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July 9, 2018
Our lifeguard competition team heads to Nags Head, North Carolina to compete in the South Atlantic Lifesaving Association Competition July 11th & 12th. The event will include agencies from Virginia Beach, Virginia, south to Jacksonville Beach, Florida. There are typically more than 200 competitors. We will take a team of 13, listed below.
| NAME (years on team) | HOMETOWN | ||
| Scott Ohlson (9) | McCook, Nebraska | ||
| Taylor Smith (8) | Rice Lake, Wisconsin | ||
| Maisey Kent (4) | Oakville, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Kayla Aitken (2) | San Antonio, Texas | ||
| Parker Whitley (2) | Stanley, North Carolina | ||
| Hunter Clark-Dye (1) | Gilbert, South Carolina | ||
| Leah Dupre (1) | Cincinnati, Ohio | ||
| Aaron Johnston (1) | Harpers Ferry, West Virginia | ||
| Kevin Lotzer (1) | Arlington Heights, Illinois | ||
| Laine McIntyre (1) | Edina, Minnesota | ||
| Gabriel Miranda (1) | Sao Paulo, Brazil | ||
| Arsham Mirzaei (1) | Karaj, Iran | ||
| Eleonora Unanova (1) | Kiev, Ukraine |
January 25, 2018
We are excited to be hosting the South Atlantic Lifesaving Association meeting on Saturday, January 27. USLA members from Jacksonville Beach, Florida to Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach will attend. We will have a presentation by George Burgess, Curator of the International Shark Attack File. If you are a USLA member in the South Atlantic Region and would like to attend, email us.
For our "Where Are They Now" post this week, we have Maggie Gould. It seems that every time we turn on late night TV, Maggie is appearing with another world-famous artist!
MAGGIE GOULD
Hometown: Greenville, South Carolina
College: Northwestern University, Bachelor of Music in Violin
How did you hear about SBS? My dad was a guard at SBS in the early 80s and always spoke fondly of his time there.
How many years did you work for SBS (what years)? Summer of 2009.
Had you been to HHI before SBS? Yes! I traveled there with my family growing up, and I performed there in high-school with an orchestra.
What sports did you play? I swam and played basketball.
What jobs have you had since SBS? Directly after college, I co-created the first National Youth Orchestra in Belize. I moved to New York City afterwards and have performed as a violinist classically, as well as in a number of genres. I appear on "Saturday Night Live," "The Late Show with Colbert," "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," and "Good Morning America" frequently with artists like Twenty One Pilots, Halsey, Andrea Bocelli, and David Guetta, and I recently played as part of Stevie Wonder's tour. I am a violin sub in the pit of Hamilton: An American Musical. I also teach seventeen students privately each week!
Interesting fact about yourself: I am the absolute happiest when I'm on the beach. Can I have two of these? I've never owned a car.
Strangest thing you remember seeing on the beach working for SBS? I didn't have have anything too wacky happen on the beach, but I remember a close friend of mine who was working Sea Pines came on the radio to report that a 12-foot alligator was approaching the beach and she wasn't quite sure what to do. While scary, everything was okay, and we laughed at the radio call that went something like "Uh, I'm not sure what the radio code is for large alligator..."
Favorite memory working for SBS? I have so many wonderful memories of that summer that it's hard to choose! I had a scary moment when I broke my foot running out of the water, but the immediate support from my coworkers was heartwarming. I accidentally ran THROUGH a wedding during one of our lifeguard training sessions (whoops). I worked a week at Sea Pines with a very experienced lifeguard and that week taught me a ton about endurance (and we laughed the whole time). I needed to practice my violin a lot that summer, so Mike found me a practice room in the Arts Center that I'd bike to most days after I finished working on the beach - I'll always remember that generosity. I made some close friends who made the summer a truly unforgettable experience.
January 11, 2018
Happy New Year! Hilton Head has finally returned to normal temperatures after 2 weeks of frigid temperatures that included a day with about 3 inches of snow! The Island has not seen that much snow since the late 80's! Our staff is busy getting ready for the 2018 season. If you or someone you know is interested in working for Shore this summer, we are getting lots of applications in so please get yours in soon! We thought it would be a good idea to revive our "where are they now" posts on the website. We'll start with Cheryl King, who last worked worked here in 1999. We recently saw Cheryl on the National Geographic Channel on a show about sharks in Maui. She was also on Hilton Head last year to help keep sea turtles safe during beach renourishment.
CHERYL KING
Hometown: Bellbrook, OH
College: Southampton College of Long Island University (B.S. in biology/psychology) & Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center (Master’s in marine biology)
How did you hear about SBS? I think I saw an article in the newspaper, back in the days before the internet ruled our worlds.
How many years did you work for SBS? Summers of 1995-97 & 1999
Had you been to HHI before SBS? Yes, on spring break with some friends right before the summer of 1995.
What sports did you play? soccer, basketball, track, and softball (but loved skiing/snowboarding the most)
What jobs have you had since SBS? I left HHI (with Jake Tiller, Brett & Ben Jennings, all SBS employees) in Nov, 1999 to move to Hawai‘i (where we met up with Sasha Leitner, another SBS employee living on O‘ahu). I’ve been working on Maui as a marine biologist since then, so am very much focused on endangered species research and conservation. To pay the bills, I’ve also held naturalist/crew jobs on boats, and led hiking/kayaking/snorkeling/surfing tours. My websites:
www.hihawksbills.org // www.SHARKastics.org // www.Sandy-C-Maui.com
Are you married? Kids? I’m not married and don’t have kids.
Interesting fact about yourself: I’m ocean obsessed! I’m happiest when I’m either on an adventure, saving something, creating something, or being a hermit (especially in nature).
Strangest thing you remember seeing on the beach working for SBS? It’s not really strange since I’ve built my career around saving sea turtles, but getting called about my first dead leatherback sea turtle in Sea Pines is something I’ll never forget. Back then, I never knew that working for the Coastal Discovery Museum’s Sea Turtle Protection Project each summer, along with SBS, would launch me into such a fulfilling marine biology career, so I am very appreciative of all of these experiences.
Favorite memory working for SBS? Honestly, these were the best summers of my life! I have so many wonderful memories… The lifelong friends I made and the fun times we had every day/night, plus the ocean experiences we shared working on the beach each day truly shaped who I am today. I know that I can speak for others in saying that we are forever grateful for living in such fun, seemingly carefree times back then! I wouldn’t trade those summers for the world!
July 25, 2017
Our management staff met last night to make nominations for the Scott Freiberger Award (Lifeguard of the Year) and Rookie of the Year Award. The winner of each award will be announced at our Staff Appreciation Party Tuesday, August 1st. Congratulations to the following nominees!
LIFEGUARD OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
| NAME | HOMETOWN | ||
| Tyler Baumberger | Bucyrus, Ohio | ||
| Tyler Crispen | Rossford, Ohio | ||
| Andrew Fitzpatrick | Halifax, Nova Scotia | ||
| Vaughn Holmes | Mason, Michigan | ||
| Bryan Koenig | Dayton, Ohio | ||
| Laine McIntyre | Edina, Minnesota | ||
| Kevin Murphy | Syracuse, New York | ||
| Myshel Rodenbeck | Bluffton, Indiana | ||
| Helenna Rogers | Johns Creek, Georgia | ||
| Kristin Schmidt | Athens, New York | ||
| Madison Yemc | Murrysville, Pennsylvania |
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
| NAME | HOMETOWN | ||
| Matt Childress | Bloominton, Indiana | ||
| Ben Ellis | Parsonsfield, Maine | ||
| Sydney Gravitt | Ashland, Ohio | ||
| Andie Heffelfinger | Loudonville, Ohio | ||
| Thomas Steele | Vincennes, Indiana | ||
| Evan Turner | Indianapolis, Indiana | ||
| Parker Whitley | Stanley, North Carolina | ||
| Tim Wright | Warrenton, Virginia |
Check for winners next week on Shore's Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages...links at the bottom of the webpage.
July 7, 2017
Our lifeguard competition team heads to Jacksonville Beach, Florida July 12th & 13th to compete in the South Atlantic Lifesaving Association Lifeguards Competition. The event will include agencies from Virginia Beach, Virginia south to Jacksonville Beach. There are typically more than 200 competitors. We will take a team of 20, listed below.
| NAME (years on team) | HOMETOWN | ||
| Alan Reece (10) | Hilton Head, South Carolina | ||
| Scott Ohlson (8) | McCook, Nebraska | ||
| Taylor Smith (7) | Rice Lake, Wisconsin | ||
| Rebecca Gerner (4) | Bluffton, South Carolina | ||
| Kristin Schmidt (4) | Athens, New York | ||
| Vaughn Holmes (3) | Mason, Michigan | ||
| Maisey Kent (3) | Oakville, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Jacob Dummermuth (2) | Dover, Ohio | ||
| Kevin Murphy (2) | Syracuse, New York | ||
| Tian Siggins (2) | Atlantic, Iowa | ||
| Kayla Aitken (1) | San Antonio, Texas | ||
| Christieanna Apon (1) | Woodstock, Georgia | ||
| David Black (1) | Champaign, Illinois | ||
| Tyler Crispen (1) | Rossford, Ohio | ||
| Isaac Devaney (1) | Harvest, Alabama | ||
| Liz Madison (1) | Bloomington, Illinois | ||
| Cheyene Polverine (1) | Middlefield, Ohio | ||
| Megan Strickland (1) | San Antonio, Texas | ||
| Parker Whitley (1) | Stanley, North Carolina | ||
| Bradley Wilson (1) | Brookfield, Wisconsin |
Check for competition updates on Shore's Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages...links at the bottom of the webpage.
