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Community Corner

Lifeguards Dive Into Regional Competition

Professional and junior guards will participate in a series of unique surf boat races and other aquatic events this weekend at the 2011 CSLSA Regional Lifeguard Championships in Seal Beach.

Thousands of professional and junior lifeguards from 30 lifeguard departments will come to this week for an annual event that this year that includes a range of challenges.

On Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July 23, the 2011 California Surf Life Saving Assn. Southwest Regional Lifeguard Championships will again offer citizens the chance to see live competitions among those who protect them from danger in the water.

Maddison Martin, 22, a resident of Belmont Shore and a Long Beach lifeguard, is excited to participate in the championship which will feature iron-man races, beach runs and other aquatic events, just north of the Seal Beach Pier. “After joining the lifeguard agency, I realized how beautiful Belmont Shore was," said Martin. "I didn’t want to leave. That’s why I moved here.”

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Martin worked as a lifeguard for four years at Bay Shore Avenue and now currently serves at 55th and Ocean. Her close-knit team of fellow lifeguards has been constantly training, attending meetings and preparing for the upcoming regional and national competitions. Martin looks forward to participating in various sprints, races, rescue relays, and paddle competitions and is excited by the support from other lifeguards and people from the community. “I’m more of a swimmer," she said, "but I love watching sprints on the beach. It gets really competitive and it’s awesome to watch how fast people are.”

The U.S. Lifesaving Association Lifeguard National Championships will be held in Cape May, N.J., in August.  For more information see www.USLA.org

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