When it comes to new waters, sophomore Samantha Riley is no stranger to them.
Samantha, who has been on the swim team for two years, created two new school records during the 2023-2024 swim season: First place for the 200-freestyle relay, and second place for the 200-medley relay; both at states.
She said her prior experience from being a junior lifeguard helped her swimming techniques.
“The ocean is a lot harder to swim in than the pool,” she said. “So it took a lot more strength in order to swim there.”
Samantha had been a junior lifeguard for two years when she lived in El Segundo, California, when she was 10. She decided to join the program because she had always loved participating in water-related sports.
“I thought [the junior lifeguard program] could be fun to try, especially because my friends are doing it,” she said. “And [in the end], it was genuinely really fun to do. So I just decided to keep doing it.”
The program lasted from the end of school in June, to the start of the new school year in August. The training sessions began in the morning, each lasting four hours. They kicked off with stretching, then running and swimming following it.
A challenge Samantha faced during training was running onto the beach after swimming.
“You’re already exhausted and out of breath, and running on sand is already difficult as is,” she said. “So when you’re cold and wet, and you’re just soaking, trying to get as far as possible and quickly, it was extremely difficult.”
Samantha was also required to learn how to see underwater with no goggles.
“[When catching air], you have to guess or look where you are at,” she said. “And because you are closing your eyes, you do not want salt in them. So you have to close them again before you get injured,” she said.
A benefit Samantha has from being a former junior lifeguard is being able to hold her breath for longer periods of time.
“The instructors told us that when we’re in more calm areas, we have to keep our heads up,” she said. “But if it’s more in rough waters, it’s better to keep your head down and to just hold your breath.”
One of the most dangerous situations Samantha was placed in was diving and scavenging within rough waters.
“[The instructors] made us swim out to the far far buoy, and they said, ‘Everybody’s gonna go down to the bottom and grab some sand. If you don’t show us sand, we’re gonna keep doing it’.”
Junior Lifeguards were not allowed to leave the ocean until they showed the instructors an item.
“I would say [I had to dive] 13 feet down [to get sand],” she said.
Her greatest accomplishment from being a junior lifeguard was participating in the Taplin Relay. It consists of running, swimming, paddle boarding, ski paddling, and canoeing.
“I got to compete in that as part of a team,” she said, “and that was really fun.”
Aside from the rigorous training, Samantha’s favorite memory during the program was the “spirit week” at the end of the summer.
“There was a picnic day, there was a dessert day, and there was a surf day,” she said. “There were fun days where you could do whatever you wanted, just to ease up at the end of the year.”
