Boot Camp on the Beach : Youths Endure Summer of Push-Ups, Jellyfish Stings to Be Junior Lifeguards

Sixteen-year-old Jessica Roberts has devoted four summers of her life to the beach, the waves--and the push-ups.

Roberts is among 850 local youths who are in the city’s eight-week junior lifeguard program, which teaches aspiring lifeguards about first aid, ocean currents and the most important lesson of all: discipline.

Discipline here comes in the form of push-ups.

“You can almost say that it’s a semi-military program,” said program coordinator David Simcox, 48, who believes that strict training is a precursor to water safety. “We’ve never had a water-related accident in 31 years.”

The students quickly learn to address their instructors as “sir” and “ma’am.” And never, never to say, “Yeah.”

“Probably the biggest discipline is you can’t say ‘Yeah,’ ” Roberts said.

The penalty is push-ups.

During the first week, rule breakers must drop and do 10 of the motivating exercises, 20 for infractions in the second week, 30 in the third and, for the truly slow learners, as many as 80 by the eighth week.

Despite the grueling six-mile runs, mile-long ocean swims, classroom instruction and push-up training, about half of the students return every year. Most of the summer campers, who range in age from 9 to 17, want to become lifeguards.

Apparently it is good training; about half of the lifeguards on Huntington Beach are veterans of the city’s junior lifeguard camp and another 20% went to similar camps elsewhere.

On Wednesday morning, 150 12- and 13-year-olds in red swim trunks and surf caps took their morning swim around the Huntington Beach Pier, forcing anglers to temporarily pull in their lines.

Roberts of Huntington Beach was one of about a dozen veteran campers who assisted younger swimmers during the exercise. She guided them using a yellow buoy and had to help two victims of jellyfish stings back to shore.

“You take (what you learn here) with you wherever you go,” said Roberts, who was promoted to “safety aide” this year after three years of training.

She is among a handful of students who, because they have shown exceptional leadership skills and a desire to become lifeguards, earn that title or the highest designation of captain. Captains receive specific lifeguard training while working on the beach with full-time lifeguards.

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The program, which costs $160 for 40 four-hour sessions, began in 1964 with 35 boys. Today, a little more than half are boys, and the number of girls has grown every year.

“There’s no separation of physical activities,” Simcox said. “In fact, a lot of our girls are stronger and more physically fit” than the boys.

By the time the campers move into the oldest group of 14- to 17-year-olds they have learned many of the skills needed to be a lifeguard, said Tom Denny, who is one of the 18 instructors.

All the youths who graduate this summer will earn the title of junior lifeguard. Some may earn a second- or first-lieutenant badge and a few will become safety aides or captains.

“It’s a lot of fun ‘cause I’d just be at home watching TV until 12 if I wasn’t here,” said Angela Neill, 12, of Huntington Beach.

Amanda Weeks remembers being scared during her first swim around the pier.

“You say, ‘Well, that would be cool if you could learn how to control yourself and not go hysterical,’ ” said Weeks, 12, of Fountain Valley.

For many program graduates, these lessons of endurance and respect are hard-won. Still, they manage to make the most of their youthful spirit.

“Six-mile runs and pier swims turn out to be fun somehow,” Roberts said.