November 10, 2016
We ended our 2016 beach season two weeks ago. As always, we will continue to be on the beach to remove trash every day during the off season.
While the 2016 season was a successful one, Hurricane Matthew left the Island in bad shape. Hilton Head had 1000's of trees down blown. Several areas, though thankfully not most, were flooded. We also lost a lot of beach from the storm surge. Shore lost several umbrella boxes. Fortunately, we were able to get other equipment back to the office. However, we had several trees fall, some of which destroyed some equipment, most notably, 3 of our trailers. Below are some pictures that we took during Hurricane Matthew cleanup.
July 27, 2016
With our first group off lifeguards set to heard back to school for the fall, it is time to announce our nominess for the 2016 Lifeguard of the Year & Rookie of the Year.
LIFEGUARD OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
| NAME | HOMETOWN | ||
| Tyler Baumburger | Bucyrus, Ohio | ||
| Ellie Crawford | Granville, Ohio | ||
| Tyler Crispen | Rossford, Ohio | ||
| Andrew Fitzpatrick | Halifax, Nova Scotia | ||
| Rebecca Gerner | Bluffton, South Carolina | ||
| Jacob Marsh | Okemos, Michigan | ||
| Robert Murdoch | Kitchener, Ontario | ||
| Myshel Rodenbeck | Bluffton, Indiana | ||
| Chris Schmidt | Kunkletown, Pennsylvania | ||
| Julie Trodden | Reading, Massachusetts | ||
| Zach Weima | Whitby, Ontario | ||
| James Williams | Nashville, Tennessee |
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
| NAME | HOMETOWN | ||
| Chloe Bennett | Jasper, Alabama | ||
| Elisha Brooks | Murfreeboro, Tennessee | ||
| Jacob Dummermuth | Dover, Ohio | ||
| Hallie Glavinos | Mt. Washington, Kentucky | ||
| Cassidy Langley | Belmont, Nova Scotia | ||
| Ian Lawson | Columbus, Ohio | ||
| Hannah Olson | Hurst, Texas | ||
| Tian Siggins | Atlantic, Iowa | ||
| Caroline Slay | Brandon, Mississippi |
Winners will be announced at our annual Employees Appreciation Party next Thursday, August 4.
January 21, 2016
As our staff continues to prepare for our 2016 beach season, we also are anxiously awaiting the start of the Island's latest beach renourishment project. For those of you who have no experienced a renourishment before, you will see a dramatic change in the beach as over 2 million cubic yards of sand will be pumped on shore from off shore borrow sites. We were recently given an updated schedule, so here is the current timeline, which can change due to weather and other factors:
March 1-March 22: The renourishment is scheduled to commence in the are of Tower Beach Club, with sand going down for approximately one mile from marker 12 to 23.
March 23-April 16: Renourishment will continue, starting at Alder Lane and going north through the Sonesta Resort.
May 2-May 26: Renourishmnet will continue, starting at the Folly and moving south until it meets with the previously renourished beach at the Sonesta.
May 27-June 20: The "heel" and much of the northern part of Port Royal will be renourished.
June 21-June 25: Mitchelville and Fish Haul beached will be renourished.
For those of you wondering, the project stops at Sonesta and works its way back towards Sonesta from the Folly because the new sand is coming from one borrow site on the south end of the island, and another on the north end of the island.
Visit the Town of Hilton Head Island's website for more details and updates. http://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/projects/beachrenourish/2016beachrenourish/home.cfm
December 17, 2015
The New Year is just around the corner, and our staff is well into preparations for the 2016 beach season. The chairs have been varnished, Scott & Hannah have started interviewing lifeguard applicants, and plans are being made by Hannah & Taylor for the 2nd year of our Junior Lifeguard program. If you are interested in becoming a lifeguard or junior lifeguard with Shore Beach Service, please let us know soon!
We have first Shore Alum profile since last Spring! Today, we catch up with 1997 Co-Lifeguard of the Year and former supervisor, Oakley Dickson.
OAKLEY DICKSON
Hometown: Bowman, SC
College: Liberty University Class of 2000
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? My cousin Trey Dickson, who worked for Shore.
How many years did you work for Shore Beach Service? 4 years during College
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? Yes a few times.
What sports did you play in high school or college? Football, Basketball, Baseball
What jobs have you held since leaving Shore?
- Realtor, Prudential Realty Services, Lynchburg, VA 1999-2000
- Student Pastor, East Lake Community Church, Irmo, SC 2001-2003
- Owner, Oakley’s Cobbler Shop, Columbia, SC 2004-2008
- Student Pastor, Northside Baptist Church, Lexington, SC 2003-2007
- Student Pastor, Calvary Chapel, Lexington, SC 2007-Present
Tell us about your family: My wife Kristin and I met at Liberty University and dated through college. We married in 2001. We will celebrate 15 years of marriage in February 2016. We have four kids, Hannah born 2002, Owen born 2004, Noah born 2006 & Maddie Grace born 2008.
Interesting fact about yourself: I grew up in the cow capital of South Carolina called Bowman, at the crossroads of the East Coast at I-95 & I-26. Although I have long lost my southern accent thanks to all of my northern friends from Shore & going to college in Virginia, I was called a city boy because I grew up in town with one flashing light. Our town has been made famous by the UFO Welcome Center that has been made famous worldwide.
What was the strangest/funniest thing you remember seeing on the beach while working for Shore?
1. The day I had to noose a full size alligator from the surf just down from Folly Field. We had to get the alligator out of the surf. It had been stuck in the waves because of all of the tourists who watched him for a few hours and he was scared to come to shore. I had to noose him with a long aluminum pole with a metal cable. After noosing him, the alligator went to a death roll on the beach and my shirt got caught up and was ripped off my back. I then had to run and pull the alligator into a trailer behind me that was pulled behind our sweet red Geo Tracker. It was a day I will never forget.
2. Just south of the Westin we had a full size center console boat wash up with two guys on it. It took us an hour & a half to get that boat back into the water as the high tide rolled in.
What was your favorite memory working for Shore?
- The great friends from all over the country
- The great customers that would return each year
- The week that we waited on Demi Moore & her kids the week she was filming GI Jane
- Meeting George Clinton & Meeting Chris Farley before he died at Folly Field Beach
- Being on the front cover of the Island Packet when the paper named me “King of The Beach” my first summer in 1995
October 27, 2015
Our 2015 beach season is over, and just in time for another batch of extremely high - high tides! The first picture below shows the Burkes Beach access under water this morning, (as was Singleton Beach Road). The second picture shows the tide up to the dunes on the beach an hour before high tide at Dunes House. The last picture is of the erosion at Shipyard...we haven't seen those steps since the last renourishment in 2006!
October 5, 2015
While most of South Carolina is flooded from heavy rains, Hilton Head Island was fortunate to be just far enough south to be spared. It is hard to imagine what those to the north are experiencing. If you would like to assist in the relief effort, you can contact the American Red Cross.
We did get extreme high tides from a combination of the "Super Blood Moon" and Hurricane Joaquin, making the beach unusable for much of the last week and causing widespread erosion. Below are some pictures of the beach damage from over the weekend.
August 5, 2015
Congratulations to Zac Laffin our 2015 Lifeguard of the Year & Matt Arzenti, our Rookie of the Year for 2015!
July 1, 2015
A lot has happened since we last updated the blog. Hopefully you have followed our Twitter feed and Facebook page for updates. Our local competition ended last Wednesday, with rookie supervisor Taylor Smith captaining her team Taywatch to victory. Smith's team ammassed 2085 points-a team point record. 4th year guard Zac Laffin had 2 first place finishes and a second to earn the title of Men's Overall Champion, while rookie Hope Andrews won both swim events to take Women's Overall Champion. Laffin and Andrews will be part of our regional team, which will be headed to Carolina Beach, NC July 15 &16 to compete against guards from up and down the east coast. Team memebers are listed below.
| Name | Howetown | Yrs. on Team |
| Scott Ohlson (Captain) | McCook, Nebraska | 6 |
| Rebecca Gerner | Bluffton, South Carolina | 2 |
| Zac Laffin | Indianapolis, Indiana | 2 |
| Charlotte Lechner | Stavanger, Norway | 2 |
| Taylor Mastin | Camden, New York | 2 |
| Kristin Schmidt | Athens, New York | 2 |
| Hope Andrews | St. Petersberg, Florida | 1 |
| Kevin Fries | Kirkwood, Missouri | 1 |
| Justin German | Imperial, Nebraska | 1 |
| Vaughn Holmes | Mason, Michigan | 1 |
| Maisey Kent | Oakville, Ontario, Canada | 1 |
| Bryan Lubarsky | New Windsor, New York | 1 |
| Luke McGowan | Leo, Indiana | 1 |
| Carenna Neely | Conestoga, Pennsylvania | 1 |
| Owen Roberts | Beaufort, South Carolina | 1 |
| Carrie Schrock | Lakeville, Minnesota | 1 |
| Mitchell Stewart | Beaufort, South Carolina | 1 |
We also completed the first 2 sessions of our Junior Lifeguard Program, and receieved rave reviews from both campers and parents! Supervisors Hannah Quast & Taylor Smith, along with rookie guard Kevin Murphy have proven to be outstanding in leading a camp that has been fun, physical and helped kids learn about what it takes to be a lifeguard Please see the updates on our Junior Guard page to read more about it!
