Hampton Lifeguard Association Competes At Nationals; Calabrese Wins Women's Beach Flags Once Again

More than 900 competitors from ocean-adjacent states traveled to Virginia Beach this past weekend for the annual United States Lifeguard Association National Championships. Among the throngs of lifeguards from across the country, 100 hailed from the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, and they joined forces as one team, the Hampton Lifeguard Association. Together, the East End guards finished sixth overall, earning 233.750 points.Los Angeles County Surf Life Saving Association won the coveted Howard Lee Trophy awarded to the 2018 Jersey Mike’s USLA National Champion, earning 1,244.252 points. L.A. reclaimed the title after being dethroned by Monmouth County last year. With this year’s title, L.A. has won 29 USLA National Championships in the past 31 years. Monmouth County, out of New Jersey, finished second in competition, while the host, Virginia Beach Lifesaving Association, finished third.

Although L.A. County restored its reign as champion, it cannot be overlooked that a dynasty of lifesaving ability is being built through the Hampton Lifeguard Association, starting with now four-time beach flags National Champion, Amanda Calabrese.

Beach flags is a unique event, mimicking the elimination component of musical chairs mixed with a do-or-die sprint to capture the small rubber tubes stuck in the sand.

Calabrese is the first lifeguard to win four national titles in beach flags, and what makes her accomplishment even more impressive is that she’s done it in four consecutive years. Calabrese won her first beach flags title in the open division in 2015, at just 17 years old, and has not let up since. Prior to winning the open titles, she also won two beach flags national championships as a junior. Calabrese credits her success to her junior lifeguard instructor, Emily Bunce, formerly Emily Ward, who won the national title in beach flags in 2009. Calabrese recalled when Bunce persuaded her when she was 11 to accompany her to nationals that year. Calabrese and Bunce walked away as dual National Champions—Calabrese in the ‘C’ group for junior guards, and Bunce in the open division.

The first open title that Calabrese won was the first year that USLA put beach flags as the main event under the lights. Fans and lifeguards packed onto an empty beach volleyball court arena with stadium seating, with additional spectators watching from as far as the 20th floor of nearby hotels and from the nosebleeds of the grandstand seating to watch Calabrese begin her reign as the best.

“That first year in Daytona, there was nothing like it,” she said. “It was the closest thing we have at the Main Beach tournament but on a national level.” She continued and said that there is nothing like racing at home, and the transition to nighttime only made her think of Main Beach, which made her really excited to compete.

“Imagine that energy for the night flags at Main Beach but a thousand times more intense, a thousand more people screaming and the competition up 10 notches,” Calabrese said.

Day one of this year’s competition kicked off with the board race followed by the surf boat race, taplin relay, surf-ski race, American Ironman/Ironwoman event, rescue race, and board rescue and ended with the preliminary heats for beach flags. The top finishers advanced to the finals the following day. Saturday finished off competition with the 2K beach run, the 4x100-meter beach relay, Ironman/Ironwoman events, and the run-swim-run.

Australian native and HLA guard Ryan Paroz was crowned the national champion in the board race. Paroz also finished second in the surf-ski and fifth in the Ironman while Calabrese finished 10th in the Ironwoman. The Ironwoman is a three-part event that includes a swim leg, board leg and beach sprint leg. The Ironman is a four-part event that includes a swim leg, board leg, a solo surfboard leg and a beach sprint finish.

In the water, Alyxandra Tortorice finished 13th in the surf boat race while Fintan McCormac finished third. Tortorice also finished 13th in the surf boat with partner Amanda Nasti.

On the sand, Emilia Espinoza was crowned the overall victor, and new national champion, in the 2K beach run while Ryan Fowkes finished sixth. Patricia Haggerty finished fourth in the 2K run for the women while Alyssa Bahel finished fifth. In the 4x100 beach relay, the team consisting of Calabrese, Lila Ferraro, Genna Kovar and Molly Mamay earned themselves a fifth-place finish, while Olivia Brabant and Oona Rae finished 14th. For the men, a team consisting of Seth Conrad, Aidan and Casey Crowley and Chasen Dubs finished 10th. Another team of Ryan Bahel, Albert Dombrowski, Ryan Duryea and Ethan McCormac finished 13th.

