OCBP Brings South Jersey Title Back Home

The Ocean City Beach Patrol won the South Jersey Lifeguard Championship for the 35th time on Friday night (Aug. 9) in Margate.

Ocean City took a second, a third and a fourth in the three-event competition on Decatur Avenue beach in Margate and finished in an overall point tie with Upper Township. But Ocean City had a better finish than Upper Township in the doubles row — the tiebreaker in South Jersey lifeguard competitions.

By merit of the victory, the event returns to Ocean City's home surf at 34th Street in August 2014.

OCBP has 34 other South Jersey titles, including 11 straight from 1961 to 1971, three straight from 2004 to 2006 (a tie with Ventnor) and one in 2011.

Dylan Kosten and Matt Garbutt opened the competition with a second-place finish on a long two-mile doubles rowing course in choppy water. Margate's Ashton Funk and Chuck Gowdy won the event.

Ocean City rookie Anthony Czar took a fourth in the swim behind Brigantine's Shane McKenzie, Avalon's Ian Keyser and Upper Township's Kevin Gill.

As lightning began to strike during the final event on a cloudy evening, Kosten held a lead near the finish of the half-mile singles row. But Upper Township's Dan Palumbo caught a swell breaking far off the beach. He came out of nowhere to take lead and win the event. Kosten finished second.

That gave Ocean City and Upper Township nine points apiece. The top five finishers in each event score points (5-4-3-2-1). Brigantine and Ventnor tied for third with seven points.

Kosten and Garbutt finished second in the same race in 2011, and Kosten also took a second place in the singles that year.

A post-race celebration and benefit for injured OCBP lifeguard Bill Lamon was held at Back Bay BBQ on the Longport causeway after the event.