ROW, ROW: Lifeboats return to shore, as seen in a photo from the 1987-88 Long Beach Township Beach Patrol yearbook.

Looking back over my life, my eight summers serving as a lifeguard on the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol remain among my fondest memories. The friendships, the competition, the commitment to protecting the public, and the pride of representing our community created experiences that have stayed with me for decades.

When I first joined the beach patrol in the late 1970s, it consisted of six separate patrols stretching from Loveladies in the north to Holgate in the south. Although all were part of the same township, each section largely operated independently, particularly when it came to athletic competition. In total, over 180 certified lifeguards and 80 beach badge checkers comprised the patrol, making us one of the largest beach patrols in the U.S.

One of the key leaders during that era was Assistant Capt. Don Myers, a very good friend of mine. Don was a Drexel University professor who spent his summers serving on the township beach patrol. Don lived in Brant Beach and started as a Brant Beach guard in the 1960s. After approximately 20 years on the patrol, he rose through the ranks to become assistant captain.

Don possessed an extremely competitive nature. He wanted the township patrol to become recognized not only for protecting swimmers but also for excellence in rowing, swimming and all aspects of high-level lifeguard competition.

After several years of watching the township finish near the bottom at the annual Long Beach Township Beach Patrol Association Lifeguard Tournament, Don was fed up and began promoting organized competition. The problem was, Long Beach Township possessed only a single lifeboat and a very uninspired desire to compete.

Long Beach Township Beach Patrol Capt. Art Jocher, a former NFL lineman, records results at a preseason lifeguard swim test some 40 years ago. (Photo from SandPaper archives)

Recognizing how important rowing was on the heavy-surf Atlantic Ocean, Don convinced both township Mayor James Mancini and township beach patrol Capt. Art Jocher to invest in additional equipment. As a result, the township purchased six, new lightweight fiberglass open-lock Van Dyne lifeboats, one for each patrol from Loveladies to Holgate. Those unsinkable boats could be navigated by one of two rowers. Once lifeguards were properly trained in ocean rescue, those lifeboats were the safest way to rescue one or more people from dangerous surf.

That investment transformed the entire beach patrol. For the first time, each section of the township could develop its own rowing crew and compete against the others. It also made possible the creation of Don’s vision – the annual Mayor’s Cup, a four-night/two-weekend competition in which the six Long Beach Township patrols competed in various events. North Beach joined forces with Loveladies and competed against Brant Beach, Spray Beach, Beach Haven Crest and Holgate in 12 events of swimming, running, line pull, rowing and eventually paddleboard.

One hundred and eighty men and women competed hard to determine who would be the annual Mayor’s Cup champion and, in turn, represent the township against the other Long Beach Island patrols. The winners of each Mayor’s Cup event would then represent Long Beach Township in the annual Island Tournament.

Although Don’s concept of the Mayor’s Cup produced very competitive teams, it also had one significant weakness. The winning relay or rowing crew did not necessarily consist of the very best individual athletes in the township. The strongest swimmers and rowers were often spread amongst several sections of the township, not necessarily from the same squad. For instance, of the two best rowers on the Island in 1984, one was from Holgate, the other from Loveladies. Consequently, while Long Beach Township consistently fielded respectable Island race teams from the Mayor’s Cup, we never captured the Island Tournament championship during Don’s tenure as assistant captain. Second place was the highest we came. But Don deserved all the credit in the world for making all of us better lifeguards through competition amongst ourselves.

A 1988 Long Beach Township yearbook shows Don Myers (right, with sunglasses) and David Waronker (next to Myers) at a judges meeting. Waronker and other former lifeguards would return to help out after their lifeguarding careers ended.

Everything changed in 1984. That year, Mike Smith became assistant captain of the patrol. Mike was a quiet but very strong, determined and fiercely competitive leader. He listened to advice from his team of lieutenants and committed to take the township to the next level of competition. His vision was to transform Long Beach Township into the premier beach patrol on Long Beach Island. Mike was smart. He knew what he wanted, but also knew he needed help from others to make the township a championship patrol.

Mike asked me to assist him in creating a true township-wide race team. He appointed me race team captain. Together we worked on a strategy of what we needed to push us over the top from silver and bronze winners to gold. We knew we needed to fully dedicate certain staff and hundreds of hours of training and practice to identify the best athletes within our organization who were willing to commit more of their time above protecting the beaches.

