THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 8, 1994 TAG: 9407070194
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 203 lines
CHARITY HENDERSON was plopped unceremoniously onto the sand.
``Umph!''
Not exactly the way a drowning victim wants to be handled, but in this instance, it wasn't a serious matter.
In fact, the abuse brought laughter from Henderson and those around her.
Henderson was a mock victim and her rescuers merely competitors in a contest - the 12th annual Virginia Beach chapter of the U.S. Lifesaving Association.
No wonder the 21-year-old Ocean View beach lifeguard was able to smile about the way she was brought to rest in the sand after the back-breaking event known as the land-line pull rescue.
While this particular rescue wasn't a matter of life or death, it showcased some of the skills needed to be a lifeguard.
That's what such competitions are all about and the 200-or-so spectators who lined the Boardwalk at 12th Street to witness the events seemed to appreciate the efforts.
``You see these lifeguards sitting on their stands all day long and you feel pretty safe that they are there,'' said Jeff Simmons of Waynesboro, who was vacationing with his family. ``It's nice to see that these people are truly capable of getting out in the water and actually rescuing someone.''
In the land-line rescue, a victim is sent out to a buoy 150 meters offshore. At the sound of a whistle, a teammate with a hand-buoy attached to a coil of rope swims out to the victim. The swimmer then gives a signal to a pair of teammates on the beach who pull the pair back to shore. Once they reach the breakers, the swimmer and two pullers have to carry the victim across a line on the beach.
``Plop!''
``Umph!''
The land line is a particularly grueling event - for the swimmer who has to hurriedly make his way through waves and currents; for the two pullers who have to yank two people back through the same waves and tides; and for the victim who, after swimming 150 meters and treading water for a few minutes, is jerked and twisted and tossed on the beach to beat the clock.
Henderson's team didn't make the top six, but it didn't matter.
She was covered with too much sand to care.
COMPETITIONS LIKE THIS are important avenues to lifeguard crews - testing their abilities in a format that is both simple and difficult.
The events are relatively easy to set up and compete in, but the competition itself is as tough as it gets.
Aside from the land-line pull, the contest featured a 150-meter swim rescue using one swimmer, a victim and a hand buoy; a 600-meter run-swim-run event; and the crowd favorite - beach flags - a musical chairs-style event.
Featuring 44 competitors from the Sandbridge, Dam Neck, Ocean View, 57th Street Ramada Inn and 67th Street Officers Club beach patrols, this year's event was one of the best, according to local USLA chapter president Dave Foxwell.
``Everything went very smoothly and we had a good crowd of people out watching,'' he said. ``The city and all of our sponsors have been very good to us.
``The mayor's husband (Roger Oberndorf) came out and gave us a pep talk. He was a lifeguard in New Jersey from 1953 to 1960.''
The competition is used as a qualifier for the USLA Mid-Atlantic Region event to be held later this month at Cape May, N.J. The national event also will be held in Cape May later this summer.
IN THE RUN-SWIM-RUN event, Nelson Camilo of the Ocean View patrol had a decided advantage.
While not a great runner, he can swim with the best of them.
Camilo, a native of Georgia, attends Old Dominion University and is one of the school's top middle distance swimmers. He also swam competitively for his high school in Georgia.
So it was no wonder that he exited the surf with a big lead.
``Swimming for the ODU team gave me a bit of an edge in this competition,'' the 21-year-old said. ``But even though I had a lead, I had to run well the last run to beat John (Lomogda). John's a much better runner than me. We've been training together with a bunch of guys. It's a good way to stay in shape for our job.''
Camilo - a rising junior at ODU - swims the 400 individual medley and 200 and 500 freestyles. This was his first lifeguarding competition.
``This is a lot of fun,'' he said.
THE REAL FUN starts when the competitors move closer to the Boardwalk for beach flags.
In this event, a certain number of competitors lay on the beach, belly down, facing away from a line about 30 yards behind them. On that line, several sticks are placed in the sand. When the starter blows the whistle, the competitors must jump up and race to the other end and grab a stick.
Trouble is, there is one stick less than the number of competitors. With each exit of the racer, one less stick is placed in the sand until there are two racers and one stick.
Chris and Jonathan Fussell - two former Kempsville High wrestlers - have shown a decided advantage in this event. Chris Fussell won last year in a head-to-head with his brother, who had won the previous year.
When it was all over and done with, it was Fussell vs. Fussell II and the judges decided to make it best two-out-of-three.
In the first run, both dove hard toward the flag at the end of a neck-and-neck sprint.
