[Lifesaving] RLSS National Speed Championships

The first part of my road trip around the UK took me to Sheffield for the RLSS National Speed Championships. This was actually my second trip to the Speeds; in my second year at St Andrews myself and a friend travelled down to compete. That trip wasn't a particularly great experience for me, as I had my backpack stolen, with phone, laptop, watch, etc. The competing had been fun though.

However, that wasn't the purpose of my second appearance, This time I was there to shadow the competition organiser, with the aim of picking up some hints and tips for the BULSCA Champs the following weekend.

(Credit: The RLSS)

The Speeds take place over two days owing to the large numbers of competitors involved. There are 7 individual events and 4 relay events, and all are contested by at least 6 categories: 12-14 boys; 12-14 girls; 15-17 boys; 15-17 girls; open men, and open women. Then there are some events that have 30+, 40+, and 50+ masters categories in men and women as well! Because of this it's a long couple of days, with the competition starting at 08:30 and going until 19:00 on Saturday, and 17:00 on Sunday.

I arrived bright and early on Saturday morning, and went searching for Elaine, the event organiser, and Elouise, the RLSS National Sports Development Officer, I eventually managed to catch up to them at the Squad Manager and Officials briefings, and was given my orders for the day. I was to be one of two people making sure that the risk assessment was being followed, and was also to follow Elaine around, doing whatever needed doing. One of the points that Elaine stressed to me was to be willing to jump in and help out where needed. She pointed out that once the event was running the organiser's job is mostly done; you're left to sort out problems that arise, answer questions, and make sure everyone is happy. But other than that, you're a dogs-body that can cover any holes in manpower that arise.

Ponds Forge in Sheffield is the venue for the Speeds. It's a really nice pool (Credit: Ed McCutcheon)

I got some other good tips from her as well, but all within about half an hour of my arrival. After that I was tasked to collect t-shirt orders from the officials, and check the risk assessment whilst the first couple of events (the individual and team obstacles) took place. I also spent some time at the competitor liaison desk, discussing the issues surrounding dealing with competitors and team managers. After that I ended up spending most of the day helping out the equipment team, in the process gaining a new found respect for the amount of work that goes into resetting the pool for each event. Hauling manikins around is tiring work! At least it gave me a chance to talk to some of the officials on my side of the pool, and to get some advice and pointers from them on the judges' and referees' jobs at speed competitions.

The rope throw events are the last ones to be run on the Saturday, and I ended up jumping in to fill a vacant timekeeping space. As luck would have it I was in lane 5, and so was able to watch some of the best competitors. On a personal level this is one of my best events, so it was great to be able to watch the fastest line throwers ply their trade. The best moment, and my highlight of the weekend, was the final heat of the men's open category, in which the pair in the lane next to me set a new UK record (and unofficial world record) of 8.80 seconds! It was amazing to watch, and something I'll remember for a long time.

The final heat of the men's individual rope throw. Keep your eyes on the guy in lane 4. (Credit: Sam O'Connor)

Sunday saw more of the same. I again spent a lot of the day pulling manikins up and down the pool, and even got in the pool to help with reset for one of the events. It was very cold in the water; lovely to swim in from the competitors' point of view, but not so great for me! The weekend ended with the spectacle of the medley relay, which gave me the chance to wander around talking to some more people, and help start packing up. At the end of the weekend there are a lot of odd jobs that need doing, and everyone wants to be done as soon as possible, so spare hands are very welcome.

I had a great weekend at the Speeds, and picked up a lot of useful ideas that I wanted to try and implement for the BULSCA Champs. I also got several great pointers from Elaine regarding the competition organiser's role; some things that are important, and some that should be avoided. She ran a great competition, which went like a well-oiled machine, and my hope was that the Champs would be just as successful.

Update: I wrote a guest blog for the RLSS about my experience at the Speeds. It's very similar to this post, but I'll link to it anyway. You can find it here