Arlington Hts. lifeguards strut stuff at end-of-summer competition

The 11th annual Lifeguard Competition was an evening filled with laughter and friendly competition among the lifeguards of the six Arlington Heights Park District pools.

A crowd gathered on July 24 to watch as lifeguards representing the six neighborhood pools competed against each other at Olympic Indoor Swim Center. Each pool adopted their own theme, which they incorporated throughout the competition.

While all six pools competed very well, there could only be two winners of the awards. Camelot Pool won the Guard Competition Champions award after a tie breaker with Heritage, making it the first year that there was a tie.

Although they didn't get the competition award, Heritage Pool took home the Spirit Award for demonstrating the most team spirit.

In the end, the Lifeguard Competition is not about winning the awards, but having a good time. Steve Neill, aquatic program supervisor, agrees.

"Lifeguards work hard each and every day ensuring the safety of all our pool users," he said. "It is nice to have a fun event just for them where they can showcase their skills and compete against each other."