Beach Reporter Story August 2005
about Kevyn Murphy (Mira Costa HS, Manhattan Beach) frosh
by Jim Leinonen - paper link

She shocked at the Woodbridge Invite with a 16:39 Frosh CR and the #4 Mark in Course History - read about her athletic background in lifeguard competition last summer

Los Angeles County has some of the best lifeguards in the nation and every year the best of the best trek to the United States Lifesaving Association Lifeguard National Championships and Junior Lifeguard Nationals.

Beginning last Thursday, lifeguards of all ages and from around the country descended upon the shores of Virginia Beach, Va., for the first of three days of competition.

Two junior lifeguards from Manhattan Beach, Kevyn Murphy and John Lane, made the trip and ended up winning six of 10 events they entered. They were two of 22 junior guards from the Los Angeles County team that traveled to the competition.

Murphy is just 14 but already an experienced lifeguard competitor. This was her sixth year competing and her third trip to nationals. In five of the races she competed in this year, she won four: junior ironguard, distance run, rescue board and run-swim-run.

She will begin high school this year at Mira Costa after finishing her final year in June at Manhattan Beach Middle School. She plans on competing in cross country, water polo and swimming at the high school level.

Heading to nationals, Murphy was confident in her ability.

"I wasn't worried about the competition but was looking forward to all the events because it is really fun," she said. "But after the rescue board event (distance paddle) with Tilleea Hoskins of Australia, I was nervous about meeting her again in the Ironguard event."

She began the competition by winning the distance run, then competed with Taylor Spivey in the Rescue Relay, in which they finished fourth, continued with a victory in the Run-Swim-Run, another win in the Rescue Board and then completed her day with a championship in the Junior Ironguard.

Murphy won back-to-back titles in the distance run.

She came from behind to win the rescue board event, but according to Murphy, the Ironguard was the most dramatic victory for her. It is also her favorite event.

Hoskins was leading for most of the race by at least 15 to 20 yards, according to Murphy. But then she got the break she was looking for.

"When I rounded the last buoy on the paddle leg it didn't look like I had much of a chance but I hoped for a wave. I turned to look, saw a wave forming and I went for it. I caught it and it was the biggest wave of the day bringing me right next to Tilleea as she hit the sand. She got to her feet first. Fortunately we had to run 50 yards to the finish and I was able to pass her for the win."

Murphy looks forward to returning to the nationals again next year when it will take place in Huntington Beach. Her parents, Mike and Marianne, were also there to share her success with her and she has a sister, Keely, who also participated in two events, winning one in her age group.

"I was totally blown away at her success," said her father. "What could possibly be better than spending the day at the beach with healthy, athletic kids competing?"

"I was proud of Kevyn's composure in such stressful competitive conditions and in awe of the things that the L.A. County Junior Guard instructors have taught her, her sister and the 20 other kids who competed that day," said her mother.

Lane, 17, competed in the junior guard competition for the last time. He attends Chadwick High School, and plays water polo and volleyball.

He has been competing for about six years in lifeguard competitions, but this was his first year competing at nationals.

"I was just very excited to be attending such an awesome event," Lane said. "Competing against other Junior Lifeguards from all over the country was a great experience. I wasn't too nervous about competing against other beaches from around the country as I was competing against kids from L.A. County."

He took second in the first couple of races he competed in - the distance run and run-swim-run. He then was part of a five-member team that won the swim relay and he followed up with another second in the paddleboard event. He finished the day with a victory in the Ironguard competition, his first-ever national title in an individual event.

"It felt sweet to win because it was testing many different skills," he said.

Lane said the Ironguard competition was really taxing and he started to get tired near the end of the race, but along with the paddleboard event, it is his favorite race.

His parents were just as proud.

"We were extremely excited," said his mother, Patricia. "It was a great experience."

While Murphy and Lane were competing against other Junior Lifeguards, the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Association team began its defense of the USLA National Lifeguard Championship and when action concluded last Saturday won for the 19th consecutive year the Howard Lee Perpetual Trophy awarded to the team champion.