Kaua‘i’s junior lifeguards won the annual State Junior Lifeguard Championships for the fifth time in a row yesterday at the Ala Moana Beach Park — the most wins of any island team. “We broke the record with four last year,”
Kaua‘i’s junior lifeguards won the annual State Junior Lifeguard Championships for the fifth time in a row yesterday at the Ala Moana Beach Park — the most wins of any island team.
“We broke the record with four last year,” said Water Safety instructor and chaperone Roy Yamagata. “This fifth one is like the frosting on the cake.”
There were more than 200 junior lifeguards competing in events such as the 1,000-meter run, beach flags, run-swim-run, paddleboard relay and the 300-meter swim, in two age divisions — 13 to 14 and 15 to 17 years old.
“From the very first event, the 1,000, the boys and girls took first place in every division,” Yamagata said. “So right off the bat we had a big lead. We’d go back and forth for the rest of the day, but we were able to keep the lead and get the win.”
Kaua‘i’s team finished with 146 points, well above the second-place finishers from the Big Island, who finished with 107 points.
Kaua‘i’s girls came out strong with seven first-place finishes and the boys had three.
The Kaua‘i girls in the 13-to 14-year olds age group took first place in nearly all the categories. Tiare Wellborn won the 1,000-meter run, Lily Frederickson took second, Victoria Terrazas took fourth and Kiana Fores took fifth.
Frederickson also took first in beach flags. Ryann Linthicum won the run-swim-run; Anya Littlefield took third. The team of Littlefield, Linthicum, Terrazas, Wellborn, Linea Koehler and Shawna combined to win the paddleboard relay.
Linthicum would also go on to finish second in 300-meter swim.
Caralyn Broyles dominated in the Girls 15 to 17 division, winning the 1000-meter run and flags. Casie Ford won the 300-meter swim and Kara Dastrup took second. Broyles, Ford, Carly Matsumoto, Dayna Augustin, Sarah Faraola and Koki Smith took second in the paddleboard relay.
For the boys, Hunter Ewald won the 1000-meter run in the Boys 13 to 14. Kawai Davis took fourth and Jonathon Tangalin took fifth. Brycen Phillips, Tangalin and Davis placed third through fifth in flags.
Christopher Barich won the 1000-meter run in the Boys 15 to 17 division, with Christian Tangalin finishing second.
Matt Millbrand won flags and Barich, Millbrand, Riley Martinez, Chatson Barrett, D.J. Cremer and Dereyn Tamashiro took second in the relay.
To celebrate their win, the parents and chaperones took the kids across the street to the Ala Moana Shopping Center for shopping and relaxing.
The whole crew returned just before 9 p.m. last night.
State Junior Lifguard Championships
Saturday, Ala Moana Beach Park
Girls 13 and 14
1000-meter run
1 Tiare Wilborn
2 Lily Fredrickson
4 Victoria Terrazas
5 Kiana Fores
Flags
1 Lily Fredrickson
Run-swim-run
1 Ryann Linthicum
3 Anya Littlefield
6 Tiare Welborn
Paddleboard relay
1 Shawna Blackford
Anya Littlefield
Ryann Linthicum
Victoria Terrazas
Linea Koehler
Tiare Wellborn
300-meter swim
2 Ryann Linthicum
Girls 15 to 17
1000-meter run
1 Caralyn Broyles
4 Sarah Faraola
Flags
1 Caralyn Broyles
3 Dayna Augustin
Run-swim-run
3 Koki Smith
4 Kara Dastrup
Paddleboard relay
2 Koki Smith
Casie Ford
Carly Matsumoto
Caralyn Broyles
Dayna Augustin
Sarah Faraola
300-meter swim
1 Casie Ford
2 Kara Dastrup
Boys 13 and 14
1000-meter run
1 Hunter Ewald
4 Kawai Davis
5 Jonathon Tangalin
Flags
3 Brycen Phillips
4 Jonathon Tangalin
5 Kawai Davis
Paddleboard relay
3 Kaimana Wong
Jonathon Tangalin
Kawai Davis
China Soria
Brycen Phillips
John Joyce
Boys 15 to 17
1000-meter Run
1 Christopher Barich
2 Christian Tangalin
Flags
1 Matt Millbrand
Paddleboard relay
2nd Christopher Barich
Riley Martinez
Chatson Barrett
D.J. Cremer
Dereyn Tamashiro
Matt Milbrand
