Junior Lifeguards Put Skills to Test

The cool lake water beckoned, but 11-year-old Leah Dunbar had something more important on her mind than Tuesday’s triple-digit heat.

Watching her teammates with tight-lipped concentration, amid shouts and cheers, she waited her turn to seize the relay baton. Then her bare feet flew across the sand and her arms pumped like pistons. Crossing the finish line first, she traded high-fives and nonchalantly said she would much rather be learning lifeguard skills than milling around the mall.

“It’s work and it’s fun,” she said. “It’s fun work.”

About 310 children ages 9 to 16 were at Castaic Lake on Tuesday to participate in the annual junior lifeguard competition held by the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department.

Some said they might want to apply for a lifeguard job one day, but many were just there for some cool, clean fun.

The competition is the culmination of a four-week lifeguard skills program. For $180, youths learn calisthenics, kayaking, paddle boarding and first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Sessions are held at Castaic Lake in Castaic, Bonelli Regional Park near San Dimas and Santa Fe Dam near Irwindale.

The program hit all the high points for Christina Zych, 15, of Lake Elizabeth. “I get to make friends, I get a tan and I lost five pounds,” she said.

During a break from the dozens of running, swimming and paddle board events, she said she was having such a good time that she didn’t care if she won or lost her races. “Even when I got last place, I tried my hardest.” But, she added with a giggle, “It’s really bad when the 9-year-olds are leaving you in the dust.”

Program Director Pete Moore said teaching youngsters lifeguard skills fosters a healthy attitude toward competition while keeping them physically fit. It has also saved some lives.

“Over the years, we’ve had at least three kids in this program rescue other kids from pools.” But mostly, he said, it’s four weeks of fun exercise and motivating competition.

“See that boy over there?” he asked, pointing to a chubby red-haired kid. “For the first two weeks, he came in last in every race. Then one of our lifeguards took him aside and said, ‘Hey, if you keep at it, you’re going to beat some of these kids at something.’ In the next race he beat five of the others and he was the happiest kid around.”

Parent Vicki Munoz of Canyon Country said the program has been healthy for her daughter, Sesalee Kennedy, 13.

“She likes the competitive angle,” Munoz said. “It makes her self-esteem much higher, even if she loses, because next time she wants to try harder.”