Backyard Lifeguards & BYLG Sport

09/26/2026

Spots are still open for the 2026 Great Lakes Water Safety Conference in South Haven, Michigan Sept. 30th-Oct. 2nd!

For all us midwestern aqatic professionals, THIS is the one to attend! Featuring 36 speakers, demonstrations and interactive sessions, this annual event is geared towards finding solutions to your problems and giving you the tools to take home to solve them.

We’ll see you there!

09/23/2026

This past Sunday we guarded our last triathlon of the year. The annual Carlyle Lake Triathlon has been run by Multi-Sport Events | Triathlons, Coaching, Retreats since 2021. Some of our more experienced triathletes and lifeguard will remember it as CAPEX when it started many years ago.

The sunrise over Carlyle Lake is always stunning! Except for the year we were socked in fog. This year’s race was pretty memorable, but fogageddon of 23 will forever be the absolute most memorable year.

Teammates Sean and Sam are seen escorting the last olympic swimmer into the beach. When we have SUPs available we use them! The better vantage point is always a no brainer.

Breakdown is always a bit laborious. There is definitely a right way and many wrong ways to deflated and pack down all our boards and equipment to fit inside our company suv. But in the end there’s donuts!

Looking forward to another packed triathlon season right around the corner!

09/21/2026

Today is the official last day of summer in the northern hemisphere. Cooler temperatures are starting to sweep across the US and we are beginning to put our bathing suits away for the year. However, aquatic professionals are keeping that water safety momentum going into the “off season.”

In just 10 more days the best of the best will be converging upon South Haven, Michigan for the annual Great Lakes Water Safety Conference. Starting with beach rescue demos on Sept 30th attendees will see, learn and take away critical information they can use to help save lives in aquatic environments.

And the coolest part? It’s being held at the Michigan Maritime Museum! Attendees are welcome to peruse the exhibits and learn all about boats big and small.

09/17/2026

Our very own Stephané Rebeck will be one of nearly 3 dozen speakers at this year’s Great Lakes Water Safety Conference. Check out the full list of guest speakers here.

https://www.greatlakeswatersafety.org/conference

09/04/2026

Bobber the Water Safety Dog, Josh The Otter JCMF and Ranger Buck have teamed up to provide this important PSA for our children: “Always Wear a Life Jacket!”

One of our (nearly 5yo) junior guards in training grabbed this activity page site: Ballard (Hiram M. Chittenden) Locks while on vacation in Seattle.

You can find a whole selection of free printable pdf books, posters, coloring and activity sheets, and even a cartoon series at www.bobber.info. And that cute sea otter? He can be found at JoshtheOtter.org which is also another great resource! Just another way to engage, educate and inform young children on the importance of water safety.

09/04/2026

Inflatable pool toys are NOT life saving PFDs. You can still enjoy those air filled vinyl floaties in open water, but with the addition of coast guard approved life jackets.

Be sure to keep all your water safety layers of protection in check as we go into this big holiday weekend.

08/24/2026

Another successful triathlon! Yesterday team BYLG and a handful of volunteers kept over 423 participants safe in the water at the 6th annual 370 Lakeside Triathlon. The weather was perfect! Just a little chilly to start, but the water was oh so warm and inviting. And a beautiful sunrise to boot!

Huge shout out to all our volunteers! All you kayak and SUP aficionados, triathletes in training, and early risers were extremely helpful. We know that 6am call time is a bit rough. But having extra sets of eyes on the water is a huge help!

You might think this is our last big open water event for the year… But it’s not! We a little fundraising event called Swim Across America coming up next weekend. And in a few more weeks we have our final triathlon of the season at Lake Carlyle.

08/07/2026

Ever surf in the midwest? We had a little fun practicing our surf skills after our inservice last month. Who did the best waveless surf?

08/02/2026

100 minutes of continuous CPR.

That was our goal for this inservice meeting, and we made it! With the help of a couple dozen bystanders and 10 of St. Louis’s most elite open water lifeguards (and one in training) we were able to sustain 100 minutes of life saving compressions.

Most of our bystander volunteers have never tried CPR before. With this latest revision of (non-professional rescuer) CPR it’s even easier to help someone in need. That’s because you no longer need to worry about breaths. That’s right, no more mouth to mouth. You just have to call 911, lock in your position and keep the beat.

07/30/2026

This viral video of a rescue is bringing attention to the amazing strength, conditioning, tenacity, training, and skills of lifeguards. For many, this is a normal Saturday. "This is my job and I love what I do. I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day."

The father of a 10-year-old boy pulled from pounding surf by a teenage lifeguard and others is beyond grateful his son survived the ordeal.