Members of the 90 member national championship lifeguard team from Monmouth County. They are holding the USLA trophy. From OG team are Justin Lubas (L), Michelle Davidson and Jack Green IV. Ocean Grove beach, August 21, 2014. Photo by Paul Goldfinger © Click to enlarge
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger. 2014.
Until this year, the United States Lifesaving Association’s National Team Championship had been dominated by the team from Los Angeles County for 27 straight years. The last time Monmouth County had won that honor was in 1983.
Needless to say, the dudes from LA must have been a bit cocky going into this year’s competitions at Virginia Beach, but the powerful squad of 90 swimmers, rowers and line pullers from Monmouth County went to compete, as they do every year, and they went to win.
Among the team were 5 members from Ocean Grove including Michelle Davidson, Justin Lubas, Rick Cuttrell, Matt Gannon and Jack Green IV. Jack was also the coach.
In Ocean Grove, the role of lifeguard often gets handed down from one generation to the next. It’s sort of a cultural phenomenon in the Grove along with voluteering for the Fire Department.
The five OG lifeguards who went have been lifeguarding here for many years. The Monmouth County team contains quite a few college swimmers, and there is a strong tradition in this area of participating in life guard competitions. We had one in the Grove in July (see link below.) No wonder the team did so well in Virginia. It’s part of the fabric of life at the Jersey Shore.
Link to recent lifeguard competititon in OG: LIfeguard link
Teams came to Virginia Beach from around the country, but they can come from lakes and other waterways besides oceans. The California team has the advantage of training year round.
The United States Lifesaving Association trophy temporarily located in Monmouth County until next year. Click to enlarge. Blogfinger photo.
The Howard A. Lee trophy, which was on display today at the beach office, has been passed around to the overall winning team each year for the last 33 years, but mostly it has lived in LA. Now it will get some of that Jersey salty air. We learned about it from Jack Green IV, and we met 3 Ocean Grove athletes at the Beach Office today. Those OG lifeguards who were there today for our photo shoot were all for carrying the heavy trophy down to the ocean for their portrait on the rocks.
Michelle Davidson told us that quite a few women are on the team, and they compete against other women except for one event.
There’s no place like home: Ocean Grove, NJ. Blogfinger photo. Click to enlarge.
It is an amazing accomplishment to win a national championship in any sport, and this lifeguard victory is no exception. The Monmouth County Freeholders have already honored the team, and the team deserves accolades from all the shore towns at the Jersey Shore.
And here’s some happy music from Ocean Grove via the Bahamas to dance to and celebrate with—all 90 of you. Come on and do it!!
STEVIE S. with “Hold Ya Head.”