Lifeguarding at the Waukon Family Aquatic Center means more than just a summer job

More than two dozen local young men and women of high school to college age have been serving local residents and visitors to the Waukon Family Aquatic Center again this summer in a capacity they never hope to use, but one in which they are more than prepared to do so, if necessary.

The role of swimming pool lifeguard has often been stereotyped as the ideal summer job of being able to “hang out” at the pool, catching a tan, and twirling a whistle around one’s finger. Although there are a great degree of enjoyable moments, Waukon Family Aquatic Center Manager CC Althoff and Assistant Manager Cassandra Berger say there is so much more to being a lifeguard than just a summer job.

“It takes the mentality of when someone else’s life means as much to you as your own,” shared Althoff in regard to the mindset he wants his lifeguards to bring to their job. “It is expected that they show up on time and with a positive, yet serious, attitude about what they are doing. The guards have to be proactive in what they are doing, they have to be trained and have the right certifications, and they need to make people feel comfortable at the pool.”

In addition to the obvious aspect of knowing how to swim well and being able to relay those skills to those they may teach in swimming lessons, Berger says these young adults also have to complete a Lifeguard Training Course and they also need to be certified in CPR/AED, the automated external defibrillator used in the event of cardiac arrest. Many of the lifeguards grew up around the local pool, a great many of them competing for the Waukon Swim Club and participating in other area swimming organizations.

A majority of the lifeguards at the Waukon Family Aquatic Center have also served multiple years in that position. In reflecting on her multi-year tenure, Alexz Grampovnik, a fourth-year lifeguard, shared, “It’s always rewarding seeing a kid that can swim, that couldn’t swim as well the year before. I love being able to see them keep improving their skills.”

For many, the job boils down to what summer should be all about. “Watching all of the kids come and have fun,” shared second-year guard Hailey Regan in regard to her favorite aspect of lifeguarding.

Althoff’s years of experience, both as the local manager and around water, in general, sum up the lifeguard position in an approach he not only tries to bring to his own position but also tries to instill in the lifeguards under his guidance. “The sound of the water, hearing the laughter coming from the kids, and just getting to be outside,” he reflected. “I also love the fact that we’re teaching people how to swim and how to save lives. I’ve had four incidences where I’ve had to pull people up from the bottom; one from a pool and three from a lake/river. If you save a life, it lives with you forever.”

Althoff added that he appreciates what the Waukon Family Aquatic Center does for the community in bringing people of all ages together to enjoy what can be both a social as well as physically active setting. He also appreciates the opportunity to not only serve the community as the aquatic center manager but to do so with the area youth he has gotten to work with over the years.

“It’s truly been an honor for me, as manager, to get to work with so many of the young people that I have during my years here,” he shared. “They have been great to work with and we really get to be like family around here.”