Downloadable Version
DATE: August 31, 2023
CONTACT: Tom Gill (mediarep@usla.org / 866-367-8752 x32)
The USLA selects 16 rising stars to represent the USLA Youth National Team at the International Surf Rescue Challenge (ISRC) being held in South Padre, TX, from September 20 to September 23, 2023.
The USLA U19 Team Staff
of Manager Gus Avila, Head Coach Casey Graham, and Coach Alan Holt, have selected 16 athletes based on their results at the U19 National Championships held in Virginia Beach, VA, at the beginning of August. Not only did many of these athletes perform
well at the youth competition, but several went on to challenge the top competitors in the Open National Championships.
For the women, 17-year-old Lainey Shockro finished third in the hotly contested Women’s Open Beach Flag Finals. Sae
Ackerstein had a top 10 finish in the Open Board Race and Volusia County teammates Elizabeth Brennan, Lucy Noble, and Mackenzie O’Keefe, are prepped and ready for the first international competition for the USLA Youth Team since 2019.
The
men are led by Charles Franzen and Coleman Woodard, both finaling and scoring in the Open Ironman competition as well as finishing one – two in the U19 Ironman final. Roman Higgins and Lucas Doering finished in the top 10 of the Open Board Race while
also finishing one-two in the U19 Board Race final.
Congratulations to the US Youth National Team competitors ready to take on teams from as far away as South Africa and Japan.
| Youth National Boy’s Team |
Youth National Girl’s Team |
| Lucas Doering |
Santa Barbara, CA |
Sae Ackerstein |
Santa Cruz, CA |
| Charles Franzen |
Santa Barbara, CA |
Ellison Barrows |
Monmouth County, NJ |
| Roman Higgins |
Cal State, CA |
Elizabeth Brennan |
Volusia County, FL |
| Jorges Lagunes |
Sussex County, DE |
Tea Kalpakoff |
San Luis Obispo County, CA |
| David McKeeman |
Cal State, CA |
Lucy Noble |
Volusia County, FL |
| Lars Olsen |
Jones Beach, NY |
Mackenzie O’Keefe |
Volusia County, FL |
| Colin Veit |
Jones Beach, NY |
Lainey Shockro |
Sussex County, DE |
| Coleman Woodard |
Sussex County, DE |
Munchie Price |
Capitola, CA |
The ISRC is a bi-annual event that will be held for the first time in the United States since its inception in 1999. The international surf lifesaving invitational tournament consists of three ‘Tests’ of surf lifesaving competition. The event
lineup includes surf swims, board races, surf ski races, beach sprints and combinations of the disciplines in the ironman and ironwoman individual and relay championships. In addition, the Rescue Race, Beach Flags, mixed Board and Surf Ski Relays
will be conducted on each of the three days of competition. Teams are only allowed to use six male and six female athletes each day.
