70- year- old lifeguard hopes to “meet a need”
Jim Christoph’s first job in Boulder was helping the city conduct a traffic survey shortly out of college. Now, at age 70, Christoph has been hired by the city once again, this time as a lifeguard.
“It’s funny, I’ve kind of gone full circle,” he said.
Two weeks ago, Christoph finished the city’s lifeguard training course at North Boulder Recreation Center, which involved online learning and three days of in- person classes.
Alongside his classmates — nine high schoolers — he stood out. But connecting to a younger demographic is one thing Christoph said he’s looking forward to on the job.
“It’s a good way to have some intergenerational contacts,” he said. “A lot of my colleagues are 15 or 16 … I think they’ll get something out of me and I’ll get something out of them.”
A frequent visitor to local recreation centers, Christoph
noticed the city’s “ongoing effort” to hire lifeguards in the wake of the COVID- 19 pandemic and the reduced hours at Boulder pools due to a lack of staff. This observation ultimately prompted him to reach out to the city and ask if he could step in as a part- time, on- call lifeguard.
“There’s a real need,” he said. “I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know it was this bad.”
Christoph said he’s noticed, even before the pandemic, that high schoolers have started prioritizing college prep and extracurricular activities over traditional summer jobs. He also pointed to other service jobs that pay more than lifeguarding work, a challenge also brought up by Jonathan Thornton, communication program manager for Boulder Parks and Recreation.
“There are so many companies that need employees, so it became really tough to compete with other businesses that are offering
so much money per hour,” Thornton said. “We can’t compete with that dollar amount, but maybe there are other ways we can talk about our benefit to the community that would inspire someone to want to work for us.”
Boulder Parks and Recreation hired a record 215 lifeguards
this summer, a success Thornton attributes in part to the city covering certification costs and paying for time spent in training. In addition to these incentives, the city also made a concerted effort to target an older demographic, which included advertising lifeguard jobs in Boulder’s
Older Adult Services newsletters.
“We put the call out to the community, and said, ‘ We will hire you… There’s no maximum age,’” Thornton said. “If you are interested and you can pass our swim test to be able to complete the functions of the job, we would love for you to be able to ( be a lifeguard).”
Christoph’s own history with lifeguarding stretches back to high school and college, when he was also a certified water safety instructor. The last time he held a lifeguard certification was 1973, 50 years ago.
Currently retired from his career as an attorney, he said lifeguarding not only fulfills his desire to help the city but also lets him stay active.
“It’s something to do,” he said. “I’m not ready to sit in a rocking chair for the rest of my life.”
After completing an orientation on Wednesday, Christoph can serve as a lifeguard at any pool in the city. He plans to take around one shift per week depending on his availability and travel schedule.
Thornton said the city is happy to have Christoph on the team. He called the 70- year- old a role model for people who have the skills, abilities and drive to be a lifeguard, regardless of their age.