Team Spirit On Display at Taplin Relays

Hundreds of aspiring lifeguards took to the sand between Towers 50 and 51 at Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey on Friday morning to represent their respective programs in the annual Taplin Relays--the premiere Junior Lifeguard competition of the summer.

The "sea of colors" consisted of teams from 12 Southland beaches facing off for the coveted "Taplin Bell" in four age divisions (C, B, A girls and A). Each "team" consisted of 18 guards--six runners, six paddlers and six swimmers.

The participating programs were Zuma (Malibu), Santa Monica, Will Rogers (Pacific Palisades), Venice, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa, Tim Kelly (South Hermosa), Redondo, Torrance, Cabrillo (San Pedro) and Avalon (Catalina).

Several beaches like Manhattan, Redondo, Hermosa, Will Rogers and El Segundo, had three or more teams competing in each division, while others like Santa Monica, Zuma, Cabrillo and Avalon, brought only one.

The competition began with the "C's" (ages 9-11) at 9 a.m., followed by the "B's" (ages 12-13) at 10 a.m., the Girls "A's" (consisting of only two runners, two paddlers and two swimmers) at 11 a.m. and the Co-Ed "A's" (ages 14-17) competition was held last, a little before noon.

"I think this is the best we've ever done," Santa Monica head instructor Max Dean said after spurring his C team to eighth place. "We're much smaller compared to most of the other beaches. We only have around 100 kids in our whole program, so for us to finish that high is great." 

The competition began with the runners, who sprinted across the sand, around a cone and back again before handing the baton to a teammate. The last runner ran to the edge of the water and tagged the first paddler, who proceeded into the ocean on his/her surfboard, paddled around three designated buoys, and body-boarded back to shore to hand off to the next paddler. The last phase of the race was the swimmers, who ran parallel to the water, around a flag and dove into the water for a swim around the buoys and back to the beach.  

"This is the most fun because of the team aspect and every year you want to win," said Will Rogers "B" paddler David Grinsfelder, whose team took first place. "Usually Manhattan Beach and Redondo are really strong but we were really determined and it feels great knowing we won."

Each team was given a "color" designation and a banner and the team that got all of its swimmers through the finishing chute on the beach first was declared the winner. Participants formed "Tunnels of Love" at the end of each race to cheer on the last finisher on the last team in a unified display of sportsmanship.

Manhattan Beach won the Girls "A" division and Hermosa won the Co-Ed "A" division. 

"Guards is definitely fun--it's like a brotherhood," said 16-year-old Zuma Beach paddler Dane Sartorius, also an avid surfer and the starting goalie on Malibu High's varsity water polo team. "I've been in the program eight years and being a lifeguard is ultimately what I want to do, so this is great training for the real thing."  

The Taplins have been part of the Junior Lifeguard tradition for many years and require the ultimate in teamwork and unity. Instructors select an 18-person team consisting of six runners, six paddlers and six swimmers. Teams from each beach race against each other in a relay format.

"We got third, which is better than we did last year," said Venice "A" swimmer Bryan Kocker, soon to be a junior at Culver City High where he plays water polo and specializes in the 100 and 200 freestyle on the varsity swim team. "What's great about [guards] is you learn about the ocean and safety. This is my fifth year and some teammates are guys I compete against in high school, so it's cool having them on my side for once."  

There will be a six-member "Junior" Taplin Relay for the "A" and "AA" (ages 16-17) levels Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Hermosa Beach Pier, just before the start of the Lifeguard Taplin Relay.

2011 TAPLIN RELAY RESULTS

(Top 10 teams in each relay)

C Division 

1. Torrance A

2. Hermosa A

3. Will Rogers A

4. El Segundo A

5. Manhattan Beach A

6. Manhattan Beach B

7. Tim Kelly A

8. Santa Monica

9. Zuma

10. Venice

B Division

1. Will Rogers A

2. Redondo A

3. El Segundo A

4. Torrance A

5. Manhattan Beach A

6. Venice A

7. Manhattan Beach B

8. Zuma

9. Hermosa A

10. Tim Kelly A

Girls A Relay

1. Manhattan Beach 

2. Tim Kelly

3. Redondo

4. Zuma

5. Will Rogers 

6. Venice

7. El Segundo

8. Torrance A

9. Torrance B

10. Cabrillo

A Division

1. Hermosa A

2. Manhattan Beach A

3. Venice A

4. Will Rogers A

5. Zuma

6. Redondo

7. Hermosa B

8. Manhattan Beach B

9. Santa Monica

10. El Segundo