Guard For Life

Surfers, lifeguards eyeing motorized surfboards

Lifeguard Jobs- Security and Satisfaction

hbarboy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:42:36 +0000

One of the best part time or full time summer jobs is the position of a lifeguard. Ironically, younger people do not realize or consider this. Whether it is to find a job for just those summer months or a full time job possibly during college, the potential for earning as a lifeguard offers some of the best income. Not to mention this is a job that has plenty of job security and offers a great deal of satisfaction.

If you or someone you know is looking for guaranteed employment for summer or even year round work, getting your lifeguard training is the best step to take.

Getting Trained

Sometimes it can be challenging to find summer or full time jobs in areas such as Bethlehem, Pennsylvania or Cumming, Georgia, especially for those who do not already have experience in certain fields of professional expertise. Surprisingly, these are areas with high demand to fill lifeguard positions, and usually not enough people to staff the demand.

So, what about training?

Subsidized training is available, but keep in mind these spaces often fill up fast. The sooner you can get involved the better.

Training means getting your American Red Cross certification, which helps you for your career and your personal life. Having American Red Cross certification is something that looks good on your resume, even when you are applying for jobs not related to the field of lifeguarding, beside the fact that having this type of training can come in handy in your personal life, even when you are not on duty as a lifeguard.

The same thing is true for your CPR certification. Getting your training and certification in CRP can always end up helping you with both your personal and professional life.

You can find flexible jobs. For some people working as a lifeguard is a great way to fill in part time summer jobs. For others, there is plenty of opportunity for full time, year round work, even in areas such as Easton, Maryland or Mount Kisco, New York where steady work may be tricky to find. As much as you want to work, the hours as a lifeguard are there for you.

When it comes to cool jobs and good paying jobs, few rank as high as being a lifeguard.

There Is No Time Like the Present

If you are looking for something with steady hours and a good income that you can actually enjoy while you are clocked in, you should start your lifeguard training. The potential for jobs in areas throughout the U.S. is certainly there. You can have a career through high school, college and beyond.

Places you can find jobs include:

Local outdoor community pools for summer months in places such as Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Indoor swimming pools at fitness centers
Water parks during the summer months or year round in places that stay warm for a greater part of the year
Colleges with a pool for training for recreational use

With lifeguard training and certification, you could even relocate to an area with a climate that allows for outdoor water sports year round. The bottom line is that with the right training you can quickly be on your way to what some consider the ultimate career.

News & Updates

Surfers, lifeguards eyeing motorized surfboards

Consider a Lifeguard Job this Summer

hbarboy — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:54:29 +0000

There are quite literally hundreds of lifeguard positions to be filled each summer. Lifeguarding is one of the most rewarding careers a person can have. This is especially true at the teen and young adult age level when developing life skills is crucial. Ask any teenager who currently does or at one time worked as a lifeguard, and the feedback will be rave reviews.

The ability to find jobs in areas such as Dunwoody, Georgia or Leola, Pennsylvania where jobs may not be plentiful for young adults increases dramatically with lifeguard training. Of course, even with all of these opportunities for jobs, these spots can fill up quickly. If you want your son or daughter to be able to secure a spot working as a lifeguard, it is time to make sure they get their training so they can start working.

It Is Closer Than You Think

If you live somewhere that gets cold winter weather such as East Orange, New Jersey it may be difficult to think about summer being close. Even those who live in places that see less severe winters such as Buford, Georgia still forget how quickly summer can be upon us. Before you know it, it will be time to break out the swimsuits and open up the pool. In order to get your teens ready for a job as a lifeguard this summer, it is important to help them get started with their training now. The ability to feel more confident by securing a job, and one they enjoy.

