Lifeguards to compete in Hermosa Beach at 55th International Surf Festival
LA County – Southern’s Mel Solberg rang the Taplin Bell a record number 17 times in 2015, signifying his 17 Taplin team victories Photo
LA County – Southern’s Mel Solberg rang the Taplin Bell a record number 17 times in 2015, signifying his 17 Taplin team victories Photo
Over next two weekends the Los Angeles County lifeguards will have the opportunity to show the public why and how they play such vital roles in beach communities.
Starting at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, lifeguards will showcase their athletic prowess in events held on the north side of the Hermosa Beach Pier as part of the 55tg International Surf Festival. The competitions are held under floodlights, enabling the men and women to perform their duties during the day and allow spectators to view rescue demonstrations.
Friday’s action concludes with the LA County Lifeguard Championships highlighted by the Bud Stevenson Intra Crew Medley Relay. The team from Manhattan Beach will be seeking its third consecutive Bud Stevenson title.
On Saturday evening, the Southern California Lifeguard Championships take place. The next generation of lifeguards will compete in the Junior Lifeguard Championships. Hermosa won the 2015 Boy’s Junior Lifeguard title.
The lifeguard competition will end with teams from Southern California vying for the coveted Judge Irvin Taplin Medley Relay title, where the Taplin Ball, a perpetual award is presented to the winner of the contest.The names of each member of the winning team are engraved on a plaque that is mounted on the Taplin Bell.
As is tradition, each winning lifeguard has his or her name read aloud, is presented a medal then rings the Taplin Bell the number of times the individual lifeguard has won.
The LA County – Southern team will be seeking its third consecutive Taplin title,.
Mel Solberg, of Torrance, boasts a record-holding number of wins with 17. Close behind Solberg in wins is Tom Seth, of Manhattan Beach, who has won the Taplin Bell competition 16 times.
The longstanding Charlie Saikley 6-man tournament opens competition at the International Surf Festival. ER file photo
“It’s always such a great feeling to win the Taplin but it is a total team effort,” Solberg said after his victory last year. “Never in a million years did I think I would have this many wins. When you win that first one, you‘re so happy that you’re on that bell for all time. Then you get the fever and you want to keep winning and winning. I love hearing these guys when they win it for the first time because I remember my first and it’s an amazing feeling.”
The friendly – yet fierce – competition is a welcome break for the lifeguards. In 2015, during only a one-week span from July 26 through Aug. 2, the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division performed 1,949 ocean rescues along local beaches.
Along with bragging rights, the Surf Festival will provide an opportunity for lifeguards to prepare for the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) National Championship to be held Aug. 10-13 in Hermosa Beach.
More than 1,000 lifeguards and Junior Lifeguards from both coasts will compete in events that include swimming, running, surf boat rowing, surf ski and board paddling.
Volleyball kicks off Surf Festival
Athletic competition at the Surf Festival begins Thursday, Aug. 4 at 9 a.m. with the two-day Charlie Saikley 6-man beach volleyball tournament in Manhattan Beach. Fletch and a Stack won the 2015 Men’s Open title while 900 Club bacchus captured the women’s crown.
Action begins early Saturday with the International Bodysurfing Championships taking place at 6:45 a.m. on the north side of the Manhattan Beach Pier. Surfing Championships will be held on the south side beginning at 7:30 a.m.
At. 8 a.m., the Dick Fitzgerald 2-mile beach run begins at the Hermosa Beach Pier. Xavier Court (12:47) and Annie Seawright-Newton (16:20) are defending champions. At the same time to the south, the R10 Paddleboard race will be held at Torrance Beach.
The Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim draws more than 1,100 participants. Photo
The California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) hosts tournaments beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Featured will be Men’s and Women’s Open tournaments with prize purses of $1,500.
On Sunday, the Velzy-Stevens Paddleboard Championship starts at 7:30 a.m. at the Manhattan Beach Pier and finishes on the south side of the Hermosa Beach Pier. Max First (16:24) and Bailey Rosen (19:33) were the male and female winners, respectively, in 2015.
The Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim begins at 9 a.m. at the Hermosa Beach Pier. Defending champions are Kevin Fink (40:14) and Kelsey Cummings (40:31).
Also at 9 a.m., the Jr. 6-man beach volleyball takes place on the south side of the Manhattan Beach Pier. In the inaugural event last year, 18U coed – Superheroes won the 18U coed title while Troop $007 captured the 14U championship.
The Paul Matthies Dory Race is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Hermosa Beach Pier followed by South Bay Youths Swims and Paddles on the north side at 1 p.m.
In Redondo Beach, the King Harbor Pacific Flotilla will be held at 12 p.m.
For the complete schedule of events, see Surf Festival advertisement on page two or visit surffestival.org.