By Evan Mugford
Staff writer
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SALISBURY — There is every reason to feel safe while swimming along the Salisbury Beach State Reservation 4-mile shoreline.
Helmed by head lifeguard Fletcher Wasson and lifeguard supervisor George Nigro, an assemblage of the Reservation's 25 enlisted lifeguards patrol the sandy coastline daily.
Depending on weather and surf conditions, the rip currents that materialize along the Salisbury coast keep the lifeguards busy.
Wasson, a recent graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and the Reservation's head lifeguard for the past two years, said that his staff rescue between 30 and 80 patrons each summer.
As secure as the Salisbury's lifeguards keep their beach, come Tuesday morning at 10 a.m., the Reservation will transform into Bay Watch's version of Fort Knox.
The 2010 Department of Conservation and Recreation Lifeguard Competition will be taking place along the Salisbury Beach State Reservation to determine which beach is home to the best lifeguards in Massachusetts.
If one were to look at the statistics, the Salisbury crew is the odds-on favorite.
The winners of last year's DCR event, the lifeguards of Salisbury Beach are also the current back-to-back title holders for the New England Life Saving Championships, an annual event held at Ogunquit Beach in Maine.
Their dominance in last year's DCR showcase has given them home beach advantage in 2010, but it's a competitive benefit earned from a tireless work regimen.
At 9 a.m. each morning, the 16 on-duty lifeguards — more are added for the weekends — begin a beach-based workout designed for the rigors of ocean rescue.
Workouts generally consist of sit-ups, push-ups, long runs, sprints, swimming, mock-rescues, paddle-board races, and any combination of these activities.
Wasson admitted to liking his team's chances for a repeat.
"Definitely," stated Wasson, whose team has the ability to pull fresh competitors from their post throughout the day's events. "We have the home field advantage. Our team is very athletic and I think we'll do well. We're all very proud of our feats, and we want to maintain that."
Fittingly, their morning training closely mirrors the events in Tuesday's DCR championship, events aptly named Rescue Reel, Run-Swim-Run, Paddle Board Relay, Swim Rescue, Swim Relay, 1-Mile Run, Iron Guard Relay and Beach Flags.
A hopeful set of eight teams consisting of nine team members each are primed to compete. There is no cap to the number of teams a beach may enter in each event.
Competing alongside Wasson is a gilled-army of collegiate and local swimmers.
They include Connecticut College swim team captain Brian Ranta; C.J. Cronin, who swam for Brown University; Matt Nutter, a senior at Georgetown; Ethan Sullivan, a freshman on the swimming team at Boston College; Amy Fay, who swims at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, and Aimee Doe, Meghan Feran and Mike DeMillia, who all swim at Springfield College.
If all goes accordingly for the Salisbury Beach State Reservation lifeguards, they will be heading to Ogunquit Beach with a streak of four titles in tow.
