You are here:
News and special events related to RLSSport Pool Lifesaving.
What's On
Event_Calendar_10112.pdf (13KB) July 2010 - June 2011 (updated September 2010)
Upcoming Events
12 September 2010 - ProAm QLD - Caboolture Leisure Centre QLD_Lifesaving_Championships_PRO_AM_2010.pdf (643KB)
2 - 17 October 2010 - Rescue10 - Alexandria, Egypt. For more information click here
6 November 2010 - Australian Pool Life Saving Short Course Championships - ASTA, Seven Hills, NSW - 1pm - 5pm.
Entries will open Thursday 2 September 2010. Entries close Friday 29 October 2010.
Event entry fee - $25
13 - 15 January 2011 - Australian Pool Life Saving Championships - Brisbane Aquatic Centre, Chandler, QLD. More information regarding registration and entries will be available shortly.
3 - 10 October 2011 - Commonwealth Life Saving Championships, Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune, India
Elite Athlete Skins Meet - 14-16 May 2010
During the weekend of 14-16 May 2010 as part of the Elite Athlete Program athletes from the Royal Life Saving Junior, Silver and Aussie Barra squads competed over 2 days in a High Performance Skins Meet and Intensive Training Clinic held at the State Sports SuperCentre, Runaway Bay, QLD.
RLSS HP Skins Meet - Results (25KB)
Aussie Barras outstanding performance at 2009 German Cup
The RLSS-A national pool lifesaving team affectionately known as the Aussie Barras finished in second place behind the host nation Germany at the 2009 German Cup held in Warendorf over the 20 and 21 November.
The German Cup international pool lifesaving competition is held every two years and is regarded as one of the premier pool lifesaving competitions held in the world. At the 2009 event there were 17 national teams competing including, Spain, France, Poland, Netherlands and Japan.
RLSS-A National Sports Advisor, Gray Parkes stated that the result of the Aussie Barras is outstanding considering this was the first event the team had competed following the retirement of two legends of the sport of pool lifesaving in Australia, Sarah Windsor and Chris Timms plus the unavailability of Commonwealth Championship gold medallist James Cohen. For the Aussie Barras to gain second place in such a prestgious event with three new team members displays great leadership under team manager Jeanie Baxter-Reid and new national team coach Bec Cohen.
As well as gaining second place in the overall team point score, there were some outstanding individual performances with male team captain Andrew Bowden gaining third place in the mens overall individual classification and Felysia Konakoff and Jess Brown, female team captain, gaining second and third place respectively in the womens overall individual classification.
The team consisted of Andrew Bowden (NSW), Blake McCrindle (NSW), Luke Harper (NSW), Ben Orford (NSW), Mitch Parkes (NSW), Jess Brown (WA), Pamela Hendry (QLD), Stephanie Purcell (NSW), Jane Cooper (NSW) and Felysia Konakoff (NSW).
The management team consisted of Jeanie Baxter-Reid (QLD - Team Manager), Bec Cohen (WA - National Team Coach), Annie Gardiner (VIC - Team Official) and Lenny Murphy (NSW - Team Massage Therapist).
Congratulations Aussie Barras.
The full set of results can be found at: http://www.dlrg.de/fuer-mitglieder/einsatz-und-medizin/rettungssport/aktueller-wettkampf/meldungen-zum-dp-2009/meldung-im-detail/artikel/18709/91082.html
New RLSSA National Team Captains announced
Due to the international retirement of the RLSSA National team team captains, Chris Timms (WA) and Sarah Windsor (Qld), after the 2009 Commonwealth Championships held last June in Edmonton, Canada, Royal Life Saving - Australia is proud to announce Andrew Bowden (NSW) and Jess Brown (WA) as the new captains of the RLSSA National team, affectionately known as the Aussie Barras'.
Andrew and Jess' first assignment will be the 2009 German Cup International Life Saving compeition which is being held in Warendorf, Germany, this coming November.
National Sports Advisor, Gray Parkes, has stated, "Andrew and Jess are both tremendous competitors and very experienced in international competition and will be outstanding ambassadors for the Royal Life Saving Society - Australia. The Aussie Barra's have been left in very capable hands following the retirement of Chris Timms and Sarah Windsor and I am sure Andrew and Jess will continue to lead our national team to future success."
NSW State Championships
Day one of the the 2008 NSW RLSSA Pool Life Saving Championships was held on 16 March at the Engadine Leisure Centre, which is located approximately 30km south of the Sydney CBD.
The weather was at its best with the sun shining and temperatures reaching the high 20's. Approximately 100 competitors ranging from 7 years to the late sixties competed in a range of pool lifesaving events which included modified competition for competitors under 13 years of age and masters over the age of 45 years.
The day featured some outstanding racing from RLSSA's current leading competitors including Feysia Konakoff, Jane Cooper, Ben Orford, Blake McCrindle, Adrew Bowden and Mitch Parkes, whilst the next generation of the sport's up and coming stars including Mitch Hartman, Andrew and Scott Fisher, Matt McLennan, Jess Walker, Emily Mathison, Kailah Elliott, Jemma Aziz all showed the skills and technique required that will make them very successful in the future.
