Maximillian “Max” Grote, 13, has grown up for much of his life in the shade of the Seal Beach Pier, where he learned to look up to the local lifeguards. Grote was only 9 years old when he first joined the Seal Beach Junior Lifeguards and he said he “got to” jump off the Seal Beach pier.
“It’s fun,” he said. “We get to do that a couple of times each summer.”
Now a few feet taller, Grote’s still in the program and said he’s pretty sure he’ll “probably” be a Seal Beach Lifeguard himself someday.
Farrah Kojok 11, is visiting Seal Beach this summer from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates where her dad has a business.
“I like getting to know the ocean and learning how to be a lifeguard,” she said.
Sisters Kayden, 10, and Kendall, 9, Heinrich of Huntington Beach are naturals for the program. Their dad Kyle Heinrich is an instructor in the city program as well as being a Seal Bech Lifeguard.
“I grew up in Seal Beach,” but we live in Huntington right now,” he said.
Kayden Heinrich said it’s fun being in the program, although she does not see her dad much during the day.
“He teaches a different age group,” she said. Meanwhile, her sister Kendall said she had to think about how she feels about jumping off the pier before answering that “maybe” it’s fun.
Heinrich has been with the program long enough to remember Adam “AJ” Summers, the fun-loving, charismatic Seal Beach Lifeguard Lieutenant who was a beloved promoter of the Junior Lifeguards. Summers, who won three honors for heroic rescues, died tragically in a motorcycle accident on the Fourth of July in 1988. He is remembered with a plaque on the Seal Beach pier.
On Monday morning Heinrich was getting busy training youths in the work to carry on the legacy of former and current Seal Beach lifeguards like Summers.
The Seal Beach Junior Lifeguard program kicked off the first week of the seven-week session on Monday, June 24, which means the local shoreline will remained packed with kids, age 9-17, wearing their trademark blue swim trunks.
“They’re easy to spot,” Seal Beach Marine Safety Chief Joe Bailey said.
The Junior Lifeguards program aims to teach youths about lifeguard culture. It operates from 9 a.m. until noon, five days a week, and has been offered in Seal Beach for about 28 years.
“We want them to know about lifeguarding – how to make a rescue, and how to spot a rescue,” Bailey said. “I am so proud when I hear a story from a parent about one of the kids helping to save someone.”
Bailey, who uses half of the35-man lifeguard department as instructors, currently oversees the program.
“Our primary goal is to keep kids safe,” Bailey said. “We have the instructors work the beach for a summer before becoming instructors. Being an instructor is No. 2.”
The program primarily draws kids from Seal Beach, though some live in Los Alamitos, Rossmoor. About 20 came this year from the Sunset Beach Junior Lifeguard program that was shut down in 2012 after
This year, 316 kids signed up during the first week, and a few late arrivals came at the start of the second week.
“That really is a lot of kids,” said Bailey, who pointed out the program used to have 15 kids per instructor but now has 19 kids per instructor. ”We do have a huge program.”
To help with crowd control, the junior lifeguards are split into four groups: Double A (16-17), A (14-15), B (13-12), and C (11-9).Each group rotates from station to station, where activities vary, daily. For example, during the third day of camp, one group worked on conditioning, doing push-ups in the sand, while another played a game of capture the flag.
Each kids seems to have their favorite activity.
“I actually like the buoy swims and sea wall swims the best,” said Isabella Alvarez, 14, a Los Alamitos resident who has attended the camp for four years.
“I keep coming back because I like all the lifeguards … and I get to hang out with friends and get a good workout … You also learn something new everyday,” she said.
Anthony Granda, a Rossmoor resident and three-year returner, listed surfing and boogie boarding as his favorite activities. He said he enjoyed doing the sting-ray shuffle, a technique that allows swimmers to walk on the ocean floor without getting stung by the creatures.
“Yeah, it sounds fun,” Granda said.
It’s also useful, considering Seal Beach has earned the nickname “Ray Bay.”
It’s not all fun and games, though. There’s also an annual competition against neighboring programs from Long Beach, Huntington Beach and Los Angeles County in a swimming competition.
On July 9, the Seal Beach program will hold a tryout and field a team to compete at Regionals, which will take place in Newport Beach on July 20.
“I’m going to try out for it,” Alvarez said. “I’m not the best swimmer, and haven’t made it to Regionals before, but I still want to go for it.”
The camp will end Aug. 9.