March 19, 2015
Our 2015 beach is scheduled to open this Sunday, March 22. The weather forecast show cool temperatures and heavy rain, so there is a good chance we will delay the start to Monday or Tuesday when the weather is better. Please check our Facebook or our Twitter for updates.
Junior Lifeguard Program
Shore Beach Service participated in the annual Hilton Head Island St. Patrick's Day Parade last Sunday. It was the first time in over 25 years that we participated. If you were there or follow us on Twitter, you probably noticed our signs "Junior Lifeguard Camps coming this Summer!" We are very excited to get this program going, as supervisors Hannah Quast and Taylor Smith have been working hard this off season to put the program together. The goal of the camp is to teach kids the value of water safety skills, physical fitness and respecting the beach environment. We will provide a fun, safe place to learn and build confidence. We will educate kids on various ocean conditions and wildlife found on the beaches and in the ocean waters of Hilton Head.
We will have 3 sessions of the camp, each going from 9am to 1pm Monday-Friday. The sessions will be June 15-19, June 22-26, and July 20-24. The camp will be for ages 9-14. Cost for the camp will be $100, which includes a Junior Membership in the United States Lifesaving Association and a t-shirt. Please contact us at (843)384-0112 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more info.
February 25, 2015
Our 2015 beach season is just around the corner! We plan to open for the season Sunday, March 22. Hiring is well underway, but we still have a few jobs available. If you are interested in a lifeguarding job, please get your application submitted ASAP. Also, be sure to look for us in the Hilton Head St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 16.
Our profile for this blog is Monica Zappa, who worked for Shore in 2004 & 2005. We recently caught up with Monica, and were amazed to see what she has been up to. We thought it would be appropriate to do her profile with the Iditarod 10 days away. Be sure to follow her journey on her website, teamzappa.com.
Monica Zappa
Hometown: I grew up in Cumberland, Wisconsin. I have been living in Ninilchik, Alaska for the past five years and consider that home now.
College: I went to St. Cloud State University for a B.S. in meteorology. Then I attended Northern Illinois University for a M.S. in geography. After that I went to the University of Oklahoma where I completed one year in a Ph.D. program and worked at the National Weather Center, before dropping it all and moving to Alaska to mush sled dogs!
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? I had been a lifeguard in the summer at a lake in Cumberland for 5 years and also at the pool in college. My sophomore year of college I was looking for a summer adventure and stumbled across Shore’s website. I loved the idea of spending the summer on the ocean in a place I had never been before.
How many years did you work for Shore? 2 summers.
Had you been to Hilton Head before working here? No, I had never even heard of Hilton Head!
What sports did you play in H.S. or college? In H.S. I ran cross-country and track and was on the cross-country ski team.
What jobs have you held since Shore Beach? I have had various jobs as a waitress/bartender in several states and even Australia while I studied there. I worked as a teaching assistant through graduate school. I worked on research projects concerning social impacts of natural disasters at the National Weather Center in Oklahoma. I am now a dog musher in Alaska and will be racing my second Iditarod this March, I do all my own fundraising for this event ($25,000 annually) by soliciting cooperate and individual sponsorships. In the summer I commercially fish for salmon with set-nets in the Cook Inlet. I also recently received a new position as an air quality control monitor, which will start this spring.
Are you married? Kids? No and No. I have been with my wonderful partner, Tim Osmar, for four years but we are not married. He is a legendary dog musher in Alaska and has raced the Iditarod a total of 23 times! Our kids are our 45 Alaskan Huskies that we very much consider our family.
An interesting fact about yourself? I grew up in a cabin in Wisconsin without electricity or TV until I was 15 years old. Throughout my college years I lived in standard housing with all the amenities and while I liked it for a while I found myself missing the simple life. When I moved to Alaska I went back off the grid. We rely on a generator for occasional power and get our water from a stream that goes by our house and I feel much more satisfied. In total I have lived 20 of my 31 years off the grid and have no plans of changing that!
What was the strangest or funniest thing you remember on the beach while working for shore? It was my second or third day of work and I had never even been in the ocean before my job at Shore, so everything was new. I was enjoying basking in the sun when a man comes up to me with this huge, grey, slimy, stinky thing! (I mean rotten flesh, the most nasty smell I have ever smelled in my life!) It was about 5 feet across and he had it draped over his whole body, and asked me what I wanted him to do with it. Just like a young boy would wave a snake in the face of a little girl to taunt her, he shoved the thing toward me, “big one ain’t it?” He said it was one of the biggest stingrays he had seen, probably been dead for a few weeks.
What was your favorite memory of working at Shore? I would say all the great friends I made while working at Shore was my favorite part. I really loved the lifeguard competitions; mainly kayak races and beach flags. The “hurricane” was another interesting and favorite memory. I can’t remember the name of it right now, but we were watching it for days and supposed to be right in the path of the storm. Many people were even evacuating the island and the tourists canceled their trips. I had never been in a hurricane before so I was excited and somewhat scared to be on a barrier island that could get washed away. The day came; there was a ‘hurricane party’ at one of the establishments everyone was getting really excited about it, and then nothing. It was totally anticlimactic. The storm turned and completely missed us. I was relived and amused at the completely empty beach for the next few days.
January 8, 2015
Happy 2015 to everybody! It was quiet around Shore's office over the holidays, as a lot of our winter staff head back home to frigid places like Wisconsin, Nebraska & Illinois to visit their families. We got into the Christmas spirit early with a fancy office Christmas tree. We also had a fantastic dinner party at Michael Anthony's with our current staff. We are now all back to work. and Scott & Hannah have already hired 8 new guards for the 2015 season & are conducting interviews with several more. If you are interested in lifeguarding for us on the beach, please get you application in soon as positions will be filled quickly.
Our latest "Throwback Thursday" profile is Ashley McDaniel. Ashley was our 1998 Lifeguard of the Year. While most of our Lifeguard of the Year winners have spent a few seasons with us before winning, Ashley made such an impression that she won in her rookie season. She quickly moved up the ranks to supervisor.
Ashley McDaniel
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
College: North Carolina State
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? Through other friends in Charlotte. There was no internet back then! Ha!
How many years did you work for Shore Beach Service? Over the span of 4 years, but 3 summers in total.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? Yes, growing up my family came here quite often.
What sports did you play in high school or college? Tennis and Soccer
What jobs have you held since leaving Shore? I worked at Ralph Lauren, then went on to a small design firm. I am currently a Director at Coach.
Are you married? I JUST got engaged! We are getting married this year.
Interesting fact about yourself: I have been to China three times and just love it over there – the culture is fascinating.
What was the strangest thing you remember seeing on the beach while working for Shore? The dead wildlife we would see occassionally – especially the sea turtles that I sometimes had to help bury. Sad.
What was your favorite memory working for Shore? The people…100%. Shore is still one of the best things I ever did for myself….I had the most amazing experience. One of my favorite memories is making that turn north of the Westin and seeing that view…doesn’t get better than that.
December 11, 2014
While everyone is getting ready for the holidays, we continue to be busy preparing for the 2015 season. Almost all of our rental chairs have been varnished, so we will soon move on the umbrellas and construction projects. Recruiting new lifeguards is underway, and phone interviews of new applicants will start soon. Morning swim workouts at the Island Rec Center started this week. We are also working on a Junior Lifeguard Camp, which we hope to implement this summer. Today we have our second edition of "Throwback Thursday" profiles. This time, we catch up with our 2000 Lifeguard of the Year, Kristi Sviatko (Guggisberg).
Kristi Sviatko (Guggisberg)
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
College: University of Dayton
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? Back in my day, you couldn’t Google anything and everything all of the time (truthfully, I don’t know how we managed). I found out via good ole’ word of mouth.
How many years did you work for Shore Beach Service? 4 seasons
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? Nope, but immediately all the Ohio license plates made me feel right at home.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I was a cheerleader and played softball in high school, but wasn’t very good at either.
What jobs have you held since leaving Shore? After my last season at Shore, I moved to New York City (without a job, which I wouldn’t recommend) and found my way into the pharmaceutical advertising business as a copywriter. After 7 years, my husband and I made the move to Philadelphia. I still work in the industry, but work from home as a freelancer. A few years ago, I realized sitting all day wasn’t for me and did a 600 hour apprenticeship to become a certified Pilates teacher, so now I teach a few hours a week on the side.
Tell us about your family. I married my husband, Don in 2009 on my favorite place on earth—Hilton Head Island. Several members of the Shore family were there for our special day. (editor’s note: it was a lot of fun, but it was the hottest day I can remember…103 degrees at 5pm!) We just adopted our first child, Ash, a hound mix...who ironically was rescued from a shelter in South Carolina.
Interesting fact about yourself: At any given time I probably have a song from Les Misérables playing in my head.
What was the strangest/funniest thing you remember seeing on the beach while working for Shore? My roommate, Megan Tveter, chasing after John Mellencamp telling him that she was from a small town too.
What was your favorite memory working for Shore? The whole experience was full of amazing people, hard work, and lots of laughs–all of which I am so grateful to have had. Also, Cheez-Its and lemonade in the office at the end of the day.
November 19, 2014
We are excited to announce the addition of Taylor Smith to our management team. Taylor just completed her 4th season with Shore Beach Service, and was our Lifeguard of the Year for this season. She is from Rice Lake, Wisconsin, and graduted from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in May, where she was the captain of the swim team while majoring in Business Management and Spanish. Taylor has earned a spot our lifeguard team for regionals in each of her seasons with us, winning 7 medals in total . The past two years, she has been the Women's Overall champ at our local competition, setting a record for most individual points this past season. We recently decided to expand our mangement team, so her addition to the staff does not come due to losing any of our 2014 supervisors.
