As aquatic professionals we always want to have the best staff possible, because in the long run it makes our jobs much easier and our pools safer. So on this day of Thanksgiving I want to share some ideas on how to build the starting blocks of a great aquatic staff. First you must recruit the “best of the best”; this does not mean the faster swimmer or smartest student but the one with heart. I often tell people I can teach technical skills to anyone, but I can not teach one of the YMCAs most important core value---caring. I look for staff that can genuinely show respect for each other, care for the lives they are protecting and can strive to do the best they can. Recruit from the lifeguard...
Fall always signaled two things for me when I was working in the YMCA. First it was my favorite season of the year so I brushed off my hiking boots and looked forward to conversations around the camp fire. But at work it meant budget preparation and forecasting time at the YMCA. As with most organizations on a year end calendar the last quarter was often tight due to the holidays, and this year you have the added tough economic times of our country. So, programming staff often resort to creative ideas to help offset some of their departmental expenses. One such program that many of you may be thinking about is the Flick and Float or Dive in Movies, which is simply a movie that is projected in...