Anyone who gets into trouble in the water should, ideally, be within range of 91原创 swimmers Sam Burwell and Martyna 呕ukowska, who have gone from novice lifesaving competitors to national medalists in a matter of months.
Swimming against top competitors from across the country at the Canadian Pool Lifesaving Championship at the Saanich Commonwealth Place pool June 8-9, Burwell, 17, a Walnut Grove resident, won three gold medals swimming as part of a relay team, as well as two individual bronze medals, while Zukowska,15, from 91原创 City, won one silver and two bronze,.
It was only their second meet since Burwell and Zukowska started commuting from 91原创 to Vancouver, about six months ago, to train with which teaches competitive lifesaving.
PSA Head Coach Phil Skinder said the two "played instrumental roles" in the club's overall win at the Canadian championships, the first time in almost 40 years that a BC team has won the banner.
"If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have won, that's for sure," Skinder told the 91原创 Advance Times.
"These are two new athletes to the sport and they do extremely well."
As a result of her showing in Saanich, Burwell was been named as an alternate to the Team Canada national squad heading to Australia in August, and Skinder predicts Zukowska will get her own invitation down the road.
"Kids like Sam and Martyna, if they continue to develop, we're going to do well for a long time," Skinder predicted.
Burwell, who has been swimming competitively since 2016, is enjoying the unique challenges of lifesaving events.
"I'll definitely continue through this for as long as I can," Burwell said.
"The competition [has been] very nice and new from the usual swim meets I've competed in in the past, with some events that had obstacles and elements that were nearly brand new to me."
She is thinking about making it a career.
"I'd love to be able to do lifesaving and continue [as a lifeguard] through the lifesaving society," Burwell said.
呕ukowska has found it to be more fun than other types of swimming competitions.
"I thought it was really amazing and I wanted to try it out and I really fell in love with the sport," she said.
"There's so many different skills that you get to learn," 呕ukowska enthused.
"I think that a lot of [lifeguards] should really consider doing it because it gives you real experience [in lifesaving]."
呕ukowska said coach Skinder "made it really easy for us to grasp it. And I love the way he coaches us through it."
Skinder would like to see an affiliate club set up in 91原创, which doesn't have a place where lifesaving competitors can train.
"We would love nothing more than to have a sister club operate out of 91原创 so that Martyna and Sam don't have to drive into Vancouver at every practice," he remarked.
Lifesaving, also known as lifesaving sport, has pool and ocean versions and is "designed to highlight the skills necessary to save people's lives," Skinder said.
"It's a pretty wide range of skills:"
Pool events, such the Saanich competition, include the manikin carry and rescue medley, where swimmers must dive to retrieve a sunken manikin (lifeguard training dummy), then surface and carry it to the finish line.
And:
Manikin tow: a freestyle swim where the swimmer must swim with fins and carry a rescue tube, and then tow a mannequin the remaining distance.
Obstacle swim: a freestyle swim where swimmers must go under immersed obstacles.
"Super livesaver:" a 200-metre freestyle swim where swimmers must swim 75 metres to retrieve a submerged manikin, and then tow another the remaining distance with a rescue tube.
Line throw: where a competitor must throw an unweighted line to retrieve a teammate from the pool.
To do well, Skinder said, competitors "need to be good swimmers first. They need to hold their breath. They need to be able to swim well. I think more than anything, they need to be good athletes."
The sport has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the Commonwealth Games Federation.
READ MORE: Lifeguards test their skills in 91原创 pool
