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Celebrating 35 years of Aquatic Leadership
This past year caused me to reflect on the history of NASCO, and the fact that we have been serving the Amusement and Aquatic Industry for over 35 years. Who would of thought that back in 1974 that the concept of reducing the loss of life due to drowning would of grown so large, and in this way? Recall that in 1974 there were little, if any, waterparks and the knowledge about how to defend a waterpark was virtually non-existent. I was busy teaching basic lifesaving courses when I decided that a program had to be developed that was completely devoted to lifeguarding. Our first courses were taught in municipalities. It was during this time that we began providing litigation support in drowning cases. Then in 1983, we became involved in waterparks. At first it was mostly conducting facility inspections and our advanced lifeguarding/leadership course, better known as Top Gun. Then our lifeguard index was developed and implemented and was widely accepted by many waterparks across the nation. In the mid 80’s we began working in the hard rides side of the amusement industry with programs that paralleled what we had done in aquatics.
All of our programs have been developed over many years of careful research and observation, with contributions from industry and aquatic professionals far too many to name. It goes without saying that without these contributions, NASCO would not be what it is today. It is for this reason, and others, that one of our operating tenants is that everyone affiliated with NASCO has a voice. We are committed to being better than we were the year before at reducing the loss of life due to drowning. With the contributions of our friends and associates, we look forward to a progressive future.
Sincerely,
John L. Hunsucker
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