A lifeguard from Okotoks will be heading to the Gold Coast in Australia soon to compete in an international event.
Brandon Wink is a lifeguard in Okotoks and will be competing in several events at the 2024 Lifesaving World Championships, that are happening later this month.
"I fly out for it [August] 22nd, and then it starts just about a week after," Wink explains. "There's a bunch of events. We got some beach stuff and some pool stuff. In the pool, I will personally be competing in the 100 metre Tow, along with the 200 metre Obstacle Swim. And then I transition out to the beach, where I will be doing the Ocean Man, which is a 1500 metre swim, all together, a lot of running, a lot of swimming, a lot of paddling, and then a couple things on a Surfski, which is a very small kayak, essentially."
In order to qualify for this competition, athletes must first compete at the national level and make qualifying times each year for the age group they are trying for.
To compete in a national competition in Canada, the person needs to hold a Bronze Cross certification.
Once the athlete makes the qualifying time, they then need to find a team that will pick them up and bring them to the competition.
"And there is, I believe, three in Canada. We have the National team, and then two provincial teams that are going," Wink says.
Wink is part of the Drayton Valley Lifesavers.
For the most part, Wink says they train independently, but there are a few weekends a year when he has to head up to Drayton Valley to train with the team.
Wink has been a lifeguard for three years, after getting his lifeguard certification right before COVID-19 hit in 2020 and got into competing as a way to stay out of trouble.
"I kinda got into that almost 12 years ago now. I grew up in a really sketchy area and it was a way that my mom was hoping to keep me out of trouble, and it was just something that I kind of fell in love with and just pushed forward with ever since."
Wink says that a good portion of the training involves the standard swimming training, which involves practicing the distances, sprints, getting into the water quickly, and building endurance.
The other part of the training is the technique aspect, which would involve training with the rescue tube that lifeguards are often seen carrying, underwater swims, carrying people, and more.
"There's a lot that goes into it, but at the end of the day, it's really just that lane swimming that everyone is used to, but it's got that extra aspect that makes it just that much harder."
With over 5,000 athletes from over 50 countries, Wink says there will be only one event per day for the duration of the event to make sure everyone gets a chance to compete.
The competition begins on August 20th and will last until September 8th.
To learn more about the event, click here.