Centennial Aquatic Center & Splash Pad — Local services in Worth Township

I got asked "why are you laughing?" by one of the lifegaurds, and I think that says enough about how rude and out of line the staff members were. We had young children no older than 5 years among our group and the staff members, a few particularly, were extremely hostile when giving out instructions. I had assumed that was just the way lifegaurds were, until the initial change of lifegaurds by the kids pool. The previous male life gaurd would blow his whistle consistently while, very aggressively, yelling at the children for very peculiar reasons. The new female lifegaurd on shift by the kids pool did not have to blow her whistle even a quarter of the amount of times the previous one had, even though they were the same group of kids playing in the same manner they had been since entering the pool. By the general pool, they were told they were not allowed to hold their breath under water, hold onto each other or jump into the pool. I got aggressively asked "why are you laughing" after one of the lifegaurds yelled at one of my friends for carrying one of the kids in our group in the pool. Now the biggest problem here is that this same lifegaurd magically decided he was going to have a change of attitude with the student (from our group) who was in the pool with her dad. The lifegaurd, aware of the fact that the girl's father was present, avoided hostilely yelling at her for sitting on the stairs and instead very gently asked her to move, while other kids got the whistle blown at them followed by an aggressive holler. This was the same lifegaurd who was hollering at the toddlers and children by the kids pool.

I do not recommend this location and I hope that they begin to include some type of anti-bias training for their lifegaurds and staff members. It is located at the heart of a city which is home to a large community of multiple minorities, so if they do not want to be boycotted they will need to re-evaluate the way they treat their guests. A good first step would be making their biases a little...

Unwelcoming, Aggressive, and Disheartening Experience

Our visit to this community pool was nothing short of upsetting. From the moment we arrived, the lifeguards created a tense and uninviting environment. Instead of doing their jobs—monitoring the pool for safety and supporting families—they spent most of their time gathered in cliques, chatting amongst themselves, completely disengaged from their responsibilities.

What was most disturbing, however, was how they treated children and families—especially minority patrons—with clear bias and hostility. They yelled aggressively at kids for harmless, age-appropriate play like Marco Polo, splashing, or even simply laughing. Yes—laughing. On multiple occasions, lifeguards confronted swimmers in a harsh, aggrieved tone just for laughing, as if joy itself was against the rules. It felt less like a community pool and more like a strict military training camp.

There was no allowance for fun, no sense of community, and certainly no warmth. It felt as if the space was meant only for silently standing in water—not swimming, not bonding, not enjoying each other’s company.

As a resident of Oak Lawn, I am ashamed that such behavior was tolerated. Our village works hard to be inclusive and family-friendly, and this group of lifeguards does not represent those values. I will not return, nor will I recommend this location to anyone. I’ll gladly support surrounding communities where families—especially minority families—are welcomed with respect and treated with basic...

I was truly looking forward to a fun day at this water park, but unfortunately, my experience was overshadowed by the behavior of some of the lifeguards on duty. Throughout the day, I noticed a consistent pattern of rudeness and dismissiveness, particularly toward guests who appeared to be from minority backgrounds.

What should have been a welcoming, family-friendly environment instead felt uncomfortable and unwelcoming. Staff members are supposed to ensure safety and fairness for all guests, but the attitudes and actions of these lifeguards suggested otherwise. It’s deeply disappointing to witness what appeared to be racial bias in how they interacted with guests.

I sincerely hope the management takes this feedback seriously and provides proper training on cultural sensitivity, anti-discrimination, and respectful communication. Until real changes are made, I cannot recommend this park to others looking for a safe and inclusive place to enjoy with...