Peerless coastal classic

Andrew Edwards

Water churned around the pier’s pilings, and early morning waves

crashed on the beach where swimmers stood on the sand waiting for a

signal.

When it came, the sound of the buzzer was followed by the rush of

swimmers running into the blue-green ocean. They trudged their way

along the surface until the water was deep enough for swimming, then

began their battle against oncoming waves and currents.

After a few minutes, the swimmers’ heads looked like tiny dots

bobbing up and down as the competitors raced to be the first to swim

around the pier.

The 54th annual Huntington Beach Pier Swim on Saturday drew more

than 300 swimmers from Surf City and beyond. Swimmers came from as

far away as Texas and Arizona, recreation supervisor Dottie Hughes

said.

Swimmers as young as 12 were allowed to compete, while the oldest

person in the water was 70, Hughes said.

Lifeguard Samantha Dieterman, who is on leave from the Marine

Safety Department because she is eight months pregnant, was among the

competitors.

“I’m swimming for two,” she joked. Her due date is July 5.

To succeed, swimmers needed more than speed and stamina. Just to

finish the race requires the savvy to negotiate ocean currents and

avoid being knocked into one of the pier’s barnacle-encrusted

stanchions.

“You can find yourself swept into the pier itself, which is pretty

ugly,” 12-year veteran John Doherty, 57, of Huntington Beach said.

Nineteen lifeguards were on duty to protect the throng of swimmers

and prevent them from crashing into the pier and other hazards. There

were no serious incidents during the swim, Marine Safety Lt. Mike

Beuerlein said.

The swimmers were split into two groups, competitors 16 and older

were the first to go, the Juniors Division -- boys and girls aged 12

to 15 -- swam separately.

The first swimmer out of the water was Matt Sagehorn, 16, of Long

Beach, who completed the circuit in 9:30. After emerging from the

waves, he hunched over to catch his breath, and made his way to the

finish line.

“It was nice and easy going out,” Matt said. “I caught two really

good waves on the way in. I was fourth on the way in and I caught a

good wave and passed people up.”

Matt, who won the juniors competition last year, also plays

competitive water polo. His coach at Swim Focus, Hank Wise, is the

pier swim record-holder. Wise, who finished in 8:46 in 1986, said

Matt was a force to be reckoned with in the water.

“If he was a stock, I would put my money on him,” Wise said.

Aubrey Panis, 17, of Orange was the first woman to complete the

swim, finishing in 10:45. It was her fourth time in the competition

and her second victory.

“My first year in the juniors I was the first one in,” Aubrey said

of her win in 2000.

The sea gave the younger swimmers a tougher challenge than the

adults. When it was the juniors’ turn to battle the ocean, they faced

stronger swells and bigger, more powerful waves.

“I got pounded a lot but I made it through,” said 15-year-old

Britney Wigley. The Surf City resident was the Juniors Women’s

champion, scoring a 12 minutes and 40 seconds finish.

David Katreeb, 15, of Huntington Beach took the Juniors Men’s

crown with a 10:54 time.

Trophies were given to the top three finishers in each age group,

including the juniors. There were seven men’s groups and six women’s

groups. The team with the most individual trophies, the Pasadena’s

Rose Bowl Swim Team, earned a spot on the contest’s perpetual trophy.

Five of the teams’ swimmers finished in the top ranks.

“It sort of took us by surprise, but it’s nice,” said Cindy

Miller, who finished second in the Master’s Division against women

aged 32 to 39.

Not all swimmers took home trophies, but for many simply

completing the race was a victory.

“I finished, I finished,” exclaimed 24-year-old Huntington Beach

swimmer Summir Chase.

“It was rough, but I made it,” she said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers education and crime. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7177, (949) 494-4321 or andrew.edwards@latimes.com.