New Stars

People usually associate lifesaving with the work of lifeguards at beaches or swimming pools, but in fact, lifesaving is also a competitive sport. Lifesaving is a race of speed that requires proper procedures to be followed, and the relay event particularly calls for the full cooperation of a team. It is this particular aspect that attracts Wong Chun Ki, whom we have interviewed in this issue, to this sport, and he will share with us the characteristic of lifesaving as a sport.

Winning or losing decided by on-the-spot response

Chun Ki had already achieved good results in the district youth swimming team. During summer break the year before last, upon joining the lifesaving programme co-organised by Pro Tech Sport Association, he discovered he was quite interested in the lifesaving sport, and realised it excited him more than the swimming competitions he participated in previously as the lifesaving sport demanded a higher level of emergency responsiveness, and was thus a much more challenging course of competition. Chun Ki pointed out that most people thought the lifesaving sport was a mere race to save a dummy, however, after he participated in the sport, he learned how to take better control over the situation of an accident scene, and learned how to remove obstacles along the lifesaving route to assure the best chance of rescue.

Encouragement from family and school

Speaking of the training he received after joining the Hong Kong team, Chun Ki told us he had training sessions at least 5 days a week, which included swimming, gymnastics, physical fitness, and relay skills. In addition, the instructor incorporated yoga classes into the training to help athletes stretch their muscles, increase physical flexibility, and relieve fatigue after exercise and pressure before matches. Chun Ki advanced to Form Six last year, so he must cope with intensive training and make time to prepare for the HKDSE examination simultaneously. Chun Ki, however, has not given up on lifesaving for his studies and the examination. He thanked his school for its flexibility in allowing him to continue to participate in open tournaments and international competitions from time to time, as well as its arrangement of tutoring classes and adjustments of the examination schedule. Chun Ki’s parents also offered extraordinary support for their son, as they provided the necessary sport equipment, and took the initiative to understand the essence of lifesaving sport.

Devotion, dedication and understanding of the self

Chun Ki believed that the devotion to any sport stemmed from interest in the sport. He felt that ever since he started lifesaving, he had become more mature and prudent, and is now able to react more calmly to the unexpected. Since the lifesaving sport involved many areas, Chun Ki has to make further plans for the future; besides focusing on his advantage in swimming, Chun Ki also covets an all-round development in other areas of lifesaving. He reached out to his teammates, recognised his own weaknesses and proactively made improvements.

Effective use of resources to promote lifesaving

As mentioned by Chun Ki, the Government has constantly been investing resources in lifesaving, with the Hong Kong Life Saving Society and its subsidiary societies organising lifesaving courses and competitions which have already attracted more people into the lifesaving sport.  Chun Ki hopes that children can be brought up with an interest in lifesaving from an early age, so they could pass on the torch for the sport. He also hoped that public awareness of the lifesaving sport could be augmented through promotion, and reminded the public to pay attention to marine safety.