Hawaii lifeguards second at nationals
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Hawai'i lifeguards had their best showing in the history of the USLA National Lifeguard Championships with a second-place finish last weekend at Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Team Hawai'i-Aloha Surf finished the three-day event with 135 points, 22 behind Smith Point (New York) in the B Chapter for smaller teams.
"We've been doing this for four years now and we've improved every year," team captain Matthew DuBrule said. "Second place is our best ever, and that means there's only one more place to go."
John Flanagan led Team Hawai'i by scoring 25 points, including victories in the run-swim-run race and the 2-kilometer beach run for the 30 to 34 age division. He also finished second in the open surf-swim race and the open run-swim-run race.
Flanagan's 25 points was the sixth best individual total among all the competitors. More than 1,000 lifeguards from around the nation participated.
The event features various beach-related races, including swimming, paddleboarding, surfski paddling and beach running.
"John was our MVP, but overall, everybody on the team did something and contributed," DuBrule said.
Among the other standouts:
Other lifeguards to score points for Team Hawai'i were Dolan Eversole, Ian Forester, Andrew Penny, Chris Miller, Jerry Bess, Erik Barnum and Eli Sakai.
DuBrule said several companies helped pay for the trip, including Maui Jim, Reactor Watches, Patagonia, C4 Waterman and Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.
