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A surf battle

Seventeen lifeguard teams from all over coastal Florida compete in Clearwater.

CLEARWATER - Tartoe, 68-year-old lifeguard legend, stood on Clearwater Beach on Thursday with his toes in the sand, salty water dribbling off an arthritic knee and a mouthful of braces gleaming in the sun.

He had just participated in the grueling run, swim, run event during the 23rd annual U.S. Lifesaving Association's Southeast Regional Lifeguard Competition and took first place in the Super vet category, for the oldest participants.

It was easy because he was the only one in his age group.

"This is more of a workout," said Tom Hogan, who was given the nickname "Tartoe" by a little girl years ago because he always stepped on the tar balls that washed up on the beach during his watch. "I'm training for the nationals in Cape May next month."

Hogan and 109 open-water lifeguards from all over coastal Florida competed Wednesday and Thursday on a stretch of beach just north of Pier 60.

Seventeen teams participated in 13 events including the American ironman, the 2K beach run, a 400-meter surf swim, an 800-meter rescue board race and a surf boat race using dory rowboats.

The 35-member Clearwater team, the defending champions, were the favorites to win. But the Boca Raton team was on top through most of the day Thursday.

"They have a ringer from South Africa," joked Bev Buysse, assistant director of Clearwater's Marine and Aviation Department. "We're going to trip them on the relay."

Meanwhile, on the lunch break, Hogan of Palm Beach County was pointing out pink and white scars all over his body and said "Look! I start to glow."

He said he "had thousands of skin cancers" from his lifetime in the sun and has scars everywhere to prove it.

"This one was a melanoma," he said, pointing to a deep dent on his side carved by a surgeon long ago.

Tartoe moved from Chicago and started lifeguarding on Palm Beach in 1959, a time when lifeguards didn't wear sunscreen except on their noses or really worry much about burning.

He began competing in lifeguard contests in 1963.

"At the first one, Johnny Weissmuller - you know, Tarzan - was the emcee," Hogan said.

Since then, he has competed all over the world, including Hawaii and Australia, where he said the people are nice and the girls are pretty.

"My doctor said I have a 78-year-old body and an 18-year-old mind," said Hogan, laughing.

He retired from lifeguarding 18 years ago, survives on Social Security and Medicare and says his only real problem is seaweed gets caught in the braces he got a year ago.

Joe Lain, 50, a former English teacher who is now Clearwater's chief of Beach Patrol, who competed along with Hogan, doesn't have that problem.

Still, he said, "I'm getting roughed up" out there.

"But this has been a great tournament," he said. "A tremendous turnout."

- Eileen Schulte can be reached at 727 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com

Here are the winning teams in the 23rd annual USLA Southeast Regional Lifeguard Competition:

- Boca Raton was first, with 421 points.

- Clearwater came in second with 408.5 points.

- Hollywood was third with 289 points.