Lifeguard swim, paddle, run, row
Lifeguards from throughout Southern California will compete for the coveted Taplin Bell on Saturday, July 2 at the Hermosa Beach pier, during the International Surf Festival. Photo
Southern California lifeguards will display their physical prowess when the 54th International Surf Festival presented by BeachSport.org, the Chambers of Commerce and Cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Department of Beaches and Harbors takes place on local beaches July 31 – Aug. 3.
The festival is preceded on Thursday July 30 by LA County Lifeguard Medal of Valor Dinner at Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach,
Friday, July 31, Manhattan Beach lifeguards will defend their Bud Stevenson Intracrew title. The LA County Lifeguard Championships begin under the lights at 7 p.m. at the Hermosa Beach Pier.
Teams from Cabrillo-Torrance-Redondo, Hermosa Beach, Dockweiler, Venice, Santa Monica, Will Rogers, Malibu, Zuma Beach, and the Baywatch Rescue Boat Crews will also compete in the Bud Stevenson event, which consists of two runners, four swimmers, four paddlers, one surf ski paddler, and four two-person dorys.
Lifeguards will also compete in the 6-lifeguard run relay; 4-lifeguard shallow water sprint relay; and the 6-lifeguard rescue board relay.
Saturday’s Surf Festival action begins at 6:45 a.m. with the International Bodysurfing Championship run by the Gillis Beach Bodysurfing Association on the north side of the Manhattan Beach Pier with eight men’s and women’s divisions. Limited to 108 male and 36 female contestants, age groups will be determined immediately before the contest begins and will be approximately equal in size.
On the south side of the pier, the Surfing Championship will start at 7:30 a.m. Divisions include men’s and women’ short boards, long boards and stand-up paddleboards. Advance registration is advised.
At Hermosa Beach, the Dick Fitzgerald Two-Mile Beach Run starts and finishes at the pier beginning at 8 a.m. Two-time defending champions are the husband and wife team of Jeff and Alison Atkinson, of Manhattan Beach. Jeff posted a winning time of 13 minutes, 17.57 seconds in 2014 while Alison finished at 14:04.09.
At 9 a.m., the California Beach Volleyball Association host the first of two days of tournaments. They include Men’s Unrated, B and Women’s A divisions. Men’s and Women’s Open tournaments each have purses of $1,500.
Also at Hermosa Beach, the Southern California Lifeguard Championships will be held under the lights at 7 p.m. featuring the Taplin Relay, in which four swimmers, four paddlers, and four 2-man dory teams vie for the coveted Taplin Bell, a perpetual award that is bears the name of every winner since its inception in 1949.
Prior to the Taplin relay, spectators will be treated to rescue demonstrations, Jr. Lifeguard relays, and Lifeguard Beach Flags.
Sunday’s competition starts with the Velzy-Stevens Pier-to-Pier Paddleboard Championship presented by the South Bay Boardriders Club. Max First is a two-time defending champion finishing with a time of 17:04 last year. Tamara Lentz was the top female with a time of 21:03.
A sand castle contest begins at 8 a.m. on the south side of the Manhattan Beach Pier and the Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim begins at the Hermosa Beach Pier at 9 a.m.
At 9:30 a.m., the Paul Matthies Dory Race takes place at the Hermosa Beach Pier. Two-man dory crews will row through the surf, around the Hermosa Pier, and back through the surf on the north side of the pier. One crewmember exits the dory and runs across a flag line on the beach, returns to the dory completing the lap. The defending champions are Tom Seth, of Manhattan Beach and Dave Cartlidge, of Redondo Beach
The Doryman’s Relay will follow immediately after the 3-Lap Dory Race on the north side of the pier. This event pits individual team members against each other. The Doryman’s Relay is a tag-team event in which member rows out through the surf around a buoy and back through the surf.
For more information, visit surffestival.org.