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YMCA program features lifeguards in training
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Kristin Miller, Guard Start coordinator, talked to the class about the proper way to swim. The students swam laps with and without the kickboard, working on form and breathing control.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Boardman's Damon Brickley (left) and Benjamin Baklarch practiced swimming during the Guard Start Camp at D.D. and Velma Davis Family YMCA. The camp is one week and is only offered in the summer.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Guard Start Camp staff members questioned students on water safety. This is the first year a lifeguard program has been offered in a camp-type format.
The D.D. and Velma Davis Family YMCA taught Valley children the skills necessary for becoming a lifeguard during the GuardStart Camp.
The program focused on water safety skills and gives aspiring lifeguards a knowledge-based foundation to build upon. The camp was held June 21-25 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
GuardStart coordinator Kristen Miller said the course was just an introduction to life guarding, not a certification. The minimum age to become a certified lifeguard is 16. The course taught participants what causes drowning, how to prevent drowning, first aid and CPR.
“It’s a fun way to introduce kids to basic lifeguard skills,” said Miller.
The program is only offered in the summer and this is the first time it has been given in a summer camp-type manner.
Austintown’s Lisa Good said she enjoys swimming and this was her first time going through GuardStart Camp. She is only 10, but plans to become a lifeguard once she reaches the legal age.
“It combines swimming and helping people, so it’s the perfect pair,” Good said.
Many camp participants said they were learning a lot about safety and what to be cautious of. The course also taught kids how to keep themselves and others safe by abiding by pool rules and reporting dangerous behavior. The swimmers worked on their open swimming skills and were quizzed daily on what were taught.
Boardman’s Debora Shannon, 12, has been swimming since she was 5. She has her mind set on being a lifeguard and thinks GuardStart Camp will help her reach that goal.
“I want to become a lifeguard when I’m older,” she said, “I think this class will make it easier.”