Monday officially marked the end of pool season, and it's a bittersweet time for the Winkler Aquatic Centre (WAC) Aquatic Programmer.

Taylor Reimer says it's challenging to see summer come to an end, saying goodbye to staff and friends as they head to school or jobs for the fall.

However, with endings come new beginnings.

Nineteen lifeguards and six ticket clerks were hired this year. Since there isn't an extensive waiting list of new lifeguards, Reimer says they are always looking for new recruits.

"We try to aim for 20 lifeguards. We encourage kids to take their bronze medallion and bronze cross." From there they go on to get their National Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor certifications. "I'm trying to increase awareness of what you need to be a lifeguard and how great an opportunity this job is."

Lifeguarding is a job you can continue to return to each summer. Reimer says since everyone is under the age of 25, they've been able to create a close-knit workgroup and friendships.

Taylor Reimer, WAC Aquatic Programmer. (File photo)

Each year the pool hosts the Swim Smart program, encouraging water and swim safety while through a fun, engaging manner. Also, the WAC hosted a new program to promote water safety was through SwimAbilty, now known as Swimmingly, one-on-one volunteer swimming instruction for children with special needs.

"We had 12 volunteers, quite a few were from the community, and we had a couple of our instructors, so we were able to get 24 kids in for one-on-one swimming lessons. We ran once a week on Monday except for the long weekends. These kids improved by the end of summer and got close to their instructors. The parents loved it. It's a great program, and we'll run it again next year."

Overall, she says it was a positive and memorable summer. They saw high numbers of new Canadians taking part in their Jellyfish and Dolphin levels, and the new lining was a welcome addition, as lifeguards didn't routinely have to swim to the bottom to perform a patch job.