For the last several years, the Laramie Recreation Center has been advertising to hire lifeguards. This year, however, they haven’t had as many applicants as they’d hoped for.

Nationally, the number of lifeguards hired each summer has fallen since 2020. In 2022, a third of America’s public pools were affected by the shortage, leading to a reduction in open pool hours according to NPR. Laramie wasn’t too badly affected by this national shortage last year, but this year could be different.

Recreation Manager Jodi Guerin says that there seems to have been a scheduling gap created by the pandemic and that they’re hoping to fill this gap by hiring outside of the college and high school age groups.

Wendy Clubb – Aquatics Supervisor at the Laramie Rec Center – has implemented a new hiring policy called “Lifeguarding can be for all!” Retirees, teachers, and parents looking to get out of the house this summer are all invited to apply to the open lifeguarding positions on the City employment website.

Successful applicants will need to register to become certified lifeguards and go through training. Once hired, lifeguards can enjoy a free Rec Center membership in addition to a competitive paycheck. “It’s a good opportunity to try something new out and help the community,” Guerin remarks.

For more information, please contact Aquatics Supervisor Wendy Clubb at 307-721-5263 or wclubb@cityoflaramie.org.