Round Rock lifeguards win best in state again for life saving skills
ROUND ROCK, Texas - There's perhaps no better way to cool off in the summer heat than a splash in the pool, but that fun can turn deadly fast.
The CDC says more children ages 1-4 die from drowning than any other cause of death, and every year in the U.S., there are more than 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths.
The unsung heroes every summer don't wear caps, but bright red swimsuits.
"It gives me a lot of purpose to know that I'm actually keeping people safe. I'm educated, I can actually help people if they need help," said lifeguard Malu Camargo.
Lifeguards here in Round Rock, like Camargo, were recently named the best in Texas.
They had to win that title though, in a statewide competition. Teams of four were given three different scenarios to complete in front of judges.
"You don't know what's going to happen," said lifeguard Ragan Barrow. "You're going in blind, and then you just act as if."
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This year, the competition was on home turf.
"I was happy because I'm comfortable here every day," said lifeguard Adlee Colegrobe. "This is pretty much my second home, but I felt a little bit nervous to kind of lose at our own place."
Thankfully, they didn't lose. The team even made history for Round Rock as they took home the first-place championship title for the second year in a row. In 2022, they won second place.
"It feels great knowing all of the hard work that we put in, all of the hard training that we do, it pays off," said Barrow.
It's a big win that will surely have ripple effects all summer long.
"Being able to compete just allowed me to continue my love for lifeguarding and even being able to teach people because I coach this year, my third year, so it allowed me to continue what I love doing," said Barrow.