Junior Lifeguards Look Like Seniors

The white zinc oxide protecting their faces looked more like war paint on the three boys from San Diego who had come to the San Clemente Pier for the National Junior Lifeguard championships Friday.

But the blond quartet had not done so well in various beach battles by noon, so they decided to turn to bikini-ogling.

“I came in 42nd in the distance run--out of, like, only 72 people in the A’s (division),” muttered Steve Walker, a 14-year-old San Diego Junior Lifeguard. “Hey! There’s that girl from Sun Valley! She’s hot! I’m gonna’ teach her how to body surf. She’s from Idaho--she’s probably never seen a wave,” Walker exulted.

By the end of the all-day competition, San Diego County’s A-division team, composed of 14- to 17-year-olds, placed 10th among 16 entries.

Walker cracked a grin revealing shiny braces. “Our team’s pretty kickback (translation: casual) about competition, ya know? Besides, we’re mostly 14 and 15 competing against those mambo (translation: big) Australians, who are like adults. Like, they have chest hair!”

Australians, Idahoans and California natives alike seemed to enjoy the competitions on a day perfect for both swimming, relay-running, girl- and boy-watching and sunbathing under balmy skies.

The real lifeguards estimated that 16,000 bodies crammed onto the San Clemente beach to watch the contest, which marked the start of the city’s ninth annual Ocean Festival.

Organizers expect perhaps 50,000 people to attend the festival by the time it ends on Sunday. The Western United States Lifesaving Assn.’s regional lifeguard championships, featuring beach runs, swim competitions, land-line rescues and dory races, will be held today.

About 700 competitors turned out Friday for the junior lifeguard events in which the Los Angeles County team placed first in the A and C (age 9 to 11) divisions and third in the B (12 and 13 year-old) division. Junior lifeguards from Huntington City Beach placed first in the B division and second in the C division, while Newport Beach junior lifeguards took third in the C category.

The team of junior lifeguards from Australia also made a strong showing, unofficially placing second in the overall contest for 14- through 17-year-olds. Their standing was unofficial because they were not eligible for trophies, not being American junior lifeguards.

Even though they were not eligible for trophies, the swimmers from Down Under were competing for the experience. Just winning, said Australian Jodie Larsen, was enough.

“It’s worth it just to beat the Yanks,” Larsen, 16, said with a giggle. Her team had won the long-distance swimming competition Friday morning, Larsen said proudly, and she had placed fifth among 50 entrants. “And,” she added, “I was the first girl in!”

The Australian team had raised the money for the two-week trip to California through their surfing clubs, and arrived after a 22-hour flight last Saturday. Their hosts are Huntington Beach City Junior Lifeguards.

“I’m going to try to be a lifeguard next year,” said 16-year-old Elizabeth Kubis of San Clemente, a tiny blonde who placed 14th overall among about 50 entrants in the strenuous 400-yard swim, 400-yard beach run, and was the first girl across the finish line.

“There’s a lot of big guys I’m gonna’ be competing with, but I can do it if I muscle up,” she said.