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Junior Lifeguard Program

JUNIOR LIFEGUARD PROGRAM & STAFF

The Junior Lifeguard program is a twice a week one-hour class that is geared towards very active 8 to 14-year-olds who want to run and swim in the ocean. This program is based on the oceanfront and is intended for swimmers who are comfortable in the ocean. The instructors are all certified ocean lifeguards and the program staffs 1 guard for every 6 participants. Junior Lifeguard class does not get cancelled for rainy or cold weather and all children are expected to participate in all activities. Safety is always a priority and if participants choose not to show up or not to take part in all the exercises they will have to forfeit their enrollment in junior lifeguards. The lifeguards make this class a fun way to be active, learn rescue techniques, enjoy running and swimming with like-minded friends and gain general ocean safety-skills.

BROOKE BOWERS

Brooke has been a lifeguard with Saltaire for 7 years, and is coming back for another summer coaching Junior Lifeguards. Going into her senior year at the University of Alabama, she studies physics, using that knowledge to one day break her own island-wide shell-skipping record. Brooke is well-known- and feared- amongst the Saltaire Lifeguards for her tough morning kayak workouts, often paddling to the Montauk Lighthouse and back. “It’s the best way to start your day- better than coffee!” She will be swimming the Cross Bay Swim for the fourth time this year, though her preferred means of travel across the bay is by jet ski. Brooke founded Alabama’s Jet Ski Team and set a Gulf of Mexico flat water speed record of 74 mph. The only other SOR member known to beat that record is Bridget Darcy, clocking in at 91 mph. She’s looking forward to another solid summer!

KENDALL MESSLER

Kendall is returning again for her 4th summer with Saltaire Ocean Rescue. Kendall is a proud graduate of the Junior Lifeguard program, having joined when she was 8. Having risen through the ranks to become an Ocean Guard, Kendall often reflects on “the good old days” of junior lifeguarding where she says she learned her most valuable life skills. In fact, she often credits her success in life to her former coach, Dan Hunter. She is best known in the Fire Island community for her ‘Lighthouse Stairmaster’ club- a group that meets at sunrise on Saturdays to climb up and down the lighthouse steps for an hour. In the offseason, Kendall works in the fashion industry in NYC, though eagerly looks forward to her evening birdwatching sessions back in Saltaire. “It calms me down after a stressful day at work.” She’s ready for another summer of strong effort from the juniors!

MAXWELL BOWERS

Maxwell is returning for his 3rd summer lifeguarding at Saltaire. As the second of the Bowers bloodline to join Saltaire Ocean Rescue, he credits his success to his older sister, Brooke, who he thanks for shaping him into the lifeguard he is today. Maxwell will be headed to Bryant University next fall, where he’ll be playing lacrosse and studying bakery science. When he’s not on the stand, Maxwell can be found on the football field or playing lacrosse, though his favorite pastime is surfing. As leader of his high school’s acapella group, he is known locally for singing tunes while he surfs. “It really connects me with the ocean,” he claims. Maxwell is hoping for some monstrous swell this summer so he can be towed behind the jet ski into some waves. He’s pumped for another summer with the junior lifeguards!