Beach May 2018

16-23_Layout 1 5/11/18 8:25 AM Page 16
The black stripe on Ryan Bullock’s shoulder during last year’s Dwight Crum Pier to Pier Swim was in memory of retired lifeguard Ed Nelson, who died when
he reached the Manhattan Beach pier in the 2016 race .Bullock has won the swim the past four out of five years. Photo by Ray Vidal
by Randy Angel
Two of the area’s top swimmers look to return as winners of the
Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim during the 56th edition of the International
Surf Festival, to be held at local beaches Wed., August 1
through Sun., August 5.
Redondo Beach is the host city for this year’s competition presented by
BeachSport.org, the Chambers of Commerce, the Cities of Hermosa Beach,
Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance, and the Los Angeles
County Fire Department and Department of Beaches and Harbors.
Lifeguard Ryan Bullock, of Torrance, and Lifeguard El Segundo’s Kelsey
Cummings have been the top swimmers in recent years with Bullock looking
for his third straight victory and fourth in five years.
In last year’s victory, the 33-year-old Bullock held off Kevin Fink, of San
Pedro, with a winning time of 41 minutes, 16 seconds. Fink won the race
in 2015 and 2013.
“I always know Kevin will be the guy to beat,” Bullock said after the 2017
race. “He’s only 21 so the age factor comes into play. Except for the strong
current moving south in the second half of the race, the conditions were
great. The water was warm and clear and I could see schools of fish underneath
me.”
Bullock was also a member of the Redondo/Torrance/Cabrillo team that
won the Bud Stevenson Intracrew Relay in 2016 and swam for the LA
County Southern championship team in the Judge Taplin Medley Relay
team that won titles in 2015-17.
“I’m aiming to defend my title, however you never know who’s going to
show up,” Bullock said. “It’s my favorite event of the year because of the
great atmosphere surrounding it with the International Surf Festival. The
hardest part of the race is managing the start then hanging on with a good
pace for the entire two miles.”
On the women’s side, Cummings captured her second title in three years
with a time of 46:48. She finished second in 2016.
“The water was beautiful and warm,” Cummings said. “The first half of
the race was great. Then it became a little bumpier as we headed to the
Manhattan Beach Pier. I just focused on the men in front of me and did my
best not to get passed.”
She also competed in the Bud Stevenson Intracrew Relay Friday night,
lifeguarded in Santa Monica on Saturday then returned to Hermosa Beach
Saturday night for the Taplin Medley competition.
Cummings was a member of the LA County team that competed at the
United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) National Championships in
Daytona Beach, Florida, where she has finished second in overall points in
the women’s division the last two years.
Swimmers who did not complete the 2017 Pier-to-Pier swim must register
for the swim online and then pass a 500-meter “check out” swim which
will be held at the Hermosa Beach Pier on July 14, 21 and 22 from 9-11
a.m. New swimmers can also qualify by competing in the inaugural Redondo
Beach Open Water Swim on Sunday, July 15 at Miramar Park, 201
Paseo De La Playa.
After the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Medal of Valor Dinner is held
Wednesday, Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. in Redondo Beach, Surf Festival competition
begins in earnest on Friday with the two-day Charlie Saikley Volleyball
Tournament beginning at 9 a.m.
The LA County Lifeguards Championship take place at 7:30 p.m. at the
Hermosa Beach Pier.
Action continues Saturday with a full schedule of events including, the
International Bodysurfing and Surfing Championships, R-10 Paddleboard
Race, Dick Fitzgerald Two-Mile Run and Southern California Lifeguard
Championship event including the Judge Taplin Three-Mile Lifeguard Medley
Relay.
Competition wraps up on Sunday with the Velzy-Stevens Pier-to-Pier Paddleboard
Championship, Sand Castle Design Contest, Jr. 6-Man Beach Volleyball
Tournament (boys & girls 12-18), Paul Matthies Dory Race and South
Bay Youth Swims and Paddles.
Surffestival.org. B
16 Easy Reader / Beach magazine • May 10, 2018