I know many of you are curious as to what I do all day at the pool so I thought I would give you a quick day in the life of Maria at the pool. Please enjoy!
*This is a true account of a work day this week.*
7:13 am - Phone rings waking me up. Who is it? Lifeguards who have been at the pool since 6:30 am to guard for swim team just wanting to say "Hi" because they love me so much :)
7:18 am - Phone rings again. Who is it? Lifeguards trying to be funny by blocking their number and talking in strange voices. Again, because they love me!
7:25am - Text message. Who is it? Lifeguards telling me they are hungry and asking if I'll go to Chic-Fil-A to get breakfast (On a side note I did leave them a note that said I would pick up breakfast for them and to call me around 8:30am). They apparently think 7:13am is around 8:30am
7:30am- Shower and Get Ready for the pool (this includes black bathing suit, black shorts, white polo shirt, and sandals)
8:15am - Head to Chic-Fil-A to pick up breakfast
8:45am - Go to Bank to get Start-Up $ for the Pool
9:15am - Arrive at Pool with breakfast, start-up $, and a happy face
9:40am - Go to pump room to adjust chlorine and acid along with turning on water to fill up the baby pool and slide pool
10:00am - Realize that I wasn't supposed to be at the pool until 10am :( not 9am. Stinking Lifeguards :) Make sure things are out for the day (backboards, hooks, buoys, umbrellas, etc...) and check/clean the bathrooms.
10:30am - Give cashier the money, explain to the patrons standing outside the building that we don't open until 11am and no they can not come in to just sit until 11am.
10:35am - Listen to patrons complain because we don't open until 11am.
10:50am - Check water for chlorine and pH levels. Go to pump room to adjust levels. Turn on water features.
11:00am - Pool Opens to Public
11:10am - Lifeguard calls me over to mention that the baby pool is overflowing with water. Run to pump room to shut off water.
11:30am - 2:00pm - Things run smoothly :) Very Busy (around 400-500 people at the pool). I check the chlorine and pH levels every hour and go to the pump room to continously make adjustments. Help with swim tests for large groups. Pick up trash. Check bathrooms.
2:30pm - Three lifeguards get off work (because they have been at the pool since 6:30am) leaving us with only six guards. Call pool coordinator begging to send another guard.
2:45pm - Health Inspector shows up to test baby pool. I pray very hard that the chlorine and pH are correct. We Pass!
3:00pm - Guard arrives and is wonderful (Thanks Southland!).
3:10pm - Guard at baby pool motions for me to come over. I go and see poop in the pool. Get everyone out of baby pool. Make announcement that pool will be closed for at least 30 minutes. Fish poop out of pool with skimmer net while lifeguard sets up vacuum.
3:15pm - Go to pump room to super-chlorinate the baby pool. Go to office and make announcement that the baby pool will reopen at 3:45pm.
3:30pm - As I am walking around the main pool deck a kid calls out "Hey, there is poop in here too." Get everyone out of main pool. Make announcement that pool will be closed for at least 45 minutes and will reopen around 4:15pm.
3:35pm - Wonderful lifeguard gets into the pool to get out poop and vacuum.
3:45pm - Reopen baby pool
3:50pm - Kid pukes in baby pool. Get everyone out of baby pool. Skim water for puke. Lifeguards vacuum puke out of pool and scrub pool deck where puke has landed. Tell patrons baby pool will reopen around 4:30pm. During the annoucement at least 200 people leave the pool :(
4:10pm - The sun is shining and then THUNDER out of nowhere. Announcement: "Attention patrons thunder has been heard in the area. We will be closing all pools for 30 minutes. Please gather your things and come to the front entrance or to the concession area."
4:15pm - Patrons complain because of thunder. My response, "I am not God. I do not control the weather. I am sorry it is about to storm. Try and come back tomorrow." (Disclaimer: I did not really say all that but really people)
4:30pm - Thunder again. Monitor patrons waiting it out.
5:00pm - Reopen all pools for the 25 people who stuck it out. Check chlorine and pH levels which are all out of whack considering I had to super chlorinate the baby pool twice and the big pool once.
5:30pm - Sit down
5:45pm - Check bathrooms. Clean bathrooms. Pick up trash everywhere.
6-7 pm - Pool runs smoothly.
7:15 pm - People for pool party from 8-11 pm show up. They bring their own DJ :)
7:30pm - Help pool party people set up.
7:45pm - Fabulous lifeguards working the pool party bring me a milkshake!
8:00pm - Close pool to public, Open pool to Pool Party. Music completely inappropriate and very loud.
8:30pm - Realize this pool party is going to be like nothing I have ever seen before (ask me later if you would like details)
8:45pm - Sit on pool deck amazed that people dance like that in public
9:00pm - Watch pool party go from being somewhat controlled to AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
9:30pm - Thanking God that the pool party is half way over. Get pushed into pool. Freeze. Lifeguard who pushed me in offers his sweatpants. Look ghetto but now I fit right in!
9:45pm - 10:30pm - Sit and watch in amazement. To stunned to do anything.
10:30pm - Call pool coordinator to ask for police non-emergency number. Reassure pool coordinator that we are in no harm just concerned about getting everyone to leave by 11:00pm
10:35pm - Person in charge of pool party asks if they can stay until midnight. Me - ABSOLUTELY NOT!
10:40pm - Call police non-emergency number and ask for a police car to stop by the pool around 11:00pm to make sure that all Pool Party members have left the pool
10:50pm - Begin cleaning up and putting things away.
10:55pm - Police Arrive, Pool Party members leave :) (and pretty quickly)
11:00pm - Finishing cleaning up. Make male lifeguard go to pump room with me to turn off everything :)
11:10pm - Lock all doors and get into car.
11:15pm - Drop pool deposits off the at bank (opposite direction from home). Remember I left phone in desk drawer at pool. Say "forget it" and drive home.
11:45pm - Arrive at home. Say hello to husband and walk upstairs.
12:00am - Fall asleep in bathing suit and sweatpants that I borrowed after getting pushed into the pool.
WHO WOULDN'T WANT A SUMMER JOB?????
