Manager Ashley Ford strode the perimeter of one of Indianapolis’ five open swimming pools, monitoring kids as they jumped off a diving board or careened into the water from a curved slide. Four lifeguards, whistles at the ready, watched from their tall chairs stationed around the water. With a dozen of the city’s pools shuttered…
Indianapolis typically fills 17 pools each year, but with a national lifeguard shortage exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic, just five are open this summer.