KALAPAKI BEACH — When the dust settles Saturday, there will be 30 Kaua‘i participants for the state junior lifeguard competition. About 38 students at the Kalapaki Beach site wrap up this year’s Kaua‘i junior lifeguard program by working through some
KALAPAKI BEACH — When the dust settles Saturday, there will be 30 Kaua‘i participants for the state junior lifeguard competition.
About 38 students at the Kalapaki Beach site wrap up this year’s Kaua‘i junior lifeguard program by working through some of the five events that will be part of the island-wide competition.
That event takes place Saturday starting at 9 a.m. at Kalapaki Beach and junior lifeguard students from the five sites will vie for the honor of representing Kaua‘i at the state finals on the Big Island July 28.
“They need to come to the finals to earn a berth to the state competition,” said Roy Yamagata, a senior water safety officer. “There are a lot of new faces this year, and they are very capable.”
Part of the class at Kalapaki are veteran state competitors Chris Barich, Sarah Faraola, Derryn Tamashiro and Christian Tangalin.
“We’ve been to states for three years, and we’ve been state champs for three years,” said Barich. “We’re going to try and four-peat.”
Barich said being part of a champion program for three years is exciting, noting that his favored phase of competition is the 1,000 yard run.
Tamashiro and Tangalin said they do well in flags, a phase of competition that former student Emma Makepa-Foley was a three-year state defending champion.
Other events that will be featured during the island finals include the Run, Swim, Run, a Paddleboard Relay and a 200-Meter Swim, Yamagata said.
This year’s program covered five sites with more than a hundred teens taking part. The largest participation came from Po‘ipu where 40 students turned out, followed by Kalapaki where 38 students are part of the week-long course.
Other sites include Hanalei, Salt Pond and Lydgate Park.
During the program, students get hands-on learning experience in drug awareness, rescue skills, CPR, first aid, teamwork, problem solving, ocean awareness and beach hazards.
The Kaua‘i Junior Lifeguard program is sponsored in part by the County of Kaua‘i, the Kaua‘i Lifeguard Association, the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association, and numerous other community sponsors who care about the future of Kaua‘i’s youth.
