Ashley TranThe winner of the Dorchester Day Essay Contest is Ashley Tran, who is also this year’s Young Miss Dorchester winner. Ashley, age 12, is a student at Boston Latin School. She was asked to write about a person or group that makes the Dorchester community better. This year’s contest is dedicated to the memory of Joe Chaisson.

Being born and raised in Dorchester for my entire life, I believe that this neighborhood is a great place to live in. I participated in many groups in Dorchester such as Girl Scouts, dancing, and martial arts.

One group that has had a great impact on my life as well as the lives of others in the community is the lifeguards at the Dot House Health swimming pool. The lifeguards make the community a better place because they operate the swimming pool daily for everyone.

They work hard to provide the best service for the public and made a commitment to make Dorchester a betterplace to live in. They run programs offered to the general public during community hours and for pool members. Their workdays begin early from 6:30 a.m. and end at 8:30 p.m.

At the pool, there are many aquatic programs and classes that are offered for all ages: babies, youth, adults, and seniors. There is a “Water Babies” class for parents and babies to bond and experience the water together. The lifeguards would help develop the swimming abilities of the infants and communication between the babies and parents.

For the youth, the pool offers weekly swim lessons for beginner and intermediate swimmers. The lifeguards are the coaches for the swim team, which is geared towards more advanced and competitive swimmers. There is also a program for children who have asthma and obesity issues. The pool’s asthma program enables swimmers with asthma to become physically active while lessening their asthma condition. The pool’s obesity program teaches children about health education and the need for physical exercise.

For adults, there are times in the day that are reserved for lap swims. Adults could get some exercise early in the morning before work or during the evenings. There are also programs for seniors such as water aerobics and swim lessons. The program enables them to be active and to work their bodies in a relaxing environment. These types of programs allow both adults and seniors to become more fit and to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

The swimming pool staff has done a tremendous job throughout the year by running their amazing programs and swim lessons that benefit the community. I have been playing at the pool since I was a toddler. During that time, I was frightened to swim, but with the assistance of the lifeguards, I overcame my fear of swimming. I began to learn how to swim and with the mentoring and coaching from my coaches, I was able to become a faster swimmer.

By the age of six, I joined the Dorchester House Swim Team and have won medals at the regional and national swim meets. Not only do the lifeguards and swim coaches work with the swimmers on the swim team about techniques to swim faster and to become healthier, they also teach the swimmers about life skills. They teach the swimmers how to manage their time while balancing their homework and attending daily swim practices. They emphasize the values of teamwork and team spirit. The lifeguards work with the swimmers to set goals in swimming, which can also be used for swimmers to set goals in life.

Although, there are many people and groups that make Dorchester a great place to live in, I think that the Dorchester House swimming pool staff is the most committed to make the community better.

The lifeguards at the pool have had a great impact on my life as well as the community of Dorchester by unifying everyone through programs and socializing time. They make Dorchester a better place to live in.