Iqaluit lifeguards-in-training in Ottawa for pool time

It will be more than a year and half before Iqaluit's aquatic centre opens but already training for lifeguards has started.

In the absence of a community pool, a group of nine trainees have flown south to Ottawa. They're at the Dovercourt Pool, a place where they can jump in and learn.   

This week they're completing their Bronze Medallion, one step in the process. 

"We're trying to get the training started so that by the time the pool is open, we have staff who are certified to work," says Darcy Mason who is chaperoning the group.

The lifeguards-in-training are working on improving their stroke skills. They have to do a timed swim and there's also a long list of first aid and rescue skills to learn. 

They already completed as much of the dry-land training as they could at home in Iqaluit.

To study at the Bronze Medallion level, participants have to be at least 13 years old and complete a 500-meter swim test.

Since there is no pool in Iqaluit right now, participants weren't tested when they applied. They simply reported how much swimming experience they have and their level of comfort in pools.

"I hadn't really swam in the past couple of years," says trainee Ritchy Collin. He says once in Ottawa, the 500-meter swim was a lot harder than he expected but he's loving the training.

"It feels good to be swimming again. It's something I grew up doing almost every day," he says. 

Friday is the last day of training and participants will have to pass an exam to qualify for the next level of training.