Victorian Youth and Senior LifeSaving Championships - Meet Some Competitors!

The Victorian Youth and Senior Lifesaving Championships will be held Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th of March in beautiful Warrnambool. ASLSC have a team of 32 athletes competing in a range of events including R&R, beach events, water events including the Iron, Rescue Tube, Taplin relay and Ski Races. We wish all competitors well and look forward to seeing photos and results of the weekend. Over the next few days we have chosen some competitors to highlight.

Our first such athlete is Marcus Jones who will compete in the following events.

Open Mens 1km Beach Relay

Open Men's Beach Flags

Open Men's Beach Relay

Open Men's Beach Run (2km)

Open Men's Beach Sprint

Open Mixed Beach Relay

We asked Marcus a few questions and his answers are below.

How did you come to compete for ASLSC ?

I began competing for Anglesea as early as l was able to, growing up through the Nipper program and having a competitive nature, it was a natural progression of my involvement with the club.

What are your favourite events?

Beach Flags will always be the best and most exciting event on the Surf Life Saving program.

Did you do Nippers for ASLSC?

I began doing Nippers at Anglesea in the Under 7's age group so l have been involved with the club for more than 15 years as a 22 year old!

What do you do away from the beach?

I am a fourth year Podiatry student, hopefully graduating at the end of 2019 with a Masters degree in Podiatric Practice. I also work as Pool Lifeguard, as well as enjoying activities like mixed netball and snowboarding.

What is your training schedule?

This year because of my studies my training load has decreased to try and balance my training and university schedule, however l still do 4 training sessions per week. (one gym, one tempo/fitness running session, one speed running session and one beach flags technique session). In years where l have been more focussed on competition, l have trained 6/7 times per week in addition to things like yoga and stretching.

What is your favourite thing about competing?

My favourite thing about competing is being able to challenge yourself to be your best as well as going head to head with friends l have made through many years of competition. Nothing beats competing in a tight race with a good friend.

Do you do other sports?

Growing up l played all sorts of sports including AFL, Cricket, Hockey, Waterpolo, Sprint Kayaking, Athletics, Mixed Netball and of course LifeSaving. At the moment l only do LifeSaving and Mixed Netball.

Marcus as a Nipper in 2009

The best advice l can give for the young Dolphins is to have FUN. Surf LifeSaving is one of the most diverse sports in the world and because of this you get to meet so many people to have fun

and compete with. Give all the events a go whether it is beach flags or the iron because you might be surprised which one you enjoy the most. If you find an event you have fun doing, then its easy to work hard to be better at it, because it's all enjoyable!

Thank you Marcus and all the best for the weekend