December 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 56

Member Spotlight: Jende Smith, CPRP, AFO
By Lindsay Collins

ende Smith, CPRP, AFO, is the aquatic and recreation supervisor
for the city of St. Joseph, Missouri. When asked what her job entails, Smith replies, " I usually tease that it's B., all of the above. " Her
primary responsibilities include providing aquatics services for the city,
which has two outdoor pools, one of which is a water park. The city also
has a joint venture with Missouri Western State University, where Smith
helps with programming, staff training and supportive services at the university pool. She also has presented regularly on the subject of aquatics
for the Missouri Park and Recreation Association and the Kansas Recreation and Park Association.
Parks & Recreation recently spoke
with Smith to learn about her career
in aquatics and how she keeps up
with the field.
Parks & Recreation: How do you
keep up to date on the latest
trends in aquatics, and what
resources have you found to be
helpful?
Jende Smith: NRPA has a lot of
helpful resources - I geek out on
webinars and research. Everybody
kind of makes fun of me for that,

On a daily basis, we
try to be creative
and really do more
with less and see
what we can do to
think outside the
box and make that
work for us.
but it's necessary to really stay viable in the field, because things are
changing so quickly. I really try to
do as much research independently as I can, and if I have an opportunity to sit in on a webinar or
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hear a conference that's presenting
a new idea or something, I will
jump at the opportunity to do that
as frequently as I can. The other
thing I really try to do is diversify
my certification profile. I really try
to think outside the box and think
about other certifications or other
programs that might correlate to
what I'm doing on a daily basis to
give a broader spectrum of experience in the field.
P&R: Over the course of time that
you've been teaching aquatics,
what's a memorable moment that
stands out?
Smith: You know, every time I
teach a class that's a certifying
course and I have a student [who]
has struggled or gone into that with
some hesitation, when they ultimately finish that course successfully, the reaction is always memorable. It's always a very dynamic
reaction whenever they have that
successful moment, and it's just enjoyable watching that happen.
P&R: What do you see as some
of the challenges in the area of
aquatics going forward?
Smith: Hiring challenges are always

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difficult - lifeguard retention, lifeguard recruitment. Of course, the
training because we're not seeing
as many individuals participating
in the swimming programs, and
their swimming abilities have been
declining collectively. On the flip
side of that, our other challenges
are always going to be budgetary
related. On a daily basis, we try
to be creative and really do more
with less and see what we can do
to think outside the box and make
that work for us.
P&R: Are there any takeaways
from your job that you have
found to be helpful to you in life
in general?
Smith: Don't procrastinate. Once
you jump the hurdle and start to
be proactive rather than reactive,
it really changes the dynamic and
changes the tasks you can complete
and minimizes stress.
- Lindsay Collins, Associate Editor
for Parks & Recreation magazine

December 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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