Santa Barbara City Ocean Lifeguard Zane Booth won a gold medal and two bronze, and finished in sixth place overall at the Jersey Mike’s United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) National Lifeguard Championships held in Hermosa Beach last week.
Booth, a member of the Santa Barbara Lifeguard Association team, competed over three days alongside more than 500 competitors from 43 agencies from across the country.
The Dos Pueblos High alum took first place in the Board Race event and third in the grueling Ironman event, which is a multi-discipline competition that includes a swim, a board paddle, a surf ski, and a run to the finish line.
Booth also nabbed a bronze in the Board Rescue Relay race, and placed fifth in the Board Rescue race.
He scored an impressive 63.875 points to land in the top 10 among hundreds of competitors in the Open Men’s Division. races with lifeguards age 30 or younger).
Booth has excelled in ocean lifeguarding competitions since his days in the Santa Barbara Junior Lifeguards program.
The SBLA team placd 11th place overall, a solid showing when compared against local powerhouse teams from L.A. County Surf Life Saving Association (LACoSLSA), California State Lifeguard Assoc.(CSLA) and San Diego Surf Lifesaving Assoc. (SDSLSA).
LACoSLSA won its 46th USLA National Lifeguard Championships, with CSLA taking second. SDSLA nabbed sixth place.
East Coast teams Sussex County (NJ), Monmouth County (NJ) and Hampton Lifeguard Assoc. (NY) ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
The USLA National Lifeguard Championships were last held on the West Coast in 2016. The event moves to Virginia Beach, Va in 2023.