Being accepted as a Lifeguard was an honor, being accepted among your peers was priceless.

Competitive as Young Lions

By John Slowsky

2004

Story Author: John Slowsky
Lifeguard from 1969 – 1973
Notable achievements:
Member of 1st Rookie Team
National Champion in Lifeguard Competition
Brother of the first Female Beach Lifeguard in Modern Era

Wow, many stories, many experiences and all of them were molding a young man into adulthood with responsibilities beyond his age. Being accepted as a Lifeguard was an honor, being accepted among your peers was priceless.
My simple joyous story begins on Bluebird Beach in the middle of the summer when the water is warm and beautiful. Bluebird was an easy beach to guard, mostly because it was so small and with the locals to your left (playing volleyball) and the numerous rocks straight out in front, the only real area to keep your eye for danger was to the north in front of the Surf and Sand Hotel. Charlie Ware, my best friend and fellow Lifeguard was guarding at Mountain Road to the North, with the Surf and Sand sandwiched between us in equal distance. Although we were the best of friends, we were also as competitive as young lions. Charlie could swim circles around me, but I could do the same to him on foot. Charlie was easily the fastest in the water on the force, and I the quickest on foot. (That's how I won the Nationals).
I remember always having a fancy for Fudgesicle, the ice cream. I still have a problem with ice cream and my body shows it. But on this particular day there was no fear in the tower, beautiful summer day, sparkling water with an occasional set of substantial size waves, but really no rips or cares. From training with Dale Ghere and Jack Lincke, we were taught as guards that if a rescue was questionable, hit the water anyway and check it out before it became an issue. Anticipate the problem when it was still in doubt and resolve it before it became an emergency. The worst thing that could happen was that you took a swim in the element that you loved so much anyway.
So there I am with a Fudgesicle in my mouth when I see a little girl in front of the Surf and Sand beyond the shore breakers on one of those suicidal, flimsy, blow-up rafts. The little girl was about 10 years of age and obviously unfamiliar with the water by the way she struggled on her little raft. From my vantage point I could see a set coming in its slow march towards shore. I could also see that this little girl appeared to be in the perfect spot to catch the impact zone when this wave finally made it to shore. So I hit it, jumping out of my tower to take an easy jog down the beach without my fins and still with my almost consumed Fudgesicle in my mouth. Don’t ask me why I remember the ice cream but it’s true. Well as soon as I started making my move down the incline of the beach I looked way up North and saw Charlie Ware in the same action and motivation from Mountain Road. We must have both saw it at the same time and at the same time looked for each other in the distance.
Then the testosterone kicked in and it was off to the races! Damn, no way I’m going to let Charlie beat me to that little girl, no way! I suck down the last of the Fudgesicle and toss the stick out of the way as I’m bolting at full speed. Charlie fired into high gear exactly the same time I did and the both of us are completely oblivious to anybody else on the beach. I'm grinning just telling this story all over again. I know I have an advantage over Charlie while we’re still on land, but I know he’ll surely catch me and possibly pass me in the water unless I keep a spark of a lead.
I always try to imagine what this might have looked like if you were staying at the Surf and Sand Hotel from your balcony. Two, young, blond stallions charging down the beach in their sunbathed red trunks carrying their bright red emergency tubes; I mean the contrast to everyone else slowly moving on this beautiful day compared to two red blurs descending on one obvious location. Where are they going? Where's the emergency?
Sure enough that lumbering wave finally made it to the shelf right in front of that little girl on her suicide raft. It must have looked huge to her and even more impressive to the people on the beach that never even saw it forming. This next part, try to read it really fast :) Wham! I pop my tube and in one motion I have it across my body while I’m still in midair before making my first plunge. Wham! Charlie hits the water next to me in almost the exact same time which alarms me so I have to sprint like there's no tomorrow. The wave has reached its peak and is cresting to break; the little girl is sideways and at the bottom of the impact zone. You could see her little eyes the size of saucers. Stroke, stroke, stroke goes the two sprinters with their trailing red tubes. I’m not gonna give Charlie the satisfaction of getting to her first... Crash goes the wave onto the little girl and almost instantaneously two lifeguards have dove below the crashing wave, caught the little girl under that lip, pulled her through the other side and lift her out of the water. She is both stunned and relieved as she becomes aware that she is suspended by a lifeguard on either arm.
It was a tie; both Charlie and I are staring at each other as this little girl is raised over our heads. We both have grins surrounding our faces and the satisfaction that this race was so much fun. We both make the short swim in with this little girl and are greeted by her parents that are too grateful for what they just saw. Charlie and I wrap our tubes before setting off in opposite directions back to our separate towers. With a wave and a smile I bid my friend farewell knowing I’ll probably see him later after work as we spent many a summer evening together. On the walk back to Bluebird I find my stick from my Fudgesicle (no kidding, I really did) and make my way back to my tower thinking to myself, “That was so much fun”.
The next morning was one of those days where the entire Lifeguard Squad met at Main Beach for training and briefing from Dino Westgaard (you remember those?). Well, while sitting there with the rest of the guys in the sand as Dino standing on the deck of the main tower, began to make an announcement that yesterday the Headquarters received more phone calls from citizen’s praising how good their Lifeguards were than any other time in recent history and that it was on a Green Flag day. On top of that, all of the phone calls came from visitors staying at the Surf and Sand Hotel. I remember it was bothering him to know what happened. He points to the both of us sitting in the sand with the other 50 guards and asks if we could illuminate. I remember the both of us staring at each other with this dumb look on our faces because to the both of us, we didn’t have a clue. There was nothing special yesterday… then we both flash on the little girl at the same time “Ah… it was this rescue of that little girl” and I remember the both of us feeling almost embarrassed. We had accidentally made a small thing a big thing and we were just having fun. I know we didn't tell the whole story and Dino was suspicious. We figured it best we keep it to ourselves. Lifeguarding was a lot of fun and I'm a better person because of it.

