Atlantic City, NJ – The Fourth Annual Red Bull Surf and Rescue may have been cut short because of thunderstorms, but the expanded field of Mid-Atlantic competitors were not short on intensity. Fifty teams from New York to Virginia battled it out with athletic prowess for two rounds to crown a champion patrol of the Mid-Atlantic.
Ocean City Beach Patrol were the proud winners as they proved to have the speed, strength and skill to conquer the ever-increasing winds and waves to swim, sprint and paddle the fastest. The victory solidified New Jersey’s dominance in Red Bull Surf + Rescue, securing a Jersey win every year since the competition’s inception.
“It felt good to be the champions this year,” Maggie Wallace, Ocean City Beach Patrol competitor, said. “We train hard and often in these conditions because we work the beach everyday. We’ve seen it before and know how to navigate it.”
This year’s competition was supposed to feature a new-four round elimination format introducing a grueling double rescue scenario of a Paddle Pick-up and Swim Rescue. The modified two round format included all 50 teams in a 250-meter box course Surf Swim relay followed by a 500-meter apex Paddleboard Relay. Competitors raced not only against each other but also the threat of thunder and lightning sprinting to complete round two before the storms.
The Ocean City patrol took home bragging rights as the strongest patrol and as such, were awarded a 2018 Polaris GENERAL 4 1000. This machine embodies the athletes and teams competing for it. With the hardworking heart of a RANGER and the performance of a RZR, this vehicle will enhance surf and rescue teams. They can now boost their beach coverage and allow beach goers the added confidence to enjoy their adventure.
Results
