Rehoboth Beach Patrol’s Sophia Gulotti helps save lives year-round

Fear not, beachgoers, the shores are protected by some of the best in the industry.

It might be the season of the witch, particularly in Rehoboth Beach, and while the weather may not be the best for sun and surf, one person keeping locals and visitors safe in beach weather is Rehoboth Beach Patrol’s Sophia “Sojo” Gulotti.

“I grew up in North Wilmington, but every summer we were down here at the beach, and all I've ever known is just coming to the Delaware beaches in the summer and spending time down here with my family,” Gulotti said. “Once I became a lifeguard, I was just down here all the time.”

Gulotti started in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, when the lifeguard shortage was at an all-time high.

“I figured, if I don't do it now, I'm never going to do it,” she said.

The former Temple student-athlete and ROTC member spends her summers looking over Cape Region residents and visitors.

“I did junior guards as a kid, and I kind of idolized the lifeguards, and I knew one day I wanted to be just like them,” Gulotti said

Sojo, who comes from a very supportive Italian family, found herself on the soccer pitch and track circle for Charter School of Wilmington during her time in high school at Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Wilmington. 

“I kind of got the best of both worlds there, because I got to do the art and then after school, I would join the Charter sports teams,” Gulotti said. “I got to take advantage of everything that building had to offer, whether it was sports or arts.”

Her start in track, back in first grade, was not exactly a picture-perfect painting.

“I hated it; I cried the first practice ever, but my dad brought me back and kept bringing me back,” Gulotti said. “I was raised to not be a quitter, and I'm so glad I kept getting brought back, because I ended up really enjoying it,”

Learning the discipline of commitment at an early age, she used her perseverance to propel her to impressive athletic feats, including a state championship in the 300-meter hurdles in 2019, an event she dominated throughout the year. She also began traveling the country in middle school and eventually started competing for Delaware Elite.

A member of the JROTC program as well, her achievements athletically and academically resulted in an ROTC scholarship to Temple and a spot on the cross country and track teams. While her nursing major and extracurricular activities required serious time commitments, Gulotti said her brother, who also ran track and won a state title in the discus, and she were raised to stand by their commitments.

In her sophomore year of college, she began competing in the heptathlon, an event that includes hurdles, and she thinks she became a better all-around athlete during that time. Gulotti thinks that lifeguard training helped her during her college career.

“Lifeguarding helped tremendously with preseason in the fall when I would go back to school and we would do our track workout. Then ending track season in May, you go right into beach patrol,” Gulotti said. “Running kind of helps both areas of my life tremendously.”

Running in the sand is a completely different ballgame from running on a track.

“When you're running on the track or the pavement, you have a rebound, you have a force that is going to equally provide a stride, so that you're not going to feel like it's it's tiring, but when you're out here on the sand, it gives in, so you have to work a little bit harder to run a little bit faster.”

Although she has graduated college, one would be hard-pressed to find an athlete competing at a higher level than Sojo, particularly on the sand.

“This was my second time with Team USA, my first time at the Lifesaving Association World Championships,” Gulotti said. “Last year, we had this event called ISRC, International Surf Rescue Challenge; worlds happens every other year, and the year that there's not a world championship, they have this smaller, little international competition. Last year, we were lucky enough to host it in Texas.”

She said that friendly event welcomes New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Canada and the U.S.

Gulotti won the beach flags and 90-meter beach sprint in 2023 in Texas, and in 2024, she had five top 10 finishes at the competition held on Australia’s Gold Coast.

“Australia was just such a cool and incredible experience; I've never been to that side of the world before, and for it to be wintertime there – but it not feel like winter – was kind of like a cool thing to experience,” Gulotti said. “Everyone was complaining about how cold it was, but it was like 84 degrees. I'm like, ‘Oh, you guys think this is cold, come to Delaware.’”

Gulotti said there is a certain bond formed between the guards she patrols with and competes against. 

“Lifeguard culture is just different in itself, because not only are we competing to be athletes, but we're also competing against the ocean to save lives and make sure people go home safely every day,” Gulotti said. “Our goal is the ocean, and it's always been the ocean. Competitions come second. However, when it is time for us to compete, it's go time.”

When summer ends, Sojo continues to help people as a U.S. Army nurse in Washington D.C. 

“I had a few nurses in my family, and I felt inspired by them,” Gulotti said. “I was very drawn to working in a hospital, and I didn't want a desk job. I wanted something where I would be active on my feet. It kind of ties back into sports, because in a way, nursing is kind of a sport because you're working with a team of healthcare providers to provide care.”

While the job can be exhausting, Gulotti says it is worth it.

“Helping people and making them feel comfortable in their most uncomfortable moments is very satisfying, and I'm glad I can be there to help people when they need it,” she said.

Ironically, she helps people who often spend time helping others.

“Any active-duty service member, any family member of any active-duty member, veterans or government officials, I kind of take care of that group of people,” Gulotti said.

While her obligations and responsibilities are numerous, Gulotti doesn’t tire from them.

“I get energy boosts from being involved, and I've always been that way from a young age; I always had to be doing something,” Gulotti said.

She credits her mom and dad for instilling a strong work ethic in her and her brother.

“My parents always encouraged my brother and me to try new things, and if we didn't like it, we were never allowed to quit,” Gulotti said. “We would just have to finish off the season and just not return next year. My parents always encouraged us to finish what we started, and I think that mindset carried into both of our adult lives, and I'm very glad that they pushed us to do our best.”