They win doubles, singles; BCBP is champion for first time in over 30 years
MARGATE — Brothers Jack and Joe Savell won the singles and doubles rows Aug. 11 to secure victory for the Brigantine City Beach Patrol in the South Jersey Lifeguard Championships at Decatur Avenue.
“I’m just so happy to win a race in the South Jerseys for Brigantine,” Jack Savell said after the opening doubles row. “I’m so happy to have this special moment with my brother Joey and the BCBP.”
He said the key to staying competitive in ocean racing is dedication.
“You’ve got to train harder than you think you have to,” he said.
A week after the rough surf played a big part in the outcome of the Margate Memorials under a darkening sky, conditions were nearly perfect for racing Friday at the same location, overlooked by Lucy the Elephant.
Brigantine picked up fifth place in the swim for one point to go along with its 10 from the two rowing races for a total of 11. The Margate City Beach Patrol was second with 9 points, placing second in the swim, third in the singles row and fourth in the doubles row.
The Longport Beach Patrol finished third with 8 points, taking second place in both rows.
The Atlantic City Beach Patrol was fourth with 7 points on the strength of Charles Schreiner’s win in the swim and fifth place in both rowing races.
Behind the Savell brothers, who won the previous week for their first win at the Margate Memorials, the LBP’s Mike McGrath and Sean Duffy were second — another repeat from the prior week.
The Avalon Beach Patrol’s Gary James Nagle and Dave Guilian were third. Margate’s Hayden Smallwood and Bob Bechtel were fourth and Atlantic City’s Sean and Rick Blair were fifth.
The battle for second place overall was waged during the swim race. Zach Vasser of the MCBP topped Schreiner by 14 seconds during the Margate Memorials but it was the ACBP guard who was first out of the water and across the finish line to become a South Jersey champ.
“I’m so, so happy,” Schreiner said. “This was definitely my peak. I have been training for this race specifically, for this course, for this race.”
He noted that only the Margate Memorials and South Jerseys include a straight swim out and back. The Dutch Hoffmans have a box swim and the other events a relay.
“It’s all about planning your strategy, making sure you don’t start pushing too fast, too early. Don’t start pushing too late so you don’t have energy when you come in running. It’s really just all of those mixed together,” Schreiner said.
He and Vasser were shoulder to shoulder on the way out and Vasser was ahead around the second flag, but by the time they reached the singles flag on the way back Schreiner had taken the lead and never relinquished it.
“I knew I could rely on finding a second gear, finding a third gear and just keep pushing all the way until there was nothing left,” Schreiner said.
Vasser said the current was pulling really hard and wore him out.
“Going out I felt good. On the way back, waves were pushing me and I started getting a little tired but I finished strong. Happy with where I came in,” he said, noting the two have been swimming together for 12 years.
“I got Memorials, he gets Jerseys — it’s only fair. I’m happy for him, he deserves it,” Vasser said.
Dolan Grisbaum of the Avalon Beach Patrol was third and Dylan DeWitt of the Ocean City Beach Patrol was fourth. Brigantine’s Joe Haney was fifth.
It was initially unclear who had won the singles row and, by extension, the team title.
Longport’s McGrath and Avalon’s Ryan Finnegan collided near shore and Margate’s Chris Spiers got sideways on a wave before McGrath raised his arms in victory, only to fall from his boat. Meanwhile, Jack Savell snuck in for the win at the other end of the strand.
“It was so close,” Savell said.
“There were three or four people in it the whole way. I saw Margate in there, I saw Longport in there and I saw Ocean City.”
He was thrilled to bring the championship back to Brigantine after more than 30 years.
“That’s the main thing I am happy about,” Savell said. “I couldn’t have ended it on a more storybook ending,” he said.
Longport was second and Margate third. The Sea Isle City Beach Patrol’s Dan Rogers was fourth and the ACBP’s Sean Blair was fifth.
Next season’s South Jersey Lifeguard Championship will be held in Brigantine. The BCBP last won the event in 1992, when they were co-champions with Ocean City and Avalon, and last won outright in 1979.
Margate won in 2022 and Longport won in 2021.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
