Lifeguard Training – On-Site Classes Enhance Safety

With one third of in-camp activities taking place on the waterfront, and trips visiting lakes and rivers every day, Kabeyun strives to have more than half its staff hold Red Cross Lifeguarding certifications each summer. This recently became easier, now that two staff members, Alex Hill and Eliot Golding, hold Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor (LGI) certifications, allowing Kabeyun to teach lifeguarding and CPR courses directly at camp.

In the past, Kabeyun asked staff members to earn the certification on their own. Many counselors completed the course at a pool near their home or school. In some years, Kabeyun arranged for a group of our counselors to take the course at another New Hampshire camp in early June.

“I’ve done it every which way and taking the course at Kabeyun is definitely the best,” said Sam Dyer, our Head of Trips, who’s recertified as a lifeguard six times.

Teaching Lifeguarding and CPR at Kabeyun before campers arrive offers a few advantages, according to Eliot, our Assistant Director. The logistics are simple, it can be more affordable than finding an independent course, and “it helps bring our staff members together sooner and lets them build the bonds that will enhance their experience and that of the boys once they arrive.”

Most importantly, there’s a significant safety benefit.

“Our program is safer because we can spend longer where we need to,” Alex explained. “We’re not on someone else’s timetable. Obviously, we need to train in the generics, so our lifeguards can be lifeguards anywhere. But then we also can train in Kabeyun specifics.”

For Sam, the site-specific training feels reassuring.

“Taking a YMCA course felt very removed from my actual role as a lifeguard at Kabeyun,” he said. “I also like that we use our equipment, which means we know where it is if we ever need it. Overall, it sets us up better for success.”

Alex, a stalwart of our sailing staff, was the first to earn his LGI certification in the spring of 2021. This proved immediately valuable, as so many counselors needed to be certified or recertified after COVID forced the Red Cross to pause its training programs. Eliot earned his LGI certification in 2022. Over the past two years, the pair has trained nearly all of Kabeyun’s lifeguards, including our counseling interns, who learn lifeguarding and CPR as part of their summer curriculum.

There is one drawback to learning to lifeguard at Kabeyun: Lake Winnipesaukee can be quite chilly in mid-June! In 2023, it was so cold that many counselors borrowed or purchased wetsuits after their first morning in the lake. For future summers, Kabeyun hopes to rent a pool for the first couple days of instruction and then come back to our waterfront to complete the training. 

According to Sam, the staff will be prepared no matter what.

“Now we have a fleet of wetsuits to loan out to others!”