Monmouth County Junior
Lifeguard Programs
Junior Lifeguards used to be
thought of as little kids that would go get the “real”
lifeguards coffee and a soda or lunch up on the boardwalk. That
was then and this is now. Junior Lifeguard programs have sprung
up all over the place and municipalities and beaches are just
starting to feel the effect of these beneficial programs.
Every
morning hoards of kids, ages 9-17 trek to the beach to
meet up with lifeguards that help instruct these kids in the
following:
-
Water and beach safety
-
Working together as a team
-
Build self confidence
-
Health and Fitness
-
Prepare the youth for work as an Ocean
Lifeguard
-
Good Sportsmanship
-
Use of Lifeguard Equipment
-
To have
fun!!!!
Participants are part of a
structured program, nurtured by the United States
Lifesaving Association that usually last a few hours a day. Some
towns have programs that run for 6-8 weeks during the summer and
have enrollments in the range of 200-300 kids.
Each year there are local
competitions amongst the beaches and a regional
competition to test your skills against each other and against
other junior lifeguards from New York to Virginia Beach. There
is also a national competition that Monmouth County sends an
organized team for to compete against some of the best junior
lifeguards in the country.
Junior Lifeguards are
broken down into the following groups:
AA
16-17 years old
A 14-15 years old
B 12-13 years old
C 9-11
years old
Some
beaches have already started “mini” guards or nipper
programs for kids 6-8. This downscaled level of junior programs
gets younger brothers and sisters involved and ease the nerves
of the kids when they start out.
The idea behind these programs
is to not only have a structured environment for kids to learn
about the beach and ocean, but to have fun. As the kids grow
older and go through the ranks of the programs, the local beach
can use these programs as feeders to their hiring of lifeguard
staff. These newly recruited lifeguards usually excel, because
of the history of training due to the junior lifeguard program.
For Upcoming Junior Lifegaurding
Events Please View Our Calendar
For more
information on junior lifeguard programs, contact your local
beach lifeguard headquarters.
