As the slow burn of summer approaches, preparations for the long-standing tradition of pool season unfurls in the lengthening days.
Dallasites can cool off in nine community pools, nine aquatic centers, and the Bahama Beach Waterpark, a haven from the heat that features slides for adrenaline rush-seekers, and a lazy river for those who prefer to relax in the waves.
I learned to swim (sort of) in Highland Park’s pool in the late ’70s, and it still retains a comforting level of classy consistency.
“I’ve heard that that’s what people love about it,” said HP Administrative Assistant Sofia Tarango. “It’s so quiet, so quaint, so traditional. They don’t want it to change.”
The University Park pool, aka the Holmes Aquatic Center, likely opened at the intersection of Lovers Lane and Dickens Avenue sometime in the 1920s. And ever since, a steady stream of lifeguards and snack shack attendants has been trained and hired from high schools, SMU, and other locales, the summer job ritual sometimes passing down through generations.
UP Aquatics Coordinator Robert Coleman said the pool needs to employ eight managers, 15 head lifeguards, 45 lifeguards, and guest services staff each season. But not all this year’s employees will be new to the job — some are drawn back to the water for multiple years.
“A friend recommended it,” Coleman said is the usual answer when he asks interviewees why they want to lifeguard. “They said it was a lot of fun, a very good summer job.”
University Park’s lifeguard certification course includes CPR, first aid, and AED training, with a simulated emergency visit from members of the University Park Fire Department and an ambulance. Lifeguards also teach the Shark School, Baby Sharks, and Mako Swim Team programs.
There’s never a shortage of lifeguard candidates at HP’s pool, Tarango said. “For a lot of the students, that is their summer — coming to work for the Highland Park pool.”
Many older Highland Park homes were constructed without swimming pools, so the local dipping spot remains popular, particularly among families and retirees. In an average summer, the pool employs about 40 to 50 people, including head lifeguards, managers, swim instructors, and concession attendants.
“Lap swim is still super popular,” Tarango observed. “It’s earlier and later; it bookends the season. And, of course, there’s the open swim at 10 a.m. for all ages.”
Periodically, Highland Park hosts emergency response system training at the pool, an exercise that involves practicing how to move a patient into an ambulance, said HP Community Relations Officer Lt. Lance Koppa.
“My son wants to be a lifeguard for his first job,” Koppa said, smiling, about his high school freshman.
“He can work for us,” Tarango chuckled. “It’s a very lax job.”
Author
Josh Hickman
Josh Hickman is a national award-winning journalist, visual artist, sometime musician, and author of seven books. His writing For People Newspapers often focuses on arts & culture, local small businesses, local history & government, and interesting personal stories. His paintings include a commission for Dallas County and a donation to Parkland Memorial Hospital.
