Wexford’s lifesavers have the right stuff
COUNTY Wexford’s female lifesavers emerged as one of the strongest teams despite strong challenges from some of Ireland’s fittest Lifesavers competing recently at Irish Water Safety’s National Lifesaving Championships in the University of Limerick.
The championships attracted a record entry of 327 Lifesaving competitors from 12 counties. This annual competition gives the best swimming pool lifesavers in Ireland an opportunity to compete in conditions that Lifesavers can encounter in real life rescue situations.
The sport of lifesaving teaches participants the skills necessary to rescue people in distress in water. Many of the competitors, having worked as Lifeguards in pools nationwide, got their chance to pitch their skills against the finest lifesavers in the country.
The events are varied and challenging with competitors swimming under obstacles, rescuing ‘casualties’ from the water and skilfully testing a variety of lifesaving skills in the process. The event promotes the fitness and readiness for action of the lifesavers and demonstrates Lifeguard water rescues to the public through a series of competitions based around key lifesaving skills such as swimming, towing, line-throwing and the use of manikin dummies. Competing counties: Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Dublin, Louth . The results were: Senior Ladies: 1st: Clare A, 2nd: Wicklow, 3rd: Wexford 4th: Clare B; Senior Men: 1st: Clare A, 2nd: Waterford A, 3rd: Sligo A, 4th: Wexford A; Junior Boys: 1st: Clare A, 2nd: Cork B, 3rd:Waterford A, 4th: Wicklow; Junior Girls: 1st: Clare A, 2nd: Wicklow A, 3rd: Clare B, 4th: Waterford B; Masters (male/female combined): 1st: Cork, 2nd: Waterford, 3rd: Donegal, 4th: Wexford.