Newport Beach Junior Lifeguards take on the summer surf in the program’s 40th year

Whatever the final number of visitors to Newport’s famous beaches this summer, add 1,433.

That’s the number of boys and girls who have qualified for Newport’s hugely popular Junior Lifeguard program, now celebrating its 40th season.

The Junior Lifeguard program is run by the Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division and is under the direction of Lifeguard Training Captain Gary Conwell, who has been with the lifeguards for 28 years (19 of those years full-time).

But all the kids need to know is to pay attention to the taller people in red bathing suits with commanding voices and whistles around their necks.

The ages of the participants range from nine to fifteen years. Hopeful Junior Lifeguards were tested last March; each age group had to swim 100 meters in times ranging from one minute 35 seconds to one minute 50 seconds depending on the age groups. Fortunately, there were no currents or waves to affect the times, just the shouts of encouragement from parents and friends in the stands at the CdM or Newport Harbor High School pools.

Without delving into the official data, Conwell estimates that more than 30,000 children have completed the program, and quite a few have become full-time or seasonal lifeguards over the years.

“I started as a junior lifeguard,” Conwell said, “and at least three-quarters of our employees or more were once JGs on a beach in Orange County.”

There are currently 15 full-time lifeguards in Newport, with that number growing to 225 seasonal lifeguards in the summer.

Starting June 18, at 9 a.m. or 1 p.m., the three-hour, four-day-a-week physical challenges and learning experiences began.

“Our sessions focus on teaching participants to recognize potentially hazardous conditions associated with an ever-changing aquatic environment,” Conwell said. “The activities will focus on developing ocean skills, lifeguarding skills and physical fitness.” There is also a booklet – essentially a manual for junior lifeguards – on which each participant is tested at the end of the program to determine their “beach knowledge”.

Conwell says the “program is challenging, but also a lot of fun; it inspires the children in so many physical and mental ways. It lays a strong foundation for independence and beach consciousness. After the seven weeks are over, you can see their growth and comfort in swimming, running, and being respectful.

Over the life of the program, the JGs will have competed in multiple events, including a seven-and-a-half mile run on the beach. Some tests may be challenging for some children, “but we are here to help them through any obstacles that may hinder their participation,” Conwell said.

Because kids are kids, there are always a few disciplinary problems, which are usually eliminated after requiring push-ups, cleaning up trash, or taking away fun activities.

Lifeguard instructors everywhere emphasize the three Rs. No, not those three, these three: Respect, Responsibility and Representation.

For four decades, the Junior Lifeguard program operated out of a trailer on Ocean Blvd., adjacent to the Balboa Pier. But on June 6, the public was invited to celebrate the opening of the special $7.8 million, 5,400-square-foot Junior Lifeguard Building – a dream come true that cost $7.8 million and was paid for with the help of of federal funds. through the American Rescue Plan Act ($5.2 million) and private donations ($2.052 million) through the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguard Foundation.

As will be taught and emphasized at the new headquarters, safety always comes first, Conwell said. This means not only for the participants in the program, but ultimately for many thousands of recreational beachgoers, but also for the lifeguards themselves.

For Newport’s lifeguards – both junior and full-time – preparation includes optimal physical fitness, unwavering attention to the sea and the crowds enjoying the surf – and plenty of sunscreen.