Meet Canada's Newest Lifeguards!

Congratulations to all of the successsful candidates who became National Lifeguards on November 5th at the Dufferin-Clark Pool in the City of Vaughan!







It was a long two weekends, but we got through it. Thanks for making it fun! You can now proudly say, "I'm a Lifeguard." Stay Alert!


Rob

If you didn't receive your assignment yet....

Please send me an e-mail to rrichard@toronto.ca and be sure to include your e-mail address and I will reply right away.

RR

Assignments and Progress Updates Sent

By now each of you should have received an e-mail from me that provides some comments/suggestions for areas to focus on and your written assignment.

If you have not received it...please let me know ASAP by posting a comment to this posting.

Thanks, enjoy your weekend!

RR

Readings & Practice

I hope you have all caught up on your sleep. Crash courses can be exhausting! As you look towards preparing for the second weekend of the course, be sure to read the assigned sections of Alert: Lifeguarding in Action and the hand-outs that I provided on Friday night. I think you would also find it very useful to review the medical emergencies (causes, symptoms and treatments) that you learned in your standard first aid course.

Everyone should try and find some time to get to their local pool for some practice. Adult swims are usually the quietest times. Most facilities will let you borrow their 20 lb brick for practice if you tell them you are taking an NLS course. If in doubt, phone ahead and speak with one of the aquatic supervisors. What to practice? EGGBEATER! Spinal turnovers (deep and shallow), Fitness skills (see LSS Ontario website)

I will be sending your assignments out over the course of the next few days.

RR

NLS Pool, City of Vaughan, Dufferin Clark Community Centre

October 20 - 22, November 3-5, 2006
Welcome to the course!

You never know where your NLS may take you!

The desire to explore has always been at the forefront of my dreams. The early space pioneers were a source of inspiration but it never seemed possible to me that I would have a chance to explore the final frontier.

I turned instead to the exploration of inner space, the undersea world that so many of us find exciting. As I pursued my SCUBA training, I also completed my Bronze Medallion, and became a Lifesaving Society Instructor, Examiner, and National Lifeguard.

The team spirit associated with lifeguarding and participating in lifeguard competitions provides some of my fondest memories. Developing self-confidence and leadership skills; experiencing the joy of hard work and the benefits of persevering through demanding tasks; and learning to have the courage to follow your dreams; are all skills developed in aquatics that helped prepare me to accept the responsibility of caring for others as a physician and currently physician­/astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency.

Now the team that I lead is working to take humans beyond low earth orbit to extend the time/distance constant of human space exploration. The experiences that I had training and working as a lifeguard helped prepare me for the future; for the opportunity of my dreams - a chance to fly in space!

Dr. Dave Williams
Canadian Astronaut & NLS Lifeguard