West Life Saving athletes return to training
With aquatic centres re-opening it was fantastic to see the crew from West Life Saving Club back in the pool last weekend for their first training session since the COVID-19 shutdown. 16 athletes returned to training at Newman College on Sunday afternoon.
Many of those taking part in the training were members of WA’s State Pool Lifesaving team, who claimed overall silver at the National Pool Lifesaving Championships in Perth back in January. They will soon commence training for State Trials at which they will vie for places in the 2021 State Team, hoping to be able to compete at the National Championships in Canberra early next year, if travel restrictions are lifted in time.
State Coach Andrew Ridley says the guys and girls are glad to be back in the pool after more than two months out. “It was amazing for West Life Saving Club members to hit the pool on Sunday afternoon after an extended break due to COVID-19. Many of the athletes have not yet re-started swim squad training and for us to offer training has been exciting and a return to normal for many of our talented athletes.”
The 16 athletes found out quickly what it was like to return to training after an extended break, but the coach was kind, and worked with them to ease them back in - focusing on skill development, endurance and strength development. The club returns to the pool again this weekend.
The West Life Saving club offers Pool Life Saving training for swimmers aged 13yrs+ to build Pool Life Saving racing skills and to complement the work they do with their existing swim squads. Athletes from the club compete at local, state, national and international level for both Royal Life Saving and Surf Life Saving events. In the past year West Life Saving athletes have competed at:
- Commonwealth Championships, Leeds UK
- German Cup, Germany
- Orange Cup, Netherlands
- Australian Pool Life Saving Championships, Perth
- National Surf Life Saving Championships, Brisbane
The club welcomes new members to train on Sunday afternoons between 3.00pm - 4.30pm at Newman College Pool. You can find out more about West Life Saving and all of Royal Life Saving WA’s opportunities to take part in Pool Lifesaving as a sport at the link below.
