I only notice one black guy and one black woman on the team. And I'm safe in assuming they went through EVERY effort to find non-white team members.
Meanwhile, look at the running teams and count the black vs white faces.
Posted on 04/06/2013 11:58:37 AM PDT by Altura Ct.
After noticing that most of the lifeguards at the public pools used by Latino and African-American kids were white, the Phoenix aquatics department decided to try to recruit minorities.
More than 90 percent of the students at Alhambra High are black, Latino or Asian. On a recruiting effort there over the winter, the city's Melissa Boyle tells students she's not looking for strong swimmers. Like many under-resourced schools, Alhambra doesn't have a swim team.
"We will work with you in your swimming abilities," Boyle says.
Boyle's colleague Kelly Martinez takes on the delicate task of explaining the scenario the city is trying to correct.
"The kids in the pool are all either Hispanic or black or whatever, and every lifeguard is white," she says, "and we don't like that. The kids don't relate; there's language issues."
Martinez turns to a Latina student to her. "Do you speak Spanish?" she asks. "We need more lifeguards who can speak Spanish."
Competitive swimming still has a reputation as a white sport. And a national study released in 2010 found African-Americans and Latinos reported much lower swimming proficiency compared to whites.
"It's that catch-22," says Becky Hulett, who oversees Phoenix's public pools. "If the kids don't learn how to swim, as adults they are not going to swim, [and] they aren't going to take their own kids to swim."
So two years ago, Hulett began rethinking lifeguard . Traditionally, Phoenix's 500 lifeguards came from more affluent parts of town, most of which are farther from the public pools.
"It really populated from schools that had swim teams, and so that was our feeder into our lifeguarding programs," she says.
To help diversify its lifeguard ranks, the city raised about $15,000 over the past two years in scholarships to offset the cost of lifeguard-certification . Recruits who pass a swim test at the end can apply to be city lifeguards.
As the teens swim laps at Alhambra, it's clear many haven't had much formal training. But the coaches of the course aren't fazed and are prepared to put in the time to teach.
"Honestly, I have a little bit a fear of the water, and I wanted to overcome that fear," says high school junior Jesus Jimenez. He didn't grow up going to pools with his family but likes the idea of lifeguarding.
"It is nice to have the satisfaction of knowing that if somebody is in trouble you can save them at any time," he says.
If he is selected to be a lifeguard, other pool staff will work with him on his swimming skills all summer.
We would rather have a poorly trained spanish speaking doctor operate on your heart rather than a superbly trained anglo doctor.
On a recruiting effort there over the winter, the city's Melissa Boyle tells students she's not looking for strong swimmers.
Appearance and quotas are obviously more important than competence and ability to liberals.
Notice they never say that they have to pass the lifeguard cert. They only have to pass a "swim test" to apply to be a lifeguard. Then the city will "work with them" on their swimming all summer.
Right. The first time someone dies because the city has in-place lifeguards with no lifeguard cert I hope they get their ass sued off.
You make an excellent point here. If the best lifeguards are Indians, I want them. If they're Koreans, I want them. I don't give a d@mn about what they look like - I want the guy that will save me from drowning.
I want to see how a lifeguard swims in a burqa.
Even when the instructor is white, it didn’t matter. Whites, blacks, Mexicans galore, instructions were given in Korean!
Marco!
Polo!
Marco!
gub, gub, g...
Marco?
Maybe they should take a page from former Dodger GM Campanis’s commentary about black atheletes and their inability to swim due to buoyency issues?
Doesn't matter. It is only taxpayer dollars. The left believes that there is an endless supply of money to support their world view.
And why were these racists noticing skin color?
Documentation File on the negative impact of the Counterculture of Obamanation on America.
Good to know the life guard can somewhat accurately say:
“Esse! Tu estas ahogando! Que triste!”
(Dude! You are drowning! Bummer!)
Aaa, brings back to me my experience at Bloom Township HS over 50 years ago. Just about all the black kids were really great at most sports . . . until it came to swimming. Then it was time for everybody else to shine, since they mostly sank.
At least the drowned child’s body can be removed from the pool by someone to whom they could have related.
I always thought the Rio Grande was the final test for illegals........
Bflr
That was the point Camperis was trying to make but once he hit the third rail of ethnic differences, he had to pay and he did, good bye Al.
That was exactly my experience. I used to line up against one of the best defensive tackles in the Metro NY Area. He used to kill me, well, he would knock me down not hurt me. Later we would sometimes match up during water polo. I made sure I stayed at the deep end as he could not swim well. We used to laugh about it because he would say you will not have that smirk on your face if we get down the shallow end! He towered over me a good six inches so there was no chance I would consider doing that!
I only notice one black guy and one black woman on the team. And I'm safe in assuming they went through EVERY effort to find non-white team members.
Meanwhile, look at the running teams and count the black vs white faces.
Anglo lifeguards have put in a lot of time and effort to become proficient and certified lifeguards and WE DON'T LIKE THAT!
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