ELON, N.C. - Leading up to the start of the Elon University women's soccer season, players and members of the coaching staff will share what they have done to prepare for the upcoming season.
 
Featured in today's edition is senior midfielder Grace Bennett. She talked about her experience working as a lifeguard at Corolla Beach Rescue during the summer.
 
Question: Explain what Corolla Beach Rescue is?
 
Answer: "This summer I worked as an ocean lifeguard for Corolla Beach Rescue, which is a private open water lifesaving service located along the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina. I worked eight hours a day on stand, five to six days a week. Depending on the stand that I was stationed at for that specific week, I covered anywhere from between a quarter to a full mile of beach, along with a supervisor on an ATV. I was the first responder on the beach to any problem that arose in my stand zone.  We were the first people to radio in a problem, whether it be a water rescue, or an issue on land. I felt like I became a jack of all trades, whether it be dealing with a rip current rescue, paddleboard rescue, multi-victim rescue, sting ray injuries, broken bones, lost children on the beach, wildlife, patrons with heat exhaustion, or other medical emergencies. I also got to work alongside 40 amazing coworkers, which became some of my best friends very quickly."

Question: Explain the process of getting selected for the program?
 
Answer: "I heard about the program through a former cross country runner here at Elon, who had worked there in the summer of 2016 and said that she had an incredible experience. I sent in an application in early March, which included my experience as a captain of the women's varsity soccer team here at Elon, previous lifeguarding experience, and physical fitness testing times. I received a call back from the director a few weeks later who invited me to try out in late May. We were required to pass a 500-meter swim in 10 minutes and run a mile in less than eight minutes. If we passed both of those on our first day in Corolla, we underwent two weeks of open water lifesaving training, a lot of physical fitness in rough ocean conditions, and first aid scenario training.  We were then hired to work for Corolla Beach Rescue as certified members of the US Lifesaving Association."
 
Question: What was the training that you did to prepare for the experience?

Answer: "I started preparing for the job in early March after I applied.  I spent at least four days a week in the pool, training for our 500 meter swim that I'd have to pass when I reported in May. I was already in decent running shape from our spring season, but ran about an additional eight miles a week.  We had two weeks of open water lifesaving training in Corolla, CPR training, medical training, and fitness training before we became certified members of the United States Lifesaving Association. We also swam long distances in rough ocean conditions, ran barefoot on the beach to toughen our feet, and learned many different rescue techniques, including active, passive, and spinal victim rescues, paddleboard rescues, rip current rescues, and multi-victim rescues."  
 
Question: What was the most challenging part of the preparation?
 
Answer: "I think that the most challenging preparation occurred during my first two weeks of preseason training/certification in late May. Although I spent a lot of time in the pool during the end of my spring semester, swimming technique in open water is completely different, especially when dealing with choppy swell and rip currents.  My feet got absolutely torn apart and toughened up in the first two weeks as well, since our whole entire job and training was completed barefoot in sand."

 Question: What was the most interesting part of the experience? 

Answer: "I'll never look at the ocean the same way again after working for almost three months on the coast every single day. Within two weeks of working, every time I stepped over the dune in the morning, the first thing that I would mentally snapshot was the location of rip currents, lateral current direction, wind movement, and swell height. Our most important job as lifeguards is to be preventative. We entered the water if needed, however, if I came out of the summer with 40 rescues, I obviously didn't do my main job correctly. Our organization is all about educating the public, and being a proactive, not a reactive lifeguard when it comes to our biggest issue of rip currents.  I tried to talk to every single patron that came down my beach access in the morning, warning them of rip current areas, other water conditions, and tide changes. I stopped viewing my workplace as "the beach", and instead came to respect the water and its power very quickly."

"However, I think that the best part of the experience was getting to spend my summer with the 40 best coworkers anyone could ask for.  Every single one of us came from a different walk of life, ranging from age 18-40.  I can easily say that I worked with 40 people who loved the water, and loved their job.  We came from all different places ranging from Hawaii, to Texas, to Oklahoma, to Ohio, to California.  However, we all shared a certain personality tick, had each-others' backs in the water, and lived and breathed our motto: "A life lived for others is a life worth living." 

Question: How did the fitness aspect of the life guarding help you prepare for success this upcoming season?

Answer: "95% of my summer was spent either running barefoot on sand, or swimming long distances in rough ocean conditions during morning training sessions.  Cross training, especially swimming, definitely improved my lung capacity, and I toughened up my feet for 3 months.  My entire job was physically challenging and kept me very mentally alert, both of which are keys to success for our fall season."

Question: Were there any other things you did during the experience that you did to prepare for the season?

Answer: "I definitely ran a lot on my own on the beach, and spent quite a bit of my off days practicing with the ball in small grassy area (rare) in Corolla. As I said before, the majority of my job was very physical, but I also improved my decision making and mental toughness while on the job every single day."