51st Surf Festival kicks off with 6-man volleyball tournament in Manhattan Beach
The Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim has produced numerous heated battles at the Manhattan Beach Pier finish line. Photo
The International Surf Festival begins its second half-century of competition today when the 51st edition of the event kicks off with the Charlie Saikley 6-man beach volleyball tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday in Manhattan Beach.
Manhattan Beach city officials decided to move the popular beach volleyball tournament from the weekend to midweek in hopes of attracting fewer unruly partiers who comprised part of the 60,000 spectators drawn to the longstanding event each year.
The Surf Festival continues Friday at 7 p.m. at the Hermosa Beach Pier with the L.A. County Lifeguard Championships, U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter & L.A. County Lifeguard Rescue Demo, 6-Lifeguard Run Relay, Lifeguard events and Bud Stevenson Intracrew Medley Relay.
The Venice lifeguard team will be aiming for its sixth consecutive championship in the Bud Stevenson Intracrew Medley Relay.
Stevenson served as Los Angeles County’s Chief lifeguard in 1950s and was instrumental in changing Hollywood’s “beach boy” image of lifeguards by developing the rigorous and comprehensive training programs that has brought lifeguarding standards to its present day status.
Venice is also defending champion in the 6-Lifeguard run. Other winning team in 2011 included Hermosa Beach (6-Lifeguard Rescue Board Relay) and Dockweiler (4-Lifeguard Shallow Water Sprint Relay.
Saturday’s competition begins at 6:45 a.m. with International Bodysurfing Championship on the north side of the Manhattan Beach Pier. A pair of Huntington Beach bodysurfers are the reigning champions. Sean Richards and Katelyn Fleming captured the men’s and women’s titles last year.
Lifeguard competition is an integral part of the International Surf Festival. Photo
The Surfing Championships start at 7:30 a.m. on the south side of the Manhattan Beach Pier. The 2011 Outstanding Surfer was Connor Beaty who won the men’s and junior longboard divisions. In women’s competition, members of the South Bay High School Surf League took the top three positions.
The 7th Annual Sand Soccer Challenge kicks off its two-day tournament at 8 a.m. at Torrance Beach. The event features teams from U9-U18 and adult divisions with players of all skill levels competing in matches consisting of three 11-minute periods. The event continues Sunday beginning at 8 a.m.
In Hermosa Beach, the Dick Fitzgerald Two-Mile Run starts at 8 a.m. Winning the 2011 men’s and women’s competition were John Federoff (12:47) and Nathalie Higley, who placed third overall with a time of 14:44.
Fitzgerald was the first Director of the Department of Beaches which was formed in 1969 after county lifeguards, previously under the administration of the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, became overwhelmed with the increasing needs of local beach communities.
New to the International Surf Festival this year will be a Men’s and Women’s Open beach volleyball tournament at the Hermosa Beach Pier. The event is held by the California Beach Volleyball Association at begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday’s competition concludes at 7 p.m. at the Hermosa Beach Pier with the Southern California Lifeguard Championships featuring a US Coast Guard Helicopter & LA County Lifeguard Demo, Lifeguard events, Jr. Lifeguard Taplin, Lifeguard Beach Flags and the Judge Irving Taplin Three-Mile Lifeguard Medley Relay.
Last year’s winner included Venice A (Girls Jr. Lifeguard), Will Rogers A (All-Stars Jr. Lifeguard), LA County A (Women’s 4-Lifeguard Mini Taplin Relay), LA County Central A (Taplin Medley Relay) and Cheyne Renner, of Pt. Magu, who captured the Lifeguard Beach Flags title.
The three-mile relay is named after Judge Irving Taplin, who donated a three-tiered brass bell trophy in the 1930s when lifeguard competitions were organized to demonstrate skills and knowledge of the surf. It was during this period that the first night competitions were held under the lights next to the Hermosa Beach Pier.
The final day of competition begins at 7:30 a.m. Sunday with the Velzy-Stevens Paddleboard Championships at the north side of the Manhattan Beach Pier.
The event is dedicated to the late Dale Velzy and Terry Stevens. Velzy, a surfing legend, surfboard shaper and paddleboard maker, had a major impact on the design of paddleboards and played a vital role in keeping the sport of paddleboarding alive when shortboard surfing became popular.
Stevens won the Catalina Classic Stock Division (12-foot boards) in 1982, the first year the race was held since 1961. His name was added to the race in 1998, the year he died.
Last year’s competition was dominated by local paddlers. Manhattan Beach’s Chris Maloney turned in the best time, completing the course in 21 minutes, 40.3 seconds while competing in the Stock 12’ & Under division. The female winner was DJ O’Brien, of Redondo Beach, who posted a time of 25:27.0.
The Unlimited division was won by a pair of Redondo Beach paddlers, Hogan Inscore (19:24.1) and Jennifer Stevens (42:56.6).
Derrick Cimpas (Hermosa Beach) and Zoe Colomer (Palos Verdes Estates) took top honors in the Soft Board competition with times of 30:30.1 and 33:22.8, respectively.
In Stand-Up action, Neal Drinkward, of Redondo Beach, captured the men’s title with a time of 22:51.2 and Hermosa Beach’ Mariko Uyehara won the women’s crown at 37:58.4.
At 9 a.m., the Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim begins in Hermosa Beach and finishes in Manhattan Beach. The race is named after Dwight Crum who, as a captain in 1957, introduced Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) to the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Program for the first time.
The event has produced many memorable races recently with Alex Kostich, of Los Angeles, holding of Redondo Beach’s Mark Tripp to win the 2011 title with a time of 39:12.
Manhattan Beach’s Taylor Spivey captured the women’s championships posting a mark of 41:34.
Following the start of the Dwight Crum Swim, the Lifeguard Dory Races will be held at the Hermosa Beach Pier. The event is a display of strength, endurance and team chemistry and was won by Dave Cartlidge (Redondo Beach) and Tom Seth (Manhattan Beach) in 2011.
The Surf Festival officially concludes at 1 p.m. with the South Bay Youth Swims and Paddles held on the north side of the Hermosa Beach Pier.
The International Surf Festival is presented by BEACHSPORT.org, the Chambers of Commerce and Cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Department of Beaches and Harbor. For more information, including a timetable of events, visit www.surffestival.org.