More than a dozen are offspring of former members
CAPE MAY — The Cape May Beach Patrol is having a record season. Not just because of the amount of rescues in a year that has seen plenty of rough days and medical emergencies on the beaches. This record is within the ranks, where familiar names and faces abound — even among the rookies.
This year, the number of so-called “legacy” guards — those who are second- or third-generation lifeguards from the same family — reached 14 guards actively working on the island. Drawn from all over the country, these lifeguards return to Cape May to serve on the same beaches their parents and grandparents guarded.
For Libby Forrest, lifeguarding was something she always heard about growing up — from both of her parents.
“Honestly, I had a picture of what I was walking into,” Libby said. “I’d heard so many stories. But it exceeded all my expectations. It’s such a cool job. My favorite part is probably the camaraderie — not just with people my own age, but the whole patrol is close-knit and passionate. All ages. All backgrounds.”
Forrest was born in California but spent much of her childhood in Hawaii. She’ll be a freshman at UC San Diego in the fall, thanks to a scholarship for rowing.
She had the great luck to be partnered with a senior guard who was a former Division I rower herself, “so we take the boat out for practice. This job gives you so many opportunities to learn so many things, like there are people who grew up on the water and those who didn’t, but now that they’ve been exposed to it, they’re entering competitions and races, meeting so many people and learning so many new things.”
Libby slows down for a second. She spent the day before pulling people out of a rough chop, but her energy is off the charts.
That energy is something she must’ve inherited from her father, Craig Forrest, who was a lifeguard in Cape May years ago, along with his wife Tara.
“It was built in her DNA,” he said of his daughter’s abilities. “She was doing the swim from Poverty to the Cove,” he said of the notorious test of rookie applicants: a 5-mile swim around the island. “I was on zkeep an eye on things, and I realized she was just made for this. She’s had all these lessons and experiences. All her aunties and uncles were in this patrol, people she’s known all her life, but also her rowing, swimming, the fact that her mother and I were lifeguards together — it just made her perfect for the job.”
Forrest is bubbling over with pride for his daughter, but he also has ties to this area: he grew up here, dragging his then-girlfriend Tara all the way from California to see the coast of New Jersey after they met in college.
Libby is named after her paternal grandmother, a former columnist for the Cape May County Herald, and her middle name is May. It seems the Forrests are a little romantic about the place — Craig and Tara even married on Poverty Beach.
“It’s such a great organization in so many ways,” he said of the CMBP. “The camaraderie, saving lives, protecting people, and it’s very family-oriented.”
That family orientation is made even more clear when speaking to some of the other young guards, such as the Mogck siblings, Gavin and Reagan. If the Mogck name sounds familiar, it’s because their grandfather was the legendary “Buzz” Mogck, who was chief of the patrol for 40 years.
Their father Eric Mogck was also on the patrol before moving to Pennsylvania for work. Their mother was a collegiate swimmer, but never a guard; however, her brother Gene was also a lifeguard here.
Now the two younger Mogcks join their cousin Dominick in the record-breaking lineup of third-generation guards.
Gavin has been working on the beaches of Cape May for six years, since he was 16 years old.
“I was in high school and the idea sounded cool: follow in the footsteps of Dad and Grandad. I told them at the dinner table, it was here in Cape May, actually. They were excited. I was on the swim team in high school, plus I’m a runner, so they knew I could do it. But once they found out I wanted to, they started pushing me to do what I needed — I trained with them for tryouts. I didn’t want to just make it, you know,” Gavin added, a little sheepishly. “Since I’m a third-generation lifeguard, I wanted to pass with flying colors.”
Gavin’s younger sister is Reagan Mogck, a 17-year-old in her second year on the patrol.
“I am the first woman in the family,” to do this, she said. “I was a little hesitant at first. I wasn’t that confident that I could save someone. That took convincing from my dad and brother. Now I’m 100% confident. Going through Rookie Week helped, and all that training. And actually saving someone for the first time? That helped.”
Reagan’s grandfather was the first chief to hire women to the patrol, something that both of his grandkids are proud to share.
“It’s now half and half,” Reagan said. “There is more support for women now.”
There’s also support for individual guard’s areas of interest, such as Reagan’s interest in medicine.
“It’s a hard job sometimes. Yesterday we had 15 saves because the water was choppy. Really, it depends on the conditions. I had two medical conditions on the beach. As long as everyone comes out OK, I like it. I’m interested in medical training, and it makes the day go quick.”
Although they respect the achievements of those who came before, this younger generation of guards receives training even more rigorous than their parents and grandparents did. The support system is crucial to their success.
“My Dad calls the patrol his family forever, and I wanted that for myself,” Libby said.
Gavin Mogck is heading into his senior year at St. Joseph Univeristy in Philadelphia, but says “working on the beach they named after my grandfather, I felt so proud. That’s our name,” adding “I don’t think I could ever leave Cape May fully” even as life is pulling him away from the area and the summers spent on the beach.
By VICTORIA RECTOR/For the Star and Wave