``Thud!''
Chris came up with the flag to take a 1-0 lead.
``Advantage Fussell,'' someone yelled from the crowd.
Next time around, Jonathan took the flag in a suspiciously lopsided race.
``Hey, he let him do that,'' the heckler shouted.
When the sand cleared for all the marbles, it was Chris who repeated as champion.
``Yes, I think the wrestling really helps,'' said Jonathan, a 24-year-old who will join the Navy this fall. ``We have to react to the whistle and that helps.''
There is also technique involved in this event, with the brothers squeezing out the competitors during the finals.
``That's what they do to us in regionals,'' said Chris, a 21-year-old who will transfer from ODU to the University of Richmond this fall.
HENDERSON COULDN'T stand being clean of sand for too long, and entered the women's beach flags contest to defend her title.
In the end, she faced Theresa Ramsey of the 57th Street Ramada Inn patrol.
With a little nudge as the two dove for the flag, Henderson was able to keep her title in her favorite event.
Once again, she was covered in sand after a familiar ``Umph.'' ILLUSTRATION: On the Cover
Photos by PETER D. SUNDBERG
ABOVE: Lifeguards dive for sticks in the sand during the beach flag
event, which is based on the musical chairs concept.
RIGHT: Dave Foxwell, president of the local chapter of the United
States Lifesaving Association, calls competitors for the next event
in the competition that featured 44 lifeguards from the Sandbridge,
Dam Neck, Ocean View, 57th Street Ramada Inn and 67th Street
Officers Club beach patrols.
Photos by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Brad Barbour and Tom Palmer pull ``victim'' Katherine MacKaye from
the surf after she was ``rescued'' by Scott Pollard. The team took
third in the land-line-pull event.
Jonathan Fussell, left, Will McOrmond and Tom Palmer dive for the
sticks in the beach flag competition. Jonathan finished second to
his brother Chris.
About 200 spectators who lined the Boardwalk at 12th Street to
witness the competition seemed to appreciate the lifeguards'
efforts.
Lifeguard Scott Pollard prepares to enter the water for the tube
rescue competition. Despite an apparent distaste for the event,
Pollard and ``victim'' Katherine MacKaye won the 150 meter swim and
rescue.
Joanne Furney gives Charity Henderson a hand up after Henderson had
competed in the tube rescue competition. Henderson and Heath Marsh
finished sixth.
Genevieve Randolph tries to catch her breath after finishing second
in the run-swim-run event. Competitors had to swim 200 meters, run
200 meters, then swim another 200 meters.
Chart
USLA LIFESAVING COMPETITION RESULTS
Results from the Virginia Beach Chapter of the U.S. Lifesaving
Association's 12th annual competition held recently at the
Oceanfront:
\ TUBE RESCUE
(150M swim and rescue)
1. Scott Pollard and Katherine MacKaye (3:16); 2. Troy Lewis and
Mike Moses (3:21); 3. Nelson Camilo and Jack Michaels (3:31); 4.
Harvey Horne and John Lomogda (3:45); 5. Greg Bauford and Erin
Bissell (3:49); 6. Heath Marsh and Charity Henderson (3:55)
600M RUN-SWIM-RUN
Men
1. Nelson Camilo (5:14); 2. John Lomogda (5:19); 3. Troy Lewis
(5:21); 4. Jack Michaels (5:26); 5. Harvey Horne (6:49)
Women
1. Emily Cromwell (7:39); 2. Genevieve Randolph (9:31)
LAND LINE PULL
(150M swim and rescue)
1. Nelson Camilo, Emily Cromwell, Mike Mitchell and Brian Mellor
(3:17); 2. Troy Lewis, Nancy Lewis, David Foxwell and Will McOrmond
(3:26); 3. Scott Pollard, Katherine MacKaye, Brad Barbour and Tom
Palmer (3:31); 4. Jack Michaels, Joanne Furney, David Adams and
Christopher Moore (3:45); 5. Erin Bissell, Greg Bauford, Tony
Spendora and John Gammon (4:22); 6. Mike Mosel, Chris Fussell,
Jonathan Fussell and Scott Walton (5:02)
BEACH FLAGS
Men
1. Chris Fussell; 2. Jonathan Fussell; 3. Heath Marsh; 4. Ed
Gartin; 5. Chris Higgens; 6. Will McOrmond
Women
1. Charity Henderson, 2. Theresa Ramsey, 3. Genevieve Randolph,
4. Maggie Mace, 5. Susan Heye
by CNB