“Danger in Paradise”

“Danger in Paradise”

By Charlie Ware

September 28, 2009

As one of the first four Rookies in 1968, my duty was to report to Main HQ each morning by 10am and work out for the first hour prior to hiking to the outer beaches to provide relief to the “regular guards” through out the day. At 16 years old, each and every day, lifeguarding was met with great appreciation. Most of my first few days on the job were filled with learning from the veterans on each beach and attending routine training sessions. I was told by most seasoned guards that many had not had to respond to a major incident each summer and that outside of the occasional big surf rescue, the days in the sun were mundane. I believed that, except Dale Ghere’s training had emphasized constant vigilance. Even more so, when the surf was flat and all appeared well. Those words couldn’t have rang more true than on a packed 4^th of July weekend my first summer in the chair. Getting to the Dante’s tower (that’s what it was called back then due to it’s location right in front of Dante’s Bar and Restaurant next to Hotel Laguna) by early afternoon to spell the guard for an half hour would be just as simple as the previous three stations on that Coney Island like day, I thought. The gay party was raging at Dante’s with an over flow crowd on the patio and music blasting through out the beach. A large luxury sail boat had anchored a few dozen yards out just to the south of the tower with strapping young party goers swimming back and forth to the beach and up to grab a cocktail or two. I followed each swimmer back and forth as they churned in the water and each group managed to make the trek with some degree of effort, except for one. After slowly dog paddling to shore a slender, Speedo clad reveler, began crawling on all fours up the wet sand only to collapse face up with exhaustion. I threw the phone to alert the need for back up and raced to the waters edge and notice he was unresponsive I gave him two puffs of air and his eyes flashed open and he calmly remarked he was OK and just need to rest a bit. Was this some sick ploy? His buddies carried him to the dry sand as Punky Parlett arrived in the unit with the resuscitator. He waved us off and said he was fine. The ambulance was sent away and Punky advised me to watch him as he laid there trying to recover from his taxing swim. Not two minutes had passed and along with the gathering crowd, I noticed his eyes closed and his lips turning blue. I began rescue breathing and by the short time Punky had returned with oxygen he was self breathing and transported to SC Hospital for a full recovery. My first real medical aid rescue and I almost walked a way too early thinking I had done it right. As I let my nerves settle down a bit in the chair, I recalled Dale’s training words of being constantly vigilant even in the most pristine settings. I learned very early that looks can be deceiving and that there is the possibility of danger in paradise.