November 12, 2014
Each November, the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) holds its Fall Board of Directors Meeting. This Fall's meeting in Virginia Beach, Virginia, was attended by our Director & South Atlantic Region Vice President Ralph Wagner, as well as Shore's Operations Manager Mike Wagner. Tom Gill and his Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service staff were outstanding hosts, as they are for everything they host. After the three-day meeting, came back excited about starting a Junior Lifeguard program on Hilton Head Island next season, as well as using some strategic planning practices that were learned in the educational seminar.
Our latest lifeguard profile is Charlotte Lechner, a second year guard who swims for the University of Evansville Purple Aces.
Charlotte Lechner
Hometown: Paris, France
College: University of Evansville
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? Evansville swim coach Ricky Perkins and for Purple Aces swimmer Hannah Quast
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? 2 summers.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? Nope!
What sports did you play in high school or college? Swimming in both.
What career do you plan to pursue? Physical Therapy
Interesting fact about yourself: I've lived in 10 different countries, France, Oman, Thailand, Egypt, Australia, Norway, Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and the United States.
What is the strangest/funniest thing you have seen on the beach while working for Shore? Static on the beach (everyone's hair stands up) during lightning storms.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? Lifeguard Regionals this season in North Myrtle Beach!
October 23, 2014
Our 2014 beach rental season is over. We will still patrol the beach daily as usual. We have already started preparing for our 2015 season which will open in March. This week, we have a "Throwback Thursday". Ryan Baily was our 2002 Lifeguard of the Year. Ryan was a perenial competitor on our regional competition team, and also was a supervisor for a year. Most importantly, Ryan is our Godfather of Nebraska lifeguards, as ever since his rookie season, we have had several guards from Nebraska each summer that can all be traced back to him.
Ryan Baily
Hometown: Scottsbluff, NE
College: Chadron State College
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? Internet research
How many years did you work for Shore Beach Service? Five Seasons
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? I never visited prior to employment.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I was a Decathlete competing on the Track & Field team at Chadron State.
What jobs have you held since leaving Shore? I was a Graduate Assistant Track & Field Coach at University of the Cumberlands for 1.5 years, I was a Head Track & Field Coach at Western State College University in Gunnison, CO for 4.5 years; I was a Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach at Chadron State College for 5 years; Just recently I was hired on as the Head Assistant Coach at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO.
Family information: I married the most beautiful, smart, athletic, level headed (which is important, since I am not) woman Janel Johanningmeier 8 years ago. We have a six year old girl, Jayden Baily, and a five year old boy, Trenton Baily. They are currently in Kindergarten and First grade and I keep promising them that I will take them to the beach where daddy used to work!
Interesting fact about yourself: Being a coach, I am obviously intrigued with sports and fitness, but my best talent is actually in music. My father is a musician and taught all of us kids at a young age how to play piano. I still play piano on a regular basis.
What was the strangest/funniest thing you remember seeing on the beach while working for Shore? There are so many stories and I had so many awesome experiences, it is hard to name just one! But, I can recall a patron coming up to me visiting with me wearing actual barbed wire around his arm… He was obviously trying to get a reaction out of me since I had a barbed wire tattoo. Even though he was “making fun” of my tattoo, we both had a chuckle out of it. And, for the record, I have since got it covered up with a more “manly” tribal band.
What was your favorite memory working for Shore? The friendships you make and the great company you work for make the entire experience memorable! I remember pulling off an insane stunt call Operation Island Set-Up with Chris Walstra and Brad (forgot last name) and Garrett Kelly. Our goal was to set up the entire islands umbrellas and chairs before any lifeguard arrived at their stand. It was a calculated task in which we were successful. Doubt anyone will ever attempt this feat again! Also, I loved the Beach Competitions and the interaction with the patrons on a regular basis. Hilton Head is and will always be a part of me! Next time I visit, the Baily family will be tearing up the island!
October 2, 2014
Robert Murdoch is our lifeguard profile this week. He was our 2013 Rookie of the Year, and was nominated for Lifeguard of the Year this season. Robert put together two fantastic videos for our employee appreciation party, whch we will post on our website soon.
Robert Murdoch
Hometown:Kitchener, Ontario
College:York University, Toronto.
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? Taylor Krueger (lifeguard of the year 2011) - her dad works with my mum. He was talking about Shore Beach Service one day and mum mentioned it to me, thinking I’d be interested. This was during my third year working for the City of Kitchener pools, and I was ready for a change!
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? I have worked 2 summers for Shore Beach Service.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? Never. I think I had a t-shirt that said Hilton Head on it once… there was a picture of a sailboat on it.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I raced for my high school’s alpine skiing team. In my final year on the team, I had two Silver finishes and one Bronze. This year, I joined the Rowing team at my University.
What career do you plan to pursue?I want to work in the Film Industry in Toronto, specifically in the camera department.
Interesting fact about yourself: I’m a Canadian Yachting Association Silver 6 certified sailor, and spent my summers prior to working for Shore sailing and competing in regattas. I’m also full of equal parts practical and completely useless knowledge.
What is the strangest/funniest thing you have seen on the beach while working for Shore? I stopped a young man while riding his bike down the beach because he was wearing a lifeguard outfit. It wasn’t our official uniform, and he didn’t work for us. He had on a white shirt with a red cross and “Lifeguard” on it, red shorts with the same design, a red hat that said “Beach Patrol” and even “Lifeguard” sunglasses. Now, I was wearing MY uniform, which is a set of red trunks with our crest on it, and I was wearing a fanny pack and a Walkie clipped to my shorts. I’m also carrying my bright orange rescue can. I flagged him down and informed him that he couldn’t be wearing his outfit, as per the town ordinance of “No unauthorized lifeguard insignia.” It was difficult to get him to comply, as he didn’t believe that I was in fact a REAL lifeguard. As he rode off (with shirt turned inside out) I remember him saying something like, “How am I supposed to meet girls now?!”
I also had to get my supervisor and the Sherriff’s Deputy to come to the beach for two grown men getting into a fight over a sand dollar. But that is a little to involved to try and tell here.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? Definitely the camaraderie. I came here my first year not knowing a single person, and now I am thankful to have a whole set of very dear friends who have made huge positive impacts on my life. As a guard at Shore, you work, live, eat, and play together, and it doesn’t take long to find a great group that you share interests with and enjoy spending time with. I’d also say that the lifestyle is close to unbeatable. I didn’t have a car, so this summer I biked at least 12 miles a day, and spent about 10 hours outside, got a ton of exercise and ate pretty well. Sleep was my friend. It was a very positive influence on my health, and I’ve tried to keep it that way in the off-season (with varying degrees of success.)
September 23, 2014
Jacob Marsh is our lifeguard profile this week. Jacob competed on our Regional Competition team and was a nominee for Rookie of the Year. He is on his was to Germany to play professional water polo. Don't be fooled the snarl in his picture, he's actual a nice guy!
Jacob Marsh
Hometown: Okemos, Michigan
College: Michigan State University
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? I heard about Shore Beach Service from Greg Kohler and Cameron Casher, friends who had worked there before.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? I have worked one summer for Shore Beach Service.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? I had never been to Hilton Head before working here, it was pretty sweet!
What sports did you play in high school or college? I played Water Polo in High School and College. I also swam in high school.
What career do you plan to pursue? I am pursuing a career in the academic field, I will teach at a university someday in a history related subject.
Interesting fact about yourself: The interesting factoid about me would be that I can speak German, and that I have/will play professional water polo. I've also read all 7 Harry Potter books in a 7 day time span.
What is the strangest/funniest thing you have seen on the beach while working for Shore? The funniest thing I saw while working on the beach was watching a kid try and do a handstand on his skim board. He failed every time, miserably too. There were some BAD wipeouts.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? My favorite memory working for Shore was definitely the lifeguard competitions, both local and regional. I got to know a lot of the staff better, and it was fun competing against different people.
September 12, 2014
Jordan Bantista is our lifeguard profile this week. Jordan has been on our Regional Competition team in all 3 years he has worked here, and was our Men's Overall Champion at our local competition the past 2 years. Will he come back next season and go for the 3-peat?
Jordan Bantista
Hometown: Franklin, Indiana
College: DePauw University
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? I heard about Shore through my university swim team. My coach forwarded me an email about a beach lifeguarding job and naturally, I applied as soon as I got the email.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? I have worked 3 years at Shore Beach Service.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? I had been to Hilton Head once before, when I was about 9 or 10. I didn't remember much, so coming to Hilton Head as an adult was a new experience for me.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I participated in swimming, cross country, track, and volleyball in high school. I just swim in college now.
What career do you plan to pursue? I am pursuing a career in Industrial Organizational psychology.
Interesting fact about yourself: I spent 3 months studying abroad in Limerick, Ireland during my junior of college. I plan to return after graduation.
What is the strangest/funniest thing you have seen on the beach while working for Shore? People pushing their dogs in strollers. I still don't get that.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? I always loved walking into the office after a day of work - you get to see your friends, exchange stories, and finally decompress from the long work day on the beach. It's not a typical memory, but it's something I will never forget.
September 4, 2014
Labor Day has come and gone. For most people, that marks the end of summer. For us, it means we have another 7 weeks left of lifeguards on the beach. While our staff has been reduced to about 20% of what it was in July, we will continue to be stationed on the busiest beaches on Hilton Head Island, and can still provide umbrellas and chairs anywhere on the beach.
