LIFEGUARD PROSPECTS PUT TO TEST THE BEST ON THE BEACH ENDURE TRIAL BY SAND, SEA.

Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer

VENTURA - After passing the grueling swimming and running tests Sunday in a borrowed wet suit, Calabasas High School sophomore Jordan Flacco was ecstatic that he has a chance to become a part-time state lifeguard.

``This is going to be my first real job,'' Flacco said.

``I like the beach, and it pays well, too. It's a lot better than flipping burgers, and I have a friend who did this before and he said it's a lot of fun.''

Flacco, a member of the swim team at school, became eligible for the job on Thursday when he reached 16, the minimum age for lifeguards manning state beaches. So he borrowed a wet suit from a buddy to combat the 56-degree water temperature.

His dad, Nick Flacco, beamed with pride as his son signed up for the next stage, an interview on April 1 to test things like aptitude, ocean knowledge and communication skills.

``I'm so proud of him,'' Nick Flacco said. ``This is a real, new responsibility for him. It's a good way to make his hobby into a summer job.''

Under sunshiny blue skies and surf of 2 to 3 feet, about 160 men and women hit the surf Sunday morning at San Buenaventura State Beach for the second of a series of four tryouts for both returning and wannabe part- time lifeguards for state beaches from Monterey to San Diego for the summer season.

Some wore wet suits but many didn't among the crowd of prospective lifeguards, about 70 percent of whom were male.

About 70 of those participating in the test were returning part-timers, whose only physical test is to annually complete a 1,000-meter ocean swim in less than 20 minutes to retain their jobs.

But in addition to completing that swim, the 90 aspiring part-timers had to consecutively run 200 meters on the beach, swim 400 meters and again run another 200 meters on the beach - all in less than 10 minutes.

And that's only the preliminary round.

While the rate varies from district to district, only about 10 percent of the initial hopefuls in Ventura make it as lifeguards after a battery of other tests, including interviews and a seven-day, 70-hour training stint at Huntington Beach in CPR, first aid and rescue techniques, officials said.

The testing standards are rigorous because lives are at stake, said Steve White, lifeguard supervisor for the Ventura area, which includes McGrath State Beach, Ventura State Beach, Emma Wood State Beach and, under contract, the city beach at the Ventura pier.

``To be a good lifeguard you need good athletic ability, you need to be good at problem solving and you need to make the correct decisions under high-pressure situations,'' White said.

``And you need to be a good team player and communicate well.''

Eighty-four people tried out for the Ventura district. White said that while he wants to recruit about a dozen lifeguards, only about eight will stick with it for more than a year. Ventura has 45 part-time and three full-time lifeguards. About 80 percent of the part-timers are students and about 20 percent are female.

The part-timers' starting pay is $11.89 an hour and they work as many as 40 hours a week during the height of the summer, which lasts from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

And that would suit Maria Fuchs from Westlake Village just fine. Braving the chill and chop without a wet suit, the water polo player and sophomore at the University of California, Santa Barbara, wants to land a lifeguard job while attending summer school at UCSB, where she is studying aquatic biology.

``It's cold when you get in there at first. You say, oh my goodness,'' said Fuchs, 20. ``It's OK, though.''

Fuchs has been running some extra miles recently to prepare for the physical tests for her dream job.

``It would be heavenly because it's fun and you get to work with kids,'' Fuchs said.

While competition for part-time lifeguard jobs in Ventura is intense, in other areas that is not the case.

State Park Ranger Robert Tolin said four lifeguards are being sought for the state off-highway motor vehicle recreation area at Pismo Beach. But because it is a new lifeguard station, not many people know about it yet. He encouraged anyone interested in applying to call him at [phone].

The next tryouts for state lifeguards will be held in Carlsbad on March 26, followed by tryouts in Santa Cruz on April 15. For more information, call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Applicants for lifeguard jobs get a running start on the 1,000-meter swim Sunday morning at San Buenaventura State Beach.

(2 -- 3 -- color -- ran in Conejo, Simi and AV edition only) Competitors are cheered on by spectators, at left, near the finish line in a run-swim-run event. Below, the prospective lifeguards get signals from a lifeguard on a surfboard during the grueling swim test.

(4 -- color -- ran in AV edition only) An exhausted lifeguard prospect takes a moment to recover.

Lilly Barrett/Special to the Daily News