Dexter Lund raised a few eyebrows at the Junior Lifeguard Competition in Watson Lake over the weekend.
Competing in the object-support contest in which swimmers tread water while holding a weight, the 12-year-old Watson Laker not only won the contest, he ran out the clock.
“Most of the kids can hold it for 15 seconds, 25 seconds, sometimes you can get up to a minute,” said meet director Krista Senez. “I’ve been doing swim meets since I was 15, and I’m in my 40s now, and I’ve never seen a kid max out the time at five minutes.
RELATED:See full results here.
“We made him up a nice certificate for that … that was a big deal.”
Lund reached the five-minute mark with a 10-pound brick in his hand. That’s three minutes and 45 seconds longer than any other competitor in the event.
Also included in the lifeguard competition was a tow-with-fin contest, a mock rescue competition in which swimmers retrieve a mannequin and tow it to safety with flippers on.
There was also an obstacle race, a medley team race, and a line-throwing event where competitors display their ability to throw a rope to a target.
“If they have to throw a line to somebody, they’d have to be fairly accurate with their throwing,” said Senez.
For the first time, the lifeguard competition was held in conjunction with the annual Yukon Summer Swim Challenge. The swim meet featured 39 swimmers from Watson Lake, Carcross and Haines Junction.
See full coverage of the swim meet in Friday’s Yukon News.
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com