Four Jasper lifeguards represented team Alberta in the Canadian Lifesaving Surf Championships over the weekend at Woodbine Beach in Toronto.

Paula Ermet, Kathleen Gallagher and Gerrad Lewin competed in the seniors division and Theresa Westhaver attended as a junior. Though this was only their second year competing in the championships, team Alberta placed ninth out of 17 teams from across Canada with nine senior athletes and six juniors.

In addition to those from Jasper, Team Alberta comprised lifeguards from Hinton, Lethbridge, Edmonton and Wetaskiwin, with coach Lisa Chell from Hinton.

“They had some long days on the beach, all participated and did well and we placed right in the middle of the pack with all the teams,” said Barbara Kusyanto, chief administrative officer of the Alberta/Northwest Territories branch of the Lifesaving Society. 

This was likely the largest national championships to date with 140 senior athletes, plus master and junior contenders as well. “Definitely the calibre and the numbers are improving,” Kusyanto said of the expanding competition.

Alberta’s team was also able to cover more ground and participate in every event, including paddle boarding, swimming and rescue, to name a few. “It was nice to have Alberta participating in all the events this year, last year we weren’t able to due to not having a full enough team,” she said. 

“We made quite a few B finals, and did well in the men’s and ladies beach flag event,” Kusyanto said. In beach flags, up to 16 athletes lie chest-down in the sand until the whistle is blown when they jump up, race 20 m down the beach and dive for a flag, a 10 inch piece of rubber hose. “It’s like musical chairs, they eliminate up to three per round.”

Kusyanto, who attended, said surf lifesaving is an elite event. “Think of a triathlon and times that by about two or three with some of the events and over the days and what these athletes have to do,” she said. “It really is a high-performance sport.”

She added at the same time it’s an accessible competition that gives new athletes a chance to participate.

Because team Alberta both has young members and is new on the scene, Kusyanto was pleased with the performance and is looking forward to championships in the years to come. “A lot of our athletes were young so that means we’ve got some potential to move those athletes along,” she said. “It’s difficult when you don’t have surf and the equipment, so we’re going to look at some at-home and provincial training supports.”

Though Woodbine Beach on Lake Ontario will never compare to the cleanliness and clarity of Lake Annette, where the team practiced, Kusyanto said it was a “phenomenal” venue. “Woodbine Beach is actually classified as a ‘blue beach,’ which is an international standard so that means they meet a very high standard of cleanliness for both the water quality and the beach,” she said. 

The water was fairly flat and though it was cool, the team had been toughened up by Lake Annette. “Our Alberta kids didn’t wear wet suits,” Kusyanto said.