Benefits Of Lifeguard Training For Your Teens Include:

The opportunity to earn money and save up for expenses such as a vehicle or upcoming college costs
The skills that will help them develop strong leadership skills and qualities
The ability to learn about having responsibilities and how to manage them
The experience of working in a team environment and taking direction from peers and authority
The confidence and pride of working in an environment where other people’s lives may depend on them
The honor of getting their CPR training and American Red Cross certification
The ability to have a respectable work history that helps with future resumes, regardless of whether the job is directly related to the field or not
The chance to have what is certainly one of the fun jobs or cool jobs, not to mention one of the good paying jobs

Regardless of location, with lifeguard training, your son or daughter can secure a summer job. The thing to realize is the importance of getting your teen enrolled in training now to be able to land a job come summer time.

More Than Training

Training is just one part of it. Get your son or daughter actively involved as early as possible in hiring activities. Recruitment for some jobs in some areas can start quite early. Public pools or water parks, for example, need to be certain they are fully staffed well before season starts. Not to mention that many facilities have their own training and orientation that takes place well before opening day.

Do not wait until all those great summer job positions as a lifeguard are filled; get involved today.

News & Updates

Surfers, lifeguards eyeing motorized surfboards

lvogely — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:26:10 +0000

PONCE INLET — It is “the James Bond surfboard.”

That’s the most common first reaction to the motor-propelled surfboards made by WaveJet, said Kelly Virgulto of the San Diego-based company.

But WaveJet isn’t relying on its “Meet the Jetsons” flying-car flair.

The motorized board has military potential and is a possible game-changer for ocean rescues that’s attracted the attention of Volusia County’s Beach Patrol and other agencies across the country.

And to help mold the new company’s image, WaveJet has hired local surfers. Following the Surf Expo in Orlando, the company came to Ponce Inlet for a filming session last week.

Cory Lopez of Daytona Beach Shores is one of two pro surfers WaveJet is sponsoring, and Patrick Eichstaedt of New Smyrna Beach is producing a video.

Mike Railey, WaveJet’s inventor and CEO, said the WaveJet can push a 250-pound surfer at 7 mph. Lopez tested WaveJet’s speed on a shortboard against New Smyrna Beach’s No. 137 ranked surfer in the world.

“I raced Eric Geiselman the other day and I didn’t even paddle. I was going faster than he could paddle,” Lopez said. “It’s a whole different surfing experience.”

For lifeguards, the WaveJet’s appeal is versatility.

Lifeguard corps in Rhode Island, California, Hawaii and now Volusia County have tested the boards, Railey said.

Volusia County Beach Patrol Deputy Chief Scott Petersohn took a WaveJet out for a test ride last week, and even got in on the filming, wearing a helmet cam like Cory Lopez.

“It’s definitely got applications for rescue,” Petersohn said.

“It’s not a replacement for a (power) ski, the ski is like the workhorse,” he said.

But Petersohn said the four-stroke engines in the skis can unexpectedly not want to start, and the 500-pound machines require a trailer to launch, limiting where they can be put in the water.

A WaveJet could easily go off the inlet side of the jetty rocks, for instance, as well as allow a lifeguard to attend to a victim while moving back to shore or more easily rescue multiple victims, he said.

Continue reading on http://www.news-journalonline.com/>>

News & Updates

HealthQuest in Flemington starting lifeguard competition

Happy New Year from Guard for Life

90-Year-Old Realizes Dream of Becoming Lifeguard

lvogely — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:48:53 +0000

A 90-year-old former professional swimmer and diver fulfilled a dream of her youth when she became an honorary lifeguard at the Ed Isakson-Alpharetta Family YMCA on Friday, Jan. 13.

Hazal, a resident of Sunrise at East Cobb, traveled to the YMCA on a chilly afternoon with some of her fellow residents in tow to go poolside at the indoor aquatic center. She was given her own whistle, lifeguard certificate and lifeguard rescue float before being taken poolside.

Alpharetta’s Y was a stand-in for the Northeast Cobb Family YMCA, which had a 30-foot window blow out due to the high winds the day before.

Being a lifeguard had been a dream when she was a young woman in Dallas, Texas, but that’s all it could be at the time because only men were allowed to be lifeguards at the time. Second Wind Dreams helped her realize that dream.

