Running late, I speed into the Matt Ross Community Center parking lot Saturday, September 10th while the clock on my dashboard turns to 2:15. I park my car, grab my bag, and begin to briskly walk into the building, my whistle bouncing against my chest with each step. The brick crosswalk underfoot, the flags blowing in the breeze, and cars driving on the busy streets of downtown Overland Park greet everyone who visits the center. Pushing my way through the glass doors, the employees at the front desk look up, notice my blue life guarding shirt, black swimsuit, and blue whistle, and the return to their work. Walking past the front desk, the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the pool show that we are down a guard, and it is only moderately
…show more content…
The ceiling suddenly becomes lower, causing a sense of claustrophobia, because the gym is directly above this pool. There are only four people swimming: three girls playing basketball in the water and one man swimming laps. I greet the guard and tell him that I have the water which he responds, “It’s clear”.
As the half hour goes by, many different people of all races, genders, and ages hop in the this pool, realize that it is much colder at only 80 degrees, and gasp as their heads come back up. Their laughing is a harsh contrast from my stoic outlook. Many older patrons then walk up to me, only to turn and go into the saunas behind my stand. This always makes me feel anxious that they are going to ask me questions, and I quickly change my body language to appear more approachable. To pass the time, I review the different ways that we are taught to perform CPR so as to overcome my boredom.
In the last five minutes of this rotation, the older man swimming also hops out of the pool and makes his way over to me, towel in hand. “You look lonely now that everyone’s gone,” he …show more content…
When it seems like only a few minutes have passed, the microwave clock reads 3:55, signifying that my break ends in two minutes. I angrily toss my phone back into my bag and refill my water bottle. Once it has been two minutes, Emma and I exit the guard room and walk to our stands, restarting the rotation. This job can be very mundane and repetitive, but when there is actually an emergency, it leaves me wondering if I would be able to react in the correct way and quick enough in order to actually save someone’s life. I guess that is why we practice our skills so much so that in case of an actually life threatening situation, we will be able to act with ease and
The ceiling suddenly becomes lower, causing a sense of claustrophobia, because the gym is directly above this pool. There are only four people swimming: three girls playing basketball in the water and one man swimming laps. I greet the guard and tell him that I have the water which he responds, “It’s clear”.
As the half hour goes by, many different people of all races, genders, and ages hop in the this pool, realize that it is much colder at only 80 degrees, and gasp as their heads come back up. Their laughing is a harsh contrast from my stoic outlook. Many older patrons then walk up to me, only to turn and go into the saunas behind my stand. This always makes me feel anxious that they are going to ask me questions, and I quickly change my body language to appear more approachable. To pass the time, I review the different ways that we are taught to perform CPR so as to overcome my boredom.
In the last five minutes of this rotation, the older man swimming also hops out of the pool and makes his way over to me, towel in hand. “You look lonely now that everyone’s gone,” he …show more content…
When it seems like only a few minutes have passed, the microwave clock reads 3:55, signifying that my break ends in two minutes. I angrily toss my phone back into my bag and refill my water bottle. Once it has been two minutes, Emma and I exit the guard room and walk to our stands, restarting the rotation. This job can be very mundane and repetitive, but when there is actually an emergency, it leaves me wondering if I would be able to react in the correct way and quick enough in order to actually save someone’s life. I guess that is why we practice our skills so much so that in case of an actually life threatening situation, we will be able to act with ease and