All Hail The Lifeguard

There Atlantic Ocean has and always will be the main draw that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Jersey Shore each summer. We have also seen that it can be very dangerous with strong rips and currents claiming several lives in New Jersey and nearby New York and as is often the case most drownings take place on unprotected beaches. That brings me to the subject of lifeguarding, a job often overlooked and underappreciated
which carries with it a staggering amount of responsibility.

Many think being a lifeguard at the shore is all about getting a great tan and having plenty of opportunities to meet members of the opposite sex. That is true but it’s not quite as glamorous as it was portrayed in the 1976 movie titled “Lifeguard” in which Sam Elliot played a man in his 30’s who did not take life very seriously and instead chose to spend his days guarding these amazingly empty beaches in Southern California. Of course that was a movie and lifeguards around here face the daily challenge of watching beaches jammed with those who think the ocean is just like swimming in the backyard pool.

Perched atop their stands guards have the at-times awesome task of keeping their eyes on hundreds of swimmers at a time while monitoring the ever-changing surf conditions. One of the many problems is that beachgoers just don’t understand how dangerous rip tides can be and too often even good swimmers find out the hard way that they’re no match for the currents and conditions.

Ask any veteran lifeguard and they will tell you the priority is not to make rescues but prevent them and that’s where experience really pays off. While there are many students working the beaches you can’t discount the importance of having them work with and learn from those who return to the beach summer after summer. Many of them are teachers who begin work on the beach before school gets out and don’t pack it in until the bell rings in September.

I have been around lifeguards nearly all my life and will always have a tremendous amount of respect for them and the job especially the veterans who have groomed so many under their watch. They may not be like Rick Carlson (Sam Elliot’s movie character) but are just seasoned pros.

Remembering Raymond Andreola

At sunset last night about 50 people paddled out on surfboards on the north side of the Casino Pier in Seaside Heights to say goodbye to Raymond Andreola while I was among a group standing on the beach watching what’s known as a surfer’s funeral. Andreola was a life-long surfer and windsurfer who died earlier this month in Maui, Hawaii only a month after being diagnosed with liver cancer at the age of 52.

When I moved from New York to Seaside Heights in 1967 Ray was one of the first people I would meet. We were 6th grade classmates in the old elementary school which ironically was right near the Casino Pier, behind the Aztec Motel. With only about 15 boys and girls in the class you got to know everyone pretty well and Ray and I became good friends. He gave me the nickname “Boss” because it was a New York expression to describe things that were cool and it was one not used in Seaside…at least not until I arrived. Throughout middle and high school were remained good friends, even though by now he was a devoted surfer while I chose sports like football. Like many of my friends Ray worked for my father on the boardwalk during the summer and we did a lot of the stupid things teen-agers do while growing up together.

After high school I did not see him very often but when we would bump into each other we usually would laugh about the great times we had growing up in Seaside playing touch football in the church lot, baseball behind the old Barnegat Ice Plant and even skim boarding in the spring when the water temperature was just reaching 50. Ray was a traveler who often only needed his surfboard and more than twenty years ago finally settled in Hawaii. We had lost touch until about four years ago when out of nowhere he sent me an email at the radio station. We caught up on old times and he sent me pictures of his wife Salvie and his then infant daughter Sara. Ray looked pretty much like the same teen-ager I remembered and I kidded him about how it was time to finally look his age. For the next couple of years were emailed each other on a fairly regular basis but had not communicated in a while when I got a phone call just over two weeks ago about his sudden passing….at least sudden to me.

Mike Columbo, who owns Right Coast Surf Shop in Seaside Park organized last night’s “paddle-out” which brought surfers and friends from all over and I saw some people I have not talked with in decades. For that I thank Ray…you where and always will be a “boss dude.” May you find the perfect wave!

