2012 Junior Lifeguard season runs June 19 – July 19

Swim tryouts at Ed Walline Park (South end of CR 393)  Fri., May 18 at 3:30 p.m. and Sat., May 19 at 9 a.m.

The South Walton Fire District’s (SWFD) Beach Safety Division is proud to announce the 2012 Junior Lifeguard Program. For the 5th consecutive year the SWFD Junior Lifeguard Program will be under the supervision of Gary Wise, South Walton Fire District Beach Safety Director assisted by the South Walton Fire District Professional Lifeguards.

The five week program will begin Tuesday, June 19th, 2012 through Thursday, July 19th, 2012. The program activities will be held, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week with 9 -11 year olds year participating from 9am-11:45am and 12-15 year olds starting at 12:15 – 3 p.m. Qualifying boys and girls ages (9–15) will be instructed in many aspects of beach and water safety and environmental topics.

Swim tryouts will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 18th and at 9 a.m. on Saturday May 19th. Both tryouts will be held at Ed Walline Park located at the south end of CR 393 in Santa Rosa Beach.

Registration is limited to the first 60 applicants who meet the swimming requirements and have submitted a completed registration form. Cost for this year’s program is $140 per child, $125 per each sibling.

For more information on the Junior Lifeguard Program or to receive a registration/waiver form, please contact Gary Wise, Beach Safety Director at 850-267-1298 or gwise@swfd.org or visit their site at www.swfd.org and download a registration packet today.

The purpose of the program is:

● To demonstrate and teach water safety while enjoying the beach and Gulf environment

● To promote and develop future lifeguards
● To foster good sportsmanship
● To meet other young people with similar interests and develop new friendships
● To most importantly – have fun

When:
Five (5) week program activities will be held every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday beginning June 19, 2012
and ending July 19, 2012
Daily activities will be divided into two sessions as follows:
Morning session – 9:00 a..m until 11:45 a.m. for 9, 10 and 11 year-olds.
Afternoon session – 12:15 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. for 12, 13, 14, and 15 year-olds.

Where:
Activities will commence daily with a team meeting at Ed Walline Beach Access at the south end of CR 393 in Santa Rosa Beach.

Registration is limited. There is a swimming ability guideline that must be met prior to participating in this program. All participants should be able to swim using proper freestyle form with correct breathing (face in the water) and stroke skills.
9 – 11 years old: must swim 100 yards FREESTYLE in 3 minutes or less
12 – 13 years old: must swim 150 yards FREESTYLE in 4 minutes or less
14 – 15 years old: must swim 200 yards FREESTYLE in 5 minutes or less
All Junior Lifeguards must tread water for a minimum of 1 minute

Swim tryouts will be held Saturday, May 21, 2011 beginning at 9 a.m. at Ed Walline Park, Santa Rosa Beach located at the south end of CR 393. Parents are encouraged to stay for the tryouts – swim portion should be completed within 60 minutes. Registration is limited to the first 50 applicants whose completed registration/waivers are received and swim tryout standards are met.
Cost: $220 for the first child, each additional child is $200.
For more information on the Junior Lifeguard Program  contact Gary Wise, Beach Safety Director at 850-267-1298 or gwise@swfd.org

Download 2012 SWFD Junior Lifeguard application

DAILY ACTIVITIES
Physical Skills
● Warm up exercises, stretching
● Rescue board paddling, open water swimming
● Iron guard – run, swim, paddle, run
● Beach flags and running
● Kayak paddling, surfing, and boogie boarding
● Team relay races – rescue board, swimming, beach run, iron guard
● Rescue technique stations – rescue board, rescue buoy’s, kayak and landlines
● Snorkeling

Educational Activities
● Understanding the Beach Safety Warning Flags
● Understanding rip currents and marine life
● Health – sun safety, exercise, and nutrition
● Being a Lifesaver – what to do in a rescue – identify, notify, respond
● Weather, environmental safety
● First Aid / CPR / AED overview
● Medical emergency competition – beach related case scenarios
● PWC (personal water craft) rescue swimmer crew person instruction
● Lifeguard for a day