HASTINGS, Neb. — During the chilly first days of spring, the Hastings Aquacourt sits empty. 

But come Memorial Day weekend, the pools fill up and the waterpark fills with people. That means Hastings Parks and Recreation is already working to fill lifeguard openings.

“We’re just trying to get more guards to man the water park so that way we can keep all amenities open throughout the summertime,” Recreation Superintendent Ryan Martin said.

Martin makes it sound simple. But it hasn’t been easy in recent years.

The Aquacourt needs 18 lifeguards on site to operate at full capacity. With two shifts a day and the park open seven days a week, Martin wants at least 55 lifeguards in his arsenal. Last year he had 38.

“We had to shut down some of the areas the last couple of years and we really want to avoid that," Martin said. "We want to keep this whole place open for the community. The more guards we can get trained and hired, the better it is for the facility to stay open in full operation.”

Martin and YMCA Aquatics Director Maria Urlacher started recruiting early this year, visiting area high schools before and after Christmas break. Now they’re advertising heavily through local media. 

Urlacher says lifeguarding fits people who care about others. It might be especially appealing for people with certain career interests.

“Anybody who’s interested in anything related to the medical field, lifeguarding is a really good step," Urlacher said. "You get to learn that CPR, you get to learn a lot of first aid, more so than you would learn in just a general class.”

With construction taking over the Hastings YMCA, training classes have moved to the Grand Island Y. The city will pay for lifeguards to get certified if they work enough summer hours. The entry lifeguard wage is being raised from $10.50 to $13.50 with a $0.50 boost for each year of experience.

Urlacher hopes the changes erase the shortage, which she says can be partly blamed on the lack of in-person certification classes during the pandemic.

“I’m really hoping that we’re kind of past it and people will start being able to get those (certifications) and understand that there’s repercussions of something that we couldn’t really control," Urlacher said. "Now we’re really trying our best to swing back to the good side of it.”

Applications are available on the city's website.