Beacon Lifesaving Club members Ryan Wheeler, 28, and Henry Russell-Ross, 19, have been selected to represent England as Captain and Vice-Captain for this year’s Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships taking place in Canada in September.
They will lead a team that includes teammates Ben Cusselle, 20, and Jack Smith, 21, also from Crowborough-based Beacon Lifesaving Club. The four swimmers train seven times a week at Crowborough leisure Centre. Beacon Lifesaving Club is part of Beacon Swimming Club, which was founded in 1976 and has approximately 250 members from ages 7 to 70.
The Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships are held every two years, aiming to encourage international participation in lifesaving sport and the further development of lifesaving practices across the Commonwealth. The group has set up a GoFundMe page to help fund their trip, as lifesaving is a relatively unknown and under-funded sport. T he raised funds will go towards helping them pay for the kit, travel and accommodation for the competition.
It is a huge honour, not only to be selected to represent my country, but also to be leading the team heading out to Canada. I cannot wait to get out there with the whole team, especially my Beacon teammates, and showcase the hard work we have all put in.
Ryan Wheeler
Ben Stevens, Head Coach of Beacon Lifesaving Club, said:
The Club has been working really hard in order to allow our athletes the best opportunity to be selected to represent their country. It is a huge achievement and all four of our athletes have been working extremely hard to secure their spots to represent Team England – they should all be incredibly proud of their achievements. This is a team effort and without the help of our coaches, volunteers, committee, timekeepers, judges and helpers, this wouldn’t have been possible.
Head Coach of Beacon Lifesaving Club
For more information about Beacon Lifesaving and Swimming Clubs, please see their website: www.beaconswimmingclub.co.uk.
