Courtesy: USLA
Hermosa Beach, Calif. (August 3, 2022) — The United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) National Lifeguard Championships will descend on Hermosa Beach with hundreds of lifeguards and junior lifeguards from across the country competing for individual and team honors, Wednesday, August 10 through Saturday, August 13.
The USLA National Championships, which have taken place every year except for 2020 since 1980, comes back to Hermosa Beach for the first time since 2016. Hermosa Beach was also the site of the 1993 USLA Nationals.
Professional Lifeguards ranging in ages from 16 to 80 and Junior Lifeguards from ages nine to 15 will compete in water and beach course events that challenge their lifesaving skills in a myriad of events from surf swims to beach runs; rescue boards to surf boats. A few of the highlights include the Landline Rescue Race, Ironman and Ironwoman events, and the fan-favorite Beach Flags event which will be contested at the Hermosa Beach Pier Friday night, August 12, in front of what is sure to be a boisterous crowd.
“The USLA is proud to bring together the nation’s best in lifesaving for what promises to be another exciting National Championship event in Hermosa Beach,” said Ed Zebrowski III, Lifesaving Sport Chair for the USLA. “It’s an action packed four days where beach visitors can see firsthand the skill and conditioning it takes to save lives year-round in our waters nationwide. These lifeguards are dedicated in their training, not just for the competition but to also be able to protect and serve their fellow beachgoers to the best of their ability.”
Competitors at this year’s Nationals will be chasing the 2021 defending champions from the powerhouse LA County Surf Lifesaving Association, who will be competing in home surf and has won the overall team championship 32 out of the past 34 years the competition has taken place. The defending individual champions are Ben Brewer from California State Lifeguard Assoc. on the men’s side and Casey Francis from Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue on the women’s side.
Admission is free for the annual competition, with all of the action taking place at the Hermosa Beach Pier. All competitions begin at 8 a.m. and run until the end of the day. A full schedule of events is available to view HERE. The USLA and the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Association (LACOLA) are coordinating the competition, which is sponsored by Jersey Mike’s.
The men and women will compete over three days from Thursday, August 11 to Saturday, August 13 in various events. The Junior Guards are participants in programs conducted by local lifeguard agencies affiliated with the USLA and represent the future lifeguards for cities and counties. The Junior Lifeguard competition as well as the Under-19 competition will take place on Wednesday, August 10.
The Junior Lifeguard competition will involve three divisions – A Division for 14 and 15-year-olds, B Division for 12 and 13-year-olds and the C Division for 9 through 11 years of age. The Under-19 competition will be comprised of both junior and professional lifeguards ages 16 through 18.
The 2022 Jersey Mike’s USLA National Lifeguard Championships will be livestreamed on www.usla.org.