Kendra Freund, a lifeguard at the Tillsonburg Community Centre, is preparing to represent Canada on the world stage.
TILLSONBURG – A lifeguard at the Tillsonburg Community Centre is preparing to represent Canada on the world stage.
18-year-old Kendra Freund will be spending her summer training for the World Lifesaving Championships in France in September as a member of the Canadian Lifesaving Junior National team.
Freund said lifesaving events are like competitive swimming but with rescue equipment and skills.
"For waterfront there's events that involve running on the beach, beach flags, using things like paddle boards and surf skis and the pool events involve rescue tubes, and rescue fins and manikins and you're towing and carrying. They just involve a lot of rescue skills."
Freund was selected for the competition by a panel of Canadian lifesaving athletes.
"They go through all my waterfront results, all my pool results, my times, my placements, everything like that. They do that for everyone. They take the people that have ... the best, most consistant results."
Freund`s favourite event is the 100 metre tow with fins.
"You have the big rescue fins and the rescue tube. You swim 75 metres, unless you're in long course, then you swim 50 metres but either way you're swimming, and then you come up to the wall, you take the rescue tube and hook it up to a manikin that's half full of water and you have to tow it all the way back to the other end."
Freund competed in the Canadian Pool Lifesaving Championships in Edmonton back in April where she won a silver medal in that event.
Other lifeguards in Tillsonburg have been fundraising to help cover the costs of her trip.
The championships run September 16-21.
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