Beach Survival Challenge set for Saturday at State Park

Fri, Jun 19, 2009

Organizers of this year's Beach Survival Challenge are expecting more than 200 participants to compete Saturday — all while learning a thing or two about water safety.

"It's designed to teach about water safety," organizer Vicki Cech said. "It's a way everyone can learn while having fun."

The sixth annual challenge, presented by the Great Lakes Beach and Pier Safety Task Force, will be held at Grand Haven State Park, just north of the pavilion. Registration and check-in begins at 8 a.m., with a captain's meeting at 9:30 a.m. and games starting at 10 a.m.

An awards ceremony will be held at 3:30 p.m.

The event was first organized to bring awareness of the dangers that lurk below the water after Cech's 17-year-old son, Andy Fox, got caught in a Lake Michigan rip current off the State Park and drowned in 2003.

"This came about because of losing Andy and not wanting anyone to have to go through this," Cech said. "People can learn about rip currents in a fun, safe way. ... Even if one person is saved by doing something like this, then it's well worth it."

Co-ed teams of 4-6 people will compete in four events: Tug-O-War, beach soccer, Ultimate Frisbee and the Ultimate Beach Survival Obstacle Course. Teams will be divided among three divisions: middle school (students entering sixth through eighth grades in the fall qualify for this division), and two divisions of high school/adult divided by the average team member's age.

"It's pretty cool to watch if anyone wants to come down and watch the events," Cech said.

Forty-eight teams participated in last year's challenge. As of Tuesday, 32 teams have registered for the challenge.

"There's a lot more younger teams this year — which is a good thing," said Cech's other son, Ryan Fox. "Each year, it gets bigger."

The event will also feature a 15-by-15-foot board game where children of any age can roll the dice and use their bodies as game pieces to learn about water safety.

"The younger the better," Cech said of those who can participate in the game that was added a couple years ago.

The event will also feature Coast Guard rescue demonstrations with their helicopter from Muskegon; WOOD-TV meteorologist Bill Steffen; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' "Bobber the Water Safety Dog;" and "Seamoor," a robotic sea serpent that sits on a remote-control mini jet ski.

The task force will also have an information booth at the event where its water safety DVD, "Respect the Power," can be purchased for $10.

"It's a great project," said Beth LaBeff, who has helped organize the Beach Survival Challenge for five years. "It gets bigger and better every year."

LaBeff, who has two teenage children who have participated in the challenge in past years, hopes the message gets out that getting caught in a rip current can happen to anyone.

"To teach them they're not invincible is a good thing," she said.

LaBeff and Connie Berry are in charge of organizing the event's nearly 120 volunteers, collecting pre-registration forms and making team baskets "so everything runs smoothly," Berry said.

"Registration goes through all this week," added Berry, who has been a challenge volunteer since its inception six years ago. "We max out at 60 teams."

LaBeff commends Cech and her children, Ryan and Jaime Fox, for their efforts in promoting beach and water safety.

"They're truly heroes," LaBeff said. "They turned such a tragedy into such a good thing for kids and the community."

Participants don't have to be "superstar" athletes in order to compete in the Beach Survival Challenge events, according to Jaime Fox.

"We try to keep things fairly laid back," she said.

Registration costs $110 per team through Friday and $120 on Saturday. It includes a T-shirt and team photo for each member, among other items.

Beach Survival Challenge registration forms and rules can be found on the task force's Web site: www.respectthepower.org; or at the Northwest Ottawa Recreation Program office at 1415 S. Beechtree in Grand Haven. For more information, call the NORP office at 850-5125.

Photos from last year's Challenge can be found online at www.respectthepower.org/ViewC/BSC08winners.html.