Much drama over very small things
As of yesterday, Dustin (the guard who told me how weird it is working with teenagers) knows my age. He finally asked what my birth year was after I laughed at him for listening to 'old people music' (but seriously he asked me if I had heard of Simon and Garfunkel...). He said "Well that's great that you moved up here at only 17!"
I told him "I've been waiting for you to figure it out since you told me how weird you find working with teenagers."
He laughed and then his eyes went wide "Oh yeah... Oh no! Well played!". After a pause- "So that's why you said maybe not all teenagers are like that!".
It was a delightful moment.
Much lower on the scale of delights was a patron that I dealt with today- a very angry patron being very angry about a very little issue.
On Saturdays here, swimming lessons overlap slightly with lane swim. At the end of lessons, while I was guarding the lane swim, an instructor very helpfully went around cleaning up the equipment. He picked up a kickboard, not realizing that it was being used by a woman lane swimming. She became very angry, and he gave it back and apologized and walked away. She took the kickboard and swam to the other side of the pool where I was standing guarding, and said "Hello, do you think it is okay for kids to be in the pool during ADULT lane swim? Because I wasn't prepared to see kids here when I came."
I was taken aback. Not prepared? What? I said "During Saturday lane swims we hold swimming lessons-"
"Kids can't be in the pool during ADULT lane swim? Do you think that's reasonable?"
"They are in swimming lessons. This isn't-"
"When I come into adult lane swim I don't expect to see any kids! You need to put on the schedule that there will be kids here! We need to know what to expect!"
"It is advertised-"
"It's not on the schedule! We read the schedule, not the advertisements! You need to show this on the schedule!"
"It is on the schedule. Adult lane swims are on Monday to Friday. This is not-"
"I don't want to see kids when I come swimming! I wasn't prepared! It needs to be on the schedule!"
She expressed her fury at the presence of children for over a minute, then turned and swam away without letting me explain why it had happened. When she finally left the pool, still furious and telling anyone who would listen about how 'unprepared' she was to swim with children, so wrote a comment card complaining about 'that ginger' who 'took her kickboard' (I didn't...) and 'was rude'. When the front desk staff asked what was wrong, so explained the situation, and they pointed to the schedule behind them that showed that this swim was a public lane swim, not an adult lane swim at all, and that swimming lessons were on the schedule right next to the lane swim.
She left slightly quieter, but probably not as embarrassed as she should have been.
The other guards and I laughed about the whole situation. If there is one thing about lifeguarding that is guaranteed, it's that it will give you thick skin. I remember the first time I had a patron angry at me- I was a new shallow water attendant and I went to the staff room and cried. Bailey told me I would get thick skin. Well look at me now Bailey (pretty sure she doesn't read this blog)! Today I got torn into by a furious and misinformed patron and left laughing. Two of the newer guards I was working with who had watched the whole thing go down told me they didn't know what they would do if someone talked that way to them. I used to be there and I've come so far! Moments like these make me feel more certain that I am ready to be a head lifeguard and supervise these lifeguards and assistant guards.
I'm ready for a day off.
- Aliya
I told him "I've been waiting for you to figure it out since you told me how weird you find working with teenagers."
He laughed and then his eyes went wide "Oh yeah... Oh no! Well played!". After a pause- "So that's why you said maybe not all teenagers are like that!".
It was a delightful moment.
Much lower on the scale of delights was a patron that I dealt with today- a very angry patron being very angry about a very little issue.
On Saturdays here, swimming lessons overlap slightly with lane swim. At the end of lessons, while I was guarding the lane swim, an instructor very helpfully went around cleaning up the equipment. He picked up a kickboard, not realizing that it was being used by a woman lane swimming. She became very angry, and he gave it back and apologized and walked away. She took the kickboard and swam to the other side of the pool where I was standing guarding, and said "Hello, do you think it is okay for kids to be in the pool during ADULT lane swim? Because I wasn't prepared to see kids here when I came."
I was taken aback. Not prepared? What? I said "During Saturday lane swims we hold swimming lessons-"
"Kids can't be in the pool during ADULT lane swim? Do you think that's reasonable?"
"They are in swimming lessons. This isn't-"
"When I come into adult lane swim I don't expect to see any kids! You need to put on the schedule that there will be kids here! We need to know what to expect!"
"It is advertised-"
"It's not on the schedule! We read the schedule, not the advertisements! You need to show this on the schedule!"
"It is on the schedule. Adult lane swims are on Monday to Friday. This is not-"
"I don't want to see kids when I come swimming! I wasn't prepared! It needs to be on the schedule!"
She expressed her fury at the presence of children for over a minute, then turned and swam away without letting me explain why it had happened. When she finally left the pool, still furious and telling anyone who would listen about how 'unprepared' she was to swim with children, so wrote a comment card complaining about 'that ginger' who 'took her kickboard' (I didn't...) and 'was rude'. When the front desk staff asked what was wrong, so explained the situation, and they pointed to the schedule behind them that showed that this swim was a public lane swim, not an adult lane swim at all, and that swimming lessons were on the schedule right next to the lane swim.
She left slightly quieter, but probably not as embarrassed as she should have been.
The other guards and I laughed about the whole situation. If there is one thing about lifeguarding that is guaranteed, it's that it will give you thick skin. I remember the first time I had a patron angry at me- I was a new shallow water attendant and I went to the staff room and cried. Bailey told me I would get thick skin. Well look at me now Bailey (pretty sure she doesn't read this blog)! Today I got torn into by a furious and misinformed patron and left laughing. Two of the newer guards I was working with who had watched the whole thing go down told me they didn't know what they would do if someone talked that way to them. I used to be there and I've come so far! Moments like these make me feel more certain that I am ready to be a head lifeguard and supervise these lifeguards and assistant guards.
I'm ready for a day off.
- Aliya
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