Kevin's Excellent Adventure

I had not had a vacation for over a year so having last week off alone was wonderful but throw in a baseball adventure at the end and it made for something special. This past weekend I and four other friends from my days at Ocean County College relived a little bit of our past as we traveled to Milwaukee and Chicago for three games in three days with a little unplanned extension which got us back home a day later than planned.

Dan O’Connor put the adventure together through his company, “Docs Tours” which saw Tom Caffrey, Joe Perone, Carroll Oakley and I leave for Milwaukee Friday morning. We had a smooth trip and after getting settled in our hotel were enjoying lunch at a brew pub, one of several establishments we would take in before heading to Miller Park for the Brewers game with Houston. This is a relatively new ballpark with all the comforts and modern conveniences and with the Brewers winning fans are selling out the place on a regular basis. They also tailgate in the parking lot much like you would expect at a football game.

We were up early Saturday for a 90-minute Amtrak ride to Chicago and after checking into our hotel took the subway to Wrigley Field. I was the only one who had never been to this 94-year old shrine and it was amazing to see the stadium right in a neighborhood of apartments, bars and restaurants and even a 7-11 right across the street. There we met up with another friend, Mark Kashuda who lives nearby in Indiana at a landmark bar across from the stadium called “Murphy’s Bleachers.” Wrigley Field was like going back in time and while it might be old and lacking the bells and whistles of new stadiums it was everything I’ve heard and even more. The fans (young and old) are into the game from the first pitch and the only thing better than being there Saturday was knowing we would come back Sunday when still another old friend Pat Browne would join us from Kansas City. This game was even better as the Cubs rallied for an exciting win and after the final out 41,000 people stood to sing their victory song…. “Go Cubs Go”

It was also about this time that we learned our scheduled flight home that night was cancelled because of the thunderstorms in the east. At the airport the best we could do was get on a Monday afternoon flight and we then found a nearby hotel just in time to watch the Yankees-Red Sox game on TV. Out trip back yesterday was especially smooth for three of us who someone were re-booked in first class which I must say is a nice way to travel. Three baseball games in two cities in three days with good friends for more than 30 years. That’s priceless.

Shore Gridiron Classic

(Kevin is on vacation 7/21-7/25)

It’s had more than one name but the idea has always been the same. Since 1978 the best recently-graduated football players from Ocean County play
those from Monmouth County on a July evening for bragging rights at the Jersey Shore. Now called the Shore Gridiron Classic the latest edition is set for tonight at Brick Township High School at 7pm.

For the 100 or so players who will see action tonight the game has a special meaning. Many will head to college in the next couple of weeks hoping for the same success that has made them an All-Star while others will put on a football uniform for the final time tonight. They’re college-bound but will play another sport if at all and a couple are even on their way to the military.
However for all of them this is the final time they will represent their high schools and the opportunity to play in front of several thousand fans is a great way to go out.

The game is now run by the Shore Conference Football Coaches Foundation
and tonight they’ll induct one of their own as the inaugural member
of their newly-created Hall of Fame. On the field where he’s coached for 50 years Warren Wolf will be honored and the hope is many former players and supporters will be on hand for the latest Wolf tribute. Many of the shore head coaches have stepped up to keep the game alive including Lacey’s Lou Vircillo while Chip LaBarca of Toms River North and Holmdel’s Andy Carlstrom are the head coaches for the two All-Star squads.

On paper the game seems to be a toss-up with Monmouth County boasting quarterback Tim Lamirande of Howell, running back Travis Patterson of Long Branch and Freehold linebacker Robert James. The Ocean County squad is especially high on a defense featuring linebackers Tyler Groves of Toms River East and Kyle Coleman of Point Boro along with Brick safety Ray Johnson with quarterbacks Anthony Penna of Toms River North and Warren Smith of Lacey looking to put points on the board.

One winner for sure is the Monmouth/Ocean Challenger Sports League which is the game charity. The other big winners are football fans who once again have a fitting way to say good-bye to players who’ve given us thrills over the years. When the game ends tonight the 2007 season is officially over and we’ll be just 56 days away from the kickoff to 2008.

