Training

Before the season starts every summer, COR lifeguards must go through a hardcore, 2 week training session. And when I say hardcore, I mean hardcore. The days begin with an hour long beach workout every morning at 8 AM, and then are filled with rescue scenarios, First Responder class, USLA training, COR protocol, more workouts, and various other important things (house cleaning tutorials, aquarium visits, the Duck Research Pier, N.E.S.T. training). Here’s an example of an average day of training:

8:00 AM-9:00 AM: Workout (wetsuit, buoy, fins needed)
9:30-1:30:First Responder/CPR-rookies/equipment training-vets
1:30-2:00: lunch
2:00-4:30: Beach Scenarios from stands
4:30-5:30: House cleaning tutorial

The days are long and intense; our calves are continuously sore from the beach running, and by the end of training most of us are sporting medical tape around our feet to cover up the many blisters we get from working out in the sand. Many of us also tend to reek of peanut butter; I swear lifeguards go through the stuff like it’s ice cream, especially during training when meals need to be quick and energy intensive. I think I went through an entire Costco sized jar my first summer in two weeks. Aside from training us to become professional rescuers, these two weeks are also an incredible opportunity for us to get to know the other COR staff members. We’re all together 24/7; we work together, train together, eat together, surf together, go through pain together, and hang out together, and of course… party together. By the end of the two weeks, we’re more than just staff members; we’re a family, and we’ve got each other’s backs through whatever the summer may bring.

My first summer, Alexis and I came down to the beach without knowing anyone on staff, and we had absolutely no idea what to expect from COR. Well, when we arrived, Corolla happened to be experiencing quite a nasty little Nor’easter. It was windy, cold, and the swell was so strong that the waves were lapping up against the dune line. There was not even enough beach to run on during a few workouts. Even though I have been swimming my entire life, as well as playing water polo for Penn State, I nearly shit a brick when we hit the water for the first time during training. The waves were easily double overhead, and Alexis and I looked at each other thinking, “What did we just get ourselves into?” I could not even make it out past the breakers. I’ve only seen the beach like that one other time since then, but I suppose it prepared us for the worst possible situation. It also made us all grow a little hair on our chests.

This year, fortunately, we’ve had quite a few nice days during training. The water has been pleasantly warm as well; many of us have been going “bareback” (without wetsuits) when we’re doing workouts or out surfing. And speaking of surfing- there’s been some nice, fun waves during this training as well, which means earlier wakeups and staying out in the water till the sun goes down. But, now were supposedly about to be getting hit with a nice Nor’easter, meaning rain, wind, and of course…massive waves. Wednesday is looking to be several feet overhead and messy. Haha, good luck, rookies, and welcome to Corolla.