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07/13/2022 08:30 AMRecent closures and hour restrictions at local beaches due to a lack of lifeguards is a reminder of how tough a job on the beach can be. It takes a very special mindset and skill set. Head Lifeguard at the Madison Surf Club Tessa LeMay is one of those special people who can watch your kids, bandage their cuts, and save their lives all in an afternoon’s work.
Tessa grew up on the shore and says she was drawn to lifeguarding at an early age.
“I really have been interested in this a long time, and I’ve been lifeguarding really ever since I could get a job as one. I grew up in Essex and so I worked at the YMCA and I also lifeguarded up at Cedar Lake in Chester” says Tessa. “I’m not quite sure what I want to do with my career. I am currently a communications major and minoring in psychology, but I know I want to help people. I know that might sound ‘cheesy’ but that’s the one thing I know that I really want to do. It’s incredibly important to me to help people and that’s why I think lifeguarding has always interested me. It is such a great job to get.”
Tessa has been with the Madison Beach and Recreation Department for several years and has earned her way to the top spot at the Surf Club.
“I started as a guard and last year I was a supervisor and this year I became Head Lifeguard,” says Tessa. “Since COVID and the shortage of lifeguards, it has been a little more difficult for some beaches like Rocky Neck and Hammonasset, but we have such a great group of guards, and even though we have a lot of new guards, they have trained extremely hard and have transitioned well here,” says Tessa. “I am very proud of the work they’ve done, but luckily we have been staffed a bit better than a lot of beaches. We have such a great staff here.”
When asked what an average day is like, Tessa laughs because there really isn’t an ‘average day’ for most lifeguards. Days are often a long, hot, mundane chore, or a non-stop parade of cut feet, tired swimmers, and lost kids.
“There always seems to be something that goes on. Recently we’ve had a lot of filming going on. Several movies were filmed around the beaches,” Tessa says. “Most of our work as lifeguards is preventative. So it mostly just us making sure people follow the rules so that they don’t get hurt or get into trouble. But we do have rescues, where swimmers have just gotten tired and needed our help to get back in. Even in the relative calm waters here, you can still get into swimming trouble. We deal with a lot of foot cuts. Sometimes some pretty deep ones, because of the rocks nearby. The hands and feet can really bleed so we are trained for that. There is also heatstroke potential as well. We always try and watch and keep eyes on people we think might be at risk.”
According to Tessa, her crew trains regularly so that they can respond both physically and mentally to the challenges of their responsibilities.
“We actually start with a group workout every morning. One thing we try and stress here is mindfulness, which I am very passionate about. We like to incorporate yoga and meditation to put our minds in the right place. So, we take care of our minds and our bodies. We also train daily and weekly, and so we get out there practicing on the [rescue] boards or doing different drills or practicing first aid. We actually do a lot of training beyond just what is required to get the job, and then we’re on the stands pretty much all day from eleven in the morning until five,” says Tessa. “There’s always a lot that goes on in between then. The public really keeps it interesting.”
Tessa says ultimately the job is about safety.
“Our main goal is simply to keep everyone safe and to make sure everyone is OK. We’re here to facilitate that,” says Tessa. “We’re pretty well trained here, so for the most part that’s what we rely on and how we deal with the day,” says Tessa. “The residents are usually very respectful and we have a great patrol staff here. We don’t have a lot of complaints, unlike some beaches where the crowds can get really big. The patrol staff can deal with what happens off the beach, and our sole focus here is the beach and keeping it safe.”
According to Tessa, patrons of the beach are very respectful and know the rules. She does have a few recommendations for any beach goer.
“We always want people to know their limitations, which is a difficult thing to do,” Tessa says. “We see a lot of kids that are well monitored by their parents, so we definitely want people to know their limits. People want to swim out to the buoys, but everyone, no matter their experience can get tired, especially after a long day in the sun, so preventing an incident is always better than having to deal with an emergency. Even when it’s just a little bit wavy, it can create conditions that make it much more difficult to swim, so remembering that is important. Our staff is always looking for any potential issue. We are about preventative work, so if we see a sign that someone might have difficulty, we monitor their behavior. We used to have a no grabbing buoy policy, but last year we had some kids swim out and grab them, and it was hard to tell if they were just playing or if they were tired and were trying to rest. They actually were in trouble, and they had become tired, so the biggest advice is to know your limits.”
Tessa says being part of the Surf Club crew and the Beach and Recreation Department is very rewarding for her, and the staff.
“This is why I love working here despite the sometimes stressful things that can happen,” says Tessa. “You’re responsible for people’s lives, so that can be stressful. But we work really well together and I just love the job. It can be a lot of work so you really need a crew that works well together and work with each other to succeed.”