Junior lifeguard, other water-safety courses offered at Mesa business

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

A Mesa business is helping children build water-safety skills with programs ranging from 5 year olds to adults.

A week-long, hands-on Junior Lifeguard training experience for youth ages 12–16 is being held in March. Led by certified lifeguards, the program at Revel Surf Park, 4503 S. Power Road in Mesa, teaches water safety, rescue skills, surf technique and teamwork in a controlled wave-pool environment. It has daily coaching, games and an end-of-week awards and certificate celebration.

Participants should have some swimming ability, said Ryan Armstrong, general manager at Revel Surf.

“Everyone is recommended to have basic swimming skills. The 5-9 age group may be exposed to shallow water but will have staff with them at all times. The older age groups’ itinerary for the week will include more water activity and is recommended to know how to swim,” he said.

Sixteen youth took the 12-16 class last year. The program’s goal is to prepare and expose them to an ocean-like lagoon and water safety, building confidence in themselves and their teammates, Armstrong said.

Some could end up working at Revel Surf Park.

“The goal with the program is to expose students to what they may encounter out in real life and give them the foundational skills to approach those situations with confidence, whether or not their goal after is to become a certified paid lifeguard. Their chances however of getting hired on at Revel Surf in the future having been through our Junior Lifeguard program is much higher having seen how they already work and conduct themselves as an individual and team member,” Armstrong said. “Revel surf’s program is unique in the way that we teach and instruct from a beach lifeguards’ perspective. We introduce a lot of surfing aspects to our Jr. Guards. Both surf culture and how to guard an ocean-like lagoon.”

Junior Lifeguard classes March 9-13 or March 16-20 are $450 a student, which includes the weeklong course, Revel Surf junior guard rash guard, stickers, surfing during the course and 50% off wet suit rentals. Those who complete the class receive a Revel Surf Junior Lifeguard certificate. Go to revelsurf.com to register.

Basic lifesaving skills students learn include CPR, rescue breathing, drowning prevention, water spinal injuries, water rescues and injuries, and how to safely maneuver a rip tide, Armstrong said.

“Most important of all as a lifeguard, they learn the importance and how to prevent water and land instances and injuries before they occur,” he said.

A typical day for the class includes an introduction, review an “assignment” from the night before, stretch/work out, morning swim, break, new skill introduced and practiced, team building activity/games, break, more rescue skills, games of beach flags or beach volleyball or surfing, ending with a pow wow reviewing the day and giving the “assignments” for the rest of their day, he said.

“An ‘assignment’ example would be looking up and watching a portion of a surf movie and coming to class the next day to tell us who and what it was about. Or researching a pro surfer and dressing up as them. We want our Jr. Guards to have an impactful and memorable time with us at Revel,” Armstrong said.

Other water-safety classes

Swimming and water-safety courses are available for other ages as well.

A senior lifeguard’s program for ages 16-18 is planned at the beginning of summer, with dates to be released.

“It will be an elevated and more in-depth version of our Junior Lifeguard program. The idea is to put them through our actual lifeguard training and test to prepare them to become a real lifeguard. They will leave with an actual StarGuard Junior Lifeguard certification, and if we have spots left to hire for in our lifeguarding department, a chance to interview for a job position with us and get certified as an actual lifeguard,” Armstrong said.

The business also offers a guppy guards program for ages 5-9.

“Our mini and guppy guard programs are a much shorter morning/day camp. The idea is to create a fun camp environment to begin to expose them to water and beach safety while making new friends and having fun at the beach,” Armstrong said.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines, https://www.yourvalley.net/civility-checklist/.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.