Mendham High School (MHS) senior Lindsey Ingrey, during most summers, was easily found in the water. She was a member of the summer swim team since age six, then a member of the Morris County Club during her elementary and middle school years. She quit prior to high school, then joined MHS swim team her junior year.

From July to the end of August, Ms. Ingrey was back in the water at the Chester Area Pool. This time, found sitting in one of the lifeguard chairs. “I’ve always been a swimmer, and I used to swim there every summer. I’ve just always wanted to be a lifeguard, it was something that my friends and I wanted to do together when we were older.” Ingrey found herself in the lifeguard position after her certification in the summer of 2018. She enjoyed the whole process, from certification to the job, since “you get to know people who go to Mount Olive, or Roxbury, or Central, which is something I feel like I don’t really get to do here. ‘Cause when we play them at sports and see them at events we’re usually just with our friends.” Ms. Ingrey was glad to get to know other people through her certification and job at the Chester Area Pool.

To gain her certification, Ingrey worked over four days on various situations she would find and skills she would need on the job as a lifeguard. “It’s less swimming than you think it would be,” Ingrey went on to detail that the certification made sure that she could swim 4 laps for 100 yards, perform a variety of lifts to get people out of the pool, have general practice and knowledge and response for different situations she might encounter, and there was a first-aid component. “I had to get certified in CPR and other first-aid.” In the end, Ms. Ingrey earned her certification through both a practical and written exam.

On the job, Ingrey found only a few downsides: “It was a lot of time in the sun, so I don’t like getting sunburned. It’s a lot of sunscreen.” She also commented on how it would sometimes cause headaches, since there was quite a bit of eye strain from the sun, especially if she did not drink enough water. Even with those few things, she still loved her job as a lifeguard.

Despite already having an avid interest in swimming, the public service aspect of lifeguarding also drew Ms. Ingrey to the job. She has always participated in volunteer work as a kid and through growing up. Even now she is an active volunteer in the community, considering Ingrey served as a Vice President within the Service Club at MHS her junior year. “I’m really involved with my church. I’ve gone on mission trips to Guatemala.” However, she does not view her lifeguarding experience as something pertaining to her future in college. Instead, she would rather keep her public service and volunteer work outside of her major.

While Ms. Ingrey views her summer as not incredibly noteworthy, it is for certain that her summer was as busy as ever as a lifeguard at the Chester Area Pool.