Lifeguarding is an important job, with estimates showing that those who engage in that work save about 100,000 people from drowning annually.

Some of the state’s best will be showing off their skills on Huntington State Beach next weekend.

The CSLSA California Surf Lifesaving Championships return to Surf City for the second straight year, for two days full of competition in several events.

And the hundreds of lifeguards who will be competing are ready for the challenge.

“This is a big part of our job,” said Chris Egan, Huntington State Beach Junior Lifeguards program coordinator. “We take pride in being fit and competing at the higher levels for surf lifesaving.”

The two-day event runs Friday and Saturday between lifeguard towers 13 and 14, near the Beach Boulevard entrance. Spectators are welcome to come and watch.

Events will include Individual and relay races in running, surf swimming, paddle boarding and surf ski paddling, as well as surf boat rowing, for both genders. There will also be the unique “beach flags” competition, which tests reflexes and sprinting ability on the sand.

California State Parks is hosting the state championships competition, along with the Huntington State Beach Junior Lifeguard Assn. The event is a stepping stone to the United States Lifesaving Assn. National Championships, which take place Aug. 10 through 13 at the Hermosa Beach Pier.

Egan said as many as 700 junior lifeguards are expected to compete on Friday, with about 250 adult lifeguards competing on Saturday in the Open and Masters divisions. The numbers are up significantly from last year’ competition, which was more restricted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Age groups for the junior competitions include the Cs (9 to 11 years old), Bs (12 to 13) and As (14 to 15), as well as the Under-19 division.

Like many junior lifeguard groups up and down the coast, Egan said Huntington State Beach held an intrasquad competition on Friday to select its participants for the different events.

Huntington State Beach lifeguard Montana White, 19, can’t wait to compete. The Carson resident, currently a college student at Azusa Pacific University, is in just her second year of lifeguarding.

She stays busy, working with the junior lifeguards program and also picking up lifeguard shifts of her own on the weekends.

“I heard a lot of people had really good experiences doing it, so I thought I might as well sign up,” White said, adding that she did buoy swims every day last summer. “I really like swimming in the ocean. When COVID hit, there was no pools open, and I’ve always been a swimmer. The ocean was where I wanted to go, and that’s kind of what got me into lifeguarding.

“The best part of working here is the people. It’s not only staying physically fit yourself, but staying physically fit with people that are pushing you to be better and work harder. We’re not competing against one another, we’re kind of competing against ourselves and doing our best out there.”

White said she is looking forward to the general swimming portion of the California Surf Lifesaving Championships, as well as the run-swim-run and maybe the paddle. The run-swim-run competition features 200 yards of running, followed by 400 yards of swimming then 200 more yards of running.

“I’m a little nervous because I haven’t competed in an open-ocean competition before,” she said. “But it will be a lot of fun, I feel like. I haven’t been to it, but I’m excited.”

So is Egan. Session One of the summer junior lifeguard program comes to an end on Friday; Session Two runs from July 25 to Aug. 19.

Significant swell is expected for the weekend events, which Egan said could make for some prime viewing opportunities.

“The surf ski is basically an 18-foot kayak with rudders,” he said with a laugh. “You get that thing in four-foot surf and there tends to be some carnage.”

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.

All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.

Get our free TimesOC newsletter.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.

Matt Szabo is a sports reporter for the Daily Pilot. A Southern California native and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate, he has been covering sports for L.A. Times Community News since 2006, most extensively water polo and tennis. (714) 966-4614