Two Bay of Plenty athletes have been named in the Black Fins team for the International German Cup in November.

The team includes Talitha McEwan from Mount Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service and Molly Shivnan from Omanu SLSC.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand has named the Black Fins team for the International German Cup, which will be held in Warendorf, Germany from November 23-25.

The eight-strong team of athletes and support team is as follows:

Black Fins:

Madison Kidd – Whangamatā Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC)

Zoe Crawford – Mairangi Bay SLSC

Molly Shivnan – Omanu SLSC

Talitha McEwan – Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service

Fergus Eadie – Mairangi Bay SLSC

Louis Clark – Taylors Mistake SLSC

Sam Brown – Mairangi Bay SLSC

Chris Dawson – Midway SLSC

Support Team:

Steve Kent – Campaign/Team Lead

Andy McMillan – Pool Rescue Coach

Tom Lowe – Assistant Coach/Technical Analyst

Kayla Botha – Physiotherapist

The International German Cup is a two-day pool rescue competition held annually.  It serves as a platform to test the skills and expertise of surf lifeguards in preparation for the 2024 Lifesaving World Championships.

Athletes will compete in various events, including swimming under floating obstacles, rescuing manikins off the bottom of the pool, and line throwing. 

Teams earn points for both individual and relay events, with the winning team being the one that accumulates the highest overall score.

This year the competition will include teams from New Zealand, Australia, and countries across Europe.

“The International German Cup offers a fantastic opportunity for athletes, providing an excellent, high-quality competition with a point-scoring system like the Lifesaving World Championships," says SLSNZ High Performance Sport Manager, Tanya Hamilton.

“The Europeans also tend to lead in technique and equipment innovation compared to southern hemisphere countries, making it an important learning experience for us.” 

The Blacks Fins are scheduled to depart for Germany mid-November.

“We’re excited about the upcoming competition!  We’ve worked hard on pool rescue skills this year and have a strong team, and I’m confident that they will make New Zealand proud.”