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For the third successive year, a dedicated team of athletes from the Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service competed in Oceans – Festival of Junior Surf Lifesaving at Mt Maunganui last month.
More than 700 young people from 48 surf lifesaving clubs attended the event, which was marking its 25th year.
Over four days, the juniors participated in a range of sport surf lifesaving events ranging from beach flags to run-swim-runs and water rescues.
Surf Lifesaving NZ national events manager Matt Cairns says Oceans provides an opportunity for surf club members aged between 10 and 14 to compete, challenge themselves, and celebrate the camaraderie of surf lifesaving.
Mangawhai’s junior surf coordinator Vanessa Fulton said the young people at Oceans were the surf lifeguards of the future.
“This is where a lifelong passion starts and where they learn the skills and resilience that will ultimately save lives,” she said.
The Mangawhai team was thrilled with its results over the four-day competition, taking home five medals in what is a notoriously tough ocean arena, with the big eastern bay clubs often dominating the field.
The Mangawhai Oceans team was Cameron Brown, Lily-Mae Holtzhausen, Bekker Pienaar, Lara Lay, Lola Wood, Ryder Sax, Jordyn Hollows, Dallas Fulton, Ane Pienaar, Ethan Purcell, Zoe Farmer and Inez Fulton.
Congratulations go to: Lily-Mae Holtzhausen – 2nd in U11 female beach sprint and 3rd in the U12 female board relay team; Lola Wood – 3rd in U12 female board relay team; Lara Lay – 3rd in U12 female board relay team; Ryder Sax – 1st in U12 male run swim run and 3rd in U12 male diamond; Inez Fulton – 1st in U14 female board race.
