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2023 CPRA Aquatics Symposium Sessions

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SUPERCHARGE Your Team: 50 Ways to Show Them Love

Thursday AM Session - 8am-9:20am

Speakers
  • Kirsten Barnes - Studio Director – Hydroapps, Counsilman Hunsaker
    Kirsten is Missouri born and raised and lives with her family on the plains of Kansas. As a graduate of the Missouri State University Recreation & Leisure Studies program, Kirsten's career in recreation has included overseeing programs serving a variety of populations including youth sports leagues, summer camps, senior programming, ice arenas, golf courses, and special events. Kirsten also oversaw lifeguard management at 24 aquatic facilities and water parks with a private management company before taking the reins at a private fitness and wellness center serving over 17,000 members, supervising more than 220 employees, and overseeing a budget of almost $10 million in annual revenues. She currently works with recreation agencies and municipalities to provide customized professional development and frontline trainings. Kirsten has also spoken at educational conferences and trained frontline teams at facilities throughout the country as well as speaking at the NRPA Annual Conference and National Aquatic Conference and was a faculty member of National Aquatic Management School for four years. She is a Past President of the Missouri Parks & Recreation Association and was the Marketing and Public Relations representative for the National Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference Program Committee.
Summary
Recent studies show that our teams WANT to be appreciated, and appreciation and recognition are major drivers of job satisfaction and happiness. And we all know that happy team members make happy customers! In this fast-paced session, discuss how to engage your team in your culture, identify low-cost and no-cost “perks” you can use for your team, and walk away with a laundry list of fun and memorable ways to say, “thank you”!

Human Resources 101: Keeping Your Head Above Water

Thursday AM Session - 9:30am-10:50am

Speakers
  • Shawn DeRosa - Owner – DeRosa Aquatic Consulting
    Shawn DeRosa, JD, RCRSP is one of the nation’s leading water safety experts. As owner of DeRosa Aquatic Consulting, DeRosa helps agencies minimize risks and improve safety through consulting services and high-quality education and training programs. He has been recognized three times by Aquatics International as one of the Power 25 leaders in the aquatics industry. The recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s Paragon Award for Aquatic Safety and the Distinguished Service award by the Association of Aquatic Professionals, DeRosa is one of the most sought-after speakers in the industry. He combines these experiences with his background and training as an attorney to provide litigation support services as an expert witness in a variety of pool and beach cases. His knowledge of the aquatics industry combined with his experience as a consultant, attorney and expert witness help bring a dose of reality to all his training programs.
Summary
New managers are often faced with having to hire, discipline and terminate staff. They also must enforce policies and procedures often unique to the recreation environment. But do they really understand the legal implications arising out of human resource functions? This session will begin exploring how legal issues and human resource functions are intertwined.

Building Accountability in your Gen Z Team

Thursday AM Session - 11am-12:20pm

Speakers
  • Kirsten Barnes - Studio Director – Hydroapps, Counsilman Hunsaker
Summary
In a perfect world, we would have more qualified applicants than openings, we would deny time off requests if we needed coverage, and we would never have a conversation with a Lifeguard's parent! In many places, a shortage of qualified guards coupled with the unique work ethic of Gen Z has challenged the way many Aquatics professionals recruit, train, and manage their guards. Join me as we discuss how to successfully navigate this new workforce.

Aquatics Risk Management Basics

Thursday PM Session 1:30pm-2:50pm

Speakers
  • Shawn DeRosa - Owner – DeRosa Aquatic Consulting
Summary
Managing an aquatic facility, whether a pool or beach, requires special knowledge and an attention to issues that do not arise in other recreational programming arenas. Whether you are a seasoned risk manager or have been just assigned the responsibility of overseeing a pool or beach, this session will highlight a practical approach to key concepts designed to minimize risks at your facility.

Thriving Through Failure

Thursday PM Session - 3pm-4:20pm

Speakers
  • Kirsten Barnes - Studio Director – Hydroapps, Counsilman Hunsaker
Summary
When you leave conference, you’ll be full of new ideas and re-energized to make great things happen in your community. But sometimes, the road to greatness is bumpy. Throughout our careers, we will make mistakes that can shape our outlook (and sometimes our future), and as we gain responsibility, we often must deal with the failures of those that work for us. Using stories of surviving failure from well-known corporations, your peers in recreation, and my own personal “oops” moments, understand the lessons you can learn when you face your own failure as well as creating an environment for your team where they can survive and learn from their own mistakes. From personnel issues to overbearing parents, discuss common pitfalls, share your own lessons and laugh a little along the way!

