“My mom’s going to be so proud,” said 21-year-old lifeguard Megan Trout, after accepting an award Friday for “Outstanding Professionalism and Meritorious Action.”John Thompson, executive director of the Rice-Le Sueur Chapter of the American Red Cross, arranged for the surprise award ceremony Friday afternoon at Faribault’s Outdoor Aquatic Center. Faribault City Administrator Tim Madigan came to lend his congratulations, as did Sarah Peanasky, pool manager.“What Megan did was rescue three girls who got in trouble in deep water,” Peanasky said. The three girls, around 6 to 7 years old, splashed in the pool on July 27 as Trout kept scanning the water from her lifeguard stand.She watched the friends swim toward an older sister of one of the girls in deeper water. Then, the older sister for some reason swam away. Not too much later, two of the girls grabbed onto each other, clearly in a state of panic. Trout jumped in to rescue them from the deep water.“By the time I got to the first two girls, the third was having problems,” Trout said. “So, I ended up rescuing all three. They swallowed some water, but otherwise were OK.”
Trout, daughter of Beth and Phil Trout of Faribault, has been a lifeguard since she was 15 years old. She was on the lifeguard staff when Faribault’s outdoor pool opened for its first season six years ago and has served on its staff every season since.
“I’m proud of Megan and all my staff,” said Robyn Sailor, supervisor of Faribault’s Park and Recreation’s aquatic programs. “We train and do lots of practice rescues to be prepared for occasions like this so lifeguards react quickly and without panic, knowing what to do.”
Thompson had been in Rushford helping flood victims, along with other Red Cross workers.
“I came back for this afternoon ceremony to give the award to Megan myself,” Thompson said. “She’s a great example of the type of lifeguard the American Red Cross hopes to develop with our training and certifications.”
Trout is a 2004 graduate of Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. She is attending Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. This fall she will fly to Spain for a year’s study abroad.
- Staff writer Pauline Schreiber may be reached at 333-3127.
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