Of course, before any of this could happen, we needed the approval of Capt. Art Jocher, a former NFL lineman and one of the toughest and strongest leaders I have ever known. Having served as township captain since the early 1950s, he firmly believed that every lifeguard’s primary responsibility, and rightly so, was protecting swimmers, not practicing for races during guarded hours. After considerable discussion, Mike and I convinced Art that developing a competitive race program would strengthen the patrol as a whole. And come the first day of the summer of 1984, the process began.

The beginning was difficult. As we evaluated personnel, Mike and I realized that several lifeguards simply did not possess the strength, conditioning and swimming ability necessary to safely protect the public. We made the difficult decision to replace several seasoned guards with stronger competitive swimmers. Those conversations were never pleasant, but public safety had to come first. If someone lacked the ability to perform an effective rescue when lives depended on it, changes had to be made.

At the same time, we had to completely change the philosophy behind Long Beach Township competition. We reimagined the original format of the Mayor’s Cup. Rather than having the six patrols compete against one another and then send separate winning crews to the Island Tournament, we decided to unite the strongest athletes from throughout the township into one elite race team.

I vividly remember rowing alongside outstanding athletes such as Wally Beatty from Holgate, Mike Woodland from Loveladies, Tom Horleman from Beach Haven Crest and Brian Adams of North Beach. Together we formed an all-star team unlike anything the township had previously assembled.

Because I already had a rowing background before joining the beach patrol, I adapted quickly to lifeboat ocean rowing. I also took great pride in teaching rowing techniques to fellow lifeguards throughout the township. Watching those athletes improve and become outstanding competitors and better public safety professionals remains one of the accomplishments of which I am most proud.

To test our racing abilities, we entered competitions throughout New Jersey and beyond. We quickly discovered Long Beach Township possessed some truly exceptional athletes. At one major tournament in Seaside Park, we earned second place overall and demonstrated that we could compete with anyone.

The summer of 1984 also marked another significant development. That year, Long Beach Township, and other patrols on Long Beach Island, began using paddleboards as rescue devices. Mike and I believed that if paddleboards were becoming an important rescue tool, we should excel in that discipline as well. We approached several of the Island’s best surfers and encouraged them to become lifeguards.

Ultimately, we hired four outstanding competitive surfers, and the strategy paid immediate dividends. Before long, Long Beach Township was winning most, if not all, of the paddleboard competitions in which we participated.

Another enormous advantage came from our incredible boat-launching crews. I can still picture Lou Kuiken, John Rattigan and Doug Amster launching our lifeboats. Those men were unbelievably strong and absolutely determined to give our rowers an immediate advantage. Their launches consistently put our boats ahead of the competition before the race had barely begun. In my opinion, no launch crew was better. Being first off the beach is a great way to start a race!

Our line teams were equally remarkable. Brian Adams and Mike Spatz formed one of the finest line teams I have ever witnessed. Time after time, they demonstrated extraordinary speed and coordination while pulling swimmers from hundreds of feet offshore back to the beach.

The rowing talent throughout the patrol was equally impressive. Brian Adams was not only an outstanding rower, a great line puller, but also a close personal friend. We competed together in statewide events and shared many memorable races, including earning a gold medal in one competition and a third-place finish in another.

Everything came together in 1985. For the first time in history, the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol captured the Island Tournament championship. Even more impressively, we defeated perennial powerhouses Barnegat Light and Ship Bottom by approximately 20 points. For those of us who had worked so hard to build the race team, that victory validated our belief that combining the township’s best athletes into one unified squad was the right approach.

1984 marked my final summer as a lifeguard. Fortunately, Mike Smith and many others continued building upon that 1985 foundation. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s and into the 1990s, Long Beach Township remained one of the Island’s premier competitive beach patrols.

Today, the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol remains competitive in the Island Tournament. However, to the best of my knowledge, it has not captured the championship in over 20 years.

Over the last decade, the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol has established itself as the dominant lifeguard squad on Long Beach Island, winning championship after championship both on and off the Island. Their success reflects an obvious commitment to great leadership, recruiting exceptional athletes and dedicated lifeguards, and they deserve tremendous credit for maintaining such a high standard of excellence.

Looking back now, I realize just how fortunate I was. My eight summers serving on the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol provided lifelong friendships, unforgettable competitions, countless memories, and the privilege of helping build what became one of the finest race teams on Long Beach Island.

David Waronker was a member of the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol from 1977 to 1984.