Water Safety Academy

The Reston Community Center's Water Safety Program is designed to meet the certification needs of individuals interested in being Lifeguards, Water Safety Instructors, and/or Pool Operators. For specific class dates and times, view WebTrac, RCC's Online Registration system.

Pre-Lifeguard Stroke Evaluation/Improvement (Age 15 and older)

On the first night of class students must demonstrate the following skills:

1. Prospective participants must show that they can swim 300 yards using the following strokes in order without stopping:

• 100 yards of front crawl using rhythmic breathing and a stabilizing, propellant kick. Rhythmic breathing can be performed either by breathing to the side or to the front.
• 100 yards of breaststroke using a pull, breathe, kick and glide sequence.
• 100 yards of either front crawl using rhythmic breathing or breaststroke. These 100 yards may be a mixture of front crawl and breaststroke. NOTE: There is no time requirement for this skill.

2. Start in the water, swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive to a depth of 7-10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object, return to the surface, and swim 20 yards back to the starting point with object and exit the water without using a ladder or steps, within 1 minute 40 seconds. NOTE: When returning to the starting point, the candidate must hold the 10lb. object with both hands and must keep his or her face above the water. This can be achieved by swimming on their back using a whip (breaststroke kick on their back) or a rotary (eggbeater) kick.

Lifeguard Training (Age 15 and older)

This course provides the American Red Cross (ARC) training required to obtain a job as a lifeguard in any national facility using ARC-certified lifeguards. The course includes: Lifeguard Training, First Aid, CPR for the Professional Rescuer, and Automatic External Defibrillation. Prerequisite: Pre-Lifeguard Stroke Evaluation/Improvement course.

Fundamentals of Instructor Training (Age 16 and older)

This program is a prerequisite to all American Red Cross instructor-level courses. It will provide the new instructor with information about Red Cross administration procedures, learning theory and teaching methodology.

Water Safety Instructor Pre-course (Age 16 and older)

This Water Safety Instructor Pre-course session will cover the water portion of the required prerequisites for the American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor course. Participants' swimming skills will be evaluated against the American Red Cross Stroke Performance Charts, Level 4. Stroke Performance charts are available at the Aquatics Information desk:

• Front crawl, 25 yards
• Back crawl, 25 yards
• Breaststroke, 25 yards
• Elementary backstroke, 25 yards
• Sidestroke, 25 yards
• Butterfly, 15 yards
• Maintain a position on back for 1 minute in deep water (float or scull)
• Tread water for one minute

Water Safety Instructor (Age 16 and older)

This American Red Cross program is for those interested in teaching basic swimming classes. The course includes methods of teaching swimming to infants and preschoolers, the Learn to Swim Program, Community Water Safety, and, for those students meeting the criteria, Safety Training for Swim Coaches. This course does not provide certification to teach Lifeguard Training. Students must demonstrate swimming skills consistent with stroke performance for Level 4:

• Front Crawl
• Back Crawl
• Breaststroke
• Elementary Backstroke
• Side Stroke
• Butterfly

Prerequisite: Water Safety Instructor Pre-course