Meet Lifeguard Tomas Salazar

The next time you're at the Summit Family Aquatic Center, look out for lifeguard Tomas Salazar.  Salazar just finished his freshman year at Vanderbilt University where he is double majoring in chemical engineering and pre-med.

"I went to MOSAIC weekend, which is multicultural weekend at Vanderbilt," said Salazar.  "I really liked the campus, the south is really nice, the people are really friendly.  I got a really good feel for it.  I liked it enough to go.  Originally, I thought I wanted to be a doctor, but I wanted to have something to fall back on so I'm staying in between engineering and pre-med."

Salazar is no stranger to hard work.  He graduated from Summit High School in 2009, in the top 10 percent of the class.  He ran cross country for the Hilltoppers and is now an NCAA athlete, running cross country for the Commodores.

"Cross country takes up a lot of time because we're Division 1," said Salazar. "The season didn't go perfectly; I didn't have a great year.  I got mono at the end of last spring so I ended my high school career early and it kind of pushed over into the fall.  But I really like my team and we're actually getting a lot better.  Our goal was to not finish last in the SEC and we got third to last, so it was good.  We're on the rise."

Salazar works as a lifeguard as well as a swim instructor.  He grew up playing at the SFAC and has now worked there for four years.  Choosing to be a lifeguard was easy; Salazar was really only carrying on the family tradition.

"I was a member here and my older brother had worked as a slide person," said Salazar.  "I kind of had the inside track to the pool.  My little brother is actually taking the lifeguarding course that they have now.  So he hopes that he'll take my spot when I go to college for the last month of the summer."

Salazar likes working at the SFAC because of the people, being outside, and the fact that he still gets to play in the pool.  Of course, a day at the SFAC is a little different now than it was when he was a kid.

"When I'm working the Early we have to sit and watch the lap swimming and the Aquacize," said Salazar. "We have to clear the bathrooms, set things up, clean things all over, and just make sure everything looks good before we open up.  Before we opened, I helped Kevin, our maintenance manager, set up things.  We did a lot of power washing, we used the vacuum to make sure the pool was spotless, and we did a lot of painting as well."

Like all of the guards, Salazar is up in the chair for 30 minutes and then on break for 30 minutes.  If you missed him the last time you were at the SFAC, it may have been because the World Cup was on.

"I was rooting for the U.S.," said Salazar. "Now that they are out, I like the Netherlands and I like Spain.  I just didn't want Germany to win.  Honestly, I'll be happy either way.  I tried to watch as many games as possible.  We have a little TV in (the break room), so I've been trying to watch games on my breaks."

When he isn't at the Aquatic Center, Salazar enjoys spending time with his friends.  You might find them kicking a soccer ball around or grabbing a bite to eat at Trattoria or Towne Deli.  He enjoys watching Entourage and How I Met Your Mother on television.

"I just do normal college student things," said Salazar. "I play video games, watch TV and hang out with my friends."

Stay tuned to Patch for more lifeguard profiles.