Runners burst from the starting line at the annual Junior Lifeguard Olympics held July 27 in Rehoboth Beach. BILL SHULL PHOTOS The Middlesex Beach junior lifeguards get a last-minute pep talk before the competition. Members of the Rehoboth Beach junior lifeguards are ready to get started. Shown are (l-r) Lizzie Shockro, Angelina Everett, Devin Harpster, Eliza Evans, Delaney Williams and Margaret Shockro. Diana Petrovsky of the Rehoboth Junior Beach Patrol, left, leads the pack as a group of runners heads for the finish line. Teens boys take off on one of the beach races. Rehoboth Beach Junior Beach Patrol member Eliza Evans swims to shore during one of the competitions. Young junior lifeguards hit their stride along the beach. Brian Dell of the Ocean City junior lifeguards finishes a race during the swimming portion of the Olympics. Alexis Spencer of the Sea Colony junior lifeguards sprints down the beach. Story Hennessy of the Lewes junior lifeguards runs ashore during a paddleboard event. Lt. Maddie Tonn, a Rehoboth Beach lifeguard instructor, manages the beach sprints. Delaware State Parks junior lifeguards make the handoff during the paddleboard relay. A wave crashes behind a group of junior lifeguards starting a race. Meredith Lockwood, a Rehoboth Beach junior lifeguard instructor, claps for the runners in one of the races. Charlotte Pearce, a Sea Colony junior lifeguard, left, gets some instruction on the paddleboard from coach John Zirkle. Lewes Junior Beach Patrol members get instructions from Lt. Matt McDonough. One of the girls' races gets underway on the beach. Younger participants race across the sand during a beach sprint. Rehoboth Beach lifeguards at the ready to help competitors navigate the swimming and paddleboard competitions. Rehoboth Beach Lt. Jodi Johnson gives instructions to a team ready to start the swimming competition. Lindsay Culbertson, a Rehoboth Beach lifeguard instructor, shows young contestants how to get into the flag position.