08-08-2025
National lifeguard championships roll into Huntington Beach
The United States Lifesaving Assn. National Lifeguard Championships have returned to Huntington State Beach for the first time since 2010.
Surf City, in turn, was pumping out sizable waves Thursday, almost like an invitation or challenge to those visiting from around the country, depending on perspective.
'The conditions are pretty rough,' said Skip Prosser, USLA scoring director and a lifeguard in nearby Long Beach. 'I mean, the waves are probably 5 to 6 foot … There were a lot of wide open eyes and jaws dropping from the East Coast people. They're not used to this at all.'
Still, the show has gone on at the competition, which is taking place on the beach between Beach Boulevard and Newland Street.
First came the National Junior Lifeguard Championships on Wednesday, which had about 300 young competitors in a variety of races and skills. The National Lifeguard Championships, which Prosser said has 450 to 500 competitors, started Thursday and continues through Sunday.
Bailey Noel of Delaware, attending the national competition with Sussex County Lifesaving, took first place in his men's surf race heat on Thursday morning.
'This surf is a little bit bigger, for sure, than what we're used to in Delaware,' said Noel, 38. 'But we all love the sport of surf lifesaving, and we train all year. This is just a little bit of fun.
'It does put things into perspective. If a person is out there and they need help, we have to be ready at a moment's notice, just go out there and help them. But we train for it all year, so we're ready.'
Due to the conditions, the surfboat races were postponed a day — 'In the interest of safety, the officials said no,' Prosser said.
Montana George, a lifeguard at Huntington State Beach, said she was looking forward to competing at what amounted to a home meet. The 22-year-old from Carson is representing the California State Lifeguard Assn., which has a sizable presence with more than 80 competitors at nationals.
'From what I was told from some of the older guys, we've never had surf this big at nationals before,' said George, who is competing in her third national championships and also competed in the Lifesaving World Championships in Australia last year. 'Having it at Huntington just makes everyone excited, I think … It's been a big summer in Huntington, but last week we had like half-a-foot waves. As much as I've had the advantage of being here all summer, training last week I had no surf to train in. It's super fun to see how fast the conditions can change. I think today or [Friday] is going to be the biggest day, and it's going to be a little bit smaller on Saturday.'
The national championships will continue with beach course races on the sand, as well as water course and boat and ski course events.
Prosser said the event was a culmination of all of the work the lifeguards have already put into prior competitions, as well as keeping in shape for their jobs on the beach.
'It's good, it's a time to see old friends,' he said. 'Every year I get to see people that I don't see for a year, I don't talk to for a year. I have people from my own chapter that are meeting friends here, and they're going to team up on events that you can team up. It's just the camaraderie … There's a lot of friendships that go back a long, long time.'
