CAPE MAY, N.J. (Aug. 8, 2012) — The Jersey Mike’s United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) National Lifeguard Championships kicked off in Cape May, N.J. on Wednesday with the National Junior Lifeguard Championships featuring young participants from USLA-affiliated lifeguard programs across the country.
These future lifeguarding hopefuls, ages 9-17, competed in eight events in four age categories for individual titles. Competitors from MonmouthCounty, the Hamptons, Pompano Beach, Jones Beach, Sussex County, South Jersey, Long Beach, Los Angeles County and Ft. Lauderdale all won individual titles on Wednesday. The Junior Guard competition prefaced the three-day USLA National Lifeguard Championships.
Results from Wednesday’s Jersey Mike’s National Junior Lifeguard Championships are listed (first-third finishers) in the attached press release:
BEACH RUN – An individual event in which Junior Guards run down, around a flag and back to a finish funnel on the hard sand.
SURF RACE – An individual event in which Junior Guards swim out and around the two designated buoys and finish through the funnel on the beach.
RUN-SWIM-RUN – An individual event in which Junior Guards run a set distance on the beach, then swim out and around two buoys and back then finish with a second beach run.
BOARD RACE – An individual event in which Junior Guards paddle and board out and around designated buoys, negotiate incoming surf and finish with their board through a funnel on the beach.
IRON GUARD – An individual event in which Junior Guards swim the designated course, run to the transition area, then paddle the designated course and finish with a final run leg.
RESCUE RACE – A simulated rescues event which requires a Junior Guard “victim” and “rescuer.” Victims swim out and line up on the flag or buoy line; the rescuer races out and swims the victim to shore. The rescuer may wear fins and the victim may kick during the return. Both Junior Guards must cross the finish line with equipment in hand.
SWIM RELAY – A team event made up of five swimmers in which each team member swims out and around the designated buoys and returns to the beach to tag the next swimmer.
BEACH FLAGS – From a prone position on the sand, upon a whistle start, Junior Guards rise, turn, and race to obtain a baton (beach flag) buried upright in the sand. Those who fail to get a baton are eliminated.
Hosted by the Cape May Beach Patrol, the USLA National Lifeguard Championships continue Thursday at 8 a.m. ET on Cape May Beach at Grant Streetand Beach Avenue.
More than 1,200 professional and junior lifeguards from across the country are competing for individual and team honors in water and beach course events that challenge their lifesaving skills including surf swims, beach runs, paddleboard races, landline rescue relays, a taplin relay, board rescue races, beach flags, and Ironman and Ironwoman races.
Admission to the Jersey Mike’s USLA National Lifeguard Championships in Cape May is free of charge (regular beach rates apply).
The United States Lifesaving Association (www.usla.org) is America’s nonprofit professional association of beach lifeguards and open water rescuers. USLA works to reduce the incidence of death and injury in the aquatic environment through public education, national lifeguard standards, training programs, promotion of high levels of lifeguard readiness, and other means.
For more information on the Jersey Mike’s USLA National Lifeguarding Championships, and for full results from day one’s National Junior Lifeguard Championships, visit www.uslanationals.org.