The road to this year’s RLSS UK National championships began with an eventful October Regionals in Dorchester. Issues with the pool meant that the running order had to be tweaked, but credit to the competition organisers for pulling together a successful and fun event for both the South and West regions.
To qualify and represent the Southern team, you need to win the Southern Regional competition against teams drawn from across the Wessex region in the West, to Thames valley in the North and East and as far South as the Channel Islands.
Representing RLSS Poole we had 3 senior girls pairs, with Emily Kenway lining up alongside Lola-Mae Pilley, Eva Tribe with Emma Heckford, and Pippa Marchant with Megan Sinden.
In the senior open pairs, Oliver Heckford lined up with Sam Travers, with Brian Peachey alongside Riley Hayes.
Battling it out in the senior open we had Connor Sullivan and Ethan Pilley.
Finally, in the Masters it was left to Tim Harris to take up the challenge in the open 50-59 category.
The competition comprises 4 events, kicking off with a life support initiative, a 90 second test of your first aid skills in a dry scenario before moving to the pool. Beneath the judges watchful eyes, an aquatic 90 second initiative follows with multiple casualties to prioritise, manage and rescue. Next up is the test of nerve and skill which is the rope throw, and finally there is a swim and tow.
For the scenarios, each club is required to bring along at least one casualty. Charlie Sinden stepped up alongside Emma and Tim Travers to represent the club in this role, enjoying an up close and personal perspective of the scenarios. Hopefully, lessons learned will push Charlie (and perhaps Tim and Emma) towards representing the club in future competitions.
Following a fiercely contested competition, in which all of our team members excelled, Emily Kenway and Lola-Mae Pilley emerged victorious in the senior girls pairs, with Sam Travers and Oliver Heckford winning the senior open pairs. Connor Sullivan edged out Ethan Pilley in the senior open whilst Tim Harris was victorious in the Masters.
With Connor, due to other commitments, unavailable to attend, Ethan stepped up to make the 6 members of RLSS Poole the largest single club representation in the Southern region team at the National finals in Leeds on November 2nd.
So 7:30am on a mild November morning we assembled at the John Charles sports centre.
Beneath a packed gallery, full of friends, family and supporters, a team of 13 led by manager Pam Oddy proudly marched, with Emily and Lola-Mae carrying the flag of the South region around the 50m Olympic sized pool perimeter. Teams from Scotland, Wales, all Ireland, and 9 other English regions joined us, making a grand total of over 200 competitors in all.
The format for the Nationals is the same as for the regionals, and each club is required to bring at least one casualty to the event. With Tim’s Academy award standard Regional casualty performance clearly escaping the attention of the Nationals judges, it was left to Emma Heckford to throw herself in to the role of casualty for the scenarios to achieve a unique double of regional competitor, Nationals casualty.
The standard at the finals is a considerable step up from the Regionals, and whilst hopes were high, there was also a realisation that top performances would be required from our competitors. They did not disappoint, and after a long and tiring day of competition, Tim finished in 8th place in the 50-59 years Masters open, with Ethan finishing 11th in the Open, Sam and Oliver in 10th in the senior pairs open, and a an impressive 6th for Emily and Lola-Mae in the senior girls pairs, who also bagged a silver medal in the wet scenario.
It was a great day out for all involved, and thanks go to RLSS UK for organising the competition, for all of the officials and volunteers, for the parents and family members who got our team members there and of course to our competitors for stepping up to be part of a great and enjoyable event.
In recognition of their success, certificates were presented to our finalists on the day, and we followed this up with a medal presentation for Emily and Lola along with the rest of our representatives at our last RLSS Poole training session.
Southern regionals (RLSS Poole) competitors list
Senior Girls pairs (15-17 years)
- Emily Kenway + Lola Mae Pilley
- Eva Tribe + Emma Heckford
- Pippa Marchant + Megan Sinden
Open pairs (15-17 years)
- Brian Peachey + Riley Hayes
- Oliver Heckford + Sam Travers
Open individual (16 years +)
- Connor Sullivan
- Ethan Pilley
Masters open 50-59
- Tim Harris
Nationals finals (RLSS Poole) competitors list
Senior Girls pairs (15-17 years)
- Emily Kenway + Lola Mae Pilley
Open pairs (15-17 years)
- Oliver Heckford + Sam Travers
Open individual (16 years +)
- Ethan Pilley
Masters open 50-59
- Tim Harris
Next up the internal club competition and then the Twilights!
