San Diego, CA

‘The greatest feeling’: La Jolla lifeguards win annual relay

Published

2 years ago

August 16, 2024

‘The greatest feeling’: La Jolla lifeguards win annual relay

The Olympics place the world’s top athletes on a global stage, but San Diego lifeguards have their own version — the Lifeguard Relay, which pits teams against one another in Herculean challenges for bragging rights.

The annual event, held Aug. 6 in Mission Beach, featured four lifeguard teams of 17 members each from different areas of San Diego: La Jolla; Mission Beach and Pacific Beach combined; Ocean Beach and Sunset Cliffs combined; and the boating safety unit and bay lifeguards combined.

At the end of the day, team La Jolla came out on top.

“We were thrilled to win that. It was a tough feat and tough competition,” lifeguard Sgt. Kelsie Gleason said. “The athleticism we have in La Jolla is top notch.”

The team participated in multiple events ranging from running to mock rescues using challenging equipment, said team captain and Windansea lifeguard Tommy Cavanaugh.

In the first leg, he said, one team member runs a half-mile on the beach (a quarter-mile to a cone and back) to launch the relay race.

“It’s one continuous race,” Cavanaugh said. “There is no stopping until it’s over.”

After the running comes the landline portion, “the most crucial part in terms of teamwork,” Cavanaugh said.

Once the opening runner tags the rest of the team, the 16 other members must engage in a mock rescue that includes using techniques that are considered outdated.

Lifeguards get a vessel called a “rescue can” — like a buoy — to the victim to hold onto, and the people on the beach pull the person to shore with a rope, Cavanaugh said.

In the relay exercise, teams had a swimmer pretend to be in distress while another went out with the rope. Team members on the beach let out the rope on pace with the speed of the rescue swimmer.

If the team lets out the rope too slowly, the swimmer is slowed; too fast and the rope goes ahead of the swimmer.

Also, coils of rope bundled on the beach have to be released at the right time.

“It’s this big orchestrated effort and difficult to do it correctly,” Cavanaugh said. “As soon as the swimmer [reaches] a flag, two landline pullers work together to pull the swimmer through the surf back to the beach. It can go catastrophically wrong or really well, depending on how everyone performs.”

Once everyone is on land, the next leg of the race begins.

For the rescue swim, a swimmer goes back out to the flag at sea and has to be rescued by another member of the team. The two then swim back to shore together.

Once they are both on land, they tag another pair who does the same thing.

“The rescuer is leading and the swimmer is holding the flag. They have to maintain contact with the rescue can,” Cavanaugh said. “If there is a good wave, they can try to catch the wave together.”

Then comes the longest leg of the relay — a 700-yard roundtrip swim.

“That is for the fastest swimmers,” Cavanaugh said. “They swim to the furthest flag. They have to be strategic and look at areas of lack of surf. They have to get to the flag. At that point, they can take any line back to shore. It shows who can read the water.”

The last leg of the race is the paddle swim rescue, in which a swimmer goes out to a flag and has to be rescued by a lifeguard on a paddleboard. Then the pair must paddle back to shore together.

“There was a wave that came to [the runner-up team] and then a wave to us, so for a split second, it looked like their wave was going to be better than ours. It made the race extremely dynamic,” Cavanaugh said. “I honestly thought we might not get a wave and they could take the lead. It was pandemonium for that moment; everyone was screaming. We managed to catch a wave and at that point it was clear we were going to win it.

“It’s so much more fun like that. You can’t put it into words.”

Winning the title “was the greatest feeling we have ever had in sports,” Cavanaugh said. “It was hands-down the greatest feeling ever. It was so competitive and the other teams were gunning just as hard as we were, which made it extra special.

“There were five lead changes throughout the race. The other teams had some of the best athletes that have ever worked. It made it super special to come out on top.”

It also was special because lifeguard Lt. Lonnie Stephens will be retiring in November, making this his last relay with team La Jolla.

“The team is very selfless and prides themselves in their roles as public servants,” Stephens said. “They are extremely supportive of each other and have amazing chemistry. Even on the roughest days they are smiling and always willing to give back to the community.”

“All four districts have amazing athletes,” he added. “And any of the districts were more than capable of winning the relay race.” ♦

Originally Published: August 16, 2024 at 5:28 p.m.