If one individual performance had to be singled out it would be Andrew Bowden's winning time of 32.72 seconds in the 50 metre manikin carry. The relay performance of the day most definitely was Port Hacking Lifeguards come from behind in the last leg to win the 8 x 50 metre fin relay. The final leg by Andrew Fisher demonstrated his ability as Australia's leading pool lifesaving fin swimmer.
With the first day of competition over, all thoughts move forward to the 6 April 2008 when the second day of the 2008 State Championships will be held at the Hills Aquatic Centre. The events on this day will include the Super Life Saver, Line Throws, the remaining relay events and the indivividual and team initiative events.
Australia / China Test Match Sunday 20 January 2008
Royal Life Saving Society - Australia's National Team affectionately known as the Aussie Barra's competed in the inaugural Test Match against the Chinese Life Saving Team on Sunday 20 January 2008 following the completion of the 2008 Australian Pool Life Saving Championships at the Caboolture Aquatic Centre in Queensland.
The competition between the two nations was extremely exciting with the events being conducted in a match racing format between the leading male and female competitors from each country. The highlights of the test match included Pamela Hendry's amazing victory in the female 100m manikin tow in one of the fastest times ever swum by an Australian in that event and Australia's sensational time in winning the women's 4 x 25m manikin relay.
At the completion of the test match, team members from both countries gathered at the presentation area where Mr Jin Zhi of Chinese Life Saving gave a very heart warming speech about relations between both organisations and Mr Gray Parkes, Director Of Sport, presented the "Greg McLennan Trophy" to the winner of the test match, the Aussie Barra's.
The quality of competition between the two nations was well received by the crowd who attended the test match and the victory by the Aussie Barra's reinforced Royal Life saving's standing as one of the leading pool lifesaving organisations in the world. The Aussie Barra team members along with the Chinese competitors competed in the test match after four days of arduous competition at the 2008 Australian Pool Life Saving Championships and backed up to swim some extraordinary times given the fatigued condition they were in. After discussions with a number of the Aussie Barra's team, comments were heard, including, "once you put on the Australian cap you are there to win no matter how you feel" and "competing for the Aussie Barra's means everything to me, I wasn't going to let the team down". This display of pride in representing the Aussie Barra's emphasises the team spirit and comraderie that currently exists in this outstanding team.
Congratulations to the Aussie Barra's and well done to the Chinese team for a great competition.
China_V_Aust_Test_Match_Results.pdf (13KB)
Aussie Barras First Effort in International German Cup Rewarded with a Third Place Overall
The Aussie Barra's put in an absolutely amazing performance to finish third overall in their first ever German Cup International Pool Lifesaving competition held on the 24/25 November in Warendorf Germany. The pointscore system used in this competition is unique in the world of pool lifesaving and incorporates winning points based on times swum over a minimum of four events per competitor. In addition to this, relay times are also included in the overall pointscore.
The exciting news for RLSSA is the women's team finished in 2nd place in the overall women's pointscore and not to be outdone the men's team also finished in 2nd place. The aggregate of total points however placed the Aussie Barras in 3rd place only 18 points behind second place and 430 points behind the overall champions, Germany.
"This is an excellent result for Australia's Pool Lifesavers," said RLSSA Director of Sport, Gray Parkes, "It comes hot on the heels of our wins at the 2006 Commonwealth Pool Lifesaving Championships and the 2007 Asia Pacific competition held in Singapore last August."
There were a number of amazing individual performances by members of the team and by our relay teams. The individual performances included a silver medal to Mitch Parkes in the 100m carry in the fastest time ever recorded by an Australian, Jesse Brown winning the bronze medal in the women's 200m super lifesaver behind Prelle from Italy, arguably the world's best female pool life saver and Andrew Bowden's sensational times in the men's 50m manikin carry and 100m medley which places him as the leading Australian in these events. The outstanding relay performance by the Aussie Barras during the competition was the men's 4 x 50m medley relay in which the team of Andrew Bowden, Ben Orford, James Cohen and Mitch Parkes won the silver medal behind the current world record holders of New Zealand.
Special mention must also be made of the performances of our team manager and team coach, Jeannie Baxter-Reid and Tony Stanley. This tour was their first major competition as manager and coach of the Aussie Barras and proved once again that RLSSA is one of the leading organisations in the world in the development of team management. Also, one of Australia's leading pool lifesaving officials attended the competition in the capacity of the team official. Annie Gardiner represented RLSSA with distinction which is supported by her recent appointment to the position of SERC Deputy Referee at the upcoming 2008 World Life Saving Championships to be held in Germany next July.
The team was:
Sarah Windsor QLD (Captain) Chris Timms WA (Captain)
Jesse Brown WA James Cohen WA
Pamela Hendry QLD Ben Orford NSW
Felysia Konakoff NSW Mitch Parkes NSW
Jane Cooper NSW Andrew Bowden NSW
WELL DONE AUSSIE BARRAS
German Cup results
Australia's Top Officials nominated for 2008 World Championships
Two of Royal Life Saving Society - Australia's leading Officials have been nominted to key positions at Rescue 2008, the World Lifesaving Championships to be held in Berlin (pool events) and Warnemunde (ocean events), Germany. Rescue 08 begins on 20 July 2008 and concludes on 2 August 2008. Congratulations to both and we wish them the very best of luck and know they will represent RLSSA with great ability.
SERC Interclub: Deputy - Anni Gardiner (Australia)
Interclub Pool: Deputy - Barbara Morgan (Australia)
