One last lap with Philadelphia’s Lifeguard Grandma

Summer is quickly coming to an end, and Philadelphia’s public pools are closing. But we have time for one last lap with Philadelphia’s Lifeguard Grandma.

Robin Borlandoe wrapped up her lifeguarding season last weekend at Mill Creek Playground in West Philly. And what a summer it was for the 70-year-old.

From the moment she dove back into lifeguarding to help address a shortage at the city’s public pools, Borlandoe — who last worked poolside as a teenager in the 1960s — caused all kinds of ripple effects.

» READ MORE: Opinion | From Lifeguard Grandma to (Celebrity) Lifeguard Grandma

Countless news outlets told her story, a much-needed feel-good turn of events during a summer defined by a particularly bleak stretch of news.

Renowned civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump shared her story on Instagram.

“AMAZING!” he wrote. “This retiree’s dedication to the safety of her community truly deserves applause!”

Before she knew it, Borlandoe was the unofficial ambassador of Philadelphia pools, spreading the word about their importance in a city severely challenged by gun violence.

This summer only reinforced that message for her.

“It’s easy to pass by these pools and think, ‘Oh, it’s just a pool,’” she said, as we chatted at Mill Creek recently. “But for so many kids, so many families who come here every day, it’s more than that. It’s a place to get away, to do things everyone else does, even if they don’t have the money. It’s why it’s so important to make sure these pools open every year.”

Philly was far from the only major city facing a thinner-than-usual crop of pool workers this summer. A nationwide lifeguard shortage — driven by younger people avoiding pool work in a labor market with a lot more options — led older people to step into seasonal jobs. And with their reentry came a fresh batch of role models redefining what it meant to age with purpose.

When I stopped by the pool during her last weekend shift, Borlandoe was glowing, and not just from spending 30 hours in the sun every week.

“It’s been quite a fantastic journey for me,” she said, adding that she plans to get a new tattoo on her right forearm — a surging wave — to commemorate her second tour of duty. Her left forearm already is decorated with the word “Oma,” the German word for grandma.

» READ MORE: Opinion | Senior lifeguards are stepping in to save city pools

One of the highlights: using her newfound fame to organize a bathing suit drive, inspired by a young girl who was unable to swim when she showed up without a suit. Borlandoe received so many donations from friends and fans alike that she was able to distribute them among multiple pools.

Borlandoe expected to learn (or relearn) a lot about the job that she first held as a teenager. But in the process, she said, she also ended up learning a lot about herself.

For starters, as much as she went into the position wanting to make connections with young people, she realized it can sometimes be difficult to do so from atop a lifeguard chair. A young boy she had hoped to mentor never returned after she had to give him a poolside time-out for using bad language. And for someone who has spent much of her life on the go, it was sometimes difficult for Borlandoe to appreciate the long stretches of quiet and stillness that usually accompany the work of lifeguarding.

Ultimately, though, she found herself enjoying her second go-round as a lifeguard so much that she’s now thinking of becoming a Parks and Recreation swimming instructor.

The good vibes were mutual. Borlandoe’s bosses and coworkers were impressed with her work, and Charles McKnight, the assistant recreation leader at Mill Creek, is quick to point out that it was he who actually “discovered” her.

Last spring, Borlandoe ran into the Mill Creek recreation building after playing softball at a nearby field. McKnight told her he had been watching the team play on the center’s security cameras and teased that she had missed more balls than she’d caught.

She laughed and told McKnight that swimming was actually her sport. He handed her an application to become a lifeguard — and the rest, as they say, is history.

“She was a really great addition to the team,” McKnight said. “Her maturity rubbed off on a lot of guards here.”

Among them was 16-year-old Milan Howell, who said she welcomed having an older colleague.

“This is my first year, and to have someone older was really helpful,” Howell said. “My mom also appreciated having her around because she was another person who could guide me while I was here.”

» READ MORE: Philadelphia pools are closing. Here’s when your neighborhood pool will shut down.

When Borlandoe returns next year — and she said she will — she’ll need to make some adjustments to her schedule to allow her to do the job and spend time with her family. She reveled in all the excitement this summer, but “Oma” really missed her six grandkids.

In the meantime, Borlandoe, a fan of motivational sayings, said one of her favorites sums up her summer:

“If you don’t jump, you’ll never know how far you can soar.”

Despite being older than many of her coworkers, and not knowing what to expect from a job that’s changed since she last worked it 50 years ago, Borlandoe may have reminded us all of the value of having the courage to take the leap.