Last year about this time I posted about how ridiculous it was to have a 80 year old lifeguard at Jones Beach in New York. Well today I met Reggie Jones, 82 years old and still kickin ass! 67 years service.
That’s him back in the '50’s. I met him in the locker room at the pool after he was sailing by in the lane next to me. Very cool guy. We talked about the sad state of American fitness. I take back everything I said about him last year. He has to pass the lifeguard test every year. If I ever get in trouble in the ocean, I hope Reggie is nearby.
We have a few 70+ guys here in LA county. One guy can train circles around 80% of the entire workforce…He gets up at 5am every morning, either paddles or rows for an hour to hour and a half, goes for either a run or bike, and lifts weights everyday. He has been doing this for his entire life… Needless to say, he is the total stud at Lifeguard Nationals in his AG, usually brings home at least a 1/2 dozen golds…
Every year I get a Xmas card from him, and it details where he has gone for the year. At least 10 trips a year, skiing, paddling the English Channel, running the antiartic marathon, climbing Everest base camp, and on and on. He is the energizer bunny…
Thanks for your story, gives us young 50 something lifeguards something to look foreward to…
