non-stop to get that brick and when i got it, i felt SO GOOD lol. so really, keep working hard at it and if you can't do something, practice and practice some more. oh and you can always ask your instructor if they can tell you if you need to work more on something else. my instructor told me that i needed more confidence(she's right lol, i was so intimadated by the others) and just keep working on the brick and pia. i sometimes want to re-take the course but i got too many things going on now. Good luck with it though!!! i really hope you pass =)

[suki_*]

^^^

awww!!!
yeah the pia carry is toughhh but once you tread water well have have a strong kick your victim's shoulder during the pia carry should be above the surface of the water and you wouldn't have any problems carrying them back in that position too! Practice hard you can pass!

^
so how old do you have to be to be a lifeguard.
is 15 old enough or 16?
planning to be a lifeguard at a community pool once i join the swim team

yeap in canada you gotta be 16 to be eligible to take the NLS course which is the course to become a certified lifeguard and an extra leadership course.

You should also try to join guard comp, it's awesome. If you do well you can go places to travel and compete with your team and staff too!

[Shiwen]

I'm a lifeguard as well. And I guess the above posters covered everything else.
But here in Australia we only had to swim 6 laps of normal strokes and then 6 laps of towing a partner.
Then there was the brick dive...only about 2 metres.
But they mainly focused on spinals in my course.