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TUKTOYAKTUK
Some community pools in the NWT will soon have more local lifeguards and swimming instructors, says Tuktoyaktok's lifeguarding program instructor.

Kevin Gully checks the breathing of simulated victim, Andrea Tetlichi, while Mary Gordon tightens the straps on the spinal board during a suspected spinal cord injury rescue from a swimming pool. A lifeguard training course took place in Inuvik in June. - photo courtesy of Geoff Solomon

Geoff Solomon is the organizer behind a life-saving and instructor course scheduled to take place in Inuvik from Aug. 10 to 12.

In June, Solomon helped deliver a lifeguard training program specially geared for pools less than six feet deep. The majority of pools in the NWT are above ground and are considered shallow.

"It's basically a lifeguarding course, but it was specifically designed for shallow water pools," he explained.

The course attracted six participants from Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik, Aklavik and Fort McPherson, four of whom passed their exam.

Now, Solomon said anyone who participates in the follow-up course in Inuvik would be certified to both lifeguard their community pool and give swimming lessons.

"If the people did both courses, they can now lifeguard the pools themselves without having to hire from the south and they can give swimming lessons," he said. "They won't have to send people out for training."

The course is available to anyone at least 16 years old who has preferably passed their Bronze Cross swimming exam, Solomon said. So far, eight participants have signed up, but Solomon is hoping to get 15. Funding to attend the course is provided through the Beaufort Delta Sahtu Recreation Association.

The instructor course will teach participants in how to set up lesson plans and techniques on how to teach swimming, which they will then implement in their home communities.

"The idea is you're going to get most of your experience while teaching," he said. "If they have any questions, they can call me up."

They will also be certified to teach swimming lessons anywhere in Canada, although the lifeguard certification only applies within the NWT.

"It's a program for the territories," he said.

The program is offered through the Lifesaving Society of Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

Swimming is an incredibly popular sport in the NWT, Solomon added.

"In Tuk, usually on a busy day, we have about 100 swimmers coming through," he said. "For a community of 800 people, that's quite a large number.

"Kids really love the pool."

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