Notre Dame Physio student wins surf life saving gold

Document Type

Media Release

Publication Date

Summer 13-12-2012

Publisher Name

The University of Notre Dame Australia

Publication Place

Fremantle

Abstract

After more than 10 years of hard training, a first year Physiotherapy student from The University of Notre Dame Australia's Fremantle Campus has fulfilled a childhood dream of winning a gold medal at the Rescue 2012 Life Saving World Championships in Adelaide.

Brittanny Brymer, representing the City of Perth Life Saving Club, was part of the Under 19 Women's team that claimed first place in the Beach Relay as part of the World Interclub Championships – one of the five championship tournaments held at Rescue 2012.

The Hillarys resident also picked up a silver medal in the Beach Flags competition and a bronze medal in the Beach Sprint.

Competing against more than 4000 of the world best life savers, Ms Brymer said she was delighted with her performance at the tournament.

"The atmosphere and feeling you get when competing in a global competition is amazing," Ms Brymer said.

"The sportsmanship shown by all participants reflected the quality and prestige of Rescue 2012. It highlighted the hours of hard training and dedication put into a sport which has a very strong community focus at the same time."

Juggling sporting commitments with a tertiary degree is not without its challenges, but Ms Brymer says Notre Dame has helped her find the perfect balance.

"Physiotherapy has always interested me, and having a strong sporting background has convinced me that this would be an excellent career path. I like physiotherapy because it is a profession with a strong focus on human interaction," Ms Brymer said.

"The School of Physiotherapy at Notre Dame is very understanding of my training commitments and they have definitely assisted me in achieving my goals while encouraging me to maintain high academic standards."

Dean of the School of Physiotherapy, Professor Peter Hamer, described Ms Brymer as a great achiever and said she reflected the valued qualities of Notre Dame's physiotherapy students.

"Many of our students become interested in physiotherapy from being active participants in sport and other activities, which is often balanced with great contributions in their local community," Professor Hamer said.

"Brittanny has certainly achieved many successes and accolades during the year in surf life saving, which is built upon the provision of great service and contribution to the safety of the community.

"The School of Physiotherapy aims to support our aspiring future colleagues in all aspects of sport, service and contribution to the community."

Surf life saving was always destined to be Ms Brymer's sport of choice after being inspired by her grandfather who was a surf life saver in Queensland during the 1960s.

Ms Brymer has been perfecting her surf life saving skills in Queensland and Western Australia since the age of seven in order to compete at the highest level.

During the peak season, she could have as many as 10 training sessions per week which include a mixture of running, swimming, strength building workouts and core fitness programs.

MEDIA CONTACT: Michelle Ebbs: Tel (08) 9433 0610; Mob 0408 959 138 Leigh Dawson: Tel (08) 9433 0569; Mob 0405 441 093

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