Over 350 lifesavers demonstrated their skills in glorious sunshine on Kilkee Beach -

Waterford Surf Life Saving Club (WSLSC) competed in the National Irish Lifesaving Championships on Saturday the 9th September 2007 at Kilkee beach, Co Clare. The open water events presented a magnificent spectacle of surf swimming races, ski races, surfboard races and events designed to test the lifesaving skills, fitness and endurance of the participants. The 4,000 spectators basked in sunshine and thoroughly lapped up the Mediterranean like weather and close competition. John Leech CEO of Irish Water Safety said “Many of the competitors have worked as Lifeguards protecting lives around the country all summer and now they get a chance to pitch their skills against the finest lifesavers in the country. This is a tremendous team sport that is entertaining for competitors and spectators alike, it encourages our Nippers and Juniors to aspire to be lifeguards." Competing against more than 350 other lifesavers, which comprised of 101 Nippers (aged 9-14); 58 Juniors; 170 Seniors; 29 Masters. It was an extremely long day for competitors, officials and supporters alike, but Waterford SLSC managed to win medals in all four categories and take home a total of 17 medals! [7 Gold, 7 Silver, 3 Bronze]

WSLSC Senior Girl’s team did extremely well and with only one point separating them from the host county Clare they held off tough competition all day to make sure they would take home a magnificent Waterford Crystal trophy in the end. The Senior Men’s team came a comfortable third, behind the runaway winners Wicklow, and second placed Clare. The Junior Boys team also came third in their section behind Clare and Donegal and this was an excellent result for this very young team who will have another few years left in this age category.

The clean sweep Waterford made of the Board Rescue event was a tremendous achievement for WSLSC, with gold medals for Junior Boys, Senior Girls and Senior Men in this event. The Board Rescue Race is an exciting event where one member of the team swims out in a race of approximately 120m to a designated buoy, signals, and waits to be picked up by the second member of the team on a board. They both paddle to shore and cross the finish line together. Waterford Surf Life Saving Club were delighted to have five young members of our club competing in the nipper category of a lifesaving competition for the first time, All preformed fantastically and judging from their reaction will be back to give it a go again next year. But a special mention to our two Nipper medal winners; Craig Bulter - winning gold in the board race and Darragh O’Riordan, wining bronze in the flag race. Indeed everyone from the club who participated in the National Surf Lifesaving Championships in Clare disserves huge congratulations!

“2007 is the year of the lifesaver” and Waterford Surf Life Saving Club has had a very successful year with six of its members represent Ireland in International Surf Lifesaving competitions. Three members of WSLSC represented their country at the Nivea Cup 2007. Emma Griffin, Catherine Brown and Shane Molloy form part of Team Ireland that competed at the German Surf Lifesaving Championships, which were held in Warnemünde in July. The club also had three other Junior members Grace Doyle, Kevin Doyle and Darragh O’Keefe who represented Ireland at the European Junior Championships in Canet En Roussilon, France in August, both Senior and Junior teams competed against some of Europe’s finest Lifeguards and Lifesavers.

The Sport of Lifesaving has been developed to improve the standard of life guarding in Ireland and assist lifesavers save lives. These skills were demonstrated by Lifesavers as young as nine years of age (Nippers) with the more experienced Junior, Senior and Masters Lifeguards demonstrating their lifesaving skills that can be such an important lifeline in an emergency

Waterford Surf Life Saving Club helping to prevent drowning and injury on Waterford beaches

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