Contestants at lifesaving championship have their say

THE SECOND day of the General Tire Lifesaving SA National Championship was a contest between the junior and senior lifesaving competitors battling it out in Camps Bay Beach.

The youngsters are competing in a variety of races such as beach flag sprints, a surf swim, a beach sprint and a board race, until the last day of the event tomorrow.

With over 700 competitors from around the country competing, the national championship is an opportunity to acknowledge and support the people who often help us on the beaches.

Kelly Mandell, 17, participated in the junior female ski relay and won second place, thereby claiming silver for her and her teammates.

“It was a great rush, I didn’t expect to come second but I had a really positive attitude and I kept fighting all the way.

“It is really nice seeing real tough competition because in East London we don’t have a lot of tough competition, and the conditions here have been really good.

“It was a great rush, and seeing the smiles on my teammates’ faces was great,” she added.

Said 20-year-old Rob Tweddle: “We’re here competing in the lifesaving nationals, and what made me want to go into lifesaving was that I grew up in Llandudno, and so I spent pretty much of my life in the water.

“When I was young, I saw all the guys running up and down on the beach and I thought to myself that I wanted to do that one day.

“Then I got involved in the kids group and then worked my way up to where I am now, over 10 years later.”

Charity Mtetwa, 22, from Suncoast Pirates in KwaZulu-Natal, also shared her experience: “I started swimming when I was 11, and after I finished school, I went on to become a lifeguard.”

Professional surfer Frank Soloman was also in attendance, showing his support for the event and participating.

“I’ve been doing lifesaving since I was about five years old. It taught me everything I knew about the ocean, and that was the reason I became a professional athlete,” he said.