Second Wind Dreams was founded by P.K. Beville of Marietta on Jan. 15, 1997.

Second Wind Dreams, an international non-profit, celebrated 15 years of making dreams come true for elders in long term care communities on Jan. 13, Dream Day 2012, according to P.K. Beville, the organization’s founder.

See the interview on http://alpharetta.patch.com.

News & Updates

HealthQuest in Flemington starting lifeguard competition

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View complete slideshow of the top 10 college towns at huffingtonpost.com >>

The 10 Best College Towns: Princeton Review List

lvogely — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:55:46 +0000

College towns can be an important part of the college experience. There is nothing better than being able to walk outside of the ivory tower and expand your horizons in a new city.

The Princeton Review recently named the 10 best college towns in the country. Columbia University topped the list (What is better than the Big Apple?) with DC’s Georgetown coming in second.

HealthQuest in Flemington starting lifeguard competition

lvogely — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:08:01 +0000

FLEMINGTON — HealthQuest Family Fitness lifeguards will stack up against one another in their bid to become victorious at the inaugural Best at the Quest HealthQuest Lifeguard Challenge.

The competition’s events will feature a 500-meter swim, a mile run, a 40-yard sprint, a 100-meter rescue board paddle and three-one minute strength events, scoring participants on max reps in push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups.

Lifeguards will be separated into five divisions: men’s over 18, men’s under 18, women’s over 18, women’s under 18 and over 40.

Kenan Lake, aquatics operation manager, said he created the challenge to raise the standard while keeping it fun for department bragging rights.

“I came up with this idea as a way to get lifeguards more engaged in the physical aspect of their jobs. I also want to make this a more fun place to work. A lot of our staff is very competitive, so feeding off of that, I came up with this idea to see who’s best of the Quest.”

Aside from showcasing their skills, Lake knows that the main benefit to the competition is to help participants measure their proficiencies and weaknesses.

“If there’s an area they’re weak at, it’s something for them to practice. It’s important to be at a higher level of physical fitness, and that’s what this is designed to do, to motivate them in a fun competitive way so they can be more proficient.”

The field of 20 competitors encompasses a wide variety of athletes with various backgrounds, some of which include Lake, a former Army infantry squad leader and an adventure racing enthusiast; Army National Guardsman Brent Long; aquatics manager Caitlyn McTeigue, an active rock climber, surfer and military obstacle race fanatic; Hunterdon Central Regional High School senior Brandon Suk, a Monmouth University football prospect; and swim siblings Jess and Samantha, who both are competitors on the Warren Hills Regional High School swim team.

News & Updates

Happy New Year from Guard for Life

Cruise on the world’s largest and most expensive ship

Drowning prevention nonprofits seek “Lifesaver of the Year”

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Cruise on the world’s largest and most expensive ship

Happy New Year from Guard for Life

lvogely — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:59:59 +0000

Guard for Life wants to wish our lifeguards and readers a heartfelt Happy New Year. As 2011 winds down, the New Year reminds us that summer is just around the corner. And while it’s cold outside in most areas across the country, it will only be a few months before warm weather is upon us again – with the excitement of pool season.

With this new season, Guard for Life will be making some really great improvements to the Summer to Win contest (you know, the one that gives away cash and prizes all summer) and we will also be pumping-up our Facebook and Twitter profiles. We are also making things easier for you by improving our online application process. Make sure to apply early this year to secure your spot at your favorite pool!

Guard for Life makes a resolution every year – to improve the lifeguard experience and make your summer at the pool the best ever. Here’s to 2012 – may it be your best season yet.

Happy New Year!

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Cruise on the world’s largest and most expensive ship

lvogely — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:23:31 +0000

The Oasis of the Seas cost a staggering $1.24 billion and took six years to complete

By: Dhwani Shah

After six years of efforts and cost over $1.24 billion to build, Oasis of the Seas is the world’s most expensive and largest ship. Oasis of the Seas is the most expensive ship in history and it is wider, taller, and longer than the largest ocean liner ever built.

