Sunshine Coast Grammar Pool Lifesaving Club has claimed a historic fourth consecutive National Club Championship at the 2024 Australian Pool Lifesaving Championships, held in Melbourne earlier this month.
Consisting of 21 athletes as well as highly experienced and qualified coaches, the team won three Individual Championship Gold medals and two of the three Staged Emergency Rescue Competitions, beating all other Clubs and State Teams.
Included in this year’s Championship team was Sunshine Coast Grammar School Alumni, Rosie Lennox and Year 12 Grammar student Brooke Copsey. Six athletes from the Club were also selected for the Australian Squad, including Mariah Jones who was awarded the prestigious Female Athlete of the Meet.
The Australian Pool Lifesaving Championships brings athletes, teams, volunteers, officials and volunteers together from across Australia for three days of competition both in and out of the water, including 7 individual events and 6 team events.
From the Club’s inaugural season in 2019 where six athletes represented Australia at the 2019 Commonwealth Championships in England, the Club has gone from strength to strength. The Club has had a further 11 athletes represent Australia at the World Lifesaving Championships in Italy and most recently the Commonwealth Championships in Canada.
Club President, Head Coach and teacher at Sunshine Coast Grammar School, Mrs Jeannie Baxter-Reid has been instrumental in the Club’s success having been involved with Royal Lifesaving Society and Pool Lifesaving Sport for over 40 years. Under Jeannie’s guidance, the Club has won over 150 National Championship medals at the 2020 – 2024 Australian Pool Lifesaving Championships combined.
“I am so proud of our young Club for achieving remarkable results in five seasons,” said Mrs Baxter-Reid.
Mrs Baxter-Reid’s experience and passion 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 other Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria regions, with athletes ranging from 9-70 years of age.
