Happenings In Huntington

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It was a busy time in the early Saturday morning in Huntington Beach today.

Huntinton Beach Pier Swim

74 years ago, the annual Huntington Beach Pier Swim began as it has always been since in the coastal community known as Surf City USA.

From running into the crashing surf, sprinting around the long pier, and bodysurfing into the finish, the 200+ participants carried on the Surf City tradition started by Huntington Beach lifeguard Gene Belshe.

SWIM Long Beach won the Gene Belshe Memorial Perpetual Trophy again, defending its multi-time title again.

Members include Kailey Steenhausen, Carlos Rojas, Stefe, Adam Luco, Renata Schmidt, Hank Wise, Fox Wise, Jeff Lebauve, Bennett Moxon, Wilfred Diaz, Steven Johnson, Madi Walker, and Jeff Wheeler [shown below].

In the individual races, 14-year-old Fox beat his father Hank Wise, who formerly held the course record for decades. Dad recalled, “My time was 10:18 unofficially [but] he snuck under the 10-minute mark with 9:58 time. It was a sweet day with variable winds and clear water. The water was super clear, you could see the bottom the whole time.”

Life Rolls On

On the next lifeguard station down the beach, the hugs, smiles, laughter, and squeals of joy were touching, loud, and frequent.

Life Rolls On is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people living with various disabilities. Believing that adaptive surfing, skating, and fishing could inspire infinite possibilities beyond any disability, Life Rolls On began in 2001 through the efforts and inspiration of founder Jesse Billauer.

The adaptive surfboards and beach transfer wheelchairs were supplied by the organizers.

For more information, visit liferollson.org.