Competition Tests Skills of Area Lifeguards

CHARLESTON COUNTY – Nine lifeguard teams from throughout Charleston and beyond came together Friday to compete in a challenge to showcase and test lifesaving skills. The 12th Annual SCRPA Lifeguard Competition was held June 26 at the R.L. Jones Center and Folly Beach County Park.

Teams from the Mount Pleasant Recreation Department brought home first and third place wins overall, in addition to ten individual first-place wins. One team from the Greenville YMCA and eight local teams, including three from the Mount Pleasant Recreation Department (MPRD), four from the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission and one from St. Andrews Parks and Playgrounds, competed in the day-long competition.

Hosted by the South Carolina Recreation and Parks Association Aquatics Branch and in cooperation with the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission and the Mount Pleasant Recreation Department, the event began Friday with pool events at 8:30 a.m. at the R.L. Jones Center in Mount Pleasant. Pool events included Spinal Injury Management, Brick Tow Relay, 50-Yard Sprint, Submerged Deep Water Rescue with CPR, 500-Yard Swim, 50-Yard Swim, and a 4x25 Relay. Following the pool events, the competition continued at Folly Beach County Park with beach events including Two-Person Ocean Rescue, Run-Swim-Run Relay, One-Mile Run and Beach Flags events.

Overall first place was awarded to the MPRD’s R.L. Jones Center pool team (team number 8), composed of Jon Crompton, Zach Johnson, Terry Gabbert and Lauren Meyer. Team number 2 from the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission took second place. The MPRD Park West pool team (team number 5), composed of Marcus Gardner, David Burley, Samantha Donner and Brandon Norvelle, took third place Friday.

Teams from the Mount Pleasant Recreation Department also brought home first place finishes in ten individual events, including Spinal Injury Management, the Men’s 500-yard Swim (Terry Gabbert), the Brick Tow Relay, the Men’s 50-yard Swim (Terry Gabbert), the 4x25 Relay, the 2-Person Ocean Rescue, the Run-Swim-Run Relay, the Men’s One-Mile Run (David Burley), and the Men’s and Women’s Beach Flags (Zach Johnson and Lauren Meyer, respectively). Teams from the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission brought home first place finishes in the Submerged Deep Water Rescue, the Women’s 500-yard Swim and the Women’s One-Mile Run. St. Andrews won first place in the Women’s 50-yard Swim.

MPRD Aquatics Coordinator Jeff Garrard said he was very proud of MPRD’s winning teams and thought they all worked hard, but that winning was not the most important aspect of the competition.

“Winning or losing isn’t the main thing with this event,” said Garrard. “The most important thing is the practice and teamwork that will carry over throughout the year.”

To qualify to compete, all participants were required to be certified through an accredited agency. Each team were composed of three to four members, with at least one male and one female.

Team wins for the top three positions in each event were as follows:

Spinal Injury Management
1st - Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
2nd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 4
3rd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2

Submerged Deep Water Rescue
1st - Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 3
2nd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2
3rd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 6

500-Yard Swim Men
1st – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
2nd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2
3rd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 5

500-Yard Swim Women
1st – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 1
2nd – St. Andrews Parks and Playgrounds
3rd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2

Brick Tow Relay
1st – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
2nd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 5
3rd – Greenville YMCA

50-Yard Swim Men
1st – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
2nd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 5
3rd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2

50-Yard Swim Women
1st – St. Andrews Parks and Playgrounds
2nd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 1
3rd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2

4x25 Relay
1st – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
2nd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 5
3rd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 6

2-Person Ocean Rescue
1st – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 5
2nd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
3rd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2

Run-Swim-Run Relay
1st – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 5
2nd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2
3rd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8

Mile Run Men
1st – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 5
2nd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
3rd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8

Mile Run Women
1st – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 1
2nd – Greenville YMCA
3rd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2

Beach Flags Men
1st – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
2nd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
3rd – Greenville YMCA

Beach Flags Women
1st – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
2nd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 1
3rd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2

Overall Team Standings (top 3)
1st – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 8
2nd – Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission 2
3rd – Mount Pleasant Recreation Department 5

For further information on the SCRPA Lifeguard Competition, contact MPRD Aquatics Coordinator Jeff Garrard at 884-2528.