We will have updates to our website soon, particulary the Competition pages. We will also add links to 2 outstanding videos created by lifeguard Robert Murdoch. The blog will be updated frequently with profiles of our staff. Justin German, our 2014 Rookie of the Year is this week's profile.
Justin German
Hometown: Imperial, Nebraska
College: Chadron State College
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? My older brother Jordan German worked as a lifeguard for Shore Beach and talked it up so much I had to try it out!
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? I have worked one year at Shore Beach Service.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? I had not.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I played football throughout high school and participated in track all four years also.
What career do you plan to pursue? Currently I am studying Human Biology with an option for Pre-Med.
Interesting fact about yourself: I am a dual citizen. My two citizenships are with America and Venezuela.
What is the strangest/funniest thing you have seen on the beach while working for Shore? Honestly watching all of the people take selfies and pictures of that kind. Some people can just keep going and going and the poses get weirder and weirder!
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? There are so many great memories but one that stands out is my last night on the Hilton Head. The last night was the banquet and during the banquet I received the honor of Rookie of the Year. I couldn't have asked for a better way to close out my first summer on Hilton Head!
August 11, 2014
We held our annual Employee Appreciation Party last Thursday at Shipyard Beach Club. It is always fun to see our staff dressed up for "Shore Prom" and not in the usual swimsuits or casual clothes. We had our "Shore Superlatives", as voted by the guards, with anything from "Best Radio Call" to "Prom King & Queen" given out. We have several or those pictures up our Facebook page. Last year's Rookie of the Year and film major Robert Murdoch showed two outstanding videos that he put together from this summer. We hope to get those up on this website soon. The evening ended with the presentation of our Rookie of the Year and Lifeguard of the Year Awards. We congratulate Justin German from Imperial, Nebraska, our Rookie of the Year, and Taylor Smith, a 4th year guard from Rice Lake, Wisconsin, our Lifeguard of the Year. Both worked extremely hard this year to earn the awards, and you couldn't meet two nicer people.
August 1, 2014
As August arrives each year, many of our guards depart for college. That means that it is time for our annual Employee Appreciation Party, where the Lifeguard of the Year and Rookie of the Year Awards will be given. The winners will be announced August 7th. Congratulations to the nominees!
Lifeguard of the Year Nominees
| Name |
Hometown | College |
| Jordan Bantista | Franklin, Indiana | Depauw |
| Brent Ewing | Edmund, Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
| Ryan Fahie | Halifax, Nova Scoitia | St. Mary's |
| Paschal Glavinos | Mt. Washington, Kentucky | Charleston Law |
| Britnee Jackson | Sturgis, Michigan | Olivet College |
| Greg Kohler | Okemos, Michigan | Michigan State |
| Luke McGowan | Leo, Indiana | Indiana |
| Robert Murdoch | Kitchner, Ontario | York University |
| Sarah Olney | St. Charles, Wisconsin | Wisconsin |
| Taylor Smith | Rice Lake, Wisconsin | Wisconsin-LaCrosse |
Rookie of the Year Nominees
| Name | Hometown | College |
| Shawn Armstrong | Millbury, Massachusetts | EMT |
| Robbie Brown | Buffalo, New York | Niagra |
| Tyler Crispen | Rossford, Ohio | Owens CC |
| Billy Fries | Kirkwood, Missouri | Washington & Lee |
| Justin German | Imperial, Nebraska | Chadron State |
| Jacob Marsh | Okemos, Michigan | Michigan State |
| Amanda Podczerwinski | Algonquin, Illinois | Siena |
| Hana Ready | Lindsey, Ontario | Queen's University |
| Dana Scherer | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | University of Tampa |
| Katie Showalter | Elkhart, Indiana | North Carolina State |
| Zach Weima | Whitby, Ontario | Queen's University |
July 1, 2014
Shore Beach Service's Regional Competition Team will compete in the South Atlantic Lifesaving Association Competition next week in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The event will take place Wednesday, July 9 & Thursday, July 10. Teams from Jacksonville Beach, Florida through Virginia Beach, Virginia will compete in a variety of events. Our team was determined by the number of individual points scored in our local competition. Check back next Wednesday for updates on from Myrtle Beach. We will also give frequent twitter updates, so follow us @ShoreBeachSvc. Below is the team roster.
| Name | Howetown | Yrs. on Team |
| Scott Ohlson (Captain) | McCook, Nebraska | 5 |
| Greg Kohler | Okemos, Michigan | 4 |
| Taylor Smith | Rice Lake, Wisconsin | 4 |
| Jordan Bantista | Franklin, Indiana | 3 |
| Kyle Schofield | Okatie, South Carolina | 2 |
| Sherif Ali | Cliffside Park, New Jersey | 1 |
| Anne-Marie Duval | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 1 |
| Billy Fries | Kirkwood, Missouri | 1 |
| Rebecca Gerner | Bluffton, South Carolina | 1 |
| Britnee Jackson | Sturgis, Michigan | 1 |
| Charlotte Lechner | Stavanger, Norway | 1 |
| Jacob Marsh | Okemos, Michigan | 1 |
| Taylor Mastin | Camden, New York | 1 |
| Zach Matheny | Powell, Ohio | 1 |
| Dana Scherer | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 1 |
| Kristin Schmidt | Athens, New York | 1 |
| Ryan Smith | Bluffton, South Carolina | 1 |
June 26, 2014
The 17th Annual Lifeguard Competition came to a conclusion last night with the Beach Flags event, held at Islanders Beach Park. Taylor Smith repeated as champ, as she beat rookie Canadian Anne Marie Duval in an exciting finish. Jessica Scott grabbed 3rd, with Jenna Sheeran & Taylor Mastin rounding out the top 5. The win helped Smith set record for total individual points (19) and total team points for an individual (235). It was Taylor's 2nd straight year winning the Women's Overall Championship. Ryan Smith (unrelated to Taylor) took the men's Beach Flagt, also beating a rookie Canadian, Zach Weima. Weima was followed by Kyle Schofield, Zach Matheny, and Eric Farr. Jordan Bantista repeated as Men's Overall Champion, scoring 13 individal points.
We have several competition pictures up on our Facebook page. We also tweet (@ShoreBeachSvc) as soon as our regional competion team is set.. Below are the final team, women's, and men's standings.
| Team Standings | Captain | Pts. |
| Public Beach Rebels |
Scott Ohlson | 2050 |
| Lagerheads |
Jerome Staub | 1624 |
| South Beach Savages | Davidson Murphy | 1422 |
| Ohana |
Hannah Quast | 1308 |
| Bear Patrol |
Austin Stephens | 1204 |
| Women's Standings | Pts. | Men's Standings | Pts. |
| Taylor Smith (Rebels) | 19 | Jordan Bantista (Savages) | 13 |
| Dana Scherer (Lagerheads) | 10 | Greg Kohler (Bear Patrol) | 9 |
| Kristin Schmidt (Rebels) | 6 | Kyle Schofield (Ohana) | 8 |
| Charlotte Lechner (Ohana) | 6 | Zach Matheny (Ohana) | 5 |
| Six Tied with 4 points | 4 | Sherif Ali (Ohana) | 5 |
June 25, 2014
After having the 2K Beach Run postponed due to stormy weather the night before, competitors met on Tuesday night to complete the event. It was a big night for Merrimack College track team memebers, as team memebers Kristin Schmidt & Fiona Coleman placed 1-2 in the women's run. Fellow Warrior runner Sherif Ali won the men's event, followed closely by Men's Overall leader Jordan Bantista. Taylor Mastin, Jenna Sheeran, and Women's Overall leader Taylor Smith rounded out the top 5 for the women, while Zach Matheny, Ben Aldrich & Tyler Crispen finished 3rd, 4th & 5th respectively on the men's side.
We have several competition pictures up on our Facebook page. We also tweet results (@ShoreBeachSvc) as soon as we can at the conclusion of each event. Below are the current team, women's, and men's standings. Competition will conclude with Beach Flags, tonight at 6:30 at Islanders Beach Park.
June 24, 2014
Our 17th Annual Lifeguard Competition continued at Coligny Monday night. Competitors battled some tough, stormy conditions to complete the Surf Swim. Dana Scherer won the Women's Surf Swim, backing up her win in the Run Swim Run last Thursday. In fact, the top 5 of Scherer, Taylor Smith, Charlotte Lechner, Britnne Jackson & Sarah Olney was the exact same as the Run Swim Run. However, things changed in the Men's Surf Swim, with Greg Kohler finishing 1st and Jordan Bantista finishing in 2nd (the reverse happened in the Run Swim Run). Jacob Marsh, Billy Fries and Ben Aldrich rounded out the top 5. The weather worsened after the swims, so the 2K Run had to be postponed. The event will take place Friday night at 6:30 at Coligny.
June 20, 2014
Our 17th Annual Lifeguard Competition kicked off at Islanders Beach Park last night. We have several pictures up on our Facebook page. We also tweet results (@ShoreBeachSvc) as soon as we can at the conclusion of each event. Below are the current team, women's, and men's standings, as well as the remaining schedule.
June 18, 2014
Our 17th Annual Lifeguard Competition kicks off this Thursday night at 6:30. This year, the opening night's events will be held at Islanders Beach Park. Each night will begin at approximately 6:45. Below is the schedule of events.
Thursday, June 19~Islanders Beach Park
Run-Swim-Run
100 Meter Dash
4 x 100 Meter Relay
Monday, June 23~Location to be announced
Surf Swim
2K Beach Run
Wednesday, June 25~Location to be announced
Beach Flags
A description of each event can be found on our Annual Lifeguard Competition page.
