Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguards Fundraiser Pancake Breakfast at Lake Park

Story, photos & videos by:

 Chris MacDonald - Huntington Beach, CA

Publisher: CALCOASTHOMES.com

On Saturday August 9th, 2008 I Went To Junior Guards Pancake Breakfast At Lake Park. This Was The 14th Annual Event For This Very Worth While City Organization. With The Help Of Dave Simcox (Junior Lifeguard Coordinator) And Mike Eich (Assistant Coordinator)

The Event Took Place. Many Volunteers Where Their To Lend A Hand Such As Vicky Katreeb. The Huntington Beach Host Lions Club Did The Cooking Of Pancakes And Sausages. Thank You To Lions Members, Hank Lopez, Raymond Louison, Leonard Gleason, Joe Whaling, Dick Sklar, Merle Cade, Keith Campbell And Steve Christy For A Job Very Well Done.

Representing The Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum Were Membership Director Randy Lyford And Community Ambassador Chris MacDonald. Representing The Huntington Beach City Council Were Mayor Debbie Cook, Mayor Pro-Tem Keith Bohr And Council Member Jill Hardy.

Matt Liffreing From HBTV 3 Was There Too Along With Peter Hamborg Who Invented The Hamboard. I'm Proud To Announce That There Were 2,000 People At The Event And A Grand Total Of $28,000 Dollars Was Raised To Help In Building The New 6,000 Square Foot Marine Safety Educational Center Which Is Going To Be Home To The Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguards, With The Latest Educational Tools And Rescue Equipment. The Non Profit Organization Needs Your Help. Contact Vicky Katreeb At (714) 401-3919 To Help In Reaching Their Goals.

Note: The goal of Junior Lifeguard is to acquaint boys and girls ages 9 through 17 with ocean swimming and hazards, exposing youth and young adults to an environment filled with natural wonders, while offering lessons in courtesy, respect, discipline, morals and good sportsmanship. The program itself is held during the summer months when kids are out of school and can attend during the day. The content of the Junior Guards program includes ocean and beach safety, lifesaving techniques, bodysurfing, body boarding, board surfing, development of swim skills and competition with other Jr. Lifeguard programs in surrounding beach cities in Orange County, San Diego and Los Angeles.

Requirements for qualification into the program include (subject to change) swimming 100 yards in less than 1 minute 50 seconds; treading water for 5 minutes; and swimming underwater for 10 yards.

Recognized not only as one of the valuable programs for youth and young adults in Huntington Beach and other cities throughout the United States, the camp also offers training and instruction that is useful for those who participate, often leading to careers in lifeguard service.

According to program administrator Dave Simcox, the program focuses on discipline and structure. He says that young kids need to be able to follow the directions to safely swim in the Pacific Ocean. Simcox has 45 years of lifeguarding experience and enjoys seeing youth rise through the ranks with many eventually becoming lifeguards.

Started in 1963 with an inaugural class of 24 boys, the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguards now has 1,200 boys and girls ages 9 to 17, making it one of the largest such programs in the country. Simcox estimates that 70% of lifeguards at Huntington Beach beaches today went through the junior lifeguard program.

For information about this program, check out juniorguard.com