Beach season may be hard to picture with the ground still covered in snow, but the East Hampton Town Recreation Department is already preparing kids for the summer ahead, with training, evaluation, and testing for the junior lifeguard program happening at the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter set for Sundays through late June.
An ongoing mechanical issue at the pool could force a cancelation of this week’s evaluations, so it’s best to call ahead to check on the pool’s status.
The free sessions are for new and returning junior guards who will be between the ages of 9 and 15 by July 1. They run from either 1 to 1:45 p.m. or from 1:45 to 2:30. All young people who will take part in the summer ocean safety program must pass a pool swim test. Some can do so in just one session at the Y, but those who need to improve have a chance to work with lifeguard instructors every Sunday until they are ready for timed and paced swim tests.
In their first session, trainees will be asked to tread water, swim underwater for 10 to 15 yards in the deep end of the pool, and swim the freestyle stroke for 50 yards. If, after the initial evaluation, they need more instruction, they will continue on Sundays until they can pass timed and paced tests that vary according to their ages.
Sign-up is online through the town’s Recreation Department portal. The summer junior lifeguard program runs on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 to 11 a.m. from late June through early August at Atlantic Avenue Beach in Amagansett or Kirk Park in Montauk.
A Nipper Guard program for younger trainees ages 6 to 8 by July 1 takes place at bay beaches. Training, evaluation, and testing for that program begins on April 12 at the RECenter.
Anyone 15 or older by July 1 who aims to get their stillwater lifeguarding certification can join in a skills and conditioning program at the RECenter on Sundays from 2:30 to 4 p.m. They need not be good swimmers yet to take part. The first session of that program was this past Sunday. It will continue through March 29. The cost is $50.
The stillwater lifeguard certification course begins on April 6. An ocean lifeguard certification course, for guards who will be 16 or older this summer and are in good swimming shape, begins on May 26 at the Maidstone Club.