Lifeguards get ready for yearly competition

Lifeguards at all six of the Arlington Heights Park District's neighborhood pools - a record 299 lifeguards this year - have to be recertified every summer, and they hold regular training sessions throughout the season.

On Saturday, their lifesaving skills will be put to the test, as the different pool staffs compete in the annual Lifeguard Competition, known affectionately by the teens and their patrons, as "guard comp."

Already, posters and banners have sprung up at each pool, building anticipation toward the event, and encouraging their patrons to come cheer on their favorite lifeguards.

The Lifeguard Competition - its 21st edition - takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday at Olympic Indoor Swim Center, 660 N. Ridge Ave. in Arlington Heights. Admission is free.

However, what started out as training reinforcement now serves as something of a talent show, as each pool competes for the coveted "spirit" award.

Pioneer Pool's staff has won the award for six straight years. Last year they turned out in outlandish 1980s workout clothes, as they performed around the theme, "PIO Workout World."

Guards from Camelot and Heritage each arrived in wedding attire, while Frontier staff played out a Las Vegas theme, calling it "Froceans 25." Look for even wackier skits to be featured this year.

While the elaborate costumes and music hook the audience during the first half, the rescues and relays during the second half ground the event as they vie for the "competitive" award, won last year by the Recreation Pool staff.

The eight competitive events range from conscious and unconscious rescues to responding to a surprise spinal injury, and a relay race while carrying equipment. A spirited six-person relay race, in the pool, ends the night, where teams position their best sprinters as the anchor to bring the team home.

Steve Neill, aquatics programming supervisor, says that the event reinforces the response and rescue skills that his staff works on all summer. This season alone, they already have made 24 rescues.

"What the public doesn't realize is how much these guards go through to get certified," Neill says. "All they see are guards sitting up in chairs, blowing a whistle. But they work, very, very hard."

He adds that while the competition is serious, it comes at a good time.

"As summer wears on, lifeguards can lose their focus," Neill adds. "They need to keep their focus during the summer, especially in July, as it gets hotter."