Lifeguarding In The Pool: A Personal Analysis

In 2013, Angela Duckworth, a research psychologist and associate professor at University of Pennsylvania, gave a TED talk on the topic of grit and how it is a significant predictor of success. As a competitive swimmer and lifeguard, I can relate with her topic and the persistence I personally needed to succeed in these activities. I started swimming competitively in the second grade and have continued through high school. Being a busy high school student with homework, responsibilities, and other extracurricular activities and hobbies, there are many days when I don’t feel like getting into the pool. In order to succeed in the pool, I needed portray grit and perseverance in order to maintain the demanding schedule. Lifeguarding demands physical …show more content…
Swimming has taught me the art of perseverance and tenacity. Giving up has never been a part of my character and swimming has helped me hone in on these skills and grow as an individual outside of the pool. The only way to improve, swim faster, and make better times is to practice. It’s just like learning an instrument: the more you perform, the better you become. Throughout my high school swimming career, I have dedicated approximately 20 hours a week for practices and occasionally free time on weekends, which has shown results of improvement. I took the same approach when I attended lifeguard training. I was determined to become a certified lifeguard. Meeting the swimming requirement was not difficult, but studying for CPR, AED, and first aid requirements were more challenging. However, this was not the most demanding part of the process. Although the classroom tools are valuable skills to learn, the training cannot prepare you to rescue someone who is in distress in the water. You can practice it, talk about, watch training videos, but it doesn’t become applicable until you are the person responsible for rescuing someone’s