A lasting splash: Dana DesRoches reflects on her years at the Redwater Pool

By Shelley Winger

For 14 summers, Dana DesRoches worked as a lifeguard, instructor, and manager at the
Redwater Swimming Pool — a place that became her second home.

What first brought her to the pool 14 years ago was simple circumstance mixed with familiarity.
Living in nearby Bruderheim with her grandparents after graduating from college, DesRoches
already had experience lifeguarding and instructing. When she began searching for full-time
work, taking a summer position in Redwater felt like a natural fit.

“I didn’t think I would be there that long,” she said. “I worked there for a few summers and took
a few years off in between, but the pool kept calling me back.”

What started as a temporary job slowly became part of the rhythm of her life.

During the school year, DesRoches worked as an Educational Assistant. Later, she opened a
dance studio in Redwater, teaching from September to May before shifting into pool life each
spring and summer. The seasonal balance worked seamlessly, allowing her to remain active in
the community year-round while doing work she genuinely loved.

Over time, her role at the pool grew beyond lifeguarding and instructing. She stepped into
leadership as manager, mentoring younger staff members — many of whom had once stood
nervously at the pool’s edge as her swimming students.

Looking back, she says those moments are what she is most proud of.

“I am most proud of the kids that I taught swimming lessons to that became lifeguards and
instructors — some of whom I got to mentor as the manager at the pool,” she said. “Watching

them grow in confidence and take on leadership roles was really special.”

For DesRoches, the impact of the pool extended far beyond teaching strokes and water safety
skills. It was about building confidence, responsibility, and connection.

“I’m proud of many of the relationships I built over the years in the community,” she added.

Across 14 summers, she witnessed the pool evolve alongside the town itself. Facility upgrades
brought improvements to the filtration system and water chemistry management, ensuring a safer
and more efficient operation. Swim programming shifted as well, transitioning from the Red
Cross curriculum to the Lifesaving Society model — a change that reflected broader trends in
aquatic education across the province.

Municipal leadership changed during her time there too, with new CAOs, mayors, and
community services managers coming and going. Through it all, the pool remained a constant
summer gathering place for Redwater families.

And for DesRoches, that consistency mattered.

“I love the water and working outdoors,” she said. “Flexible hours were a bonus, but it was the
friendships that were made working there and teaching kids something I love so much that meant
the most.”

Each summer brought a new team of staff, each with its own personality and traditions. While
she struggles to name a single favourite memory, she recalls the small, simple moments that
made the job joyful.

“I don’t know if I could pick just one,” she said with a laugh. “Each group of staff had their own
silly things they would do to make it fun. One summer, we wrote funny quotes from each other

on a whiteboard so we could look back and laugh.”

Those lighthearted traditions created bonds that often extended beyond the pool deck.

Nearly three years have passed since DesRoches stepped away from her role at the pool. Today,
she works full-time as an Educational Assistant and, for the first time in many years, spends her
summers focused on her own family.

“Since leaving the pool almost three years ago, I’ve been able to take my summers off to spend
with my own children,” she said.

In a full-circle moment, her connection to the pool continues. Her family still visits the Redwater
Swimming Pool each summer, and her children now take swimming lessons in the same place
where she once stood on deck teaching others.

It’s a transition that feels fitting — from instructor and mentor to parent watching from the
sidelines.

When asked what she hopes people remember about her years at the pool, her answer is simple
and heartfelt.

“I hope people know how much I loved that pool and that I tried hard to make it a great place for
the public who visited and for the staff who worked there.”

After 14 years, that legacy is already visible — in the swimmers she taught, the lifeguards she
mentored, and the generations of Redwater families who passed through the gates each summer.
For DesRoches, the pool may have begun as a temporary job, but it became something far more
lasting: a place where community was built one lesson, one season, and one summer at a time.