Surf Sports

Board paddling is one of the basic skills for surf life-saving and is also an exciting area of competition to get involved in. Board events include single board races, board rescues, and relay events.

Trigg Island SLSC offers members professional training squads. Squads are filled with people that have achieved great amounts of individual success and have joined others to achieve in team events. Our board squads hold members that have gone on to compete and win medals at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships.

All members that desire to train within board squads are encouraged and looked after. Quality equipment and well-prepared sessions are provided, to assist learning progress. A coach oversees every session and will provide technical assistance if required. For our beginner athletes, we offer the chance to use club boards for competition and training purposes.

Skis are a well supported discipline within the club, with plenty of opportunity for competition, development and social paddlers. Competition allows for individual, doubles and mixed double skis.

Trigg Island SLSC has a proud history of ski paddlers, with various Australian Medals coming from this discipline. Trigg Island provides paddlers of all abilities with assistance to help them get on the water and paddling. Beginners can use club skis to make a start, with many senior athletes purchasing their own gear. Ski Racks are available in the club Gear Shed for members to store their own equipment (subject to application to the club).

Swimming is the primary skill required of surf lifesavers. It is a high calibre competitive Surf Sport event, and also forms part of combination events like the Ironman/Ironwoman. During the season, the Club Swim is held every Sunday morning at 9.30am at the Club. All Club members are encouraged to participate regardless of age and ability.

Beach events include the beach sprint (90m), beach relay, 2km run, and beach flags.

The Beach Sprint is based on the same rules as the 100m race on a track, except it’s over 90m in the sand. 

Beach relay utilises the same 90m track as used for the Beach Sprint, however, competitors run up and back changing a baton. 

Beach flags is an elimination event, where competitors must race 20 metres to pick up a flag. There are fewer flags than competitors, so those missing out are eliminated. The last remaining competitor after all the elimination rounds wins the event.

The Trigg Island SLSC beach sprint team has a tremendous record of sporting achievement, with members winning State and National titles from the earliest days of surf life-saving. The speed, fitness, and determination developed in training with the Trigg team have seen many go on to succeed in other sports, particularly football, where a number of runners have gone on to represent WA and Australia. The team trains to succeed and to help every runner become the best competitor they can be. While some talent is needed for running, often the best competitors are those most determined to succeed and prepared to do the hard work at training.

Trigg Island SLSC has a range of surf boat squads to suit your standard, starting with our ‘Development Squad’, designed to instill good rowing technique, safe boat handling procedures, and appropriate base level fitness and strength.

The club offers high-standard male and female boat rowing squads in youth, senior and masters categories (you must be 16 years or older to compete in a surf boat) conducted by our expert sweeps/coaches. These crews have access to our competition boats and equipment as well as proven training programs that incorporate specialist ‘ergo’, gym, and boat components.

Lifesaving event competitions highlight the skills involved in rescue, resuscitation and first aid. An important part of competition is the development of skills that will assist members while performing patrolling duties. The focus of the events are ‘real’ lifesaving skills.  Competitors do not have to be elite athletes, just dedicated lifesavers.  Most of the Lifesaving events have an emphasis on team work in stressful situations.

Lifesaving events include Champion Patrol, Champion Lifesaver, First Aid Competition, R&R, Tube Rescue and Belt Race.

March Past involves a team of 12 members, who are required to carry a surf reel, march in time and complete various components to the satisfaction of the judges. Points are awarded or deducted in areas such as presentation, timing, wheeling etc.

An essential aspect of lifesaving and club patrols, qualified members can also represent the club in IRB racing carnivals that are traditionally held in the winter months. The racing carnivals involve crews pitting man and machine against each other and the surf conditions to determine who is the fastest and safest driver. To be successful teams must work together, have excellent driving and crewing skills and be at one with their machine.

Pool rescue puts lifesaving skills to the test in the pool environment, with competitors participating in events such as manikin tows, obstacle swims and tube swims. The WA SunSmart Pool Rescue State Championships are held in winter and offer an opportunity for members to compete and stay fit over the off-season in the colder months.