Splash! Jumped in the three kids with nothing but smiles on their faces. It was labor day also known as the saddest day of the year. The summer was coming to an end and it was my last day at the outdoor pool until the next year. It was a hot ninety-five degrees and there was a cool breeze blowing through the air. Fall was on its way. I walked through the huge metal gates and into the lifeguard office that was to the left. Once all nineteen of us were prepared for the upcoming shift with whistles on, hip packs prepared, and water bottles filled, we completed our ten-minute pre-shift in-service training. Three o’clock rolled around and we headed out to stand. 

Sitting on a stand for the final day brought a mix of emotions. All the unforgettable memories that summer had brought and the lifelong friendships I had made came pouring through my head. 

We had been audited three times that summer. We exceeded every time. Being audited was both thrilling and nerve-racking. It was our time to show off all our hard work and dedication we put into what we do every day. All the hours of in-service training had led up to those very moments. Being primary in audits was my favorite. It was my job to take charge and lead my team to success. Both rapids and spinal skills were displayed. Before every audit, I always had such an adrenaline rush thinking the whole scenario out in my head, but when the time came, everything I had just thought about disappeared and my body just took to second nature. “Exceeds, exceeds, exceeds,” the auditor said. Showing off what my lifeguard team and myself do best was always a highlight of the summer. 

I had made some of my best friends that summer. Memorial Day was always the most awkward shift because the winter guards combined with the summer guards and no one really knew what to think. After three months of working sixty-hour weeks, we all became a big family. We all hung out together after pretty much every shift. We went bowling every Friday night. Our go-to place to get food after work was always the McDonalds down the street from the pool. Some of the best memories were made in that parking lot. I have met some of the most amazing people from lifeguarding. 

I had seven saves that summer. One of which was twin three-year-olds. They had fallen off their tube in the lazy river. (I still don’t know why three-year-olds were in the lazy river by themselves. Some parents seem to think lifeguards are free-paid babysitters.) I long whistled and jumped in saving both of them. There was also a time where this little boy pushed his sister into the pool and she began the drowning process. I long whistled, jumped in, and saved her too. You always have the best feeling after saving someone. Knowing the impact you have on guests’ everyday lives is such a warm feeling. Hundreds of people trust their lives in your hands every day. 

The time that labor day flew by. After rotating through all the stands, the time came at seven o’clock. “Tweet, tweet, tweet,” blew the head lifeguard. It was closing time. Everyone exited the water, gathered their belongings, and left for the last time that summer. Saying goodbye to the summer guards that summer was tough. They were all leaving to head back to college and I had known I wasn’t going to see them again for another five months. But you know the hardest goodbyes, just make the next hello that much better.