Junior Lifeguards Showcase Talent and Teamwork at Belmar Tournament

BELMAR, NJ – On a picturesque day last week, Belmar played host to the 29th Annual Junior Lifeguard Tournament, attracting towns from up and down the shore. The event featured a blend of individual and team challenges, fostering both friendly competition and community spirit.

Participants competed in a variety of events tailored to different age groups, including distance running, distance swimming, paddleboarding, the Taplin Relay (comprising a swimmer, paddler, kayaker, and runner), beach flag relay, surf dash, and the Ironguard Relay.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER

Nicolette Contella, having been a coach for seven years prior, was the chief organizer and lead of the tournament for the third year in a row. She is the Director of Belmar Junior Lifeguards. She shared insights amidst her bustling coordination efforts: "We added a D 6-8 age group to help build the longer term interest in life guarding. The tournament is a lot of work and planning.  We've been coordinating with 14 towns throughout the spring and summer and had to mobilize the Belmar staff to bring it all together." When asked what she felt was special about this one, Contella responded "that all the Belmar staff came together as one. The DPW, Police, EMS, lifeguards, administration and others to have an amazingly organized tournament. It was also a first for many Jr. lifeguards that they experienced what a tournament is all about before they venture off to others later in the summer."

The estimated number of Junior Lifeguard participants was 500 with an estimated total crowd of 1,500 which included participants, spectators, staff, and support. There were 14 participating towns, which included Surf City - an LBI team, Avon, Allenhurst, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Manasquan , Ocean Grove, Asbury Park, Deal, Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Sea Girt, and Spring Lake.

While medals were awarded, Contella emphasized the broader spirit of the event: "Everyone wins by competing, I guess. We don't emphasize individual winners as much with the Junior Guards, but they know who won each competition. They had so much fun, especially during the beach flag games. The effort everyone gave was clear evidence of their competitive spirit." That was evident especially from the swimming and water events where the tide was heading north, but most of the events were set up east to west.

The winner of the distance run for 14-15 year old male bracket was Reed Huggins from Sea Girt. The tournament was a testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved, ensuring a memorable day of competition and camaraderie for all.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TAPINTO APP FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS. AVAILABLE IN THE APPLE STORE AND THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE .

Upcoming Lifeguard competitions in the area are:

7/30 The Asbury Park Bell Bouy Row

7/27   The Manasquan Junior Guard Tournament

8/ 7    The Manasquan Life Guard Tournament

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net