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Make A Splash as a Coney Island Lifeguard! Qualifying Test for 2016 Underway

Posted in Coney Island, jobs, tagged beach, Jobs, lifeguard, New York City Parks, Parks Department, summer job, swimming on December 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

A Life guard, Brighton Beach, N.Y. between 1901 and 1906. Library of Congress

The NYC Parks Department has scheduled qualifying tests to become a lifeguard for the 2016 summer season. The test is being held at Chelsea Recreation Center in Manhattan from December 7 through January 8, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm, and is also underway at pools throughout the five boroughs. A Parks spokesman tells ATZ that assignments are by seniority, but lifeguards may request a preferred or convenient location such as Coney Island or Brighton Beach. Beach lifeguards must be able to swim 440 yards in 6 minutes and 40 seconds and must also complete a 300-yard ocean swim prior to receiving their assignment.

To qualify, you must:
• Be at least 16 years of age by the start of employment (the end of June).
• Have at least 20/30 vision in one eye and 20/40 in the other – without corrective lenses. Glasses and contact lenses may not be worn during the eye exam.
• Be able to swim 50 yards in 35 seconds or less, with proper form.

Swimmers who pass the test will be enrolled in the Municipal Lifeguard Training Program, which is free, and consists of 40 hours of swimming and rescue techniques, first-aid and CPR. First-year lifeguards earn a minimum of $13.57 per hour for a weekly salary of about $650.

These vintage photos from the early 1900s show an all-male crew. It wasn’t until the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s that the Parks Department waived height and weight requirements and recruited its first female lifeguards.

Capt. Riley and lifeguards, Coney Island, N.Y.
between 1900 and 1905. Library of Congress

Wanna Be A Coney Island Lifeguard This Summer?

Posted in Coney Island, jobs, tagged beach, Blotto, employment, lifeguard, New York City, Parks Department, summer job, swimming on December 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Wanna spend your summer getting paid to get a great tan and sand between your toes on Coney Island’s Beach? If you’re a strong swimmer, the time to apply to be a New York City Parks lifeguard is now. The qualifying test for the 2012 summer season is being held through January 13 at Chelsea Recreation Center in Manhattan on weekdays at 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm. Additional sites and dates are listed on the “Become a Lifeguard” page of the New York City Parks Department’s website.

Swimmers who pass the test will be enrolled in the 40-hour Municipal Lifeguard Training Program and upon completion may be offered one of 1,200 jobs watching over New York City’s 20 million swimmers. First-year lifeguards earn a minimum of $13.57 per hour for a weekly salary of over $650.

Can you request Coney Island duty? A Parks spokesman tells ATZ that assignments are by seniority, but lifeguards may request a preferred or convenient location. Beach lifeguards must be able to swim 440 yards in 6 minutes and 40 seconds and must also complete a 300-yard ocean swim prior to receiving their assignment.

To qualify, you must:

— Be able to swim 50 yards in 35 seconds with proper form.
— Have a minimum of 20/30 vision in one eye and 20/40 in the other, without corrective lenses. Glasses and contact lenses
may not be worn during the eye exam.
— Be at least 16 years old when the position begins.

Oh, and it can’t hurt to memorize the lyrics to Blotto’s ’80s hit “I, I, I Wanna Be a Lifeguard…” According to the band’s official history, in 1980, “Blotto even had something most other bands didn’t at the time – a music video, thanks to the efforts of two SUNY students who filmed the band for a senior project. ‘I Wanna Be A Lifeguard’ was among the videos aired on MTV’s first broadcast day, and remained in heavy rotation for months.”

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A Century After Rose Pitonof, Swimming to Coney Island

Posted in Events, tagged Coney Island, Deanne Draeger, marathon swim, Rose Pitonof, swimming on July 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Rose Pitonof. circa 1910-15. Library of Congress Photo

On August 13, 2011, six swimmers will recreate an historic 1911 swim from Manhattan to Coney Island’s Steeplechase Pier. The event was organized by Deanne Draeger, who got the idea when she did the 17-mile swim last year on the 99th anniversary of a celebrated swimmer’s feat. “I’ve been thinking about it all year,” says Draeger. “It’s a really cool event. It’s the 100th anniversary of when a 17-year-old girl, Rose Pitonof, did that swim and became Swimming Champion of the World in a time when most people – men and women – didn’t know how to swim. To give you an idea, there were 50,000 people waiting for her at Coney Island when she finished.”

The Rose Pitonof Centennial Swim will start from East 26th Street on Saturday, August 13, at 8:45 am. The swimmers will pass under the Williamsburg, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Verrazano Bridges and will benefit from a tidal assist most of the way, says Draeger. You will be able to view them from the following vantage points. Viewing times are estimates based on the swimmers’ speed:

–East River Park, 9am on the north end of park until between 9:30-11am at the south end of the park
–Pier 14 at South Street and Brooklyn Bridge Park under the Brooklyn Side of the Brooklyn Bridge, 10:45-11:30am
— Shore Road Park under the Brooklyn side of the Verrazano Bridge, 12:45-2:45pm
–Coney Island’s shore after the swimmers round Norton’s Point, 2:45-3pm
–Steeplechase Pier, 3-6pm

Route of Rose Pitonof Centennial Swim

Each swimmer will be accompanied by a motorboat and a kayaker as a guide. “I think that starting at 26th Street and finishing at the pier in Coney Island is a great treat. I can’t imagine a better finish than the Coney Island Boardwalk,” says marathon swimmer Lori Carena, who grew up in the Bronx.

While Rose Pitonof’s nourishment consisted of a chicken sandwich and a cup of coffee, Draeger says she fueled her 2010 swim with half-hourly “Iron Cocktails,” a high carb drink with a shot of protein. This year’s swimmers, who swim at varying speeds, are expected to arrive at Steeplechase Pier between 3 and 6 pm.

Deanne Draeger. Photo by Susan Egan

Draeger, 43, tells ATZ that before she began training for Ironman in 2008, she had no athletic background. After an injury while training for her second Ironman event left her unable to cycle or run, she decided to focus on swimming. She has participated in the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the Liberty Island Swim and the Brooklyn Bridge Swim, among others.

“As I was searching online for a long distance swim event, I came across an article about Rose Pitonof and her swim, and knew immediately that was what I wanted to do,” says Draeger. “The bio that I’ve put together is the first time that I’ve seen her story whole.” Her blog Rose Pitonof Centennial Swim features highlights of Rose Pitonof’s life, photos of Coney Island as it was a century ago, and info about the swim. “We are looking for volunteers, sponsors, and spectators for the centennial celebration,” writes Draeger.

Back in 1911, the New York Times hailed Pitonof as the swimming marvel from Dorchester, Massachusetts, and published a vivid account of the tumultuous reception she received in Coney Island:

From the time she first made her appearance around Norton’s Point thousands gathered along the shore to watch her progress and cheer her on to victory, and all bathing was suspended for practically the last hour of her swim. At Steeplechase Park the crowd swarmed on and around the pier to such an extent that the attendants were totally unable to hold the people in check, and it required ten minutes from the time the girl walked along the sandy beach at the end of her long swim until she was in her dressing room, less than 200 feet away. This was accomplished only by the efforts of a flying wedge of attendants, who forcibly worked their way through the human wall of thousands trying to get a glimpse of Miss Pitonof. A lane about twenty feet in width had been arranged for her arrival, but just as Miss Pitonof reached the point where she was expected to turn in, the crowd of bathers swarmed around her, and she was compelled to swim under the pier to complete her long trip.