Strand Surf Lifesaving Club competed at the 2018 South African lifesaving nationals, which took place from Sunday April 1 to Saturday April 7 in Port Elizabeth on Kings Beach and at Newton swimming pool.
Almost 2 000 competitors from 41 clubs from all over the country participated in pool, surf and beach events. The level of competition at this event is tough and tiring, with events in some cases being run in heat, quarters, semis and finals and where the best of the country battle it out against each other.
The Strand Junior team ended in 8th place overall, with the Nipper team ending in 12th place overall.
Marine Lifesaving Club from Durban was crowned the 2018 Lifesaving South Africa overall surf and pool national champions.
The Strand Junior team received 11 medals at the championships, while Strand Nippers walked away with six medals in total.
Medal winners for the junior team were:
Ico Coetzee winning a bronze medal in the under-19 male beach run event;
Megan Kreft, winning a gold medal for the under-19 beach flags event;
Taylor Yates winning the under-17 girls’ beach flags event and coming second in the beach sprints event;
Kira Bester runner-up for the under-17 girls’ competitor of the event award, scoring 30 points for Strand. She won the iron woman event and placed second in the under-17 girls’ surf ski and board race events;
Kira Bester and Mila Watson winning a silver medal in the junior female double ski event;
Jake Love winning a bronze medal in the under-15 boys’ iron man event;
Nicolas Lombard winning a silver medal in the under-15 boys’ surf swim event;
Megan Kreft, Kira Bester, Mila Watson and Mia Kelbrick winning a bronze medal in the junior female rescue tube rescue event.
For this simulated rescue event, the patient swims to the buoys. Once the patient reaches the buoys, the rescuer races to the patient with a tube rescue and fins, to pull the patient to shore. Once they reach the shallow water, two different rescuers take the patient from the swimmer and pull and carry the patient to safety, over the finishing line.
Medal winners for the Nippers team were:
Ashley Hingeston winning a bronze medal in the under-10 girls’ Beach run event;
Cullen Clarke winning a gold medal in the under-12 boys’ beach run event;
Liam Clarke – Cullen’s brother – winning a silver medal in the under-12 boys’ beach run event;
Aiden Laubser winning a gold medal in the under-12 boys’ bsurf swim event;
Ansty van Romburgh winning a bronze medal in the under-12 girls’ board race; and
The under-12 Strand team of Liam Clarke , Aiden Laubser and Ansty van Romburgh winning a bronze medal in the taplin event.