Creating an Environment for Supervisor Success

Friday AM Session - 8am-9:20am

Speakers
  • Wess Long - President – Starguard ELITE
    As President of StarGuard ELITE (SGE), Wess Long oversees all aspects of the company’s industry leading safety training programs and advisory services that serve more than 300 clients worldwide, including many of the largest private and public organizations. Prior to SGE, Long worked in numerous capacities throughout the aquatics industry with leadership positions at various levels for many top resorts and water parks including Atlantis the Palm Dubai, Walt Disney World and Palace Entertainment. Additionally, Long has worked with projects of every size providing support for initial concept, construction, operational development, safety consulting, staff training and regulatory compliance. Since 2014, Long has served in a leadership capacity for WWA’s Safety Committee and is currently the chair of the committee. Additionally, Long speaks at industry conferences and trainings around the world and is active within numerous other industry organizations. In 2020, Long was recognized with the WWA’s Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award and in 2021 by Aquatic International’s Power Awards.
Summary
In recent years a lot of attention has been placed on the importance of on-deck supervision to the success of lifeguard teams and an efficient operation. Unfortunately, simply having a supervisor present isn't enough. It's critical these individuals are properly trained and have policies & procedures that will promote their effectiveness. This session will dive into key points for supervisor training programs and setting them up for success.

Anatomy of an Aquatic Lawsuit

Friday AM Session - 9:30am-10:50am

Speakers
  • Shawn DeRosa - Owner – DeRosa Aquatic Consulting
Summary
Imagine this, you pull into the parking lot only to find an ambulance and police car at the front door to your aquatic facility. You aren't sure what happened, but you assume it can't be good. As you walk in, you see your lifeguards in tears and overhear parents talking about 'the poor child.' After the lights and sirens go away, your mind shifts to the inevitable -- the lawsuit that will likely be filed. What does that mean for you and your staff? How do you prepare? Is there anything you could have done in advance of this incident to have better prepared your staff to prevent and manage the occurrence? This session will explore these questions and more as we dive into the anatomy of an aquatic lawsuit.

Searching vs. Scanning: Shifting the Mindset for Lifeguard Scanning Strategies

Friday AM Session - 11am-12:20pm

Speakers
  • Wess Long - President – Starguard ELITE
Summary
When teaching Lifeguards to effectively identify swimmers that may be in distress or drowning, surveillance efforts are typically focused on 'scanning'. This commonly includes teaching the physical movement of the Lifeguard's field of vision, a defined zone of surveillance, a targeted timeframe to scan the zone, and scanning patterns to employ. While there is value in these elements of training, it places emphasis on what a Lifeguard should look like while on stand, however it misses the key element of identifying the distress and drowning behaviors that Lifeguards should be actively searching for. This session will dive into the evolution of scanning instruction and best practices to shift the mindset from Lifeguards physically replicating behaviors to actively identifying patrons in need of their assistance.

Surviving the Dreaded Deposition

Friday PM Session 1:30pm-2:50pm

Speakers
  • Shawn DeRosa - Owner – DeRosa Aquatic Consulting
Summary
An injury occurs at your facility. You’ve interviewed staff, provided counseling, and completed all necessary records and reports. Within a few weeks, you receive a Freedom of Information Act Request. What should you do now? Do you know what to expect as you prepare this case for trial? Are you ready to be a witness for your department? Have you prepared yourself for the deposition? While most cases will settle out of court, you must prepare yourself for trial. This session will get you underway.

Understanding Drowning

Friday PM Session - 3pm-4:20pm

Speakers
  • Wess Long - President – Starguard ELITE
Summary
Too often when teaching or discussing drowning, the focus is on drowning as an outcome rather than a process. This session will present drowning as a process and detail the unique factors we should be educating our aquatic safety teams on during their various training to understand the realities they may encounter. By understanding drowning as a process and how the process can be interrupted, lifeguards are better prepared to identify and treat drownings.
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