Ninjas are as quick in the water as they are swift on their feet!
Three Cochrane Water Ninjas (CWN) athletes are heading to the 2024 World Lifesaving Championships (WLC).
The Lifesaving Society Canada Sports Commission made the announcement a couple of weeks ago and named the athletes who will be joining Team Canada at the event.
The CWN is part of the Lifesaving Sport Club and trains at the SLS Centre, one of Alberta’s largest multi-use recreation facilities.
Located in Cochrane, the 325,000 square foot facility features an aquatic centre, curling centre, climbing wall, indoor turf, fitness centre, gymnasium, indoor track, four ice arenas, and much more.
The Lifesaving Sport Club comprises lifesaving sports clubs across Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
The Lifesaving Society describes lifesaving sport as “the most demanding, multi-disciplinary sport in the world, combining athletic ability with lifesaving skills and rescue equipment.”
The Society is the Canadian sport governing body for lifesaving. It hosts competitions, trains staff, and offers lifesaving programs across the country.
Over 1,200,000 Canadians participate in the Society’s swimming, lifesaving, lifeguard, and leadership training programs every year, but only a few are chosen to represent Team Canada at the WLC.
CWN’s Oliver Johnson was chosen to represent Youth Men, with Caebri Smith and Isaac Thibodeau selected as alternatives.
The three talented athletes will compete at the WLC in Gold Coast, Australia, from August 20 to September 8, 2024.
“We are incredibly proud of our Water Ninja’s athletes chosen to represent Canada. We look forward to continuing our support and cheering them on throughout this journey,” CWN assistant head coach Patsy Lindsay told The Cochrane Eagle.
Trials And Competitions
Time is still before the WLC, but the CWN has no time to rest.
Next month, 20 club members will compete at the 2024 Canadian Pool Lifesaving Championships in Saanich, BC.
The trio joining Team Canada for the WLC will also compete at the event.
The three boys set their sights on a podium finish that outshines their third-place finish at the 2023 Canadian Pool Lifesaving Championships (CPLC).
Two of last year’s CPLC events were the 200-metre (m) obstacle swim, and the 50-metre manikin carry.
Each event requires athletes to display physical fitness and mental clarity worthy of a lifesaver. In the obstacle swim event, athletes must swim under several underwater obstacles.
In the manikin carry event, athletes must dive to recover and carry a submerged manikin to the finish line.
On top of flexing their fins at the 2023 CPLC, the CWN recently kicked ass at the 2024 Alberta and Northwest Territories Pool Lifesaving Championships and Junior Games last month.
The club took home 23 gold, 21 silver, and 26 bronze medals for a total of 2,486 points. The CWN also broke five provincial records at the event.
However, the WLC is a different ball game—or, in this case, a pool. Teams worldwide, including Team Canada, will be fighting for the top spot in the pool rescue.
The pool rescue events will occur at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre’s Olympic-sized pool and test competitors’ rescue skills and accuracy.
A Symbol Of Victory
Johnson, Smith, and Thibodeau aren’t just representing Alberta – they are representing the CWN. It was here that the trio honed their skills and reached new heights.
The three men will wear Team Canada’s uniform at the WLC, but their club’s new logo will constantly be in their minds.
The club unveiled its updated logo at the annual home meet against clubs from across the province last year.
The CWN’s logo represents the club’s search for excellence in lifesaving and the teamwork needed to pursue this goal.
“Through rigorous training, the ninja learns to stretch the limit of his ability through perseverance and unity of mind and body. A true ninja is an individual who ensures adversity while maintaining integrity and seeks harmony,” said Lindsay as she described the meaning behind the CWN’s new logo to Cochrane Now.
The CWN’s logo features two swords overlaid by an orange circle with the club’s name. You shouldn’t run with scissors, and you definitely shouldn’t swim with swords.
Thankfully, that’s not what the CWN’s logo is suggesting. According to Lindsay, the two swords represent the club’s ethical code of honour and integrity which is so important to ninjas.
The two crossing swords symbolize mutual respect, while the orange circle represents togetherness.
These qualities are the foundation of the CWN’s unbreakable sportsmanship and can be found in the hearts of every successful athlete in Alberta.
Win or lose, the three CWN selected to represent Team Canada will put on an unforgettable display at the WLC.