Be sure to check back for results!
June 13, 2014
Father's Day Weekend is here, which usually means the island is running full steam for the next 2 months. Be sure to read oll of our Beach Rules and Safety Tips before you come to the beach. In addtion, make sure that you know the number of the Beach Marker Sign where you access the beach. The signs go in numerical order, so they are very useful in leading you back to the right spot if you get lost. If children know the marker number, they can also let the lifegurds know that number if they get lost, which helps us reunite everyone more quickly.
As promised last week, our latest profile of our staff is on second year guard Natasha Ewing from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma...the better half of the Ewing couple.
Natasha Ewing
Hometown: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
College: University of Central Oklahoma
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? I Googled “beach lifeguard+east coast” and shorebeach.com was the first link.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? This is my second season.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? No. My husband Brent and I took a road trip to the East Coast and visited Charleston. We fell in love with the Lowcountry of South Carolina. We knew it couldn’t be too bad…it’s an island after all.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I grew up tumbling and cheered competitively through high school.
What career do you plan to pursue? Since graduating and getting married, my career goals have changed drastically. I am the CEO of the Ewing household as we plan and grow our family.
Interesting fact about yourself: I rode a Kawasaki Ninja 250 as my main mode of transportation from age 14 to 21, and worked for a motorcycle dealership for 4 years through high school.
What is the weirdest thing that you have seen while working on the beach? I watched a family bury their dog in the sand as he sat their patiently. He laid their calmly until they unburied him 30 minutes later…just a dog head poking out of the ground.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? I the morning between when we finish set up and when we open, Brent and I take the boogie board out for 15 minutes and test the water conditions. We spend 15 minutes having fun like the kids we watch all day. Memories like that remind me of why we came out here. We have a unique opportunity to spend every day where people wait all year to spend a week.
June 6, 2014
As we get through this first week in June, we have all but one of our lifeguards here for the summer (see you in a couple weeks Mackenzie). This year we have guard from Poland, Ireland, Canada, and all across the United States. For this season, the most guards on staff come from South Carolina (14), followed by Michigan (9), Canada (8), Indiana & Ohio (7 each). The rest of the staff is a mix of several states. Check back throughout the year to see profiles of several of our lifeguards.
Our latest profile on our staff is on second year guard Brent Ewing, from Edmund Oklahoma. Look for a profile of Brent’s better half, Natasha, in the near future.
Brent Ewing
Hometown: Edmond, Oklahoma
College: University of Oklahoma
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? www.shorebeach.com
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? This is my second season.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? No, but my wife Natasha and I took a road trip to the east coast and loved the Lowcountry of South Carolina, so we knew it would be a great place.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I swam & played basketball in high school.
What career do you plan to pursue? Rescue swimming for the United States Coast Guard.
Interesting fact about yourself: I have been married to Natasha for 2 years, and we are both lifeguards for Shore.
What is the weirdest thing you’ve seen while working on the beach? I swam out to a guy that who was out too far, and he claimed to be a Navy Seal. He told me that I should not swim overhand in the ocean, because that cases people to get eaten by sharks. He proceeded to doggie-paddle back to shore.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? Towards the end of last season, a bunch of us had a huge barbecue at Hilton Head Resort.
May 27, 2014
Another busy Memorial Day has passed. As is usually, our guards reunited dozens of lost kids with their parents. When you come to the beach with your kids, please show them the beach marker signs, so they know where they accessed the beach. It is also helpful to make sure that they know the name of the beach where you are located, and to find a lifeguard immediately if they become lost. The sooner they tell the lifeguard they are lost, the sooner we can get them back to their parents.
Our lifeguard profile this week is Paschal Glavinos, a third year guard from Kentucky.
Paschal Glavinos
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
College: Union College & Charleston School of Law
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? The internet & my sister.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? This is my 3rd year.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? Once, but I was 6 months old.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I swam in both college and high school, and I played basketball in high school
What career do you plan to pursue? Some sort of career in law.
Interesting fact about yourself: This will be my 9th year as a lifeguard. Also, my sister Emily and I hated each other before I moved out for college, and we have worked together at Shore for 3 year.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? The Regional Competition every year, beach days with the other lifeguards, trying to kiteboard, and all of the staff appreciation parties.
May 2, 2014
May is finally here, and with school ending, our summer guard staff is going to start coming quickly! We will add 8 guards next week, about 30 the following week and another 30 the three weeks after to round out our staff. This summer we will have guards come from as far away as Ireland and Poland. With our new staff coming in, make sure to check our blog for guard profiles. This week, we have James Williams, a 3rd year guard from Nashville.
James Williams
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
College: University of Tennessee
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? Google.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? I just started my 3rd year.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? No. I came down to work the day after my high school graduation .
What sports did you play in high school or college? Baseball, Basketball & cross country in high school.
What career do you plan to pursue? Working outdoors doing something I like.
Interesting fact about yourself: I have a mean pull up jumper from 15 feet and in.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? All of the themed parties throughout the summer.
April 18, 2014
Our 2014 beach season is well under way Unfortunately, the weather hasn't completely cooperated. While we've seen some beautiful days every week, we've also seen a bit of rain every week. The RBC Heritage is back this week as well, and of course everyone is excited to have the PGA golfers here! If the wind keeps up, the 17th and 18th holes should be treacherous! Hopefully they can squeeze in all the golf between rain drops before the end of the day on Sunday.
Our profile for this week is Zach Laffin, one of several of our lifeguards who is or was a college swimmer. Zach is also one of 10 guards on staff this summer who hail from Indiana.
Zach Laffin
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
College: University of Indianapolis
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? From a friend in college.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? I just started my 3rd year.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? No. I had only heard about it through my friend’s parents.
What sports did (do) you play in high school or college? Swimming in both high school and at University of Indianapolis.
What career do you plan to pursue? A career that I never have to work a day in my life.
Interesting fact about yourself: I was the captain of the University of Indianpolis swim team for 2 years.
What is the funniest or strangest thing you've heard or seen on the beach? A woman asked if the waves breaking on the sandbar were houses.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? Spending an afternoon watching a Loggerhead Sea Turtle in a tide pool to make sure he made it to the ocean.
March 27, 2014
Our 2014 beach season has begun! We have several lifeguards up and down the beach, with a good mix of rookies and returning guards. The first week has been a bit cold, so we are ready for warmer weather. As you may have seen on our Facebook page or Twitter, our orientation group was thrown right into action, helping Al Segars of the Department of Natural Resources load a deceased dolphin into his truck. That was our 26th dolphin to wash up since September.
Our profile for this week is Kara Rhodes, one of our lifeguards from the last 2 seasons who has moved on to pursue her nursing career. Kara has been hounding me on our Twitter account (@ShoreBeachSvc) to put her profile up on our website, so here it is.
Kara Rhodes
Hometown: Torrance, California
College: Radford University
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? Google.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? 2 years.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? Yes! Once when I was 12 and again when I was 17.
What sports did you play in high school or college? Volleyball for 2 years in college & swimming through high school.
What career do you plan to pursue? Nursing.
Interesting fact about yourself: I was stung by a stingray at the start of the 500 Meter swim during the 2013 competition and still finished the race. My heart can be won with a perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? Halloween in July! I was Rudolph and my best friend was Frosty.
March 5, 2014
Our staff is still hard at work getting ready for our 2014 season, doing everything from building new boxes & highchair to hiring our lifeguarding staff. We still have a few lifeguard positions left, so if you are interested, get your application in ASAP! We are excited to have hired a new office manager, and we should have a profile on her in the near future.
Our profile for this week is Austin Stephens, one off Shore’s full-time supervisors.
Austin Stephens
Name: Austin Stephens
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? Melisa Borden, a former Shore employee and friend from home.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? 5 years.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? Yes, the summer before guarding I visited and stayed with some of the guards.
What sports did you play in high school or college? Hockey, basketball and baseball in high school.
What career do you plan to pursue? Finish my business management degree.
Interesting fact about yourself: I am the taco eating champ at Casey’s Sports bar on Hilton Head.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? Winning the Shore Beach team competition with Palmetto Mafia. We had 6 of the last 12 in the final heat, including me, to win.
February 6, 2014
All of our staff is busy getting ready for our 2014 season, doing everything from building new boxes & highchair to hiring our lifeguarding staff. We are looking for a new office manager, so contact us via email if you are interested.
We are also excited that we have promoted one of our fulltime staff members, Hannah Quast to our supervisory staff. You may have already known that if you follow us on Twitter and Facebook (if you don’t follow us, click on the icons below). Naturally, our latest profile on our staff is on Hannah.
Hannah Quast
Name: Hannah Quast
Hometown: Hinsdale, Illinois
College: University of Evansville
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? Mike Wagner’s email to my swim coach.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? 2 years.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? My sister-in-law’s family comes to Hilton Head every summer…they let me tag along one summer.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I swam in both college and high school.
What career do you plan to pursue? Supervisor at Shore Beach Service…video production after that.
Interesting fact about yourself: My middle name is Gustava, after my great grandmother Helda Gustava.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? One day after work, every guard that lived in Shore housing went out to the beach. We go out to the beach from the resort often, but everyone went this time. We stayed until sunset playing water polo, learning to surf, and collecting sand dollars (which we immediately put back). That memory sticks out in my mind, because it was cool seeing so many of us doing different things on the beach and enjoying everyone’s company.
December 19, 2013
Our off-season staff celebrated the holidays at Michael Anthony’s Italian Cucina Monday night, where they hosted a fantastic party! This will be our last blog before Christmas, so we wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.
