New London — The great Arthur Ashe once called heroism "remarkably sober, very undramatic. Not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."

No arguments from this corner, except to perhaps quibble with the "dramatic" part. At least in the case of Ocean Beach, where the courage of the lifeguards feels contagious, what with their recent run of life-saving earning a public commendation from New London mayor Mike Passero last week in front of 5,000 people awaiting fireworks. The  cheers of the people ran like a current throughout the place, honoring the sanctity of life.

"Having the mayor there meant the world to me," lifeguard Megan Wood of New London said. "Just recognizing our work. It was a great experience to see everybody there."

The assemblage of lifeguards at 98 Neptune Ave. consists of many former high school athletes from our corner of the world, some still in their teens and some young adults. Passero recognized them for saving a fisherman in distress about 10 days ago now. In the words of the life-savers:

"We had to swing out close to where Seagull Island is to rescue a fisherman who was struggling to get back against the strong current," lifeguard Nick Gigliotti of Waterford said.

"We swam him back and put his fishing gear and a cooler they had with the fish in them on the rescue tube," Ocean Beach Aquatic Director and St. Bernard graduate Kiely Smith said. "We got him out and gave him the care that was needed. Then EMS took over."

There have been others saves in subsequent days, reiterating the extraordinary responsibility thrust on young people with still modest life experiences. So much for the idea that lifeguards are up there working on their tans, especially at Ocean Beach with gaggles of guests occupying the considerable shoreline and Olympic-sized pool.

"There's definitely a lot of adrenaline going on," said 2020 New London High grad Brandon Donastorg, a lifeguard who also played football for the Whalers. "A lot to think about and a lot to process. But we know what we signed up for. We want to help people."

Smith: "We work for Jeff Ellis & Associates (a renowned aquatic safety provider) and they train us to be proactive so we can avoid as many problems as we can. Rule enforcement on the beach and in the pool is such a big thing to avoid issues before they happen. Every week we have in-service to practice our skills. This is our responsibility. To me it feels second nature. That nervousness goes to the side."

Ah, yes. Rule enforcement. That old thing. It's getting harder to enforce rules now in our irritable society, given the penchant for the afflicted to cue contrived moral outrage and quote the Constitution. Such defiance runs afoul of the lifeguard's job, which, by definition, is to guard lives. The lifeguards at Ocean Beach (and everywhere else) must parlay physical ability with nerves of iron and deft diplomacy.

"One of the biggest things we have to enforce is the 'umbrella rule,'" Wood said. "Umbrellas on the beach have to be in line with the lifeguard towers so we can see the full zones we need to watch. Umbrellas too close to the water can block some of the zones so we have to move them back."

Gigliotti: "We try to prepare the guards for guests who don't like to listen. It's more of an acquired skill set. Lot of times, guests will tell us they want to set up their umbrellas near the shore so they can watch their kids. We say, 'thank you for being responsible. But there are other guests who aren't watching their kids and that's why our lifeguards need to watch this area. That usually clicks."

There's also something to be learned here from the Law Of Unintended Consequences. Lifeguarding has produced life skills maybe they never saw coming.

"This job teaches you a lot about communication," Gigliotti said. "I'll take this with me."

Wood: "It's made me become more aware when I'm out in public. I went to a music festival recently and I noticed the people around me who were struggling."

Donastorg: "It's not like a regular job where it's 9-5 and you're told what to do and you do it for the rest of the day. It's always something different. If it's not a missing kid, the parents lost their kid, something's going down at the end of the boardwalk, someone is dehydrated ... it's always something different. It teaches you how to deal with a lot of different things and people."

Centerplate, which runs Ocean Beach, has a lot to be proud of today. Lives are in good hands with a group of young adults who have given the place with an already good name an even better one.

"It's my favorite job I've ever had," lifeguard and St. Bernard grad Meghan Bergeron said. "I'm extremely lucky to be doing this. I've learned so much from it. It's great to meet all kinds of people."

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro