David Humphrey and Jimmy Donahue in the Run-Swim-Run

June 16th marked the day that the nearly decade and a half long tradition resumed on Hilton Head Island at the Coligny Public Beach, The Lifeguard Competition. Each summer the Beach Patrol supervisors, who double as the team captains, draft teams that are made up of the entire staff. Every competitor receives team points in correlation to the place that the lifeguard finishes the event in. However a top five finish will earn that guard individual points that will be tallied at the conclusion of the team competition to crown the overall women's and men's champion. The competition rewards teamwork along with recognizing individual excellence.

The Shore Beach Service management staff had a new look this season with three new BP's at the helm of teams. Gone was three time defending champion Kjell Pederson and his team the Palmetto Mafia. The new teams were, Bird Street Brawlers, under the tutelage of Scott Ohlson. Local Adrenaline, commanded by locally born and raised Whitney Cubbage, and Southbound&Down at the behest of Stephen House. The familiar faces were Team Spicoli guided in their 11th summer by the elder statesman Dan Condell. Jerry Staub was back for the sixth season with the Sea Monkeys.

The competition is a three-night event. In every event the ladies and gentlemen are segregated. As to be true to southern hospitality the ladies always go first in all the events. The first event of the 2011 Hilton Head Island Lifeguard Competition was the Run-Swim-Run. This event consists of a 200 meter run along the edge of the water. Then the competitors enter the water and swim 300 meters before coming ashore to run the final 200 meters with legs that feel as if they are made of Jell-o. The ladies race was really a race for second place with rookie guard Maura Donahue from the Sea Monkeys dominating the race from the starting whistle blow. On the gentlemen's side her brother, savvy fourth year veteran guard Jimmy Donahue won his fourth consecutive Run-Swim-Run for Team Spicoli.

Maura Donahue in the Surf Swim

The second act of the evening was two running affairs. The 100 meter Dash and the 4x100 meter Relay. On the ladies side rookie guard Taylor "Swift" Smith of Team Spicoli lived up to her nickname and captured the event. The gentlemen's race was won by Canadian Dan Gorman of Southbound&Down followed by Spencer Lightfoot of The Bird Street Brawlers nipping at his heels. The captains then gathered their charges and plucked their two best ladies and two best gentlemen and devised strategy for the 4x100 Relay, the only event with the mixing of the sexes taking place. The crew from The Bird Street Brawlers, David Humphrey, Bradley Hines, Sara Bloom and Jenna Sheeran edged out Local Adrenaline's Rachel Black, Jenna Johnson, Sean Munger and Chris Sector. The race was a thrilling one with Jenna Sheeran crossing the finish line moments before Sean Munger.

When dusk fell upon the beach and the first evening of competition was in the books Team Spicoli had a slight lead over the Sea Monkeys and the duo of The Bird Street Brawlers and Local Adrenaline were in the mid-pack while Southbound&Down was sleeping in the basement.

The second evening of competition commenced on the evening of the 20th with the 500-meter Surf Swim and chased with the 2K Run. Again on the ladies side it was a race for second place. Maura Donahue burst into the water and torpedoed her way to an easy victory. She was trailed by pair from Team Spicoli-Canadian Jess Cartier and St. Bonaventure University swimmer Lanae Petty. The men's race showed a changing of the guard. After a thrilling race, which was neck-and-neck the majority of the time, three time defending champion Jimmy Donahue was narrowly bested by University of Tampa swimmer David Humphrey.

Act II that evening was the 2K run. Competitors run along the waters edge while a crowd cheers them on. They run 1K and then turn and return to the starting line. The ladies put on a show. Sara Bloom finally pulled away from the pack and took the event followed by Jess Cartier and Laurie King from Southbound&Down. In the gentlemen's race Dan Gorman treated the field like anything but a gentleman. When the starter blew the whistle Gorman exploded off the line and the field was left choking on his dust. Total domination. When the crowd saw Gorman on his return it was what seemed like minutes before the group of other guards were seen. Ryan Will of the Sea Monkeys-Place, Greg Kohler of Bird Street Brawlers-Show.

Men's Beach Flags

The grand finale of the Competition is the crowd pleaser-Beach Flags. This event draws a copious crowd to the Coligny Public Beach. The event is held in a "pit". Each pit is really a rectangle that is 10 yards wide by 25 yards long. The guards start lying prone in the sand with their feet facing the flags. The flags are actually cut pieces of a garden hose each about a foot long. 10 guards lie ready to explode for the nine flags that are up for grabs. When the whistle blows the guards erupt from their prone position and scurry across the sand to grab a flag. There is always diving and suspense at each rounds' end. Through the process of elimination you get down to the most exciting few seconds of the entire competition. Two guards, one flag.

The 2011 Beach Flag event was the most entertaining in the past three years. On the ladies side it came down to 2010 defending champion Sara Bloom of the Bird Street Brawlers versus Taylor "Swift" Smith a rookie from Team Spicoli. The first time they ended in a tie with both guards simultaneously grabbing the flag. A run-off or in beach flags terms, overtime would be needed to find a winner. The same rules apply in the run off as do in regulation. This time when the whistle both ladies shot up at the same time, raced across the sand, diving head first into the flag. When the sand settled the defending champion Sara Bloom had the flag in her hand and a back-to-back Beach Flag crown.

