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She’s the best on the beach — again.
East Hampton’s Amanda Calabrese, a former competitive lifeguard turned entrepreneur, came out of retirement for just one day last month — and proved she’s still got it.
The 27-year-old snagged a big win at East Hampton’s prestigious Main Beach Lifeguard Tournament, an annual Island-wide showdown featuring the best guards from across Suffolk and Nassau counties.
“I was in the semis and I said to myself, holy cow I made such a mistake, I’m so tired right now!” Calabrese told Greater Long Island. “In all the years I used to compete, I was always prepared and I trained so hard and eliminated all the variables. This time, there were definitely a lot more variables than I’m used to.”
Calabrese won beach flags — a sport where she’s a six-time national champion. Beach flags is a lifesaving event where athletes lie face-down in the sand, then spring up and race to grab a flag placed a short distance away. It’s a pure test of speed, reflexes, endurance and strategy — like racing to save someone in the water.
“I certainly didn’t win because of fitness,” she laughed. “Those girls that are 10 years younger than me and on the beach every day are in a lot better shape than me right now. I won because of my experience and years and years of honing my skills.”
In 2022, Calabrese officially hung up her swimsuit to focus full-time on her career.
Now living in San Francisco, she says her growing business is her No. 1 priority.
While a student at Stanford in 2019, she and business partner Greta Meyer invented a more mechanically efficient tampon designed for female athletes — a product they felt was badly needed. After years of research and development, the FDA gave its approval in 2023. Now, the “Sequel Spiral” tampon is rolling out nationwide.
“Sequel became the first tampon to ever sponsor a WNBA game,” said Calabrese. “We now have a partnership with the Indiana Fever. We work with Stanford Athletics, we sponsor Athletes Unlimited, and we stock a handful of stadiums across the United States with our product.”
Top: Amanda Calabrese, 27, after her big win at East Hampton’s prestigious Main Beach Lifeguard Tournament. (courtesy photo)
