Whangamatā surf life savers off to the world championships

Black Fin Madison Kidd in action in the pool.

Two Whangamatā Surf Life Saving Club members will represent New Zealand at the World Championships in August.

Madison Kidd will join the Black Fins on the Gold Coast, Australia between August 20 and September 8. She is no stranger to international competition, having made the Black Fins in 2018.

She will be joined by Milana Tapper, who is part of the Junior Black Fins squad. It will be her debut outing.

Whangamatā Surf Life Saving Club manager Dianna Harrison said Kidd had been involved with the club for some time and had done coaching work with them. Tapper had recently achieved impressive results in regional and national competitions.

“Well done to those girls; as a club we are extremely proud of them.”

Harrison said the selections reflected what was going on in the background at the club, having achieved about a dozen national titles at recent events.

“We are punching well above our weight.”

Held every two years, the worlds attract up to 7000 athletes, including Olympic and world champions, from youth to masters.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand high performance sport manager Tanya Hamilton said this year’s team featured a good mix of youth and experience.

“We’ve also had a fantastic sport season here in New Zealand, with athletes pulling out some incredible performances. We know we’ll give our competitors a run for their money, especially Australia, our toughest rivals. We can’t wait to head across the Tasman to compete.”

The Lifesaving World Championships will be split into three areas – pool, beach, and ocean.

The pool events include obstacle swim, rescue medley and manikin carry, and will be held at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre in Southport.

The beach and ocean events, including the surf race, iron race, and beach flags, will take place at Kurrawa Beach.

Hamilton said lifesaving was a unique sport as it was a sport with a cause.

All the athletes competing were qualified surf lifeguards and the events showcased the skills and physical abilities required to save a life.

“It’s also a fun and exciting sport to watch as competitors not only go up against each other, but also mother nature; they’ve got to do battle with the elements, which means anything can happen.”

The lifesaving sport community will also be wanting to put its best foot forward as the International Life Saving Federation (ILS) has announced it’s put a bid in for inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.

ILS president Graham Ford said lifesaving sport continued to grow internationally and there had never been a better time to pursue the Olympic pathway.

“Lifesaving sport aligns perfectly with the International Olympic Committee’s vision of ‘building a better world through sport’, with all members of our sport committed to not only top-level competition but also saving lives through their humanitarian work in volunteer organisations.”

Surf Life Saving New Zealand is scheduled to name the Black Props (Inflatable Rescue Boat team) for the Lifesaving World Championships in June.

*Represents Lifesaving World Championships Black Fins debut

Black Fins:

Briana Irving - Waikanae SLSC

Chris Dawson - Midway SLSC

Cory Taylor – Midway SLSC

Fergus Eadie - Mairangi SLSC

Joe Collins - Fitzroy SLSC*

Louis Clark - Mairangi Bay SLSC*

Madison Kidd - Whangamatā SLSC

Molly Shivnan - Omanu SLSC

Olivia Corrin – Midway SLSC

Oska Smith - Waikanae SLSC*

Rae Kwan - Ōrewa SLSC*

Zoe Crawford - Mairangi Bay SLSC*

Junior Black Fins:

Bella Wansbrough - East End SLSC*

Daniel Callebaut - East End SLSC*

Isaac Gear - Piha SLSC*

Jasper Cornish - Red Beach SLSC*

Laine Creighton - Red Beach SLSC*

Michaela Pocock - Mairangi Bay SLSC*

Milana Tapper - Whangamatā SLSC*

Sophie Petro – Midway SLSC*

Tara Shotter - East End SLSC*

Yahni Brown – Midway SLSC*

Zak Johnson - East End SLSC*

Zoe Pederson - Red Beach SLSC*