Band aid a real lifesaver
Hi-tech approach to streamline surf carnivals
SHORTER surf carnivals, increased efficiency and fewer officials is what is promised by new surf lifesaving technology set to take the sport by storm.
Surf Life Saving Western Australia has spent the past few years developing new wristband technology which enables software to instantly organise and track surf lifesaving results.
Athletes wear a wristband which is linked with a competitor number. As athletes cross the line during a race, they tap their wristband on an iPad which instantly generates race results.
The results are then filed and able to be accessed by athletes throughout the carnival.
The software also sends out text message notifications when marshalling for a race is about to occur.
Ironman legend and Burleigh
Heads Mowbray Park head coach Phil Clayton has seen the technology in action and believes it’s the future of surf sports.
“It’s a really quality product and I’m surprised we don’t have it here yet,” he said.
“It’s the way of the future because it saves so much time. “It makes carnivals faster and makes people more prepared to want to go and watch.”
Surf Life Saving Western Australia high performance officer Andrew Mosel said the organisation has been developing and testing the product for years before finally rolling it out across competition in 2019.
“We’ve got a prototype here and people are beginning to see that it works,” Mosel said.
“We’ve had brief discussions with them (Surf Life Saving
Australia officials) about it and Surf Life Saving Queensland are also interested and want to have a chat about it when we come over for Aussies (next month).”
Mosel said another benefit of the technology was also introducing younger people to the role of being an official, with many tech-savvy teenagers taking to surf carnivals to operate the software system.