Beach Events

Beach Competition Events

Participation in Beach Events is encouraged at all levels within Freshwater SLSC. The ability to run on beach sand is a surf life saving skill and also a dynamic and exciting area of competitive surf sports to get involved in. Importantly the “No Break” rule applies to all Beach Competition events, and is the same as track and field athletics. If you "break" you are out of the race!

Beach Events are both individual and team based and include:

Beach Sprint (Individual)

Competitors take their positions in their allotted lanes in the sand. At the starting signal, competitors race the course distance 70 meters (Masters) or 90 meters (Open) to the finish line. The finish is judged on the competitor's chest crossing the finish line. Competitors must finish the event on their feet in an upright position not falling across the line! Beach Sprinting is highly complex using powerful and explosive movement that integrates both upper and lower body in perfectly timed sequences.

  • Distance (90m) – Under 15 to Open (Any Bronze Medallion Holder)
  • Distance (70m) – Under 8 to Under 14 and Masters* (Over 30)


Diagram: Layout of Beach Sprint Track - 70m

 

 

Beach Relay (Team)

Competitors take their positions in their allotted lanes in the sand. Teams of 4 individuals compete in baton relay fashion over course distance of 70m (Masters) or 90m (Open). To start, 2 competitors take positions in their allotted lane at each end of the course. After the start each competitor completes a leg of the course with a baton held in either hand and passes the baton at the conclusion of the first, second, and third legs to the next runner who completes the relay event. Similar to beach sprinting for each relay team competitor, it requires highly powerful and explosive movement that integrates both upper and lower body in perfectly timed sequences with handling of baton exchanges being critical.

  • Distance (4 X 90m)  - Under 15 to Open (Any Bronze Medallion Holder)
  • Distance (4x70m) – Under 8 to Under 14 and Masters* (Over 30)

All Age Beach Relays are also held and are run in order from youngest to oldest from Under 8 to Open and Masters. The all age team (s) consist of members of different age groups selected by the relevant SLSA organising authority. Beach Relay Team Restrictions. There are usually three teams race categories each consisting of four competitors whose aggregate ages total:-

  • 140 years +
  • 170 years +
  • 200 years +

Diagram: Layout of Beach Relay Track - 70m

 

 

 

 

Beach Flags (Individual)

Beach Flags is an additional event to practice beach sprinting and reflexes but over much shorter distances. Rapid positioning, dynamic and explosive power is required over a very short distance, with a form of in-flight diving at the end to grab the flag first, usually being required. The layout of the event requires sticking a series of flags (typically short lengths of garden-hosepipe) into the sand in a row. The competitors lie facing away (and face down) approximately 20 metres away. Upon a starting signal, the competitors execute a rapid jump and turn racing to the flags and try to grab one. There are always fewer flags than there are competitors. The competitors who do not manage to capture a flag are eliminated, the flags are reset (removing one more), and the game continues until there is one person remaining - the winner.

  • Distance (20m) – Under 15 to Open (Any Bronze Medallion Holder)
  • Distance (approx 15m) - Under 8 to Under 14 and Masters* (Over 30)

Age Groups for Masters

*The age groups for Masters competition are as follows:-

  • 30 - 34 years
  • 36 - 39 years
  • 40 - 44 years
  • 45 - 49 years
  • 50 - 54 years
  • 55 - 59 years
  • 60 - 64 years
  • 65 years and over


Age Group for Open

  • Anyone who holds a Bronze Medallion

 

History of Beach Competition at Freshie

Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club has a long tradition with Beach Events, commencing in the early years of the clubs foundation and hosting of the Australia Day Carnivals in the 1900s. In 1922/1923  H. Piddock and his brother Lyall Piddock, S. Beaumont, Jack Heagney won the Australian Open Beach Relay. In 1925/1926 Freshwater members again won the Australian Open Beach Relay with R. Bennett, K. James, J. Simmons and Jack Heagney. The following season Jack Heagney provided the first beach sprint win for the club at the Australian Championships in the Open Beach Sprint Titles 1926/1927 and then again for a second time in 1927/1928. The club also had many Beach Event competitors leading up to the Second World war, Maurice Sidney Holliday (Beach Sprinter), Lindsay Hutchinson, Laurence Lutton, Ted Goss and Doug Houghton. Tragically these young men paid the ultimate sacrifice giving their lives for their country during World War Two.

Beach Flags were introduced into competition in 1946/1947 however the club did not have a win in the sand events until the early 1970s. From 1971/1972 club member Bob Pickard won the open beach flags at both state and national titles two years back to back and came second in both events in 1973/1974. This marked the start of the most sustained period of success in beach events in the clubs history. From 1978, 1979, 1982 to 1983 Freshie blitzed the Australian championships with ten different sprinters wining 11 medals at the Aussies.

Our Club also won an additional 13 state medals during this period. Many of these sprinters under the coaching of Nev Hill. Then in 1980/1981 Michael Gedz won gold in the Australian under-16 sprint with Paul Jones taking home a bronze in the under-18s beach flags. Clayton Kearney winning gold in the under 18 sprint and second in the open beach sprint at the same carnival. This ended a 50 plus year gap in Freshwaters beach sprint success since Jack Heagney’s beach sprint wins at Aussies during the late 1920s. 

From 1980 to 1983 Freshies under-18 beach relay team members: Clayton Kearney, Gary Theodore, Micheal Gedz, Jones, Chris Maththews, Brian Loughland, Craig Williams, Stephen Olsen and Anthony Priday winning silver in three successive Australian Championships. Kearney and Theodore later in 1984 attempted to qualify for the Australian Olympic sprint team. Clayton Kearney going on to win the national 200m title and coming third in the 100m.

Unfortunately, Freshwater was unable to retain some of these top Australian athletes and had an uneventful period until 1995/1996 and 1998/1999, when Michelle Garnett won five Australian Championship titles in Beach Flags. This not only marked another new period of wins in the sand for our club but was an outstanding record for women in beach event competition and was never equalled in the history of SLSA. Then in 1999/2000 Sam Kiely came second winning silver in both the under 16 beach sprint and flags. In 2001/2002 Sam won gold in the under 16 beach flags and silver in beach sprint. Then another gold for the under-18 beach sprint in 2003/2004 and also a gold medal in open beach flags in 2005/2006.

Emma Lincoln-Smith also winning gold at the Aussies in the under-16 beach sprint title. In the longer distance 2 km beach run Freshie also started to pick up some gold at Aussies in this event with Christian Bate’s championship win in the under 15, 2 km beach run which was nearly matched with Eric Rowe taking silver in this event in the under 19, 2km beach run in 2007. Since this time there have also been further wins in the 2 km beach run by Freshie members.