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The International Surf Rescue Challenge takes place in North Beach, Durban, South Africa from 9/28 to 10/2/19
Sea Colony Lifeguard Lexi Santer was selected by the United States Lifesaving Association National Team staff to be one of the 14 American athletes taking the International Surf Rescue Challenge. The team chose 8 women and 6 men to challenge lifeguards from Australia, Japan, New Zealand and host South Africa. The three-day competition begins September 28 to October 2. Surf swims, surf ski races, beach springs and board races are among the challenges.
Lexi has been a beach lifeguard for 6 years; five years in Ocean City, N.J., and this year in Sea Colony. She is a graduate student at Duquesne University pursuing a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy. Her doctoral project took place at Aquacare Physical Therapy in Millville, Del., researching the effects of aquatic interventions on older adults’ health and participation in daily activities. "All the events mimic skills required to be an ocean lifeguard and rescue swimmers in distress. Lifesaving might be the only sport that also helps other people, which makes it even more satisfying to compete in. I have always had a love for aquatics and wanted to combine that with my passion for helping people through occupational therapy." Lexi had very little downtime working every day of the week. “I worked four days at Aquacare and three days at Sea Colony, but it was worth every minute of it!”
According to Lexi, “My summer at Sea Colony was one of my best ever, athletically and professionally. The Sea Colony Beach Patrol is one of the best organizations I have worked for, creating a passionate work environment in which every individual strives to excel and contributes to make our team stronger. This patrol is more than a group of coworkers: it’s a family.”
Training and competing with a “great group of people” resulted in winning and placing in nearly every competition. “I tried to compete in as many events as I could to gain more experience, but mostly because I love racing,” Lexi said. “I am beyond excited to represent Sea Colony and the United States on the international stage in a sport I love,” she said.
The competition takes please in North Beach, Durban, South Africa. Lifeguard TV will be covering the event at www.lifeguardtv.com.
To help offset the travel expenses to South Africa, Lexi has established a Go Fund Me link, which can be viewed by clicking here.