Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Our people: Guard duty

CMI staff writer

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link Lilian Bowe: Cllovis Media Inc.

Caitlin Dial watches the swimmers at the Clovis Aquatic Center on Thursday afternoon.

Caitlin Dial, 17, keeps a vigilant eye on the swimmers as she has to be ready any minute to jump in and rescue a swimmer in distress.

Dial has been lifeguarding at the Clovis Aquatic Center for four years. She was born and raised in Clovis and will be soon graduating high school.

The reason Dial became a lifeguard was because of her schedule as part of the Clovis High School swim team.

“Becoming a lifeguard was a lot easier to fit into my schedule,” Dial said.

Dial wanted a job, but she needed flexibility, so she could still go to practice and she said that lifeguarding just fit for her. Since she was a good swimmer and loved to be at the pool, lifeguarding was the perfect job.

Before she could even apply for the lifeguarding job she had to take about a 25 hours and 20 minutes course to get a two-year certificate as a lifeguard. Dial was 15 at the time and that is the youngest age to apply for a lifeguarding certificate.

Dial had to learn teamwork, rescue and surveillance skills, first aid and CPR/AED in the training. Dial said it was not an easy course to take.

After she passed the course and got her certificate, Dial applied online for a lifeguarding position at the Clovis Aquatic Center. After an interview with the director of the pool, she got the job and been working there since.

Dial said she only had to rescue two people since her time at the pool.

“I was administering a swim test and they did not know how to swim, so I got into the water,” said Dial about both the rescues she had done.

One of the incidents actually happened on Wednesday where Dial had to rescue a swimmer who was submerged.

Dial is a senior at Clovis High School and also takes courses at Clovis Community College while taking regular class at the high school.

 
 
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