30th N.B. Waterfront Lifeguard Championships at Parlee Beach Monday

The 30th annual New Brunswick Waterfront Lifeguard Championships at Parlee Beach on Monday allowed lifeguards to show their skills and practice for the national competition at the end of summer. 

Do it fast and do it right.- Louis Savoie, lifeguard

About 50 young athletes from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Ontario competed in the 90-metre beach sprint and other events, including the Canadian Ironguard Relay Board Rescue, which featured a 400-metre ocean swim with a simulated rescue.

Monday's competition is about bragging rights — who's the best lifeguard — but it's also practice for the national competition that's happening at Parlee Beach at the end of summer, Aug. 26-28.
 
Kathleen Belliveau, who took part in the competition, says it's important for all lifeguards to test themselves and to be well-rounded. 

"You use these skills and practice a lot and they'll help in rescues that you actually do at the beach. So it's lots of fun and it's really good practice," she said.

For Louis Savoie, Monday is all about honing his lifeguard skills to the maximum.

"This is proving that you know what you can do and do it fast and do it right. It's showing all the physical aspects of the job." 

For James Verrault, it's also about getting ready to compete at a higher level on the national team.

"We train usually around 20 to 25 hours a week on top of everything else that we do, so it's like a part-time job that we're doing on the side in order to be prepared to race internationally."

According to the Lifesaving Society of New Brunswick these events are also useful for recruitment, as there is always a need for more lifeguards.