Our profile this week is supervisor Scott Ohlson. Scott has been a supervisor for the last 3 seasons. He has helped keep our Nebraska to Hilton Head Island pipeline alive.
Scott Ohlson
Hometown: Imperial, Nebraska
College: Doane College
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? My cousins Charlie and Anna Knapper worked for Shore. They called me when they heard I was lifeguarding at college and told me to apply.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? 6 years.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? No.
What sports did you play in high school or college? Baseball, Track and Cross Country in high school. Cross Country, Indoor & Outdoor Track in college.
What career do you plan to pursue? Corporate Fitness-assisting and teaching people to exercise, stay fit and live a healthy lifestyle.
Interesting fact about yourself: I won state Cross Country championship my senior year in high school. I was also on the cover of Running Times magazine. (That's Scott on the right.)
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? My first summer when my cousins worked, we would bring breakfast to each other on our day off and hang out for a bit and chat. It made us really close.
December 10, 2013
While the numbers have gone down, we have still been busy on the beach dealing with several dolphins washing up. We hope that the decline in numbers washing in is an indication that the problem is nearly over.
Our lifeguard profile this week is Adam Park. Adam worked our entire beach rental season, starting in March, and continues working for Shore this off- season.
Adam Park
Hometown: Holly Springs, North Carolina
College: North Carolina, Chapel Hill
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? www.shorebeach.com
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? 1Year.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? Yes, all 4 years of college for my fraternity formal. We stayed at Beach & Tennis and the event was held at The Old Oyster Factory.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I played lacrosse and hockey in high school. I still play hockey at least once a week.
What career do you plan to pursue? Business management/sales.
Interesting fact about yourself: I am an only child and have no first cousins. I don’t know anyone else who has the same situation.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? Renting 2 sets to Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel.
December 2, 2013
As we move through the fall on Hilton Head, our beach patrol staff has been busy preparing for next season. We have also been busy on the beach dealing with several dolphins that have washed up. This article in the Island Packet explains that this has been occurring throughout the Carolinas. http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/10/24/2754114/dolphin-deaths-spreading-to-south.html Fortunately, we did not see any last week, so hopefully the problem has passed.
Our lifeguard profile this week is Katie Curtis. Katie was our 2012 Rookie of the Year. After leaving in March, she returned to work in September and continues working part-time while she start a career with Beaufort County EMS.
Katie Curtis 
Name: Katie Curtis
Hometown: Milford, Ohio
College: Ohio State
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? I did an internet search after seeing Beach Patrol vehicles on the beach.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? 2 Years.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? Yes, my family vacationed in Hilton Head every year.
What sports did you play in high school or college? Swimming in high school, water polo in college.
What career do you plan to pursue? I am an EMT. I plan to become a paramedic and continue lifeguarding.
Interesting fact about yourself: I studied archeology and volunteered at Hovenweep National Park in Cortez, Colorado.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? A couple of guards and I who work for Shore year round made a trip from Hilton Head to East Lansing, Michigan for a Nebraska vs. Michigan State football game. We met up with tons of guards along the way and had a huge group come out for the game. Shore allows you to meet people from all over the world and that is one of my favorite parts about working as a lifeguard on Hilton Head.
November 22, 2013
After a long hiatus, we have another profile of one of our beach patrol staff. Jerry Staub has been a supervisor with Shore Beach Service for the last 8 years. He was our 2005 Lifeguard of the Year, and is a member of the South Carolina Marine Mammal Stranding Network, as well as the Sea Turtle Protection Project. Read more about Jerry below.
Jerry Staub
Name: Jerry Staub
Hometown: Brazil, Indiana
College: Purdue & Indiana State
How did you hear about Shore Beach Service? My little sister Mary, who also worked for Shore.
How many years have you worked for Shore Beach Service? 11. The last 8 as a supervisor.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working here? I came with a friend on vacation in 2002. He had family that lived in Palmetto Dunes.
What sports did you play in high school or college? I did shot put and discus in high school.
Interesting fact about yourself: I started college as a creative writing major.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? Using the Wave Runner to assist 3 passengers on a sinking sailboat (NOT a Shore Beach sailboat). We got one person back to the beach them helped the other 2 onto a Coast Guard boat that brought them to shore. It showed how teamwork between our staff and another agency can be effective.
September 23, 2013
The summer has coming and gone, but the island remains busy! We still have 4 weeks left on the beach until we put the umbrellas & chairs away for the season. If you are planning a trip to the island, we can still provide chairs until at least October 19, so please call and make a reservation.
Our latest guard profile is Emilly Glavinos, a junior at the University of South Carolina.
EMILY GLAVINOS
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
College: University of South Carolina
How did you hear about the job? My brother, Paschal & I Googled.
Years have you worked for Shore? This is my 2nd year.
Had you been to Hilton Head before you started working for Shore? No, but I immediately fell in love with the island & its atmosphere.
What sports did (do) you play in high school or college? I swam throughout high school on a club team.
What career do you plan to pursue? I am an exercise science major planning on being a pediatrician.
Interesting fact about yourself: A lot of people say I look like Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore? This year I met a former Shore lifeguard. Getting to hear his stories and experiences at Shore, as well as hearing that he keeps in touch with friends he made working here 20 years ago was awesome! Not only could I relate, but it made me look forward to continuing friendships I’ve made on staff. Plus, him helping me break down my sets didn’t hurt a bit!
September 4, 2013
A very busy Labor Day weekend has come and gone. Thank you to all our staff for all the hard work they did to keep everyone safe on the beach! Parents did a great job keeping watch on their kids, as we had quite a low number of searches for lost kids compared to most holiday weekends. Our lifeguard profile this week is Sarah Olney, a 2nd year lifeguard who graduated from University of Wisconsin.
SARAH OLNEY
Hometown: St. Charles, Illinois
College: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Years working for Shore Beach Service: This is my second year.
How did you hear about the job?: Through a friend, Emily Hawley.
Had you been to Hilton Head before working for Shore?: Yes, on a family vacation when I was little & again 6 yearrs ago.
What sports did you play in high school?: Swimming & Water Polo.
What career do you plan to pursue?: Speech language pathologist-I want to work with children with cleft palates.
Interesting fact about yourself?: I studied abroad in Italy and I can touch my tongue to my nose.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore?: Rescuing baby seas turtles at Island Club & swimming them out in the ocean.
August 7, 2013
Another Employee Appreciation Party (also known as Shore Prom) has come and gone. A great time was had by all in attendance. We will get pictures from the event posted here and on our Facebook page soon! Congratulations to our 2013 Lifeguard of the Year Brian Whitley & 2 013 Rookie of the Year Robert Murdoch! Brian is a 3rd-year guard from Chapel Hill, Tennessee. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University. Robert is from Kitchener, Ontario Canada, and goes to York University in Toronto.
BRIAN WHITLEY
ROBERT MURDOCH
July 28, 2013
Our lifeguard profile this week is Hayley Dwyer, a 4th year lifeguard who started working in our office when she was 16.
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec, (Bluffton, SC since High School)
College: University of South Carolina
Years working for Shore Beach Service: This is my fourth.
How did you hear about the job?: Through a friend, Hannah King.
Had you been to Hilton Head before working for Shore?: Yes, I'd lived in Bluffton for five years, just across the bridge from HHI.
What sports did you play in high school?: Swimming (still holds a Bluffton HS record) and Lacrosse.
What career do you plan to pursue?: I would like to work for a non-profit organization..
Interesting fact about yourself?: I've been working for Shore since i was 16 (in the office) & I am a champion frozen yogurt eater (on the Lovin' Spoons "Wall of Fame")
What is your favorite memory working for Shore?: Getting to know families and then seeing themcome back each summer. Also, meeting old guards and their families, like the Gyroffy's.
July 21, 2013
After a bit of a hiatus with regionals, we continue posting profiles of our guards.
DREW WILLIAMS
Hometown: Mt. Eaton, Ohio
College: University of Akron
Years working for Shore Beach Service: This is my second.
How did you hear about the job?: Through a former Shore lifeguard, Sean Seder.
Had you been to Hilton Head before working for Shore?: No
What sports did you play in high school?: Football & Track
What career do you plan to pursue?: Working on the business/public relations side of country music.
Interesting fact about yourself?: I have a unique laugh. (HE DOES!)
What is your favorite memory working for Shore?: Boat cruise with the staff & dancing at Remy's.
July 8, 2013
Our lifeguard competition team will be competing in Nags Head, North Carolina Wednesday, July 10 & Thursday, July 11. They will be competing against other teams from Virgina Beach, Virginia through Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Check our website for updates!
Our lifeguard profile for this week is Mamie Hobbs, a 3rd year guard from Champaign, Illinois. She was just featured in Pink, a local magazine. A link to the story is provided.
MAMIE HOBBS
Hometown: Champaign, Illinois
College: Miami University
Years working for Shore Beach Service: This is my third.
How did you hear about the job?: My sister Ali worked for Shore
Had you been to Hilton Head before working for Shore?: Yes, my grandparents live here.
