The United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) National Lifeguard Championships kicked off the first day of professional competition on Thursday. The USLA crowned age group champions in the Surf Boat Race, Surf Ski Race, American Ironwoman, American Ironman and Beach Flags events. Preliminary and semifinal rounds were also run for a variety of Open events.
At the 2017 USLA National Lifeguard Championships, professional lifeguards from 60 USLA chapters around the country are competing for individual and team honors in water and beach course events that challenge their lifesaving skills. After day one of competition, LA County Surf Life Saving Association leads all competitors with 58.5 team points. Monmouth County (N.J.) currently ranks second with 41.5 points and Town of Palm Beach (Fla.) follows in third with 26.5. Wrightsville Beach (N.C.) leads the B Division (chapters with 100 lifeguards or less) with 16 points.
Age group champions for each of Thursday’s USLA National Lifeguard Championships events follow:
SURF BOAT RACE: Two person surf boat teams row around the three outside buoy courses returning to shore where one member disembarks from the boat and runs up to touch the line. Once across the touchline, the member can return to their surf boat for a second lap, repeating the touch line run. At the finish of the third lap, one member must leave the boat and run up and across the finish line. Three lap races are approximately 2,000 meters with each lap approximately 665 meters.
Men’s 30-34
- Ryan Zabovnik & George Klein – Town of Palm Beach, Fla.
Women’s 30-34
- Brittany Austin & Tiffany LaCasse-Johnson – Miami Beach & Palm Beach County, Fla.
Men’s 35-39
- Michael Vasta & Michael Huck – Dania Beach, Fla.
Women’s 45-49
- Sherry Griffith & Shelley Griffith – Boca Raton, Fla.
Men’s 50-54
- Steve Griffith – Boca Raton, Fla.
Men’s 55-59
- Joseph Taylor & John Gepp – Hallandale Beach & Ford Lauderdale Ocean Rescue, Fla.
Men’s 60-64
- Mark Myhre & Wayne MacMurray – Town of Balm Beach, Fla. & South Jersey, N.J.
Men’s 65-69
- Bert Soden & Rick Stimpson – Miami Beach, Fla. & Monmouth County, N.J.
Men’s 70+
- David Spence & Bob Lenti – Jones Beach State Park, N.Y.
SURF SKI: Competitors steady their skis in line in knee-deep water about 1.5 meters apart. Competitors must obey directions from the starter or check starter concerning ski alignment at the start. On the starting signal, competitors paddle their skis around the apex course marked by three red buoys in a clockwise direction and return to finish when any part of the ski crosses the in-water finish line – ridden, gripped or carried by the competitor. Competitors may lose contact with their ski without necessarily being disqualified.
Men’s 30-34
- Luke Turner – Emerald Coast, Fla.
Women’s 30-34
- Lindsey Gerkens – Wrightsville Beach, N.C.
Men’s 35-39
- Steven O’Boyle – Sussex County, Del.
Women’s 35-39
- Bethany McKinney – Outer Banks, N.C.
Men’s 40-44
- Phill Lloyd – Outer Banks, N.C.
Women’s 40-44
- Jennifer Noonan – Delray Beach Ocean Rescue, Fla.
Men’s 45-49
- Javier Mayor – Miami Beach, Fla.
Women’s 45-49
- Sherry Griffith – Boca Raton, Fla.
Men’s 50-54
- Patrick Hemmens – California State Lifeguard Association, Calif.
Women’s 50-54
- Deirdre Fisher – LA County Surf Life Saving Association, Calif.
Men’s 55-59
- Jay Butki – LA County Surf Life Saving Association, Calif.
Men’s 60-64
- Mark Myhre – Town of Palm Beach, Fla.
Men’s 65-69
- Joel Gitelson – LA County Surf Life Saving Association, Calif.
Men’s 70+
- Ed Heinrich – LA County Surf Life Saving Association, Calif.
BEACH FLAGS: From a prone starting position on the beach, competitors rise, turn and race to obtain a baton (beach flag) buried upright in the sand approximately 20 meters away. Since there are always fewer batons than competitors, those who fail to obtain a baton are eliminated.
Men’s 30-34
- Maurice Peacock – Wrightsville Beach, N.C.
Women’s 30-34
- Kristen DiTommaso – Monmouth County, N.J.