The gentlemen's final was up next. It rivaled David Humphrey from the Bird Street Brawlers and Sean Munger of Local Adrenaline. After their first clash in the pit ended in a draw a run-off would be needed here as well. In the first run-off Munger got off the ground first but Humphrey caught up to him right as they reached the flag to tie. The second run-off was neck-and-neck all the way again. The third time would end up being the charm. When the whistle blew Humphrey was up off the ground first with Munger breathing down his neck, they both dived for the flag and a millisecond before Munger could touch it Humphrey ripped it out of the sand.

The win in the Beach Flags secured Humphrey the Men's Overall Champion Title. A crown that Dan Gorman, who finished in second in the Men's Overall, had worn for the four previous summers. Sara Bloom edged out Jess Cartier to win her first Women's Overall Champion Title.

The total team points were tallied and Team Spicoli had its first title since 2007 and its third title overall for Captain Dan Condell, who was the 1998 Men's Overall Champion. Captain Scott Ohlson's Bird Street Brawlers finished second, Captain Jerry Staub and the Sea Monkeys took the bronze, Captain Whitney Cubbage and Local Adrenaline stumbled in fourth and Captain Stephen House and Southbound&Down rode in the caboose.

2011 Champions - Team Spicoli
Team Competition Results 2011
PLACE	TEAM	CAPTAIN	POINTS
1		Dan Condell	1867
2		Scott Ohlson	1721
3		Jerry Staub	1707
4		Whitney Cubbage	1407
5		Stephen House	1231

Women's Overall Champions 2011 Sara Bloom 2010 Kelli King 2009 Kelli King 2008 Meghan King 2007 Cari Heckert 2006 Lauren Buck, Kelli King, Meghan King 2005 Kelli King 2004 Elise Thornell 2003 Hannah Fraser 2002 Linda Spencer 2001 Hannah Fraser 2000 Claire Halloran 1999 Erin Ferrell 1998 Janci Smith	Men's Overall Champions 2011 David Humphrey 2010 Dan Gorman 2009 Dan Gorman 2008 Dan Gorman 2007 Justin Carver 2006 Justin Carver, Charlie Knapper, Andy Motlis 2005 Justin Carver 2004 Justin Carver 2003 Garrett Kelly 2002 Brad Jones 2001 Mike Dull 2000 Sean Connolly 1999 Travis Gay 1998 Dan Condell
2011 Women's Overall Champ Sara Bloom	2011 Men's Overall Champ David Humphrey

Taylor Smith takes 3rd place in Beach Flags

The 2011 South Atlantic Lifesaving Association (SALA) Regional Competition was held at Myrtle Beach South Carolina. The two-day competition began on July 13th with 11 different agencies from as far north as Virginia Beach to the southernmost agency, St. Johns County, FL, bringing lifeguards to compete. Shore Beach Service sent a team of 18 lifeguards, determined by individual points in Shore's competition.

Most of the Shore guards compete in the "Open" division. This division is for anyone, but primarily has guards under age 30. Shore's captain, Dan Condell, competed in the Men's 35-39 year old age group. The team competition is broken down into two divisions, with Division "A" consists of lifeguarding agencies who employee 50 or more guards and Division "B" formed of agencies staffed with less than 50 lifeguards. Hilton Head Island is in Division "A".

The Hilton Head Island Team had a very robust showing with 14 top ten finishes including eight medals for top five finishes.

Dan Gorman wins the 2K Beach Run

Dan Gorman smoked the competition for his fifth consecutive Regional 2K crown. Every year that the Canadian-born Gorman has gone to regionals he has owned the event with no competitors coming close to him.

The Beach Relay Team of Elise Kuczera, Taylor Smith, Samantha Exstrom and Sara Bloom took second in that event. The Hilton Head Team was inches away from the gold but fell a step short.

Maura Donahue snatched the silver in the Run-Swim-Run. This event is chocked full of collegiate swimmers. Donahue, who swims for the University of Indianapolis, held her own and dominated the rest of the field behind her.

In the ultra-competitive Beach Flags event, Taylor Smith snagged third place. This is the most intense event on the ladies side and the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse swimmer put up quite a fight. If not for an unlucky break she may have had the opportunity to win.

Melissa Roberts, the swimmer from Vanderbilt took fourth place in the Surf Swim. The Surf Swim was a tight race and Roberts made a late charge but couldn't pull into the top three.

The Surf Rescue Race team of Jessica Cartier, Laurie King, Taylor Smith and Sara Bloom raced to a fourth place finish. In the race, the victim (Cartier) swam out 150 meters to a flag. When the flag is reached, the rescuer (King) swams out to the victim, and both swim in together. As they near shore, the two pullers (Smith and Bloom) carry the victim across the finish line.

Dan Condell wrangled the bronze in both the Surf Race and Beach Flags in the 35-39 age group to round out Shore's medal winners

Overall Jacksonville Beach won the Division A with Hilton Head Island coming in fourth for the second straight year. Wrightsville Beach, NC dominated the smaller Division B with Corolla, NC, coming in second.

For complete results and finishes please visit the South Atlantic Lifesaving Association website www.salausla.

2011 South Atlantic Lifesaving Association Competition
Shore Beach Service Team Roster

Team Hilton Head

Men's Swim Rescue Race Women's 4th Place Surf Rescue Team	David Humphrey Competes in Beach Flags Shore Women's Swim Rescue Team takes 9th Place