Meet Lifeguard Sophie Mannaerts

Sophie Mannaerts loves to travel. The 21-year-old aspires to become a travel nurse, and has visited a number of U.S. cities and a few countries abroad. She even enjoys reading about traveling: her favorite author is well-known travel writer, Bill Bryson. Before flying to Belgium in August, Mannaerts will work her seventh summer at the Summit Family Aquatic Center.

"Traveling is a great way to learn new things and meet new people," Mannaerts said. "When my sister and I were little, my parents would load the tent onto the car every summer and we would spend a week or two on different road trips across the country. I've been pretty much everywhere in the U.S., from California to Nebraska to Florida. One summer, while in Belgium visiting family, we rented an old VW bus and drove down to Paris."

Born and raised in Summit, Mannaerts is a Hilltopper through-and-through. She graduated from Summit High School in 2007, where she was a member of the swim team her freshman year and a four-year member of the cross-country and spring track and field teams.

"Even now I go running just about every day," Mannaerts said.

Mannaerts is a rising junior at Rutgers College of Nursing in New Brunswick. She plans to pursue a minor in Spanish along with her degree in nursing.

"After graduation, I plan to become a travel nurse," Mannaerts said. "As much as I like consistency in my life, I also really enjoy changing things up and would love to live in a bunch of different places when I first start working as a nurse. Eventually I would like to go back to school for my masters and then my DNP in order to become a nurse practitioner in oncology."

Having worked at the SFAC for the past seven summers, Mannaerts has witnessed many changes in the facility over the years.

"The year I started working here was the first year the slides were open," Mannaerts said. "Back then, the facility was referred to as the Summit Community Pool. It looked completely different than it does now. There were no slides or fountains in the baby pool and we didn't have our Sharkey mascot. Also, the pool wasn't heated so the morning swim team practices were pretty tough sometimes. "

Mannaerts received her lifeguard certification at the Canoe Brook Country Club and subsequent re-certifications at Drew University. She commented on her duties as a lifeguard at the SFAC, as well as one instance when she had to use her training.

"As a lifeguard, it is important to enforce the rules and regulations of the pool," Mannaerts said. "We try our best to be preventative here and like to make sure everyone is safe and having fun with their friends and family."

"Last summer, a kid fell off the side of the diving board onto the pavement, so I blew three whistles and we went through our basic procedure to make sure he was taken care of," Mannaerts continued. "Luckily he turned out to be okay."

Mannaerts, like most of her fellow lifeguards, enjoys the job because "you get to be outdoors with your friends." She admits, though, that there's more to it than just sun and fun.

"It's also great because we have the opportunity to teach others how to swim either through private swim lessons, the Sharkey Swim School, or the Sharks swim team," Mannaerts said. "I really enjoy seeing the same families come back year after year. It's nice to see people outside during the summer enjoying all that the Summit Family Aquatic Center has to offer."

When Mannaerts isn't lifeguarding at the SFAC this summer, you might find her enjoying a slice at Joe's Pizzeria, watching re-runs of old sitcoms like Will and Grace, Seinfeld, or Friends, or simply enjoying the outdoors.

"I love being outdoors, so on my days off from the pool I like to either go to the beach, go camping, or spend the day riding my bike along the Delaware River," Mannaerts said. "Mostly I enjoy spending free time with my family and closest friends."

Stay tuned to Patch this summer for more profiles of SFAC senior lifeguards.