Men’s 35-39
- Eric Barnoff – Hampton Lifeguard Assoc., N.Y.
Women’s 35-39
- Bethany McKinney – Outer Banks, N.C.
Men’s 40-44
- Bryan Iveson – Jax Beach, Fla.
Women’s 40-44
- Tamra Marris – Volusia Surf Lifesaving Association, Fla.
Men’s 45-49
- Ross O’Neill – Monmouth County, N.J.
Women’s 45-49
- Robyn Skove – Hollywood Beach, Calif.
Men’s 50-54
- Eugene Ancheta – Kauai, Hawaii
Women’s 50-54
- Chris Linkletter – LA County Surf Life Saving Association, Calif.
Men’s 55-59
- John Gepp – Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue, Fla.
Women’s 55-59
- Kathleen Piacentine – Hampton Lifeguard Assoc., N.Y.
Men’s 60-64
- Jim Emery – Jax Beach, Fla.
Women’s 60-64
- Susan Wallis – Jax Beach, Fla.
Men’s 65-69
- Joel Gitelson – LA County Surf Life Saving Assoc., Calif.
Men’s 70+
- Edward McDonald – Hampton Lifeguard Assoc., N.Y.
AMERICAN IRONMAN: Competitors cover a 1400 m (approx.) course that includes a swim leg, a board leg, a solo surfboat leg, and a beach sprint finish. Conditions of racing each leg are as generally required for the individual conditions of that discipline including the rules governing the component disciplines: surfboats, board races, surf races, beach sprints. The sequence of legs shall be determined by draw at the commencement of each competition at least one hour prior to the race. The same ballot shall determine the order of legs for the Ironman and Taplin Relay. If the surf boat leg is first, competitors will start with a typical Surfboat start with a handler.
Men’s 30-34
- AJ Miller – Volusia Surf Lifesaving Association, Fla.
Men’s 35-39
- Todd Sudol – Monmouth County, N.J.
Men’s 40-44
- Phill Lloyd – Outer Banks, N.C.
Men’s 45-49
- Wade Rickerson – Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue, Fla.
Men’s 50-54
- Phil Wotton – Delray Beach Ocean Rescue, Fla.
Men’s 55-59
- John Skudin – Long Beach, N.Y.
Men’s 60-64
- Dale Adama – California State Lifeguard Assoc., Calif.
Men’s 65-69
- Joel Gitelson – LA County Surf Life Saving Assoc., Calif.
AMERICAN IRONWOMAN: Competitors cover a 950 meter (approx.) course that includes a swim leg, a board leg, and a beach sprint finish. SWIM clockwise around the two center swim flag buoys (red to green/yellow). Competitors will BOARD paddle clockwise around the swim flag buoys and the black/white buoys. The start will be at the left end of the coarse facing down the beach. The competitors will RUN down the beach 100 meters to a flag in the middle of the course. After rounding the center flag, the competitors enter the water for the swim.
Women’s 30-34
- Brittany Austin – Miami Beach, Fla.
Women’s 45-49
- Michelle Davidson – Monmouth County, N.J.
Women’s 50-54
- Chris Linkletter – LA County Surf Life Saving Assoc., Calif.
Women’s 55-59
- Janet Carbin – Monmouth County, N.J.
Hosted by the Volusia Surf Lifesaving Association in conjunction with the Volusia County’s Beach Safety Division, the USLA National Lifeguard Championships continue Friday at 8 a.m. ET on Daytona Beach in front of the Hilton Daytona Beach Resort/Ocean Walk Village (100 N. Atlantic Ave.).
From Thursday to Saturday, professional lifeguards from a number of USLA chapters across the country will compete 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 USLA National Lifeguard Championships in Daytona Beach is free of charge.
For more information on the USLA National Lifeguard Championships and full results from today’s National Lifeguard Championships, visitwww.usla.org/nationals. The event will be broadcast on FOX Sports Network in September 2017.
About USLA
The United States Lifesaving Association 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. Lifeguard competition in the U.S. owes its heritage to the Surf Lifesaving competitions in Australia. The first National Lifeguard Competition under the USLA banner was held in San Diego in August of 1980, bringing members of the various chapters from around the nation to compete. There are now more than 100 chapters of USLA, each affiliated with local lifesaving services and beach patrols, and composed of employees of these organizations. For more information, please visitwww.uslanationals.org.