Jasper River Dragons dowse the competition 

Local swimmers took to the water Sunday, Feb. 22 for the seventh annual Lifeguard Competition at the Jasper Aquatic Centre. 

Competitors came to the invitational meet from all over the province, including Hinton, Leduc, Wataskawin and Drayton Valley. This event was sanctioned by the Lifesaving Society, said Christopher Read, manager of the Aquatic Centre. 

The Jasper River Dragons came out strong in each of the age groups. “Our head coaches Jenna Jackson and Clara Waxer had those kids pretty well prepared,” said Read. 

There were more than 120 swimmers at the event and Jasper took the overall prize, garnering 1,551 points. Jasper’s closest competitor was the Hinton Stingrays team who finished with 1,093 points. “So quite a dramatic showing for our team to have done so well,” added Read. 

More than 60 local volunteers were needed to run the serious but fun event. “We take it seriously... It’s a great sport because everything in the sport is based on actual lifesaving,” said Read. “So it has this great real-world application, but we still have fun.”