MERMAID TWINS RIDING CREST OF A WAVE
TWINS Alyssa and Claudia Bailey have revealed their surf secrets after a strong family performance at the Queensland Youth Surf Life Saving Championships
The pair, 14, who compete for Mermaid Beach SLSC in the under-14 division, were part of the club’s winning board relay team but it was their performance in the board rescue event that turned heads.
“We use a European technique where the person on the front of the board lays down and adopts a butterfly style stroke with their arms while the person on their back is on their knees,” Alyssa said.
“You get better strokes which are bigger and deeper so it’s really effective.”
The technique is rarely seen on Australian beaches and was introduced to the girls after their coach returned from coaching the French side at the world surf lifesaving championships.
“He thought it was really interesting and effective so he came back from the worlds and taught us and now both our girls’ teams use it,” Alyssa said.
Despite finishing first in their board rescue heat, the girls couldn’t back it up in the final, finishing eighth.
“We got unlucky and drew a really bad starting spot in the final and got stuck in a rip but that’s part of surf lifesaving,” Claudia said.
The twins believe that their close bond is one of the main reasons behind their success, especially in the board rescue as they pick up each other’s rhythm.
“It’s easier being able to train together as we motivate each other and always push each other to do our best,” Claudia said.
“It’s really fun having your sibling and best friend to compete with,” Alyssa said.