Calabrese had a number of teammates compete in beach flags with her. Ferraro earned eighth overall, Mamay finished 10th and Kennedy Skala placed 16th. Skala originally did not plan to travel to Virginia Beach for USLA Nationals due to the start of her soccer season at Virginia Wesleyan University, but she made the trip, entered beach flags the morning of, and became a finalist.

Due to rain, the board rescue, landline rescue, open run-swim-run and taplin relay were not contested.

Paroz finished second overall in individual points in the open division earning 51 points while Calabrese finished 10th in individual points earned with 41.875. Lila Ferraro, Patricia Haggerty, Alyssa Bahel and Molly Mamay all finished in the top 50 of the women’s open division, while Ryan Fowkes joined Paroz in the top 50 for the men.

Chasen Dubs—a Florida resident who spends his summers in East Hampton—was selected for the USLA’s National under-19 World Team based on his performance at Virginia Beach, along with HLA teammate Val Ferraro, a Manhattan resident who also summers in East Hampton. Dubs finished first in the surf race, second in the Ironman and the paddle board and fourth in the surf ski for the under-19 division. In the open division, he placed 18th in the surf race and the run-swim-run. He placed seventh in the land-line rescue, eighth in the paddle board and ninth in the surf ski. Dubs also made it to the final rounds for the 4x100. In addition, he qualified for the final rounds of the board rescue and taplin relay but did not compete due to rain cancellations. The national team is set to travel to Adelaide, Australia, in November to compete in the Lifesaving World Championships.

Competition was also broken up into age groups ranging from 30 to over 70 years old. East Hampton Town Chief Lifeguard John Ryan Jr. competed in the 50-54-year-old age group and finished third in the surf boat, sixth in the surf race and the 2K beach run and seventh in the Ironguard. Southampton Town Chief Lifeguard Sean Crowley competed in the 55-59-year old age group for the surf race and finished fifth overall while Kathleen Piacentine, in the same age group, finished fourth in the surf race. Piacentine also finished second in the 2K beach run while Vanessa Edwards finished first in the 2K for the 60-64-year old age group. Craig Brierley finished third and Tim Treadwell finished seventh in the 50-54-year old 2K beach run. Treadwell also finished seventh in the surf race.

Junior guards traveled down to Virginia Beach on August 8 for competition just prior to the start of the adult competition. Lila and Val Ferraro stole the show in beach flags, both walking away National Champions for the girls and boys. Haggerty placed second in the distance run along with Ryan Fowkes. Behind Fowkes, in third, was Emilio Espinoza. The four-person team of Oona Rae, Olivia Brabant, Amanda Nasti and Katarina Dombrowski took third in the rescue race.

For the ‘A’ group, consisting of 14- and 15-year-olds, Lizzie Neville and William Schlegel were champions of the beach flags while both Sophia Swanson and Owen McCormac trailed in third. Swanson also tallied a second-place finish in the run-swim-run and fourth in the Ironguard. Olivia Duca finished second in the distance run. The duo of Joey Badilla and Kevin Pineda took first in the rescue race.

In the ‘B’ group (12, 13-year-olds), Rodin McKenna and Nicky Badilla finished first in the rescue race. Badilla also finished third in the distance swim and McKenna finished third in the Ironguard. Lyla Wilson finished as runner up in beach flags.

In the ‘C’ group (9, 10, 11-year-olds) Evan Schaefer beat out Luke Rossano in beach flags to be the overall finisher, while Ally Schaefer finished second in the event. Luke Castillo finished first in both the distance run and the board race. The duo of Castillo and Liam Knight took third in the rescue race while the five-person team of Castillo, Knight, Cloe Ceva, Olivia Walsh and Lylah Metz earned third in the swim relay.