Wildwood Women’s Invitational: Ventnor win again

By Guy Gargan, Press of Atlantic City, Friday, July 28th, 2000

Whether it’s men’s or women’s lifeguard racing, the Ventnor Beach Patrol this year has taken home team titles in every event it has entered.

The event this time was the Wildwood Women’s Invitational Lifeguard Tournament, and Ventnor kept its 2000 streak alive Thursday by taking home the big trophy. The Ventnor women got fairly routine victories in the first two races, first a two boat-length win by Kelly Finnerty and Nancy Howarth in the doubles row and then a 25-yard triumph by Carolyne Savini in the swim.

Ventnor scored 18 total points, and Ocean City was its only close challenger with 15. Defending champion Wildwood Crest won the Wildwood Invitational surf dash for the third year in a row, and totaled 11 points for third.

Ventnor Patrol Lieutenant Gary Howarth helps to prepare the Ventnor team for its competitions, and he spoke of the improvement of the female guards. “It has gotten to the point where they can compete with the boys,” Howarth said. “They’ve proven that they have a place on the Ventnor Beach Patrol. If I had to blow the whistle for a rescue, I could just as easily send a girls team or a boys team.”

Ventnor double-winners are usually named Andrew Funk or Nancy Howarth, but this time the top honors went to Finnerty in the two rowing races. The singles race was the fourth event of the evening, and it was the most thrilling and intriguing. Finnerty and Longport’s Colleen Slattery were so close in the surf at the end that no one knew who the winner was until it was announced at the awards ceremony.

“I haven’t done this (enter two races) in a couple years, and I don’t think I’ve ever doubled,” Finnerty said. “It (the singles row) felt awesome right from the start, I got right into my stroke. I really used my legs because my arms were tired from the doubles row. I just rowed my race. I saw Colleen catch some swells and that made me nervous. Then I saw her turn sideways at the end, so I just rowed as hard as I could.”

Savini had a 15-yard lead on the field at the end of the swim, and her surf dash at the end extended the win by another 10 yards. As she was at the Longport Women’s Lifeguard Invitational on July 12, Elise Thieler of Ocean City was second. Longport’s Colleen Brady was 15 yards behind Thieler in third, and defending champion Kenna Moran of Wildwood Crest finished seven yards in back of Brady.

The swim and the paddleboard race both had a half-mile box-shaped course in the ocean. “I liked the course because you were with the current (on the backstretch) and it made the race go faster,” Savini said. “I felt I had something to prove tonight because I was only eighth in the Atlantic City Classic (only men finished ahead of her). Plus it was my dad’s birthday today, and he couldn’t be here, so this was my present to him.”

Rescue board race winner Kim McKay of Ocean City also liked the rectangular course. She scored a seven-yard win over Cape May’s Sophie Clarke. Emily Bateman gave Ventnor three important points with a third-place finish.

The Wildwood Crest surf dash team of Cliona O’Connor, Marisa Galloway, Stephanie Lynch, and Jeanette Carroll continues to stay together, even though Irish citizens O’Connor and Lynch have to make the trip across the ocean each summer.

O’Connor’s opening leg of the relay put her team five yards up, and Galloway kept pace. Lynch increased it to seven yards, and Carroll brought it home for a fairly easy win.

TEAM SCORING

1. Ventnor, 18; 2. Ocean City, 15; 3. Wildwood Crest, 11; 4. Cape May, 8; 5. Longport, 7; 6. (tie) Sea Isle City and Atantic City, 5; 8. (tie) Brigantine and North Wildwood, 2; 10. (tie) Avalon and Margate, 1; Upper Township, Stone Harbor, Wildwood, and Cape May Point did not score.

DOUBLES ROW

1. Ventnor (Kelly Finnerty-Nancy Howarth) 12:23; 2. Atlantic City (Kathy Boyce-Stepanie Alton) 12:31; 3. Ocean City (Kristie Brown-Michelle Busza) 13:06; 4. Wildwood Crest (Jeanette Carroll-Kristen Watson) 13:28; 5. Margate (Brittany Wescott-Debbie Crane) 13:33.

SWIM

1. Carolyne Savini, Ventnor, 9:37; 2. Elise Thieler, Ocean City, 10:01; 3. Colleen Brady, Longport, 10:08; 4. Kenna Moran, Wildwood Crest, 10:12; 5. Jessica Deckard, Avalon, 10:14.

RESCUE BOARD

1. Kim McKay, Ocean City, 6:25; 2. Sophie Clarke, 6:38; 3. Emily Bateman, Ventnor, 6:43; 4. Cliona O’Connor, Wildwood Crest, 6:47; 5. Lauren McHale, Sea Isle City, 6:57.

SINGLES ROW

1. Kelly Finnerty, Ventnor, 4:59; 2. Colleen Slattery, Longport, 5:02; 3. Sara Griffith, Ocean City, 5:08; 4. Liz Alquist, Brigantine, 5:16; 5. Patrice Back, Cape May, 5:23.

SURF DASH

1. Wildwood Crest (Cliona O’Connor, Marisa Galloway, Stephanie Lynch, Jeanette Carroll) 3:52; 2. Sea Isle City, 3:57; 3. Cape May, 4:01; 4. North Wildwood, 4:08; 5. Atlantic City, 4:09.

© The Press of Atlantic City 2000. Reproduced with permission.