Will Rogers Lifeguards Win Taplin

Will Rogers 9- to 11-year-olds surprisingly won the Taplin competition in the C division last Saturday at Del Rey Beach. The Taplin Relay is the monster of relays. The team of 18 Junior Lifeguards (six runners, six paddlers and six swimmers) worked as one to finish the race first. It was the ultimate display of teamwork and unity. The 96 JG’s from Will Rogers competed against nine other L.A. County beaches: El Segundo, Manhattan, Torrance, Redondo, Cabrillo, Venice, Santa Monica, Zuma, and Hermosa. Teams of junior lifeguards compete in three divisions: C for 9- to 11-year-olds, B for 12- to13- year-olds and A for 14- to16-year-olds. The JG’s competing had to qualify by beating out other JG’s in order to earn their position. The bodies of the competitors were lean and muscular, attesting to the five weeks of rigorous training that the JG program entails. The different beaches wear old-style beanie swimming caps that loop over the ears. The beaches are color-coded; Will Rogers always wears the purple caps. When the swimmers are in the water, it makes it easier to identify which beach is leading. The teams are co-ed, but by the time boys are 17, their larger muscle mass gives them an edge, making it more likely that they will be chosen for the A team. As a way to even the playing field, the Junior Lifeguard program has incorporated A Girl relays teams which consist of two runners, two paddlers, and two swimmers. “Let’s get this bad boy started,” the announcer said. “Are you ready? Go!” The first race was under way. In the girls A, there were 11 teams and Will Rogers was ninth. Charlotte Graham, who heads the Junior Lifeguard program, explained, “A lot of these girls are cadets. They’re the cream of the crop.” Cadets are 16 and 17 and are being trained and prepared to become lifeguards. They help run the Junior Lifeguards with the regular instructors. In the A Division, after the runners, Brian Anderson, Connor Dunn, Eric Rotelli, Danelo Raab, David Caycook, and Alex Pekelis, had done their portion of the relay on the sand, with perfect baton passes, Will Rogers was in second place as the first paddle boarder sprinted into the ocean. The strong competition in the water from the South Bay beaches moved Will Rogers back to finish eighth. Manhattan Beach took first; Hermosa Beach was second. The last swimmer out of the water was greeted with a Junior Lifeguard tradition that was generous and emphasized the teamwork that all of the competitors feel not only towards their team, but also to their fellow JG’s. All of the runners, paddle boarders, and swimmers that have already finished their portion of the race, hold up their hands and make a tunnel that the last person runs through. “They did really good. I’m proud of them,” Joe Decker, A instructor, said. “It’s all about teamwork. It’s about everyone finishing as a team.” The B division saw 19 teams competing. Will Rogers sent two teams. The Will Rogers A team was second in the water, but slipped to eighth during the paddle board portion of the race. The swimmers pulled the team back into finishing fourth. The swimmers high step into the water, then dolphin through the waves until they can start swimming. They swim around two buoys out into the ocean and upon reaching the beach, circle a flag and sprint up to tag off to the next waiting swimmer. Zuma took first and Will Rogers finished behind Torrance and Manhattan Beach. “Unfortunately, we made some mistakes on the paddle board pass-offs,” Eldin Onsgard, B Instructor, said. “If we hadn’t made mistakes, we could’ve taken first.” Once a paddle boarder leaves the ocean, he or she runs up the sand to their waiting relay team member. They pass off the entire paddle board to the next relay member. It’s not easy to turn the board around, so that the next person can grab the handles and sprint towards the ocean. The final relay race of the day was the C division, which consisted of 17 teams of 9- to 11 year-olds. In a major upset, Will Rogers A team took first, edging out Manhattan Beach which took second. “South Bay always wins,” Cheri Ellington, C instructor, said. “We got third place two years ago and we we’re thrilled then because the competition is just so tough.” The other C instructor, John Boltz, said, “I knew they had it. I just had to make sure they knew it.” Both instructors combined their groups to put together the strongest team they could. The Will Rogers B team had a respectable showing of 14th, just missing placing higher as several teams came in at the same time. The A team runners of Shane Centkowski, Kurtis Rossie, Sawyer Pascoe, Calvin Ross, Charlie Jeffers, and Chase Pion had perfect baton pass-offs, giving the paddle boarders an even start with three other teams as they headed to the ocean. Gradually, the paddlers John Lemoine, Cassandra Kliewer, Kyle Logan, Mara Silke, Victor Amaral and Vinicus Amaral pulled ahead of the field. The swimmers totally demolished the competition, giving Will Rogers first. Catherine Wang, who had qualified to swim at Junior Olympics on that same day, chose to come to the Taplin competition to help her team instead. Hanna Bowers, who was sick, came anyway and swam her leg. Olivia Kirkpatrick, also a JO level swimmer, Sarah Thorson, Pam Soffer, and Jordon Wilovmsky who have all swum on the Y swim team pushed the team to a decisive victory. Bridget Rome, a Venice instructor, said, “The Junior Lifeguard Program emphasizes skills that can last an entire lifetime. We try to give activities that the kids enjoy but will keep them physically active and healthy. Everyone who’s involved learns to be good team players and how to overcome challenges.”