Red Beach athletes in the U19 Tube Rescue event. Left, Red Beach swimmers Dylan French, left, and Patrick Makgill in the Lifesaver Relay. Orewa’s James Scott won the Open Men’s Board Rescue event as well as the 2km Beach Run.Photos, Ross Malyon
The recent Northern Region Surf Lifesaving Championships at Omaha Beach witnessed many top performances by local surf lifesavers, who will have come away from the two-day event brimming with confidence as they focus on the upcoming New Zealand Championships.
Around 430 athletes from 18 clubs competed on the sand and in the surf at Omaha on February 22 and 23, all keen to be reaching their peak for the nationals at Gisborne’s Midway Beach from March 12-15.
Red Beach took out the points trophy for the third consecutive year. The club ran up 369 points to head off Mairangi Bay (217), Orewa (151) and Piha (92).
The win follows another by Red Beach Club’s junior lifesavers, who took out the Northern Region Championships Junior Points Trophy, also at Omaha, in early February.
Saturday’s events were enhanced by a one metre surf, however, it dropped away for Sunday’s programme which saw temperatures in the mid-20s.
Masters competitors, all aged 30-plus, also participated at Omaha with many of them now heading to Gisborne for the summer’s premier event.
