VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - More than 800 lifeguards from around the country are in Virginia Beach for the U.S. Lifesaving Association's National Lifeguard Championships.
The tournament features events designed to test the life-saving skills of competing lifeguards both on the sand and in the surf at the Oceanfront. Competitors race each other for the fastest time, with the best eventually rising to the top.
Thursday began the preliminary rounds for the adult competitors.
This year, organizers say men, women, boys and girls signed up from up and down the East Coast and as far as California.
“It’s my first time on the East Coast. It’s kinda weird. The sun’s coming up over there," Lily Frisbie, a first-time competitor in Virginia Beach who traveled from San Diego, told News 3 while pointing to the Atlantic Ocean. “I’m not used to that.”
For others, like New Jersey's Michelle Davidson, it's a homecoming of sorts. Davidson graduated from Old Dominion University.
“I swam on the swim team back at ODU at that time so I love coming back to Virginia Beach and I’m glad they regularly have [the championships] here," said Davidson, who competes for the Monmouth County team.
The championships began with youth competitions on Wednesday, but organizers tell News 3 the oldest lifeguards competing are in their 70s.
Competitions run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to Saturday between 23rd and 26th Streets. The events are free to the public.
