28 Aug 2024
In their first day of competition at the Lifesaving World Championships on Australia’s Gold Coast, the Black Fins placed ninth in the final of the Simulated Emergency Response Competition (SERC). (Image provided by George Wenman)
Described as “an event for lifesaving purists”, the SERC event focuses on emergency response, rescue skills and initiative of lifesavers. The SERC tests the initiative, judgment, knowledge, and abilities of four lifesavers who act as a team. The team under the direction of a team leader – apply lifesaving skills in a simulated emergency situation unknown to them prior to the start. This competition is judged within a two-minute time limit and all teams respond to the same scenario and are evaluated by the same judges.
Black Fins 9th
Black Fins Campaign Lead Steven Kent says that the team did incredibly well, with the four-person team of Zoe Crawford (Mairangi Bay), Madison Kidd (Whangamatā), and Louis Clark (Mairangi Bay), led by Chris Dawson (Midway) placing within the top 10.
“We haven’t done SERC since 2018, so it was a good experience for the team,” he says. “There were a few challenges around how to conduct the rescue and what the strategy should be.”
“We thought the team did a top job, but you can’t always predict what the judges are looking for. We’re really proud of them.
“Ninth is a good position for us given there are some excellent teams in the SERC event from around the world. We’re excited to head into pool competition tomorrow – we believe we’re one of the stronger nations in the pool and we have some great athletes for the pool component. We’re predicting some really strong performances, and the team are fizzing to compete.”
The Black Fins commence pool competition from tomorrow.
Junior Black Fins 8th
The Junior Black Fins also kicked off their campaign with the SERC competition.
The team of four, made up of Bella Wansbrough (East End), Laine Creighton (Red Beach), Zoe Pederson (Red Beach) and led by Michaela Pocock (Mairangi Bay) came in eighth overall, with Australia, Canada, and Great Britain and Northern Ireland taking the top three places, respectively.
Junior Black Fins Campaign Lead Zac Franich says that the SERC event is a real test of “overall lifeguarding capabilities”, and he was impressed with the team’s performance given it is not a regular feature of domestic competition.
“The team competed really well in an event that wasn’t particularly familiar to them,” he says. “It has set us up really well as we prepare to commence the beach competition from tomorrow.”
About the Lifesaving World Championships
The biennial team event, which runs from 23 August to 8 September, will see the world’s best lifesavers from 44 countries race each other along the pristine Gold Coast coastline in various pool- and ocean-based events in an ultimate test of their swim skills and ocean knowledge. Events range from pool disciplines like the manikin tow through to board rescues and beach sprints, and simulated emergency response (SERC).
Athletes race for both individual and team victories, with points earned for each of the 43 events in total. The Black Fins have won three of the last five World Championships, and have been on the podium almost every year since 1998.
Also on the line is the potential for Olympic glory, with the International Life Saving Federation (ILS) and Surf Life Saving Australia leading a campaign for lifesaving’s inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, the first time the sport would be featured at an Olympics. In fact, the International Olympic Committee will be observing the competition on the Gold Coast, with a final decision to be announced in 2026.
For New Zealand, success in the LWCs may drive future Olympic success as well as provide an opportunity to showcase the strength of its surf lifesaving talent on the world stage.
Key dates:
For more information (including live streaming details), visit www.lwc2024.com
Give us a call, send us a message or call in and see us. We’d love to hear from you.
