He works as a quantity surveyor for his family’s business Dawson Building.
“My parents are very supportive, and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
Dawson said it was a surprise to be named captain for the Black Fins team to Germany.
“I was having a meeting with campaign lead Steve Kent and coach Andy McMillan and the two of them were waffling on. Then they started mentioning that Gizzy has had some good Black Fins captains over the years.”
Dawson started to put two and two together, and before he knew it, he was being asked whether he would like to join that prestigious list.
“I got a bit tingly and a bit sweaty. It’s something I’d dreamed about as a young kid.
“It all comes back to Gizzy and having so many surf lifesaving legends around me.
“They’re all awesome, and they’ve all been captains, so it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Dawson says he was a “late bloomer” when it came to surf lifesaving.
“I was a bit of a rugby kid growing up. I only started swimming because I thought it would help with my fitness.”
It was at the pool that his life changed course.
“Cory Taylor came up to me and said, ‘Have you tried surf lifesaving? You should give it a go,’ and I thought, ‘Yeah, all right,’ and that was that. I’ve never looked back since.”
The pair went to Australia together to train, and have competed in the Black Fins many times. Soon both will have led the team.
“It’s pretty special to both be competing at such a high level,” Dawson said. “Because we’ve known each for so long, we also know how we both operate, and it’s nice to have standing next to me a supportive guy like Cory that I can talk to.”
And Dawson hopes “support” will be what he’ll be able to offer as Black Fins captain.
“Well, hopefully I’ll be a winning one,” he said, before adding, “I want to be supportive and encouraging. I also want to have some fun.
“At the end of the day, you want to remember the trip and remember how much fun you had.
“It’s a stressful and nervous time, especially for the young ones, but if we can turn that around and have fun, maybe that’ll be the carrot for them to carry on doing surf lifesaving for another 10 years.”
Dawson has been competing as a Black Fin since 2010 and is excited to be leading the team.
“The International German Cup holds a special place in my heart, as it’s my fifth one.
“We’ve also got a great team line-up — a mix of youth and experience.
“We’ve got some good things to give, so I’m hoping we can rip into it.”
Taylor, 30, said he personally had been having a great build-up to the competition.
“One thing I’ve been trying to figure out is that balance. Being 30, you’re a bit wiser with your training. You just know what your body needs, and I think I’m doing a good job of that at the moment. I haven’t enjoyed the sport and training this much for a long time.”
Black Fins: Chris Dawson (Midway SLSC, captain), Madison Kidd (Whangamatā), Zoe Crawford (Mairangi Bay), Molly Shivnan (Omanu), Talitha McEwan (Mt Maunganui Lifeguard Service), Fergus Eadie (Mairangi Bay), Louis Clark (Taylors Mistake), Sam Brown (Mairangi Bay).
Support team: Steve Kent (campaign/team lead), Andy McMillan (pool rescue coach), Tom Lowe (assistant coach/technical analyst )Kayla Botha (physiotherapist).