What career do you plan to pursue?: Teaching
http://itsallpink.com/stories/1206-90
June 28, 2013
We are excited to announce our 2013 SALA Regional Competition team! The team members will compete July 10 & 11 in Nags Head, North Carolina, and are listed in order of points earned, which their home state in parentheses. Team Captain is Scott Ohlson (Nebraska). Women's qualifiers are Taylor Smith (Wisconsin), Megan Ciampa (Ohio), Ashleigh Stallings (Maryland), Tabina Chuk (Arizona), Julie Trodden (Massachusetts), MacKenzie Harris (Ohio), Jenna Sheeran (South Carolina), and Cayla Hennessey (South Carolina). Women's alternates are Jenna McMiller (Wisconsin), Fiona Coleman (Connecticut) and Jackie Haight (New York). Men's qualifiers are Jordan Bantista (Indiana), Greg Kohler (Michigan), Drew Dove (North Carolina), Paschal Glavinos (Kentucky), Zach Laffin (Indiana), David Humphrey (Florida), Kyle Schofield (New Jersey), and Hayden Mattinson (Georgia). Men's a lternates are Luke McGowan (Indiana), CJ Daunt (South Carolina) and Aaron Kimball (South Carolina).
We continue our guard profiles with Caroline Buck, a member of this year's Team Competition Champs, the Lagerheads.
CAROLINE BUCK
Hometown: Birmingham, Michigan
College: University of Michigan
Years working for Shore Beach Service: This is my third.
How did you hear about the job?: My sister Lauren worked for Shore
Had you been to Hilton Head before working for Shore?: Yes, my grandparents live here so we visit once a summer.
What sports did you play in high school?: Water Polo & Swimming
What career do you plan to pursue?: Law
Interesting fact about yourself?: All off my siblings have worked for Shore.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore?: Competitions and Shore Prom.
June 27, 2013
The 16th annual Shore Beach Lifeguard Competition has come and gone, and left 3 new champions behind. Congratulations to team captain Jerry Staub, whose Lagerheads dominated the team competition, scoring the most point in 4 of 5 events on their way to this year's Team Championship. Taylor Smith of the Lagerheads won Beach Flags and the 100 Meter Dash and placed 5th in the Surf Swim to take her first Women's Overall Championship. Palmetto Power Stance's Jordan Bantista won the 2K Run event and took 2nd in both the Surf Swim and Run Swim Run to capture the Men's Overall Championship.
Winners of the each event were as follows: 100 Meter Dash winners were Taylor Smith and Drew Dove. Surf Swim winners were Megan Ciampa and Zach Laffin. 2K Run winners were Jenna McMiller and Jordan Bantista. Run Swim Run winners were Megan Ciampa and Greg Kohler. Beach Flags winners were Taylor Smith and Hayden Mattinson.
Check back to see the announcement of our South Atlantic Lifesaving Association regional competition team, which will be competing July 10th & 11th in Nags Head, North Carolina.
June 26, 2013
We have completed the 100 Meter Dash, the Surf Swim and the 2K Run in our Lifeguard Competition. Here are the lastest team standings:
1) Lagerheads - 1107 points
2) Public Beach Rebels - 954 points
3) Sky's Out Thighs Out - 855 points
4) Coligny Cartel - 854 pints
5) Palmetto Power Stance - 838
The race for the Women's Overal Champ is as follows:
Taylor Smith - 6 points, MacKenzie Harris - 5 points (leads tie breaker), Cayla Hennessey - 5 points, Megan Ciampa - 5 points, Jenna McMiller - 5 points, Ashligh Stallings - 4 points, Fiona Coleman - 4 points, Julie Trodden - 4 points, Tabina Chuk - 3 points, Jenna Sheeran - 3 points & Jackie Haight - 1 point.
The Men's Overall Champ standings are:
Jordan Bantista - 9 points, Drew Dove - 8 points, Zach Laffin - 5 points, Paschal Glavinos - 4 points, Luke McGowan - 4 points, Greg Kohler - 3 points, David Humphrey - 3 points, Aaron Kimball - 2 points, Kyle Schofield - 2 points, Sam Burns - 1 point, Adam Fahie - 1 point & James Williams - 1point.
Come out to Coligny Beach Wednesday night at 6:30 to watch the competition last events - Run Swim Run and Beach Flags! It should be quite a battle for the top spots!
June 23, 2013
Our 16th annual lifeguard competition was shortened Thursday night due to high tides and searches for missing beachgoers (all found). We we able to finish the 100 Meter Dash and 4X100 Relay. The "Lagerheads'" Taylor Smith easily defended her title in the women's race, while Drew Dove of the "Public Beach Rebels"' edged out teammate Passcal GHlvinos for the victory. Dove and Glavinos then lead the Rebels' team to a win in the relay. Competition will continue Monday evening at Cloigny Beach with the Surf Swim and the 2K Beach Run.
This week's guard profile is Myshel Rodenbeck our 2010 Rookie of the Year. Myshel is one of 3 Rodenbeck siblings to work for Shore.
MYSHEL RODENBECK
Hometown: Bluffton, Indiana
College: Ball State University
Years working for Shore Beach Service: This is my fourth.
How did you hear about the job?: My brother Mycal worked for Shore
Had you been to Hilton Head before working for Shore?: No.
What sports did you play in high school or college?: Water Polo, Tennis and Swimming in High School.
What career do you plan to pursue?: Strength & Conditioning: Sports Performance Coach
Interesting fact about yourself?: I have been to 5 of the 7 continents.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore?: Winning Rookie of the Year in 2010.
June 20, 2013
Shore's 16th annual lifeguard competition starts tonight at Coligny Beach! Can 2012 champ Greg Kohler beat 2011 champ David Humphrey, or will there be a new Men's Overall Champ? Who will be the new Women's Overall Champ now that all the past champs have retired? Can Scott Ohlson's team repeat as champs under the new name "Public Beach Rebels"? Come find out tonight at 6:30, as we start with the Run-Swim-Run, followed by the individual 100 Meter Dash, and finish with the 4X100 Meter Relay.
June 13, 2013
Happy Father's Day weekend to all the dads! If you make it out to the beach this weekend, swim near a lifeguard and stay in chest-deep water or less!
This week's lifeguard profile is Greg Kohler, last year's Men's Overall Champion in our lifeguard competiton.
GREG KOHLER
Hometown: Okemos, Michigan
College: Michigan State
Years working for Shore Beach Service: This is my third.
How did you hear about the job?: An email to my college swim coach from Shore
Had you been to Hilton Head before working for Shore?: Negative.
What sports did you play in high school or college?: Water Polo, and Swimming in High School. Swimming at Olivet College before transfering to MSU.
What career do you plan to pursue?: Lifeguard for Life!
Interesting fact about yourself?: I am generally the tallest person in the room.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore?: Meeting Dakota. Also winning the Men's Overall Championship in last year's competiton.
June 7, 2013
Tropical Storm Andrea passed in the early morning hours this morning, with little impact on the beach. Still be extra cautious on the beach today, and the water conditions are expected to be rougher than usual. We will continue weekly profiles of our lifeguards with one of our top competitiors.
TAYLOR SMITH
Hometown: Rice Lake, Wisconsin
College: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Years working for Shore Beach Service: 3
How did you hear about the job?: An email to my swim coach from Shore
Had you been to Hilton Head before working for Shore?:
Never-I hadn't even heard of it!
What sports did you play in high school or college?: Cross Country, Track, and Swimming in High School. Swimming at UW-La Crosse.
What career do you plan to pursue?: Public Relations/Event Planning for Businesses
Interesting fact about yourself?: I speak Spanish and I'm afraid of stingrays.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore?: Being part of the regional competiton team and taking 3rd in the region in Beach Flags.
May 31, 2013
Memorial Weekend came and went with our staff reunited 80 lost people (mostly kids) with their families! On this blog, we will start posting profiles of some of our returning staff members. We'll begin with our 2011 Rookie of the Year.
DAKOTA LOGAN
Hometown: Woodbury, Tennesse
College: Middle Tennessee State University
Years working for Shore Beach Service: 3
How did you hear about the job?: Google/friend from college
Had you been to Hilton Head before working for Shore?: No
What sports did you play in high school or college?: HS Baseball and Football
What career do you plan to pursue?: Either Physical Therapy or Ministry
Interesting fact about yourself?: I can juggle.
What is your favorite memory working for Shore?:Skydiving in Florida several Shore guards (Ian, Brian Ben and Christian) my 2nd season. Also playing basketball and fishing with the guys.
May 23, 2013
Memorial Weekend is almost here!
The traditional kickoff to summer-Memorial Day-is this coming Monday. You should notice several more red "Lifeguard" and "Beach Patrol" umbrellas, as our staff has more than tripled since April. With the weekend here, you should be aware that the Beach Ordinances have a significant change that occurs evey Memorial Weekend: Animals ARE NOT ALLOWED on the beach from 10am-5pm. Outside of those hours, animals are allowed but still need to be on a leash or under positive voice control.
As the beach becomes more active with beachgoers, be aware of our safety tips. We would like to particualrly remember to tell kids to find a lifeguard immediately if he or she gets lost. We spend a great deal of time on holiday weekends searching for lost kids and reuniting them with their parents. If they find a lifeguard right away, it dramatically decreases the time they are lost.
Have a safe holiday weekend!
May 10, 2013
If you have visited shorebeach.com before, you probably notice our new site design. We hope you find navigating the site much easier. The new design will allow us to be able to keep fresh information on the site. Check the blog periodically so we can keep you updated with happenings on the beach, some beach safety tips, and other information.
On May 1st we had our first "Beach Safety" field trip of the season, with over 90 kids from 4 classes at the Hilton Head Early Childhood Center, Hiton Head's public kindergarten. The kids learned about how the Beach Patrol can help them stay safe on the beach. Two groups of voluteers from the classes did a great job acting out what the lifeguards do when anyone gets lost on the beach. All of the kids were great listeners, and should all remember to find a lifeguard on the beach if they ever get lost. We look forward to having 8 more clsses of kindergartners for field trips next week!
