OCEAN CITY – The 59th Street beach in Ocean City has been home to lifeguard races in the past, but not like this one.
On July 16, the Ocean City Beach Patrol hosted the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) 2026 Mid-Atlantic Craft Regional Lifeguard Championship.
The event brought together lifeguards from multiple states, including a number from the Garden State and local patrols. The OCBP set up two courses adjacent to each other so events could run simultaneously. And there was a whole host of events including paddleboard open, for women, for individuals and relays; surfski, Taplin relays, iron man and iron woman, surfboat running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Although the paddleboard races would be familiar with anyone who has watched the South Jersey Lifeguard Chiefs Association races in Cape May and Atlantic counties, many were different, as was the sheer number of events. In part, that was the draw for local and visiting guards.
“There’s more people that get to compete. In a lot of the in-town South Jersey races, you only have one person from your city competing,” said former OCBP lifeguard Lexi Santer. “Whereas this is for anyone who wants to compete, which is great for old timers. They also have age group events once you get 30 plus.”
Brigantine lifeguard Grace Emig, who competes in the South Jersey lifeguard races and is a champion in long-distance paddleboard races, likes competitors being able to build their own relays.
“I’m from Brigantine, but then I have Lexi, who’s done Ocean City and was Sussex County for a while, and Brynn (Gallagher), who’s Ocean City. We get to build our own relays and it’s cool.” They competed together last week, but in the past have raced one another.
“I’ve never done it before, so I’m excited to give it a go,” Gallagher said. “I’m excited that I get to paddle with Grace and not against her. Another OCBP guard, Casey Cullen, said the USLA event is “something fun and different, just a good opportunity to race and get experience on the (paddle)board.
Mia Gallagher, another OCBP lifeguard and older sister to Brynn, was testing the USLA waters.
“This is my first one and it’s Casey’s first one, too,” she said. “We’re excited to see how it all works and get involved this year.”
Junior OCBP guard Charlotte Quinones, had competed at USLA events in the past, but not these.
“I’m normally in the junior ones. I’m 15,” she said. So what’s it like to be in the adult division? “I’m just kind of scared, but I’m excited. It’s going to be really fun.”
Quinones said the junior events were fun as well.
“I really like the paddling. That’s also fun because it’s a lot of people your age and a lot of your friends,” Quinones said. “I don’t really know a lot of people here, but I’m excited that I get to compete because they needed an extra person, so I’m here to help in their relay.”
Tony Mehalic, a deputy chief on the OCBP who is retiring this year after 20 years on the patrol, used to compete for Ocean City in lifeguard races in years past.
“I was just planning on doing the paddle, but now I’m doing the paddle relay. I got sucked into doing another relay,” he said.
“I’ve been doing a lot of paddling on the side early in the mornings and stuff, I’m more geared towards doing distance paddles, but we do sprints every once in a while and I’ll see how I can hold up against these younger guys today,” Mehalic said.
“I’m ready to go against guys that are half my age, so we’ll see how that goes today,” he said.
Fellow Deputy Chief Dan Casey, who also came onto the beach patrol 20 years ago, said it felt good getting back to racing and competing. (He used to run the surf dash for the OCBP with Mehalic.)
“As you get older, it’s harder to keep up, but I’m glad to be here and glad to be competing against these phenomenal athletes and competitors.”
Casey said he likes the USLA events because they’re quicker and there are more of them.
“This is a whole-day event where you can compete in many different aspect and disciplines, which means you have to be a well-rounded athlete,” Casey said. “For instance, today I’ll be competing in an event where you have to paddle, swim and surf-ski. You have to be proficient and good at all those different things back to back to back and then to compete against some of the best in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
“You’re not just going once and done, like the South Jersey races,” he added, noting the USLA event runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “You’re on the line again, again and again. It’s a good test of your ability.”
Amy White, from Belmar, was competing for Monmouth County at the USLA meet in Ocean City. She was rowing with Dani Zimmerman, of Ocean Grove, who also was competing for Monmouth County.
Zimmerman said she enjoys the boat races the most. The USLA uses self-bailing boats with cutouts on the sides and on the stern, unlike the heavier Van Duyne boats common with Cape May and Atlantic counties’ beach patrols.
“I feel like it’s so fun to surf the big waves in them and just like feel a little unsafe and see what’s going to happen,” Zimmerman said.
White said she enjoyed the USLA events because “it gives our jobs as lifeguards kind of a purpose. We train so hard all year long to be able to do what we do every day on the beach that we get to have a little fun with it here at the competitions and show all of our hard work pays off.”
OCBP Results Men
Andrew Shaw, First, 30-34 Men’s Board Race
Dan Casey, Second, 35-39 Men’s Board Race
Tony Mehalic, First, 40-44 Men’s Board Race
Dan Casey, First, 35-39 Men’s Ironman
Tony Mehalic, First, 40-44 Men’s Ironman
Frank Christy, Fourth, Open Men’s Board Race
Tony Mehalic, Ryan Cornell, Andrew Shaw, Dan Casey, Fifth, Open Men’s Taplin Relay
Casey, Fifth, Open Men’s Surf Ski Race
Shaw, Cornell, Christy, Sixth, Open Board Relay Men
OCBP Results Women
(Unless noted)
Lexi Santer, First, Open American Iron Woman
Lexi Santer, First, Open American Iron Woman
Lleyke Duncan (Asbury Park), Mia Gallagher, Second, Open Women’s Surfboat
Grace Emig (Brigantine), Second, Open Board Relay Women
Grace Emig (Brigantine), Third, Open Women’s Board Race; other finishes, Brynn Gallagher, Fourth; Lexi Santer, Sixth; Casey Cullen, Eighth; Mia Gallagher, 10th; Charlotte Quinones,
Mia Gallagher, Casey Cullen, Grace Emig, First, Open Women’s Taplin Relay
Lexi Santer, Third, Open Women’s Surf Ski
Lexi Santer, Fourth, Open Iron Woman
Charlotte Quinones, Fifth, Open Board Relay Women
Delaware State lifeguards won the event as a team with 917.835 points. Ocean City was sixth with 185.833.
Santer was third among women overall for individual points with 71.5. Delaware’s Elizabeth Fry was the overall individual points winner with 121.667.
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
