YOUTH HERO
Nominator: Rick Turner
Scott Chedester is a 16 year Lemoore High School student and junior varsity water polo player. During President’s Weekend 2010, he and several of his fellow team mates traveled to Long Beach for the Winterfest Water Polo Tournament. After placing third in the tournament the young men decided to spend Sunday at the beach and go surfing before heading home.
The surf was high that Sunday and after catching a few waves, Scott paddled to shore. That’s when he heard people screaming and saw a pair of feet and shins sticking out of the water about 30 feet away. There was a man struggling and yelling for help. Scott realized that he needed to help this man quickly so he started running through the water, threw his surfboard down and started paddling out.
The under tow was sweeping the man away and just as Scott got 10 feet away, the man went under- but thankfully he resurfaced. Just as the man popped up for one last breath and started to go back under, Scott was able to grab him by the T-Shirt and pull him onto the surfboard.
Scott was a certified lifeguard and understood the importance of calmly communicating with the man. He explained that he was a lifeguard and he was there to help. Just as they were both situated on the surf board and headed back to shore, another wave caught them from behind and knocked them off the board.
Understanding the importance of getting this man to safety, Scott pulled him to the surf board with a lifeguard hold and was able to once again get both the man and himself back on the surf board and paddled back to shore. Once on shore paramedics arrived and gave the man oxygen and medical attention.
Scott’s combination of quick action and trained lifesaving skills saved a life that day on the beach.
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