2008 Woodie Awards
Illini Media
WPGU
buzz
Illio
TechnographLife's a beach for those who guard it
By Ron Harris, The Associated Press
Posted: 5/29/08 Section: Diversions
|
His words trail off in mid-sentence and suddenly he's making a beeline for the boys and an adult near them. One lecture later and the boys have migrated a little closer to shore.
Atkeson, 51, heads back to his lifeguard tower at Manhattan Beach, weathered crows feet smiling at the corners of his eyes.
He's a lifeguard, and he's done this a few times.
Atkeson could have stopped guarding the beachgoers years ago, packed up his flip-flops and headed towards retirement.
But he and many of his colleagues at the nation's biggest and busiest lifeguard operation in Los Angeles County can't seem to pull themselves away from the waterfront.
"I grew up here. This is my family. We're all brothers and sisters here. It's just a way of life," Atkeson says.
In between push-ups and sit-ups and brisk swims in the Pacific, lifeguards like Atkeson get busier with rescues as summer approaches. They'll ramp up the number of bodies in the towers to keep pace with the frolickers on the beach and in the water.
"For a lot of us, we love the beach so much that we found a way to make a living at the beach," Atkeson says. "And it keeps us in shape. A lot of the old retired guys, they live for a long time."
The Los Angeles County Lifeguard Service is operated by the fire department, which emphasizes a level of professionalism above and beyond the vehicle by which most of the public knows them best, the television series "Baywatch."
Lifeguard Capt. Terry Harvey, a spokesman for the vast operation - there are 181 permanent lifeguards and 758 seasonal lifeguards - says the impact of the show was a double-edged sword.
The Daily Illini encourages on-topic discussion through article commenting on its articles and blogs. It is our policy not to delete any comments based upon political or ideological point of view. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are abusive, off-topic or use excessive foul language.
The posting of copyrighted material, including any and all content for which you are not the author, is illegal under Federal intellectual property laws. Such activity will not be tolerated. Comments containing copyrighted material will be removed, and continued violation of copyright law is grounds for being banned completely from commenting on DailyIllini.com.
If you feel any post meets these conditions or merits review, please e-mail our editors at meonline@dailyillini.com.
Be the first to comment on this story