A Look Back
By Fred Miller
The Ocean City Beach Patrol’s tradition of winning intercity rowing and swimming has its roots in the Olympic Games. Long before the lifeguards won either a Cape May County or South Jersey championship, OCBP Hall of Famer John B. Kelly Sr. was wearing three Olympic gold medals.
Kelly, competing in Antwerp, Belgium on August 18, 1920, won two Olympic rowing races. He narrowly beat Jack Beresford of Great Britain in the singles sculls, and, partnership with his cousin Paul Costello, easily defeated the Italian crew in the doubles sculls.
Kelly, competing in the 1924 Olympics in Paris, France, won another gold medal in the doubles rowing with Costello.
With the support and encouragement of John B. Kelly, Ocean City lifeguard Augustus Goetz rowed in the pair-oared shell with coxswain in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, Holland.
Four years later, Kelly encouraged Charles Kieffer, a championship rower on the Ocean City Beach Patrol, to compete in the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He won a gold medal on August 12, 1932. His event—the pair-oared shell with coxswain—had never before been won by an American crew. Kieffer, rowing in the bow, Joseph Schauers, rowing in the stern, and Edward Jennings coxswain, came through with a fine performance to beat Poland by a length and a half.
One Response
John Strotbeck from margate rowed in the doubles in 1984 and 88 but didn’t medal. He was a margate lifeguard