"New" Driving Regulations

Like many of you I like to complain about the way people drive today whether it is here in Ocean County or any other part of the state. With that said here is a reminder of a tongue-in-cheek list of relatively new regulations in the most current edition of the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles handbook.

· Turn signals will give away your next move so be like most drivers
and avoid using them so other drivers have to guess as to what you’re about to do.
· Under no circumstances should you maintain a safe distance
between you and the car in front of you because that space might
be filled by somebody else, putting you in a dangerous situation.
· The faster you drive through a red light, the less chance you have
of getting hit.
· WARNING! Do not come to a complete stop at a stop sign as the
vehicle behind you will not expect it and you might be rear ended.
· Never get in the way of an older car that needs extensive bodywork,
especially if they have out of state license plates. With no insurance, the other driver probably has nothing to lose.
· Speed limits are arbitrary numbers, given only as a suggestion and
certainly not enforced during rush hour.
· Always brake and rubberneck when you see an accident or even
someone changing a tire. This is seen as a sign of respect for the victim.
· Learn to swerve abruptly without signaling. New Jersey is the home
of high speed slalom-driving thanks to the Department of transportation which puts potholes in key locations to test drivers’
reflexes and keep them alert.
· It is tradition in our state to honk your horn at cars in front of you that don’t move three milliseconds after the light turns green.
· Remember that the goal of every New Jersey driver is to get ahead of the pack by whatever means necessary.
· In New Jersey, “flipping the bird” or as its also known the “you’re
#1 sign” is considered a polite salute. This gesture should always
be returned with a smile.

25 Things That Are Vanishing from America

Certainly times are changing….good and bad. I came across a list from WalletPop of “25 Things That Are Vanishing from America” and there is some real nostalgia here.

· Pit Toilets (also known as Outhouses)
· Yellow Pages
· Classified Ads
· Movie Rental Stores
· Dial-Up Internet Access
· Phone Landlines
· Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs
· VCR’s
· Ash Trees
· Ham Radio
· The Swimming Hole
· Answering Machines
· Cameras that use film
· Incandescent Bulbs
· Stand-alone Bowling Alleys
· The Milkman
· Hand-Written Letters
· Wild Horses
· Personal Checks
· Drive-In Theatres (405)
· Mumps & Measles
· Honey Bees
· News Magazines and TV News
· Analog TV
· The Family Farm

By the way they also had a list of business and companies that are gone and here are some of them. Do you remember Paine-Webber, Eastern Airlines,
Lionel Corporation, RCA, Adelphia Cable, EF Hutton, Burger Chef, TWA, General Foods, Standard Oil, Montgomery Ward, FW Woolworth and Enron?

Outdoor Cooking Etiquette

Make no mistake about it this is barbeque season and in many cases it’s the only type of cooking a “real man” will do, probably because there is some danger involved. As a public service I would like to remind you of the etiquette that comes with outdoor cooking which should not be overlooked.

When a man volunteers to do the barbeque the following chain of events are put into motion:
· The woman buys the food.
· The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables and makes dessert.
· The woman preps the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the proper utensils and sauces and brings it to the man who is sitting next to the grill with a cold beer in hand. Of course the man has lit the grill which at times can be very hazardous.

Here comes the important part:
· The man places the meat on the grill. Do not underestimate the
importance of this task.
· The woman then goes inside to organize the plates and utensils.
· The woman comes outside later to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks for another cold beer while dealing with this often delicate situation.

Another important note:
· The man takes the meat off the grill and hands it to the woman.
· The woman then organizes the plates, utensils, salad, bread, napkins and condiments and brings them to the table.
· After eating, the woman clears the table, brings out dessert and coffee and then does the dishes.

Now the most important part:
· Everyone praises the man and thanks him for his cooking efforts.
· The man then asks the woman how she enjoyed “her night off”
from cooking dinner. When he sees and hears her annoyed reaction to this he concludes that there is simply no pleasing some women.