2009 ISRM/IQL Lifeguard Triathlon - final results

For the third year running, Jack Chambers of Sharley Park Leisure Centre in NE Derbyshire was the highest scoring individual in the ISRM & IQL Lifeguard Triathlon.

It was a hard fought competition, with 50 facilities and 600 lifeguards taking part across the UK. Designed to to challenge and reward staff who demonstrate a commitment to training and standards above and beyond the requirements of their post, the competition’s top facility prize this year also went to Sharley Park Leisure Centre.

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About the competition
Three key elements of the NPLQ are assessed and converted into points giving a total score out of 100. The CPR section consists of back to back adult and junior/ infant CPR. Scores are always reassuringly high in this section with this years entrants averaging 27.74 out of 30.

The Theory section is a 40 point question paper taken from the three questions sections of the NPLQ plus 10 points on Unit 2. With an average score of just 23.48 this is clearly a section many find challenging. Only 8 people achieved full marks, 5 of which came from the Guildford Spectrum.

‘Can i say what fun this is and you can see by our results that the standard has gone up as we have something to work for each year and it makes a difference for the training side.’  Natalie Kirk (Guildford Spectrum)

The swim section is made up of the two time swims with half a point awarded for every second a person is under the combined pass time. Maximum score is 30 points, requiring a person to be 60-seconds quicker than the pass times. Only 1 person achieved this impressive feat – the individual winner Jack Chambers.

Jack’s achievements didn’t end there. With an overall score of 98 out of 100 he was the highest scoring individual for the third year running. His previous accomplishments have clearly inspired his colleagues as Jack was closely followed by Stuart Lye (96.5) and James Watkinson (96), making it a Sharley Park 1, 2, 3, earning them the title of top facility, calculated by averaging each sites top 6 individual scores.

Analysing the results by gender showed little difference for theory and CPR scores, but male Lifeguards completed the time swims an average of 6 seconds quicker than their female colleagues. Calculating the average scores by age shows some of the lowest theory and CPR scores amongst those Lifeguards aged under 20. It’s a concerning statistic that Lifeguard skills peak just as many of them are leaving the industry.

Although this age group, 16 to 20, produced more than half of all entries, age is no barrier to participation. The average age of all entries was just 23, but this year saw two 64 year old entrants, Paul Staves from Ponds Forge and Dilys Beynon from Biddulph Valley Leisure Centre.

At a time when attendances have been boosted by free swimming, it is more important than ever to encourage Lifeguards to improve their skills. As the summer holidays approach, ask yourself, are your Lifeguards good enough?

For more information on the Lifeguard Triathlon, please contact event manager David Cartlidge by email: DFCartlidge@aol.com.

Download full results here

Top Ten Individuals

No	NAME	AGE	M/F	FACILITY	SWIM	THEORY	CPR	TOTAL
1	Jack Chambers	21	M	Sharley Park Leisure Centre	30	38	30	98
2	Stuart Lye	21	M	Sharley Park Leisure Centre	29.5	37	30	96.5
3	James Watkinson	20	M	Sharley Park Leisure Centre	29	36	30	95
4	Chris Mills	36	M	Dronfied Sports Centre	25	37	30	92
4	Micheal Lewis	20	M	Coventry Sports & Leisure Centre	26	36	30	92
6	Ben Grill	19	M	Guildford Spectrum	20.5	40	30	90.5
7	Dave Northedge	21	M	Sharley Park Leisure Centre	29	31	30	90
8	David Harlock	25	M	Embassy Swimming Pool	21.5	38	30	89.5
9	Michelle Dunbar	25	F	Guildford Spectrum	18	40	30	88
9	Joe Craggs	18	M	Guildford Spectrum	19	39	30	88
9	Jezz Freeman	22	M	Guildford Spectrum	19	39	30	88
9	James Roark	18	M	Horncastle Swimming Pool	25	33	30	88
9	Richard Lawton	22	M	Jubilee Pool	23	37	28	88

Top Ten Facilities

No	Facility	Entries	Swim	Theory	CPR	Total
1	Sharley Park Leisure Centre	10	27.0	33.8	30.0	90.8
2	Guildford Spectrum	36	18.9	39.0	30.0	87.9
3	DG One Leisure Complex	27	21.0	34.2	29.0	84.2
4	Dronfield Sports Centre	15	18.7	34.7	30.0	83.3
5	Louth Swimming Pool	10	18.5	33.3	29.7	81.5
6	Eckington Swimming Pool	13	22.0	28.2	30.0	80.2
7	Horncastle Swimming Pool	15	17.5	32.7	29.0	79.2
8	Dearne Valley Leisure Centre	20	19.7	29.5	29.7	78.8
9	Dimensions Leisure Centre	12	20.1	27.3	28.8	76.2
10	Embassy Swimming Pool	11	15.7	31.3	29.0	76.0