Lifeguards, swim instructors ready to provide safety, teach
Dan, Zach and Ben Frates needed a summer job. But where could three accomplished young men – CPR-certified Eagle Scouts (actually, Ben is nearly an Eagle) with extensive athletic backgrounds – find jobs that would put their talents to maximum use?
The answer came when their father read a help wanted ad in the paper. They responded and a couple of months of intensive training later the brothers have their summer job nailed – lifeguards and swim instructors at the brand new Morgan Hill Aquatics Center.
The Frates siblings are among 60 or so lifeguards and swim instructors from Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Hollister and even South San Jose, according to City Recreation supervisor and Aquatics Center coordinator Aaron Himelson. Most of them are in their late teens and early 20s, and most of whom will do both jobs – keeping the pool safe as lifeguards and teaching people to swim.
While many of the center’s lifeguard/swim instructor staff have prior experience, most had to complete a pair of five-week certification programs – one for lifeguards and one for swim instructors – including about 80 hours of training, as well as 20-40 hours of specialized in-house training, Himelson said. Center staff rented the Live Oak High pool for 10 weeks in March, April and May to complete the training programs while the center was being completed.
“We want experience where we can get it – that’s a plus,” Himelson said. “But we also have to train people. We will hit the ground running with high-quality personnel.”
The Aquatics Center is set for a grand opening Saturday but Himelson said center staff will have a chance to get in some work at the facility’s pools before then.
One of the most experienced center staff members, according to Himelson, is Lifeguards Supervisor Becky Weaver, who helped put the lifeguard/swim instructor program together.
Weaver, 25, is entering her ninth summer as a lifeguard. She began her career at the age of 16 in Wisconsin where she grew up. Weaver managed a pool facility in Utah for several years when she was attending Brigham Young University, and has experience teaching CPR classes and other advanced safety courses.
Weaver, who is married and pregnant with their first child, is looking forward to the center’s opening and getting the program under way.
“I’m looking forward to the community coming out and enjoying the different aspects of the center,” Weaver said. “We have an excellent variety of courses offered and programming. There is a wide range activities for different ages and skill levels. Many communities don’t have the luxury of a facility like this.”
The Frates brothers sure think so, even though they’ll be working.
Dan, 20, is a 2002 Live Oak High grad and Gavilan College student who is preparing to transfer to the University of Hawaii in the fall. He said he found out about the Aquatics Center opening after his younger brothers had already applied. But it didn’t take him long to recognize a good opportunity.
“What could be better than working outdoors with your friends and your brothers,” Dan said. “It’s a great way to earn money for college. And, it looks really good on your resume, too. It’s a lot better than flipping burgers over the summer, and I’ve done that, too.”
The brothers are all athletic and have been heavily involved with Live Oak sports. Dan competed in football, volleyball, soccer and track, and served as the Acorn junior varsity boys volleyball coach this spring.
Zach, 18, is a senior at Live Oak who graduates Friday. He competed in football, rugby and lacrosse.
And, Ben, 16, is finishing his junior year at Live Oak where he competes in football, rugby and lacrosse – and also spent some time on the swim team.
Zach, who is planning to attend UC Riverside in the fall, said the allure of the job goes beyond earning money for college and summer fun.
“It’s pretty respectable to participate in something where you can save people’s lives,” he said.
Ben said he had always thought about becoming a lifeguard and the construction of the Aquatics Center offered the perfect opportunity to live out that dream. This is Ben’s first job.
“I enjoy aquatics and I enjoy being around the water,” he said. “And, it’s a pretty cool summer job.”
Zach and Ben will be joined on the Aquatics Center staff by several Live Oak classmates, including juniors Breanna Stevenson and Steven Shope.
Making the transition from the private to the public sector, Felecia Kinsella worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor for the Jackson Oaks Homeowners Association’s swim facility in Morgan Hill, and is already certified.
Kinsella, 18, is a 2003 Live Oak grad who competed on the Acorn water polo and swim teams.
Dan Frates said the Aquatics Center offers young people in Morgan Hill and the surrounding area an invaluable and long-awaited recreational opportunity.
“For the longest time, there was no theater or bowling alley (in Morgan Hill) – there was nothing for young people to do,” Frates said. “Now there’s something to do in Morgan Hill.”
