Travis Misdorp and Alice Edward – two up-and-coming members from SUNCOAST Pirates Lifesaving Club – have returned to Durban after doing their club proud at the Lifesaving World Championships 2016 held in the Netherlands in September.
The teenagers represented their club and country in the South African Junior and Interclub events, respectively. Lifeguards, of all ages, from around the world participated in the various Pool and Ocean events – in Eindhoven and Noordwijk.
This is the second time that Travis – who is about to write his Matric Final examinations at Clifton College in Durban – has pitted his lifesaving skills on the international arena. He was part of the South African Junior Team.
The matriculant who started lifesaving at SUNCOAST Pirates as a Nipper, aged 11, was part of the beach relay team which clinched gold in the 4x90m event. “This was very unexpected as normally the water events are my forte,” he said. “I also placed fourth in the board event, narrowly missing the bronze medal.”
The South African Junior team placed third in the Ocean events, eighth in the Pool and seventh out of 12 overall.
Alice Edward (16) represented SUNCOAST Pirates in the InterClub event at the World Championships. The Grade 10-pupil at Durban Girls College made the finals starting list in every event, which included the 2000m Beach Run, Surf Ski Race, Board Race and the OceanWoman. Her best result was placing seventh in the Swim.
“The competition was extremely tough in all the events,” says Alice, who joined SUNCOAST Pirates’ Nippers division at the age of seven.
Both lifesavers train most days – mornings and afternoons – in all the skills. They train with fellow Pirates members at the club as well as on their own.
Travis is relocating to the Gold Coast, Australia, early in the New Year where he intends upping his intensity in lifesaver training in preparation for Worlds in 2018 – which will be held in Australia.
Alice will be focusing her training on the next SA Champs which will be held in Camps Bay, Cape Town in March 2017.
“We are so proud of Travis and Alice for doing such a sterling job in representing SUNCOAST Pirates on the international stage,” says Louise Howell, Marketing Manager at SUNCOAST.
Equally proud is chairman of SUNCOAST Pirates Lifesaving Club, Brad Pearse “We are thrilled with Travis and Alice’s achievements” adding that “SUNCOAST’s ongoing sponsorship is a valuable contribution to our club as it plays a vital role in the training and development of our lifeguards.”
The beach in front of the SUNCOAST Pirates Lifesaving Clubhouse is known for its tricky currents and conditions – the perfect site for ultimate lifeguard training.
“SUNCOAST’s donation to our club is an asset to our beaches as our members are always prepared to assist in any emergency or rescue on the beach and in the surf,” Pearse said.
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