Let’s dive into the world of the Linden Lifesaving Club shall we?. Among the list of activities their members take part in, some of their youngest are currently taking part in a training session.
The club’s Cindy James shares with the paper what goes into this training and its importance. She explained that on Wednesday evenings from 18:00 to 20:30, and on Saturdays from 09:00 to 11:00, there are training sessions, which are usually a bit shorter in length, at their club base, Linden Swimming Pool.
As James shared the word ‘exam’ can be met with intimidation, however, in order to compete and grow as a lifeguard, one must be qualified. Qualifications in lifesaving are called awards and these are assessed in exams.
Nippers, as the young members are called, awards are based on age – level one is U10, level two is U12 and level three is U14.
“Once you turn 14 you can do your Junior Lifeguard Award and start patrolling. All nipper awards consist of a fitness test and a lifesaving test. The fitness test is made up of swimming, sit-ups and push-ups. The distance and time for the swim increases as you level up,” said James.
Training is said to be vitally important, not only for maintaining of fitness of the nippers, but also to build a solid foundation for their future in lifesaving as a strong lifeguard. James also said they encourage their lifeguards and nippers to participate in open water swims as well as other competitions in lifesaving such as Gauteng and Nationals, even internationally.
Their lifesaving test is made up of water safety theory, first aid, signals and lifesaving theory.
“Nippers are the base of a club’s development and the future of lifesaving in South Africa. It is vitally important to get the children involved and excited from a young age,” concluded James.
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