#lifesaving – Ireland has won a silver and bronze medals in the European Lifesaving Championships in the towns of Noordwijk and Den Haag, Holland.
The Team Bronze was won in the Simulated Emergency Rescue Competition by Triona Mc Menamin from Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, Cormac O Sullivan, Bernard Cahill, Dylan Barrett who all hail from Ennis Co. Clare.
Bernard Cahill and Dylan Barrett also won an individual Silver and Bronze respectively in the Run -Swim-Run Competition, which simulates a rescue from the water.
These results reflect the excellent work done at local and national level in Lifesaving sports for a number of years now.
What makes this success special is the great work undertaken by the volunteers who teach and train these young athletes.
The Championships simulate real life rescue situations that these Lifesavers can expect to encounter as Lifeguards. To secure six International medals at European level is testimony to how hard they trained and how well they prepared as individuals and as a team.
Lifesaving sport is primarily intended to encourage lifesavers to develop, maintain and improve the essential physical and mental skills needed to save lives in the aquatic environment. Lifesaving competitions consist of a variety of competitions to further develop and demonstrate lifesaving skills, fitness and motivation.
Children around Ireland as young as eight can get involved in a series of progressive Lifesaving classes taught by Irish Water Safety, through the www.iws.ie website and hopefully go on to represent their country in these competitions.
