They’re on the other side of the whistle now.
Thousands of Long Island swimmers owe their safety in the water to a group of top-tier college athletes who double as lifeguards while home for the summer — and the important aquatic gig is making them better at their sports.
“Communication and a team base — you work together, and if there’s a save, everyone’s going together,” Siena lacrosse attacker Patrick Radomski told The Post.
“Each person has a job, just like playing a sport. Everyone works together, and we all want the same thing.”
Radomski works at pools across the Town of Oyster Bay with fellow star-caliber talent in UConn cheerleader Charlotte McKelvey, SUNY Oswego swimmer Allison Priestley, soon-to-be UMass freshman lacrosse player Tyler Byrnes and Cassidy Morrow of the Siena women’s lax team.
“Learning how to perform under pressure is a big part of it,” Morrow said.
“At school, we practice every day for hours just to prepare for a game. It’s the same thing here when we practice our drills, CPR and are getting ready to potentially save someone’s life,” added the sophomore attacker.
To the rescue
Priestley has already had a hero moment she’ll never forget while working at a Plainview pool.
A little boy errantly jumped off a diving board and suddenly started struggling with water up his nose.
“I jumped off the stand, dove in and got him to the side,” she recalled of the “nerve-racking” moment. “It was unexpected. It was scary, but he was OK.”
The Farmingdale-born swimmer was also relieved to know her colleagues were at the ready to support her in the crucial moment, which McKelvey said helps everyone in high-intensity situations.
“It’s very much a family environment. Everyone’s friends; we don’t really get sick of each other. We actually hang out after work and stuff,” she added while at the town’s crown jewel of Tobay Beach, a popular spot for lifeguards on and off duty.
“I feel like even though our job is serious, we do find ways to make it fun and enjoy everybody’s company.”
Diving in headfirst
The fantastic five also use their summer jobs to stay in top training shape for when they return to campus in the fall.
“It keeps you in shape with swimming and everything,” attacker Byrnes said. “I try to swim at least three times a week.”
Meanwhile, Morrow makes sure to get plenty of reps in the water daily.
“Thirty-two laps is about half a mile, so I try to do that once a day just to get some extra endurance,” she said.
McKelvey also credits her grueling daily laps to “a lot of endurance” that translates well on the sidelines and baselines at UConn, like when she cheered at the Women’s Final Four.
That and fighting through some sweltering temperatures — especially the July heatwave that brought temperatures above 100 degrees for multiple days on the island.
“For football, we’re outside for four or five hours cheering and jumping around and stunting and tumbling in the heat,” the junior said.
“It definitely gets you ready for that,” added McKelvey, who, like her peers, often misses Long Island shores while back on campus.
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