Crawley Town Life Saving Club members win important selections for 2023

These include one GBR European Youth Team member and six England call-ups for this year’s European Youth Lifesaving National Teams Championships and Commonwealth Championships respectively. In addition, current CTLSC club coach, Gary Lee, has been appointed as a GBR Advisor and record-breaking CTLSC Masters competitor (and ex-GBR and England competitor), Richard Jagger, has been appointed as England Team Manager. CTLSC Masters competitor, Vanessa Eagland, has been appointed as Assistant Wales Team Captain and Oba Waiyaki appointed as the Kenya Team Manager

The European Youth Lifesaving Championships will be held from 18th to 27th August at Gorzow Wielkopolski (pool) and Miedzyzdroje on the Baltic coast (beach) in Poland. The Commonwealth Championships (which feature only pool-based competitive lifesaving events in the Open age group) is taking place from 13th to 17th September at the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre (WIATC) in Ontario, Canada.

Amaia Lopez retained her place in the GBR European Youth team and gained her first Open cap for England’s Commonwealth team after returning to her British record-breaking ways in the pool. With the incentive of International competition, Amaia now has her sights on setting two further Youth records before the year is out.

Also gaining a first time International appearance for the England Ladies team are Abby Comline (Vice Captain), Sally Carter, Emily Goodwin and Emily Robson. CTLSC’s only male to gain an England place is Jack Sadberry, who incredibly broke a British record in his first year as an Open competitor.

CTLSC’s European bronze medallist, Alex Jackson, will be representing Wales and CTLSC’s Kenyan multi-record holder, Oba Waiyaki, will again be captaining and competing for his country.

The pool trials also proved to be a great success for CTLSC in general.

In Liverpool’s 50m pool at the RLSS-UK National Speed Championships, the club won ten individual and six team titles, but, on this occasion, it was CTLSC’s Masters Ladies leading the way with Donna Wickens and Jennifer Amos winning two individual and five team golds with the support of Marsha Bayliss-Cutler and Vanessa Eagland, who also paired up to win a Line throw gold medal. CTLSC’s Masters, Richard Jagger, won both individual and team Line throw gold medals.

The Club’s most notable performance came from former GBR Youth Captain, Jack Sadberry, who when swimming in his first year of Open competition set a new British record in the 100m Manikin Carry with Fins in a time of 47.87 seconds. CTLSC’s other individual gold medallist was Sally Carter in the gruelling and technically demanding Super Lifesaver. The Open Ladies’ team consisting of two Youth members (Amaia Lopez and Mia Bayliss-Cutler) along with Sally and Emily Goodwin, were beaten on all three occasions by Loughborough’s full Open team. Finally, CTLSC’s youngest competitors at these championships, Koji Bayliss Carter and Asier Lopez, won silver in their age group’s team Line throw.

Two weeks later the team travelled to Swansea, and successfully retained the SLS-GB Senior Aggregate Trophy at the British Stillwater Championships. This is a title that CTLSC first won back in 2013 and have now successfully won on seven occasions since then. They won eight gold, seven silver and six individual bronze medals plus eight gold, four silver and four team bronzes.

CTLSC title-holders are Youth competitor, Meabh Rodgers, in the 200m Super Lifesaver, Open competitors and current World number one Line thrower, Martin Schofield with subject Jack Sadberry, in 12.5m Line throw and Masters’ respective age groups, Donna Wickens in 50m Manikin Carry and 100m Obstacles; Marsha Bayliss-Cutler, also in 50m Manikin Carry and 100m Manikin Carry with Fins and Jennifer Amos in 100m Manikin Tow with Fins. The fourth Masters competitor, Vanessa Eagland, could consider herself a little unlucky when beaten into silver in the 50m Manikin Carry. In the team relays, CTLSC’s Emily Robson, Emily Goodwin, Sally Cater and Abby Comline, were unbeaten and so won golds in both the 50m Manikin Carry and Medley relays. In the Mixed Lifesaver relay, Emily Robson and Abby teamed up with Alex Jackson and Jack to take silver.

Four club members returned to Liverpool for the final pool GBR trial, an event aimed at replicating the demands of both European and World Championships by running heats during the day with corresponding finals the same evening.

Amaia Lopez’s return to form saw her not only pick up three Youth golds in the 200m Obstacles, 50m Manikin Carry and 100m Rescue Medley (the latter in a British record time) but also two silvers for the 200m Super Lifesaver and 100m Manikin Tow, plus a bronze in the 100m Manikin Carry with Fins. In addition to these six events, Amaia (with the support of her England teammate Emily Goodwin) also supported a trial England Ladies relay team, picking up another four golds from her exhaustive endeavours. Emily also picked up an Open bronze in her favoured 100m Manikin Carry with Fins.

Amaia’s younger brother, Asier, declared his intentions for future International competitions and despite being one of the youngest competing, won five Youth bronzes in the 50m Manikin Carry, !00m Manikin Carry and Tow with fins, 200m Obstacles and 200m Super Lifesaver. Despite making evening finals, Martin Schofield, on this occasion missed out on the medals.

Next year the World Lifesaving Championships will be held on the Gold Coast, Australia, so if you wish to find out more about the Sport of Lifesaving and be part of this successful Crawley Town Life Saving Club, please visit the website www.crawleytownlsc.com