Over the years, there have been efforts to create wonders of the seas and the first vessel, built with the sole purpose of cruising, was Prinzessin Victoria Luise in 1900’s. It’s not just the competition that is driving the builders of ocean liners to build massive vessels, but the tourism industry itself. Cruising has now become a major part of the tourism industry worldwide and people have been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for crafting an experience.

A giant step into the future

Imagine an ocean liner carrying nearly 6,400 passengers. Grand, isn’t it? That is how many passengers can the Oasis of the Seas carry. Oasis of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean, is 1,180 feet long, much longer than the prior largest passenger ship and holds the capacity of carrying over 6,400 passengers. The construction of Oasis of the Seas involved a network of nearly 600 subcontractors and provided years of labor to 5,800 man-work. Royal Caribbean’s ships are typically more upscale than those of the bargain Carnival Cruise Lines’ vessels, but they aren’t as traditional as those of luxury carriers such as Cunard.

Make no blunder: Oasis of the Seas will be no clumsy giant. It has three main propellers that will swivel 360 degrees on independent bearings. Everything will be driven by electric motors powered by the ship’s central bank of six diesel generators. The amazing thing is that it will be steered by an integrated navigation and control system, which will make it possible for the captain to move the ship in any direction — forward, backward, sideways — with the flick of a joystick. No tugboats will be required.

Now the wow thing is that, the cruising tourism has accounted for U.S. $29.4 billion and carried over 19 million passengers worldwide in 2011. The swift growth has made it possible for the industry to see nine and more newly built ships catering to a North American clientele, which has kept adding every year since 2001 and others servicing European clientele. Older ships generally service smaller markets, such as the Asia-Pacific region, while the new ships are a trend of the areas with higher growth in the tourism industry.

That means more entertainment options and better amenities

Cruise ships are a comparatively new phenomenon, born from reinventing many of the passenger liners made redundant by affordable air travel. Cruise ships quickly evolved into purpose-built five star hotels, commencing with refitted ocean liners, and then being the biggest vessels having the most on-board amenities.

With its goal of bringing the best of the land to sea, Oasis of the Seas presents its passengers with features such as luxury suites and two-story loft suites measuring 1,600 sq ft with balconies overlooking the sea or walkways. The ship has a casino, a zip-line, a mini-golf course, multiple nightclubs, a karaoke club, several bars and lounges, volleyball and basketball courts, comedy club, five swimming pools, theme parks and nurseries for children.

Continue reading at http://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/oasis-of-the-seas-indeed-a-larger-than-life-experience/

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Drowning prevention nonprofits seek “Lifesaver of the Year”

lvogely — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:26:33 +0000

The National Drowning Prevention Alliiance is looking for a water safety hero

The National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) and USA Swimming are co-sponsoring a national competition in search of the 2011 Lifesaver of the Year. The nomination period, originally set to close on November 30, has been extended through December 16 in response to numerous requests.

“Most of the year we concentrate on the unacceptable number of lives lost due to this preventable tragedy,” said Kim Burgess, NDPA executive director. “So it’s wonderful to focus on those whose heroic actions prevented a tragedy. These inspiring stories will remind us all that one person can make an enormous difference in the world.”

Nominators should visit http://www.facebook.com/NationalDrowningPreventionAlliance, click the “Lifesaver of the Year” contest tab on the left and upload a photo and essay about the nominee. The essay should detail the nominee’s heroism in a water-related incident. Lifeguards, first responders or laypersons may be nominated.

The winner will receive an all-expense paid trip for two to San Diego, CA where he or she will be honored at the 11^th annual National Drowning Prevention Symposium set for March 7-10, 2012. For more information, or to register for the symposium, please visit http://www.NDPA.org.

NDPA and USA Swimming Foundation will select ten finalists. Public voting will begin January 4, 2012 and votes will be collected for one month.

For more information, go to www.facebook.com/NationalDrowningPreventionAlliance.

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