More than 850 athletes will compete in the Under-14 New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Championships at Mount Maunganui. Photo / Bex Charteris
More than 850 athletes will compete in the Under-14 New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Championships at Mount Maunganui. Photo / Bex Charteris
Top junior surf life saving athletes on the path to becoming qualified surf lifeguards will test themselves and each other at Surf Life Saving's biggest youth sport event at Mount Maunganui from today.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand's (SLSNZ) premier Under-14 event, the Under-14 New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Championships, known as Oceans 19, is being hosted at Mount Maunganui with more than 850 athletes competing - including a strong contingent from Western Bay of Plenty.
The event aims to teach children important surf safety skills through sport on the path to becoming qualified surf lifeguards.
It will include board and tube rescue races as well as the diamond, run-swim-run, beach flag and beach sprint competitions.
Defending Oceans champions, Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service, has the most athletes participating of any club with 66 competitors but event manager Matt Warren says they will have strong competition.
Athletes will come from as far south as Dunedin and from as far north as Ruakaka while athletes from Christchurch, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay and Wellington will also make the trip, coming up against a forecast increasing swell, with waves expected to be just under a metre by the finals day on Sunday.
"Mount Maunganui have a really strong sport programme, so they will definitely be the ones to watch," Warren says.
"However, a lot of clubs around the country have spent a lot of time preparing for this so we're sure the Mount team will be pushed the entire weekend. It's definitely shaping up to be one of the most exciting events yet."
Athletes in action during last year's Oceans 19 event. Photo / Bex Charteris
Forty-nine athletes will wear the red and white colours of Ōmanu and coach Simon Wells says his charges have been working hard.
"Our squad has been preparing all season for these championships through training at the beach and at the pool. Our older athletes can have up to 10 training sessions a week," Wells says.
"Leading our charge will be one of our team captains Lucy Bartlett, who heads into her fourth and final Oceans. She along with long-term teammates Jess Carey, Lucy Sandford and Isabella Etherington will make up the core of our under-14 teams and as it's their last year as a juniors will all be patrolling our beach's as qualified lifeguards next season."
Wills says Jack Mcsweeney, Christian Mcnamara, Leo Keaney, Braith Swanberg and Josh Verryt will be out to make the most of all the hard work they have put in over the season.
The two facets of surf life saving club activity is unique in that there is a direct correlation between the disciplines and the service the clubs provide to the community.
The process in becoming a lifeguard and the competitive events are well intertwined and Wills says the Oceans event is a significant one.
"Oceans 19, our Oceans training squad and junior surf programmes are an important part of our club's strategy of producing fitter, faster lifeguards and retaining them long term. It's where our junior members get to learn and practice the foundation lifesaving skills that will help them keep the public safe.
"This event gives our members the opportunity to showcase their skills, test themselves against Mother Nature and the best junior surf lifesaving athletes from around the country."
The action begins today at 9am at Mount Maunganui's main beach.
Bay of Plenty clubs and athletes competing at Oceans 19: Mount Maunganui: 66 Ōmanu: 49 Pāpāmoa: 26 Whakatāne: 19 Ōpōtiki: 1
