Standout swimmer Ben Brewer of Santa Barbara will be competing at Rescue 2014, the World Lifesaving Championships, in Montpellier, France, from Sept. 13-26.
Ben Brewer will compete for the U.S. at Rescue 2014, the World Lifesaving Championships, in France.
Brewer was selected to the U.S. Lifesaving Association Youth National Team based on his performances this summer in the Santa Barbara Junior Lifeguards program and the Semana Nautica Sports Festival ocean swims.
Brewer, 16, won the 1-mile and 3-mile Semana Nautica swims and took first in a Nite Moves 1k swim en route to winning Semana Nautica Male Swimmer of the Year honors for the second straight year. On Thursday night, the Santa Barbara High junior added the Reef and Run 1-mile Boat to Beach swim to his list of victories. He also won several events in junior lifeguard competitions.
Brewer said USLA youth coach Casey Graham was at the Santa Barbara Junior Lifeguards’ Fiesta Competition and talked to him about joining the national team.
“He heard about me through Semana Nautica and some of the Presidio Sports stuff,” Brewer said. “I applied and got accepted to the team.”
Rich Hanna, director of aquatics for the City of Santa Barbara, said Brewer is the first person from the area to be on the senior or junior national lifesaving team.
“He continues to get better and better in all the skill stuff he does,” said Hanna.
The national team is made up of six males and six females, age 15-18. At Rescue 2014, they will compete against teams from all over the world in pool events at the Antigone Olympic Pool and in ocean events at La Grande Motte Beach.
The events include simulated emergency rescue, ironman/ironwoman, surf-ski, paddeboard, beach sprints, beach flags, surf boats and inflatable rescue boat.
“I’ll be doing a lot,” said Brewer.
