Camplin champions | Auckland Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Auckland

Sophie Bond speaks to a pair of teens who have little spare time, thanks to a demanding training regime for the upcoming Surf Lifesaving Championships.

A nippy breeze cruises the empty beach but the Camplin sisters don't hesitate.

They've already got their togs on and, side by side, run into the surf and dive into the waves.

Freya, 17, and Brita, 15, are about to compete in the weekly 1.5km ocean swim at Takapuna Beach.

It's all part of the St Mary's College students' full-on training schedule for the 2010 New Zealand Community Trust National Surf Lifesaving Championships.

The girls  will represent Piha Surf Lifesaving Club at the champs at Ohope Beach, Whakatane, from March 11-14.

"Mum got us involved with the club a couple of years ago," says Brita. "She was a past competitor and a national beach flag champ."

It didn't take long for the sisters to be hooked and now surf lifesaving dominates their timetables.

Together, they describe a typical week: "Monday, we're at Takapuna training with the boards; Tuesday, we take part in the beach series on the North Shore; Wednesday is at Piha or Takapuna for swimming and rescue-ski training; Thursday is pool training; Friday is free; Saturday we practise flags and sprints at Takapuna, and Sunday we work on our surf skills at Piha."

The training drops to four times a week in winter which is just as well because several other activities have to be fitted in.

"I surf as well, at Piha, with the Lion Rock Boardriders,"  says Brita.

Freya plays water polo for Waitakere and her school and competes in orienteering. "We both ski in winter and take part in club racing," she says.

Brita is wide-eyed and enthusiastic about the sport. "I want to keep going with it and I want to excel at it. I'm focused."

Freya is calmer but just as keen.

"The social side of it is the best. We get to hang out all day at the beach with our friends."

Do they cope with spending so much time together?

"We don't get too sick of each other," smiles Freya. "There are always other people to hang out with."

To compete as a surf lifesaver one must be a qualified lifeguard, so the girls must spend a day patrolling Piha once every three weeks.

The club is sponsored by Zymus and TNT clothing which provide coaching, equipment and clothing, plus money for entering competitions.

Freya and Brita will compete in six events each at the nationals and will travel with about 30 others from the Piha squad.

Hit the beach

This year, 1518 surf lifesavers will compete at the National Surf Lifesaving Championships at Ohope with 4362 entries (an average of three per competitor). Competitors vie for 244 titles over four categories: under-16, under-19, open and masters.

The disciplines covered include: beach sprints, swimming, running, canoeing, tube rescue and rescue-skis.