Since the Sunshine Coast Grammar Pool Lifesaving Club was founded in 2019, its athletes have continued to dominate in state and national championships and were recently crowned the 2022 National Pool Lifesaving Club Champions.
Pool Life Saving has been offered at Grammar since 1999 and is recognised as a sport that builds confidence, teaches teamwork and has a high number of participants from around the world.
Club President and Head Coach, Mrs Jeannie Baxter-Reid has been instrumental in the Club’s success having been involved with the Royal Lifesaving Society and Pool Lifesaving Sport for over 40 years.
Mrs Baxter-Reid’s success led to the formation of the Sunshine Coast Grammar Pool Lifesaving Club in 2019, which now boasts over 50 members from Sunshine Coast Grammar School as well as the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Northern NSW communities, with athletes ranging from 9-29 years of age. The Club has also been endorsed by the Royal Lifesaving Society Queensland.
“What I enjoy most is teaching young people how to look after themselves in and around the water, and how they can assist other people,” said Mrs Baxter-Reid.
From their inaugural season in 2019 where six athletes represented Australia at the 2019 Commonwealth Championships in England, the Club has gone from strength to strength and won over 80 National Championship medals at the 2020 and 2022 Australian Pool Lifesaving Championships combined.
Most recently, the Club claimed victory at the 2022 Australian Pool Lifesaving Championships in Sydney and were crowned the 2022 National Pool Lifesaving Club Champions.
From this competition, four athletes were selected for the Australian Lifesaving Team to compete in the 2022 World Lifesaving Championships in Italy from 21 September.
“I am so proud of our young Club for achieving a substantial amount in three short seasons in the midst of a Global Pandemic,” said Mrs Baxter-Reid.