Junior Lifeguards heading down under
The Drayton Valley Junior Lifeguard Club represented Drayton Valley and Brazeau County well at Nationals in Victoria B.C. at the beginning of June.
Desiree Janzen, the coach for the local club, says everyone from the team made the finals for their events.
To get to the finals, the athletes have to swim in the preliminaries, where they must place in the top 16. If the swimmer places in the top 16, they then repeat the swim for placing. Janzen says all of the Drayton team made it to the finals in their events and some placed in the top eight.
“That is pretty good for being in Canada,” says Janzen.
She says she was happy with the way the team performed at the competition.
But now that the Nationals are done, Janzen is looking toward the Lifesaving World Championships that will be held on the Gold Coast in Australia at the end of August.
While Janzen will be bringing swimmers from across the province, there are three athletes from the Drayton club that will be going as well. All of the athletes had to qualify for their place in competitions at Worlds.
“You can’t just swim, go play, and have fun,” she says. “You’ve got to actually qualify to make it there. These [swimmers] that I’m taking have qualified.”
She says there is more involved in the training for Worlds because the athletes won’t just be in the swimming pool while they are there.
“They will be competing in the ocean as well,” says Janzen.
To prepare for this, some athletes are headed to a special training camp for pool and surf in Camrose in mid-July. Others will be heading down to Australia a little bit earlier so they can acclimate to the time, try out the pool, and spend some time in the ocean.
“It’s a beautiful outdoor facility that we’re going to on the Gold Coast,” she says.
Janzen says she plans to go down on August 26, which after losing a day to the flight, will give her about five days to get ready for the competitions. She says most of the athletes plan to come down around the same time.
She says the group is going as an Inter-Club team, but if the swimmers show really well, they have the opportunity to join the National team. That would mean they would get to swim at the Commonwealth Games in Wales in 2025.
Janzen, who has been coaching for nineteen years, says it’s not uncommon for her to see her athletes join the National team.
“I’ve had athletes named to the National team every year for quite a few years,” she says.
Before they head to the Worlds, Janzen says the club is trying to fundraise to help offset some of the costs of the trips.
“Flights are about $2,000.” She says they’ve rented a house, which will help to reduce costs.
“We’re trying to keep costs down as much as we can and trying to split costs as much as we can, but fundraising would be helpful,” she says.
Janzen says those looking for more information regarding donations can contact her at dvlifesavers@hotmail.com.
Amanda Jeffery, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Drayton Valley and District Free Press
