American Fork Recreation Center — Local services in American Fork

Don't sign your kids up for swimming lessons here at this "lifeguard-on-duty" facility unless you want to watch the lifeguard flirt with a girl and the swimming teachers forget your child, resulting in the almost-drowning of your 3-year-old.

Today, my nephew almost drowned during swimming lessons at this pool. Both he and his cousins have been coming to the American Fork Recreation Center all summer for swimming lessons. Up until this point, there have been no problems. Normally, if this were any other business, that would be fine. However, when the business at hand plays with the life and death of your kid (and you trust them to keep them alive), I feel the most acceptable amount of slip ups or problems here should be 0.

While the swimming teachers were in a circle playing with the other kids in the swimming class, my nephew was outside of the circle. He began to back up towards the deeper end of the pool. As the water got a little higher, he cried out. He hates the water touching his chest and neck. No one noticed except for his dad and his aunt. Then, the water took him under. No one noticed. The lifeguard on duty was flirting with a girl at his post and completely unaware of the issue, even as the child's guardians ran towards the water screaming for help. The swimming teachers didn't notice either. While I have more sympathy for them as the swimming class is full of 10+ children, I can't help but point out the irony of a kid drowning in a swimming class that is promoted as a way for your child to build "comfort in and around the water."

His aunt, who ran towards the pool with the child's dad, could not jump in as she was holding a newborn. She called for help. Still, no one at the rec center responded. Instead, a fully-dressed woman who was sitting nearby jumped into the water and saved the boy. As he was pulled from the water, my nephew was coughing up water, crying and completely traumatized. I suspect his "comfort" in and around water has probably hit an all time low.

His aunt, furious (and rightfully so) at the lack of care and help towards the situation, went to the lifeguard coordinator office and banged on the window. She asked that the lifeguard on duty be reprimanded. The coordinator she spoke to seemed unbothered and said that she had already handled the situation. We looked back at the lifeguard on duty and you wouldn't believe it.. He sat happily at his post, FLIRTING WITH THE SAME GIRL HE WAS FLIRTING WITH EARLIER!

The near-drowning was one thing, but the lack of care towards the issue afterwards was even MORE frustrating. The aunt asked to speak to someone else but the person she was redirected to said they couldn't help. Finally, she went to the front desk, at this point in tears, asking for someone who could help make this right. She was directed to a woman who was very apologetic and caring. To that woman, thank you. We appreciate you.

I'm writing this review for two reasons: Firstly, I am completely unhappy with the situation, as most parents would be. Almost losing a child at the hands of someone you trust is unacceptable. Period. Had my nephew's guardians not been keeping a close eye on him, I am fully confident he would have died. Secondly, I am not confident that much of anything has been done to reprimand the lifeguard on duty, nor am I sure that any documentation was done after the issue. The coordinator seemed absolutely disinterested in hearing our complaints and the lifeguard on duty remained at his post flirting with someone else, completely neglectful and careless. I want to post this so that, heaven forbid, if anything happens to a child while this lifeguard is working, there is a track-record of dereliction of duty.

American Fork Recreation Center: Please do better. You have paying customers that not only trust you with the lives of their children, but also expect proper and delicate handling in the event of an emergency/misstep. A near-drowning is terrible, but everything afterwards is what made me write...

My daughter and I like to come here however, sometimes kids can use the spa, sometimes they can't, depending on which lifeguard is watching. The "rule board" is sometimes out, sometimes not, and is so wrinkled you can't read it. I watched one lifeguard stare and pick at his leg for a solid 10 minutes without looking up. Get consistent so we know what to expect. It's hard to tell you child why they were able to get in the hot tub last week but not this week.

Update: here today at 5 pm and the male life guard in a black hoodie is sitting by the hot tub is quite whistle happy. It's still interesting to me that some lifeguards sit there half asleep, and this guy is blowing is whistle and I can't for the life of me figure out who is misbehaving, it just seems like he is angry that he has to be here at work right now. The lifeguards never seem happy to work here and they show it in various ways Also, sometimes kids can get in the hot tub all the way, sometimes they can only dip their feet in, and today with this very angry life guard, if they so much as touch the hot tub water with a toe nail, he blades the whistle, from 5 feet away, instead of kindly asking them to back up. Again, the rules are not posted. Your child's first warning will be a whistle blast 5 feet...

I loved that it was so close to my house. I love the tot gymnastics class! As soon as my daughter was old enough for the 3-6 year old class is when it was not my favorite. My daughter was 3 years old put in a class with 20+ other kids. There was no direction, help or critiquing. She has fun cuz she can run around and do what she wants and the coaches don’t notice half the time because they aren’t paying attention. I fear if I weren’t there she would run away and they wouldn’t even notice. My son has taken the ninja warrior class three times hoping it would be better each time. Too many kids in a class with the coach, sometimes a teenage helper who you can tell doesn’t want to be there and it’s total Chaos in my opinion. I’m surprised kids don’t get hurt more often. There is no control or organization in these classes. On the first day of classes you don’t really know where to go or what class because there are so many going on. You have to just ask a bunch of people to figure it out. We also tried swimming class.Teenagers holding kids through the water one at a time until the half hour is up is not teaching them. im Disappointed. Some people love it but I’m not one of them. When I pay for a class for my kids I expect them to learn something and the...