Board index FAQ Search View unanswered posts View active topics Register Login
JBLC Forum
Jones Beach Lifeguard Corps
Interbeach Lifeguard Races
Page 1 of 1 [ 3 posts ] Post new topic Post new topic   Reply to topic Reply to topic

First unread post
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests
Post Interbeach Lifeguard Races Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 3:39 pm
rgustavs
Offline
If my memory serves me, Field #2 won the Interbeach Races every year from 1964 through 1970, without interruption. During that time, willie Schnell, John Messbauer and Ed Wanser served as Lieutentant. I remember Joe Clinton, John Pasquale and Richie Vaughn serving as Boatswains and Senior Men. Some of the top competitors were Doug Rebak, Chuck and Denis DeVlaming, Gary Seaman, Tony Giaccone, Mike Stack, Brad Routon, Bruce Boehmke, Michael Clifford, Joe Pomar and a host of others including Charlie Swenson in the boat. The gold belt buckles were a valued prize for winning events, and I still proudly display the ones I won with the boys. Years later, we still display the flags at our reunions. These were all good times and wonderful memories.

Bob Gustavson
JBLG 1964-70
Profile
Post Re: Interbeach Lifeguard Races Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:23 pm
James Rooney
Offline
Bob;

I think your right that Jones Beach Field Two won the races 1964-1969 at least SIX years in a row, and maybe 1963 too making it 7 years straight. I had heard from Stu Miller that his Field One team had won the races in 1962 when they were restored after about a SEVEN year hiatus.

It seems after about the 1953 or 1954 races the Park Administration felt the Lifeguard Corps were getting a little too crazy about how the Races were conducted. Trading and shifting lifeguards in order to stack each fields race teams according to swimming and pulling and rowing competitors.

In the 1969 version of the Inter-beach Races: the contest was pretty close, with Jones Beach Field Two winning with 46 points followed by runner-up RM#2 who had 42 points. The third place team was Jones Beach Field Six with 40 points.

In the 1970 version of the Jones Beach Inter-beach races: the team from Jones Beach Field Six broke out with a stunning score of 61 points followed by the runner-up defending Champion Team of Jones Beach Field Two with only 32 1/3rd points. Third was East Bathhouse with 32 points and Fourth was RM#2 with 30 1/3rd points. RM#4 followed at fifth with 25 points and Zachs Bay was sixth with 21 points.

Does anyone else have any Race Memories from the 1960's or even the early version of races which were brought back after World War II in 1947 and ran till @ 1954?

The original version of the Jones Beach Inter-beach races ran from 1937 through 1941 and ended during the World War II years of 1942-1946. That would be 5 years of races 1937-1941, and about 8 years of races from 1947-1954, and finally about 9 more years of races from 1962-1970. A grand total of 22 years of Inter-beach competition prior to the Lifeguard Strike of 1971.

Does anyone out there recall if Lifeguard Races were conducted during the Strike shortened summer of 1971? I am guessing that the Gold, Silver, and Bronze plated belt buckles went out with the LISPC's losing the 1971 Strike?

Anyway.....if anyone out there has any Lifeguard Inter-beach Race results, photos, memories, etc from any of those three Eras of Jones Beach Lifeguard Competition.......We here at the Jones Beach Lifeguard History Dept would love to hear. Contact us at <alumni@jblc.net> or Post your information here on the Forum.

Most of my information comes from Former Jones Beach Lifeguards and a document I located through our previous historian Reggie Jones written by Eddie Enos then the Captain of the Jones Beach Lifeguard Corps. It was he who brought the Races back in 1947, and wrote about the earlier period of Competition held the summers of 1937, 38, 39, 40, and 1941.

Also my Thanks to Stu Miller who was a top competitor during that 1947-1954 period and was the LT of Jones Beach Field One when the Races were brought back for the third time in 1962. He corresponded with me from 2006 till 2009 and was extremely well written and informative, being the History professor and published author that he was!

I also have to Thank Al McGill who presented me with the only documentation I have ever seen of the Official Race Results from the 1969, 1970, 1973, and 1974 Jones Beach Lifeguard Inter-beach Races.

It is a shame that we have no access to the Jones Beach Newsletter the Bucket and Bouy that was published from around 1974 to the present. Since about 1999 the Bucket and Bouys have been archived so we are missing about 25 years of our documented History.

Maybe someone out there can ask around and see if it is anywhere in storage?
Profile
Post Re: Interbeach Lifeguard Races Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 10:48 pm
rgustavs
Offline
Sometime during the late 60s those really nice gold belt buckles were replaced by a cheesy metal mug with a glass bottom. I still have all my gold buckles but threw out all the mugs! I guess the state was cutting back on expenses.

Bob Gustavson
JBLG 1964-70
Profile
Page 1 of 1 [ 3 posts ] Post new topic Post new topic   Reply to topic Reply to topic

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum
Jump to:  
Search for:
Display posts from previous: Sort by
cron

Powered by phpBB © 2002, 2006 phpBB Group
All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]
subMerged by redhair