North Jefferson News, Gardendale, AL

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June 21, 2010

Lifeguard combines love of kids, swimming

By Ben Montgomery The North Jefferson News

GARDENDALE — Carli Patrick currently is the most seasoned lifeguard at the Mountainview Aquatic Club in Gardendale, which may be why she conducts swimming lessons during the summer at the club’s pool.

“I really like kids and obviously I really like to swim, so I like this job because it puts the two together,” said Patrick.

She gives private and group swim lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays, and works as a life guard the rest of her work week.

“We usually start by assessing how well they swim, and how comfortable they are in the water,” said Patrick. “Teaching freestyle swimming is probably the hardest, because they have to put their faces in the water and most kids aren’t comfortable with that.”

Patrick has worked at the club for four years, and has been giving swim lessons for three. She said she has had to rescue somebody from the water four times, all of them children.

“When it gets really crowded, you have to pay attention,” she said. “Something could happen in a flash.”

Lifeguards spend 40 minutes of an hour on the lifeguard stand.

“Especially during the summer when it’s really hot, you kind of lose concentration after so many minutes,” said Patrick. “During our downtime, we sit in the office and get as much air as we can.” While on the stand, Patrick and the other guards use various scanning techniques to make sure everyone in the pool is accounted for.

“In the deep end we’ll count the heads to make sure we’re not missing people,” she said.

Patrick just finished her freshman year at the University of Alabama, where she is a nursing student.

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