Mocke's continue to dominate Lifesaving SA Championships podium

If Sunday belonged to the Masters of the sport, those 30 years-plus, then the next two days in the sand and surf of Kings Beach is the domain of those who ensure the future of the sport, the Nippers.

In excess of 700 Nippers, aged eight years to 14, celebrated their opening day at the 2022 DHL Lifesaving South Africa Championships at Kings Beach in Gqeberha, while the seniors will take to Newton Park's plush pool in the early part of the week before relocating to Kings Beach for the surf events, the flags and the beach sprints, run/swim/run and the blue ribbon Iron title.

The Mocke husband and wife duo of Dawid and Nikki sizzled on Sunday in the Masters in the age group 40-44 years for male and female, winning 11 medals between them, and on Monday, more Mocke's were taking to the podium in the Nipper's u13s in the form of Samuel Mocke and female under 10s in Sarah Mocke.

There are an elite bunch of celebrated lifesaving families, who have always excelled in the sport and passed on the baton. If the Mocke's are one of them and Fish Hoek's Nottens and KwaZulu-Natal's Bothas are as renowned, then Summerstrand's Gous's also are bracketed in a family that gives so much to the sport and also delivers so much in terms of performance.

The Gous' are always podium regulars in the Masters, as they were in years past in the Open category, and now they are podium regulars among the Nippers with Sienne Gous among gold and silver medals in the u12 female and Morgan Gous outstanding in the under 11s.

Summerstrand, whose Nippers crushed the opposition in 2021, were being challenged all the way in the u10, u12 and 14 Nippers categories on the opening day of their surf competition.

The Western Cape's Clifton contingent was strong and so were the