Watch Delaware lifeguards win the women’s relay at the national competition
The four women’s relay teams from the Sussex County Lifesaving Association took the first four places in the race.
Sussex County lifeguards beat other teams from across the country to win their first national lifeguard championship and will now represent the United States at the international competition in Australia.
The event took place August 6-9 in South Padre, Texas, and prior to this year’s event, California and New Jersey were the only states with championship teams.
“It’s ours now,” said team captain Derek Shockro. “We’ve worked so hard for it in the past and failed so many times. We’re still elated.”
Shockro said Sussex lifeguards have been participating in the United States Lifesaving Association event, which is funded by municipalities, private donors and fundraisers, for more than 26 years. Last year, the Delaware team took second in the nation in Virginia Beach.
This year, 79 members of the Sussex County Lifesaving Association, representing patrols from various communities and Delaware state parks, participated in swimming, paddling, rowing, running and relay events.
Sussex scored 1,465 points in the competition, compared to lifeguards from second-place Los Angeles County in California with 939 points and lifeguards from third-place Monmouth County in New Jersey with 759 points.
The best individual scores for the Sussex Lifeguards were:
- Elizabeth Fry, Sea Colony Beach Patrol, 100.5 points
- Coleman Woodward, Delaware State Beach Patrol, 60.5 points
- Cindy Fajarado, Sea Colony Beach Patrol, 58.75 points
- Bailey Noel, Delaware State Beach Patrol, 51.37 points
- Ashlynn Roselle, Sussex Shores Beach Patrol, 42 points
- Declan Burke, Middlesex Beach Patrol, 41,625 points
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“Delaware worked hard last offseason and into the summer. Cold days and winter wetsuits helped Sussex County show so much grit this week at nationals,” Fry said. “We just kept training, improving, performing excellently and it showed in Texas.”
Six members of the Sussex team are currently preparing to represent the USA at the international competition in Broadbeach, Australia, from August 20 to September 8. Ten other lifeguards from the USA will join them to compete against countries from around the world.
Shockro is chief of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol. He and his daughter, 19-year-old Lainey Shockro, are two of the lifeguards who will represent Sussex in Australia.
Shannon Marvel McNaught covers Southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @MarvelMcNaught.
