4. Check out this video of the world record holder for the 1500 meter swim. The slow-motion, underwater photography gives you a great perspective. Note how his elbow stays near the surface of the water and check out how much his hips rotate.

Each season, we weigh the accolades and accomplishments of our lifeguards to select the Outstanding Lifeguard of the Season for each recreation center. The criteria include being a proactive lifeguard, going above and beyond the call of duty, providing excellent customer service, excelling in training and drill scenarios, successfully performing rescues, working a flexible schedule, performing regular maintenance tasks without being prompted and maintaining excellent physical fitness through swimming and skills practice. Meet three of the Outstanding Guards now and meet the remaining three in October. 

Jessica Law, selected as Williams Farm's Outstanding Lifeguard of the Season, has been with the department for just over a year. She said that her mom encouraged her take a lifeguard class since she has loved swimming ever since she was little. Jessica's favorite part of her job is working with her co-workers and teaching the Passport to Water Safety program. She thinks the program is a positive experience and has really enjoyed teaching the kids. Jessica feels that she makes a difference in people's lives by promoting a safe and fun environment and cannot wait to get further training.

Seanelle Thom has been a lifeguard at Kempsville for five years and earned the honor of Outstanding Lifeguard of the Season. She is always available to take extra shifts and comes into work every day with a positive attitude. Seanelle utilizes her years of experience as a lifeguard to handle situations before they escalate, and her fellow lifeguards use her as a resource because of her tenure. She serves as a mentor to new lifeguards and Junior Guards because she is extremely thorough and leads by example. Seanelle is a senior at Norfolk State University where she is majoring in Kinesiology and pursuing a minor in Psychology. 

Elizabeth Watson, selected as Outstanding Lifeguard of the Season for Princess Anne, has been with the Aquatics Unit since 2009. Elizabeth's flexibility is shown when she helps cover shifts for other team members and when she is willing to work split shifts to provide adequate coverage for programs and activities. She is a model of expected behavior and is a positive mentor for other members of the department. She recently became an Aquatics Instructor and has proved to be an asset when working with our instructional programs.