Old sport making waves in Windsor, Ont.
Lifesaving sport has been around since the turn of the 20th century.
“It's actually a recognized Olympic sport,” said Cynthia Cakebread, manager of recreation and culture for the Town of Essex.
Lifesaving sport is recognized by the International Olympic Committee, but is not in the Olympic program. The top lifeguards in Canada will be in the city this weekend for the Pool Lifesaving National Championships.
“They have events where the competitors will dive underneath obstacles underneath the water,” said Aiden Miess, project manager for Lifesaving Society of Ontario. “There's events where they're towing mannequins with a rescue tube at the surface of the water.”
“One of the harder events is the rescue medley,” added Zak Kolasa, who is a competitor for the Essex lifesaving team. “It's got a 20 metre underwater swim in the middle of the race.”
Kolasa added that having the event hosted in Windsor is a big step, and told CTV News Windsor, “It's the first time a competition of this level is coming to our area so it's really nice to see that.”
The meet begins on Saturday at the aquatic centre, bringing 175 competitors from across Canada between the ages of 15 and 75.
“It's a pretty rounded event nationally,” said Cakebread. “Some of them will be chosen to go to the international events in the coming two years.”
The team will be named at a banquet Sunday evening after the event.
“Considerations will also be made for the world team next year,” added Miess.
This weekend’s competition will serve as a tune up for the Commonwealth Championships in Windsor in September.
“Windsor won because of the way the downtown core is set up,” said Miess. “That pool is a perfect location with hotels nearby. There’s an infrastructure down there that helps us bring in volunteers locally. That pool is a state of the art facility to run international meets.”
Like the Firefighter Combat Challenge, lifesaving sport is one of only a few that started off as a life skill.
“It's not just the fastest swimmers that do well at these events,” Cakebread pointed out. “The technical participants who are fast will do the best.”
The events takes place Saturday and Sunday between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free to watch.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.