When the McCook Aquatic Center opened in July 2024, the sole goal was to get the doors open to the public. The fees were waived, thanks to a grant from the McCook Community Foundation Fund, just to get people through the doors quickly and into the water. And the hours were based on just recreational swim times with no other special opportunities offered the opening year.

But now the fees for summer 2025 have been set by the McCook City Council, with a lot of different options from a daily rate to season passes with the opportunity to add on a pass for grandparents or babysitters. There is also an option for lap swimming with both daily and season passes. And there might even be the possibility of night swimming down the road when lights are installed. 

(If you visited the pool last year, you may have noticed the rounded cement structures, likely with a bucket covering the rebar. Everything is in place for lights; all that is needed is funding for the actual lights.)

But what really determines the opportunities at McCook’s new pool is one thing: lifeguards. 

Staffing will dictate how long the pool is open each day. Available lifeguards will set the length of the season. Worker availability will affect what options are offered throughout the summer. 

I have heard from several people that they would like an adult-only hour or two during the week. That is a great idea, with or without a swim-up bar which has also been suggested and let’s be honest, would probably pay for the pool in a year or two. 

To make that happen, we will need lifeguards. 

There has also been requests for fitness classes at the new pool, including walking against the lazy river’s current, which is shockingly tough. A stand-up paddle board yoga class is something I have long wanted to try out because why just do one sport at a time, when you can do two.

To make that happen, we will need lifeguards. 

An option for lap swimming was included as part of the new fee structure by the city of McCook because it would utilize the pool more hours throughout the day, along with providing a great fitness option, especially with the YMCA indoor pool closed this summer for renovations. 

To make that happen, we will need lifeguards.

And people bemoan that the pool closes too early for the season, shutting the doors and draining the water even though the summer heat is still in full force. When kids start fall sports practice, adequate staffing is impossible to keep the pool open. Ultimately, we want the pool to stay open as long as possible during the summer. 

But once again, to make that happen, we will need lifeguards. 

This will mean parents bringing the option of being a lifeguard to attention of their kids and helping them navigate how to get their certification and applying for the job. We lament that kids don’t want to work these days but we also need to be willing to offer assistance to make that happen.

Adults also need to be willing to step up if they want to have all these options at the aquatic center. While being a lifeguard has generally been thought of as a teenager’s job, staff off all ages is needed to have full use of the pool. In fact, we need older people working as lifeguards for reasons not even related to saving people from drowning.

Because I already had a lifeguarding certificate as a swim coach, I agreed to lifeguard at the aquatic center last year. And for the most part it was a fun and fulfilling opportunity.

But aside from the pool manager, I was at least double age of all the other lifeguards. 

It can be an awkward situation when you have a young person having to deal with an adult with an issue at the pool. There were several times last year that a parent questioned how their child was disciplined while at the pool. A teenager simply doesn’t have the gravitas sometimes to stand up to an adult. 

It is also tricky when a lifeguard has to tell a classmate to calm down or is ejected for the day because of unruly behavior. While I was no more qualified than the teenagers, I was leaned upon to just lend an air of authority some days at the pool.

We need our young people to both enjoy the new pool as a swimmer and as a lifeguard. And the same can be said for adults: take advantage of the pool both as a place to cool off and get exercise but also to serve the community. 

And while it will be a little more difficult to get certified this year with the YMCA pool closed, it is still possible thanks to surrounding pools being utilized to do the training. Contact the city offices at 308.345.2022 for more information. 

Whether it is the new aquatic center or the new ballpark or even businesses looking for employees, we all need to step up and help fill these roles, all which helps make our hometown an even better place to call home.