Again the Hampton Lifeguard Association, a team comprising guards from East Hampton and Southampton Towns, enjoyed a strong outing at the United States Lifesaving Association’s championships, which were held last week at Hermosa Beach, Calif.
The H.L.A.’s senior guards, who numbered 47, finished fifth in the 26-team tournament, behind Los Angeles County and California State and the Sussex County and Monmouth County New Jersey squads.
The 37 local junior lifeguards “were phenomenal,” according to John Ryan Jr., chief of East Hampton Town’s guards, though the points they won were not included in the overall team score. Last year, when the H.L.A. finished third, its highest finish ever, Ryan said that had the junior guards’ scores been added in, “we probably would have won.”
In under-19 competitions, Ryleigh O’Donnell was second in the board rescue and fifth in beach flags. O’Donnell, Cami Hatch, Carolina Condon, and Jane Brierley were second in the rescue race, and O’Donnell and Jane Brierly were fifth in the board rescue. Melina Sarlo was fourth in the beach sprint, fifth in the distance run, and sixth in beach flags. Curran O’Donnell was fourth in the U-19 surf ski, and Jack O’Sullivan was fourth in beach flags.
Bridget Lockwood won the 12-13 distance swim, Cybelle Curry won the 12-13 beach flags, and Amanda Calabrese, one of five H.L.A. guards to qualify for the final, won the open women’s beach flags. Also qualifying for the final were Kiara Williams, O’Donnell, Sarlo, and Bella Tarbet. Calabrese, Tarbet, Sarlo, and O’Donnell placed third in the women’s open 4-by-100 relay, and Calabrese and Jane Brierley were third in the open women’s board rescue. Calabrese finished 16th overall among the female competitors.
Among the junior guard runners up were Mia Rana in 9-11 beach flags; Molly Grande in the 9-11 run-swim-run; Mason Curry in the 9-11 run-swim-run; Evan Schaefer in the 12-13 beach flags; Lockwood in the 12-13 run-swim-run; Lylah Metz in the 12-13 distance swim; Beth Daniels in the 12-13 Ironguard; Luke Castillo in the 14-15 beach flags, and Daisy Pitches in the 14-15 run-swim-run.
Other junior guard place-winners were: Rana, fourth in the 9-11 distance run; Mason Curry, third in the 9-11 Ironguard and fourth in the distance swim; Ollie Early, fourth in the 9-11 board race; Ben Kriegsman, fourth in the 12-13 distance run; Hudson Goulart, fifth in the 12-13 distance run; Lucy Knight and Elizabeth Daniels, fifth in the 12-13 rescue race; Rock Hamada, third in 14-15 beach flags; Pitches, third in 14-15 Ironguard and fourth in the board race, and Liam Knight, fourth in the 14-15 Ironguard, fifth in the distance run, and with Patrick O’Donnell, sixth in the rescue race.
In age group competition, Angelika Cruz topped the women’s 50-54 age group in the surf race, the board race, and the 2K beach run. She was second in the run-swim-run. Mike Bahel won the 50-59 men’s beach flags; Barry Moore was second in the 60-64 beach flags; Jonathan Tarbet was fourth in the 50-54 2K run, and John Ryan Jr. and T.J. Calabrese were fourth in the 55-59 surf boat race.
Ryan Paroz, an H.L.A. member from Australia, was second in the open men’s surf ski race, fourth in the open men’s Ironman, and fifth in the open men’s board rescue. He finished in a tie for fourth among the male point-getters.
