Nozomi Aquatic Center
Chandler, Ariz.
Category: Training
Highlights
• An annual daylong Fun Run helps lifeguards learn to work together through the oppressive Phoenix heat.
• The 3.5-mile run includes complex exercises, with teams required to do extra work if a member makes a mistake, motivating better communication among team members.
• Operators believe the Fun Run accelerates the process of learning important team-building lessons.
When it comes to pools, lifeguards serve as the first responders. They are trained to be alert and always on the lookout for anything that’s not right in the water.
But working outdoors in the desert heat can be exhausting. In Chandler, Ariz., summer temperatures reach as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
As a result, an integral part of Nozomi Aquatic Center’s lifeguard training involves learning to maintain effective communication and camaraderie while working in extreme heat.
“When life is at stake, communication and teamwork are equally as important as rescue skills,” says Jessica Chamberlain of the city’s Aquatics Division.
To simulate the exhaustion guards experience toward the end of an 8-to-10-hour shift, the Nozomi leadership team developed an innovative 3.5-mile jog designed to build confidence, resilience and leadership skills.
Endurance and team building
The Fun Run is a one-day in-service that takes place during the preseason.
Lifeguards trade swimsuits for running shoes, forming two single-file lines. The first four members of each line hold a backboard over their heads. Early in the run, they are called to “switch,” meaning the lifeguard at the end of the line must sprint to the front and assume the leader position while the remaining guards fall back one spot.
As the run progresses, the instructions become more difficult. For example, at the 2-mile mark, guards holding boards above their heads must lower them to just above the shoulders. Then each must place the board over the shoulder opposite of the guard directly in front of them, so the boards alternate from right to left down the line. This is where they learn to communicate.
If a team member makes a mistake, the run is halted, and the team performs pushups, leg lifts or planks. This challenges guards to navigate the physical elements while reflecting on group functionality. The end result is a more cohesive team, Chamberlain says.
The Fun Run has a long-standing legacy at Nozomi Aquatic Center. Since its inception nearly 15 years ago, all 600 guards who participated have conquered the run. In doing so, they acquired the skills and peer support to act with confidence during an emergency.
Accelerated learning
Led by Facility Coordinator Ben Stuetelberg, Nozomi’s leadership team works each year to improve the run’s effectiveness, crafting an environment that safely stresses the body physically and mentally over the course of three hours. Lifeguards are monitored to ensure they do not show signs of distress.
The important lessons of the run often take peers at the city’s neighboring pools an entire season to attain, Chamberlain says. Since the Fun Run began, lifeguard response times to real and mock emergencies have gone down, and margins of error have been improved through enhanced communication.