Getting Water Safety Certified

[raymcc]

Getting Red Cross certified was necessary to becoming a lifeguard at the local public pools, which I had done for he two prior summers. Become WSI certified enabled you to teach and certify others. My love for all things water - swim team, water polo, lifeguarding, being in the sun was well established.

It was December, senior year in high school. All the tough academics were over, Swim team was wrapped for the year, college applications done...it was basically 'what can I do to make the end of this year interesting?'. I had heard a class was offered at a well known University about 45 minutes drive from home. I had just turned 18, and the thought that I had a chance to hang out at a university one night for the next 8 weeks had a lot of appeal. In addition to branching out from high school culture, it would be a window into what to expect at college. I applied, was accepted, and headed to my first Thursday night class.

This is well before GPS, so navigating to the right place was not easy, but finally I arrived at the large swim complex, got registered, and found myself in the bleachers with 18 others, 2/3 guys, and what appeared to be from my age up to maybe 30.

After orientation, we were directed to locker rooms to change and get ready for in pool training. After three years of swim team, being in a strange locker room with other naked guys was not a foreign feeling. Different however was being with guys in speedos who were older than me. Now, having just finished the swim season, I was in pretty good shape 5'11' and 145, but there was a difference between this 'late teenage' body and some of the semi-adults. We were all directed back in the bleachers, and to some degree, everyone was checking each other out, while mostly paying attention.

I'll admit to noticing one guy in particular. A mop of dark curly hair, big dark eyes, and probably 6'1. Smallish shoulders - definitely not a swimmer, but attractive.

A lot of the activities are rescuer/rescuee. That is one pretending they're in distress, and the other approaching the victim, and manipulating them in a way that enables them to take control and get them to safety. Naturally this requires a lot of body contact - and doing that with a complete stranger was both foreign and a bit exciting.