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rest of the team, the 16 other members must engage in a mock rescue that includes using techniques that are considered outdated.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

Joan Endres – San Diego Union-Tribune

Published

4 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Joan Endres

OBITUARY

Born January 1939 in Cincinnati Ohio. Died February 14, 2026, in San Diego, California, with her sons at her side. Her beloved husband Dean passed away in 2010.

Joan was the only child of Thomas and Edna Palmer. In 1943, the family moved to San Diego, where Joan graduated from Helix High School in 1956.

In 1957 Joan married Dean Endres of San Diego, where they raised two sons. Joan followed her two great passions outside the home, the Arts, and Gardening. Both activities being a way to bring beauty to others and to the community.

Joan received a degree in Environmental Design from San Diego State University, and afterwords worked at UCSD, for the Campus Architect.

As an artist, Joan worked in various media, especially ceramics. She was active in many cultural and arts organizations, eventually becoming President of the Combined Organization for the Visual Arts (COVA). Later she turned to gardening, with the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca Community College and the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County.

Joan is survived by her son Jeff and wife Katrin, grandson Jackson, and son Todd Endres, all of La Mesa, and sisters Alice Buck of Phoenix, Elaine Kennedy of San Diego, Nancy and husband Don Jones of Vista, Eva Budzinski of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and their children and grandchildren.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Joan in the near future. Those who wish to attend should contact celebratejoanuvart@gmail.com to receive details when they are confirmed. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests a donation to the Water Conservation Garden or the Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN).

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San Diego, CA

San Diego State moves back into NCAA Tournament field in latest ESPN Bracketology

Published

16 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

San Diego State moves back into NCAA Tournament field in latest ESPN Bracketology

The San Diego State Aztecs’ have moved off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64 in the latest ESPN’s Bracketology projections.

The Aztecs must feel like a yo-yo, but now it’s in a good way. Bracket expert Joe Lunardi moved them from the bottom of the First Four Out — No. 72 — to holding the Mountain West’s automatic bid after an 89-72 home romp Wednesday night over Utah State, which had held the auto-bid in bracketology for a few weeks now.

Lunardi now has the Aztecs as the No. 11 seed in the West Region, with a projected first-round date against former MW rival BYU in Portland.

Lunardi wrote that SDSU’s auto-bid “shifts the entire bubble.”

Wednesday night’s victory not only pulled the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) into a tie with Utah State (23-5, 13-4) atop the MW standings, but it was just their second Quad 1 victory in six such opportunities.

SDSU’s next two games are both Quad 1 chances, at New Mexico on Saturday and then at Boise State on Tuesday night.

The win lifted the Aztecs only one spot in the NCAA NET Rankings, to No. 43. Those rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.

SDSU’s resume for earning an at-large berth has been on shaky ground all season, and was seriously damaged last week when the Aztecs lost at home to Grand Canyon and were then routed at Colorado State, both Quad 2 games.

SDSU’s best bet to assure a trip to March Madness for the sixth straight season is to win the MW tournament in Las Vegas and claim the automatic bid. That requires winning three games in as many days, and perhaps a third showdown against the Aggies, who beat the Aztecs 71-66 in Logan on Jan. 31.

Lunardi now has Utah State projected as an at-large team, but still with the No. 7 seed in the East, facing No. 10 Texas A&M in a first-round game in St. Louis.

New Mexico (21-7, 12-5), lurking just a game behind SDSU and USU, has dropped from the Last Four In at No. 68 to the First Four Out at No. 70.

The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW regular-season title in their final season in the league before moving into the Pac-12 along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.

Saturday’s game at New Mexico is set to tip off at 11 a.m. PT and will air on CBS.

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San Diego, CA

Oregon State Dismantles San Diego 83-49

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

The top teams in the West Coast Conference are jockeying for position in the standings as the regular season draws to a close, and the Oregon State women took care of business Thursday night, blowing out the San Diego Toreros 83-49 to move to 21-9 on the season, and 13-4 in conference play.

Oregon State’s Tiara Bolden Grabs WCC Honor After 44 Points Over Two Games

The Toreros have been a basement dweller in the conference for the last few seasons, so this result isn’t surprising, though it’s magnitude is a bit eye-raising. The Beavers wasted no time putting San Diego into a hole, opening the first quarter on an 8-0 run that Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler getting involved early. Oregon State held a 14 point, 26-12 lead after one.

The second quarter wasn’t as lopsided, but San Diego wasn’t able to make much headway into the Beaver lead. Six points from Olivia Owens kept San Diego within shooting distance, but defensive pressure from Kennedie Shuler and strong rebounding from Lizzy Williamson kept the Toreros under control. Oregon State ended the first half up by 13, 40-27.

Oregon State Dominates Cougars in 79-51 Blowout

Oregon State tightened their grip in the third. While Olivia Owens and Kylie Ray managed to give the Toreros some hope early in the quarter, Oregon State went on a run late in the period to get their lead to 21 at the highest. San Diego finally snapped the Beaver hot streak, but a three from Kennedie Shuler ended the quarter in a 61-43, 18 point Beaver lead.

The bottom seemed to fall out of San Diego in the fourth, with the Toreros only putting six points on the board. Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler kept the points flowing for the Beavers, while Lizzy Willilamson continued to dominate the boards. A layup with an and one from Elisa Mehyar were the last Beaver points of the game, giving Oregon State a 34 point, 83-49 win.

Oregon State Takes Down Portland 64-54 in Season Saving Game

It was a good night for several Beavers, with Kennedie Shuler once again leading the team in scoring. She finished the night with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. She can do just about everything on the court.

Tiara Bolden continued her hot streak with a 17 point night, along with four rebounds and four assists. Jenna Villa added 14 points, one rebound and one assist. Lizzy Williamson added another double double to her resume, with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Oregon State’s Winning Streak Ends With 55-51 Loss to LMU

There’s one last item on the agenda for Oregon State, a season-closing meeting with the Loyola Marymount Lions Saturday at Gill Coliseum. The Lions handed Oregon State their first WCC loss of the season back in January, so getting some revenge before the conference tournament would be a good statement from the team. Tip off is set for 1 PM PT.

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