VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Lifeguards in Virginia Beach protect beachgoers and keep them safe while they enjoy the sand and surf, and one of them is using her experience in saving a life by representing the United States in the 2024 Lifesaving World Championships. 

The competition is taking place in Australia. One of the 12 competitors for Team USA is Samantha Tadder, who hopes to return to Virginia Beach with a medal.  

“It’s happening in the Gold Coast of Australia, and it’s really cool,” Tadder told NewsNation affiliate WAVY. “About 30 to 40 countries get to compete there, and there’s two days of pool events and two days of beach events.”

Tadder has been a lifeguard in Virginia Beach for five years. She recently put her training to the test when she saved a life in July. 

“It is the coolest thing I’ve gotten to do,” Tadder said. “It’s always been my dream to get to represent the U.S. internationally, and getting to do surf lifesaving is my opportunity to do that.”

The four-day event will include rescue races and pool events. 

“It kind of highlights the different aspects of being on the job,” Tadder said. “So just being a fast runner, being able to swim out to the victim. There are races, though, like rescue race, for example, where I will swim out to somebody waiting for me about 150 yards offshore, and have to pull them back in without their help.”

Tadder said her experience at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront has paid off to help her get to this point. 

“We do drills here, so that’s basically working on stuff that we compete in, whether that’s swimming in the ocean, running, just getting better at that,” Tadder said. “Five years’ worth of that training has really helped pay off.”

She hopes to encourage other swimmers and lifeguards in the future. 

“If they work hard enough, they can go represent the U.S. internationally,” Tadder said. “I honestly was hesitant to first start this job, and a friend kind of nudged me to do it, and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”