Where have all the lifeguards gone?
A national shortage means many of America’s pools and beaches may be closed or unmanned
Becoming a lifeguard is not easy. In Philadelphia a candidate must swim 300 yards (274 metres) without stopping, complete 12 laps in a 25-yard pool and tread water for two minutes without using arms. They must also retrieve a ten-pound (4.5kg) brick from a well 12 feet deep, then return to the surface and, using legs only, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the brick, holding it out of the water with both hands—all within one minute and 40 seconds.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Where have all the lifeguards gone?”
United States July 2nd 2022
- The fallout from overturning Roe
- SCOTUS, an end-of-term report
- America moves in conflicting directions on gun laws
- Where have all the lifeguards gone?
- Trump truthers are vying to run America’s local elections
- The deaths of 53 people in Texas highlight the perils of migration
- The courage of Cassidy Hutchinson
From the July 2nd 2022 edition
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