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San Diego, CA

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

Published

10 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

When we think of May, we think of Mother’s Day, blooming flowers, sunny skies, and lots of fun, seasonal events in the city. This month, locals can dine on the creations of James Beard Award-Winning Chefs at Rancho Bernardo Inn, or take advantage of berry season at the annual Vista Strawberry Festival. Theatre lovers can enjoy a showing of Kim’s Convenience at The Old Globe, while the San Diego Natural History Museum invites art enthusiasts to view its latest marine-themed exhibit. Grab your tickets and crack open that planner. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this month:

Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Month

29

Louisiana legend Juvenile, enhances by the live instrumentation of The 400 Degreez Band, will perform career hits and his newest album, Boiling Point, at House of Blues San Diego.

Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz

Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Month

5/5–6/1

Turning the spotlight on contemporary LGBTQ artists, the inaugural ArtSpectrum 2026 will showcase both the grand and intimate scale of contemporary painters, photographers, and mixed media artists at Village Arts Outreach in Balboa Park.

12–24

The only ordinary element of the San Diego International Fringe Festival is the constant thrill of the extraordinary. Discover a plethora of innovative performances at venues from Pacific Beach to Baja.

5/15–6/14

A Korean-Canadian family balances tradition and assimilation from their Toronto storefront in Ins Choi’s comforting satire Kim’s Convenience, making its local premier at The Old Globe.

5/22–2/2027

Ocean debris will receive a new beginning at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Using repurposed pollution, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea depicts creatively sculpted marine life.

More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month

4/30–5/3

Enjoy fine dining at its finest from a lineup of gastronomic titans during 54 Hours with James Beard Award-Winning Chefs. Savor elegant meals, masterclasses, tastings, and more at Rancho Bernardo Inn.

2

Unlimited bites, regional craft beers, and animal observations are on the menu for San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew (with live music), a culinary evening in support of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance.

7

Spend An Evening with David Sedaris, humorist, essayist, and best-selling author. Never afraid to point the pen at himself, Sedaris will share old favorites and works in progress in the classic satirical style he’s known for at Jacobs Music Center.

15–17

Say cheese! And toast to the Cheese & Libation Expo. Explore three days of all-you-can eat and drink fare at BRICK, along with boutique shopping and bountiful pairings.

PARTNER CONTENT

10 Years In, Puffer and Malarkey Are Just Getting Started

Elevating an Icon: Inside the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Clu…

16

Stroll the private grounds of several luxurious homes, accompanied by live music, tabletop designs, and outdoor artistry, during the Secret Garden Tour, La Jolla Historical Society‘s flora and fauna fundraiser.

24

Vista recalls its days as a strawberry-producing superpower through its free Strawberry Festival. Wear your berry best fit, watch film screenings, and enter contests for shortcake, pie, and sundae indulging.

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San Diego, CA

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Published

23 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Last week Mayor Todd Gloria released the budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal budget. Protected homeless services is among his top priorities mentioned in the proposal. However, some of the reductions he’s proposing could impact thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness.

Located on 17^th and K Street, the Neil Good Day Center offers an array of services to nearly seven thousand people experiencing homelessness. The services include giving them a place to shower and do laundry, and connecting them to a case manager, among others.

“These are critical services that are helping people off the streets, but really better their lives and their health and their employment situation as well,” Deacon Vargas with Father Joe’s Villages said.

Deacon Jim Vargas heads Father Joe’s Villages, which runs the center. He said through their prevention and diversion strategies, they’ve managed to keep nearly one thousand individuals from falling into homelessness.

“So by helping them pay rent, or helping them with their utilities, or helping them to reunite with family,” Vargas said.

Right now, the city allocates at least $850,000 per year to the Neil Good Day Center, according to Vargas.

But the future and funding for these services are in limbo because of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts.

“The impact to those whom we’ve been serving the Daily Center would be very severe,” Deacon Vargas said.

In a statement to NBC 7, Mayor Todd Gloria said in part, “We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing.”

Since it’s still at a proposal stage, Deacon Vargas said it’s unclear how the city will decide to move forward.

However, Deacon Vargas said services would be significantly reduced because they would be forced to operate solely on a budget of about half a million dollars they receive from philanthropy.

“The hours would be cut. Some days would be cut. We would have showers that might be impacted because they’re given seven days a week and we’d close two days a week, then the showers would be five days a week, the case management,” Deacon Vargas said.

Deacon Vargas is certain of one thing.

He would like to continue offering services at the Day Center, even if the city goes through with the funding cuts.

“As we work with individuals at the Day Center and at Father Joe’s Villages, the community becomes healthier as a result of it,” Deacon Vargas said.

The budget also recommends additional cuts to homeless services, but does not give specifics as to where those cuts would be.

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