Training, Teamwork & Fun: 2026 Lifeguard Games

Aquatics staff from across the South Shore YMCA came together at the Dacey Family Outdoor Aquatic Center for our Association-wide Lifeguard Games, an afternoon of training, teamwork, friendly competition, and celebration of the lifeguards who help keep our Y community safe every day.

Organized by South Shore YMCA Red Cross Training Manager Jackson O’Brien and the Aquatics Leadership Team, the Lifeguard Games were designed to give staff another opportunity to put their skills into action while recognizing the important role our lifeguards play across our branches, camps, and programs. Lifeguards were intentionally placed on teams with staff from across the South Shore YMCA, giving team members who may not typically work together the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and cheer one another.

Chief Operating Officer Serah Selmon joined the team to kick off the afternoon and recognize the responsibility our lifeguards carry each day. She thanked staff for the work they do, often behind the scenes, to create safe environments for the thousands of members, campers, children, and families who participate in Y programs throughout the year.

Then, it was time for the games!

Teams put their training to the test through a series of challenges, including a rescue board swim and rescue, lifeguard swim and rescue, timed backboard carry with a weighted rescue mannequin, and scenario-based CPR and First Aid challenges. A cookout, prizes, giveaways, and plenty of friendly competition rounded out the afternoon.

While the Lifeguard Games brought plenty of fun, the skills behind each challenge serve an important purpose. At the South Shore YMCA, safety is at the heart of everything we do. Our lifeguards regularly participate in drills, in-service trainings, and emergency response practice throughout the year, helping ensure they are prepared to respond when it matters most.

“Seeing where our staff trainings started and where they are now is something to be incredibly proud of,” shared Emilson YMCA Assistant Aquatics Director Sarah Cavalear. “I love the enthusiasm that everyone brings to the department.”

That enthusiasm was on full display throughout the afternoon as staff from across our Y cheered one another on, worked through challenges together, and celebrated what it means to be part of the South Shore YMCA aquatics team.

The Lifeguard Games are also part of a much larger commitment to aquatics education and safety at the South Shore YMCA. As one of New England’s largest American Red Cross training facilities, the South Shore YMCA regularly offers American Red Cross Lifeguarding, Water Safety Instruction, Basic Life Support, First Aid/CPR/AED, Babysitting, Junior Lifeguarding, and other training opportunities. And this fall, our work with the American Red Cross is expanding even further as South Shore YMCA swim lessons become proudly powered by the American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim curriculum, .

Together, these programs create a strong pathway for aquatics education at the Y. Children can begin by learning to swim and developing essential water safety skills, continue building confidence and leadership through programs like Junior Lifeguarding, and eventually pursue American Red Cross certifications and opportunities as lifeguards, instructors, trainers, and aquatics professionals.

Most importantly, that pathway helps us build a safer, stronger community by giving people of all ages the skills, confidence, and training to be safe in and around the water.

We are incredibly proud of the lifeguards and aquatics professionals who came together for this year’s Lifeguard Games, and grateful for the energy, dedication, and teamwork they bring to the South Shore YMCA throughout the year. As Jackson shared with the team following the event, “I am so excited for next year.” And we are, too.