Applying her love for lifesaving to her academic studies has now become a way of life for the dynamic Carmel Billson.
The Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) Master of Technology (MTech) Chiropractic student has been making ‘waves’ in the sporting arena of lifesaving.
The dynamic swimmer and Stillwater lifesaving competitor has been recently selected to represent South Africa at the World Lifesaving championships in Australia in November 2018.
The sport fanatic who says lifesaving is her passion, and would love to add value to the sport through her shared passion of chiropractic.
She further added that lifesaving sport was primarily intended to encourage lifesavers to develop, maintain and improve the essential physical and mental skills needed to save lives in the aquatic environment. She said the sport consists of a series of competition disciplines intended ‘to further develop and demonstrate lifesaving skills, fitness and motivation.
For Billson, her passion and commitment for the sport was instilled through her parents love for it. “I haven’t looked back since. I started in 2008. It caught my interest because I love the ocean and I love sport, it’s the perfect combination. My parents were both involved, back in the day, but I started when a group of classmates invited me to the beach to try out,” she said.
Billson is no stranger to receiving accolades in the lifesaving sport, having taken part in many competitions, earning various titles and awards.
Even both her younger sisters compete with her, they have also received their South African colours.
The adventurous Billson said lifesaving is a multi-discipline sport that entails lots of and many different types of preparation. “My regime, depending on my periodization in lead up to an event, I can do between 10 and 17 sessions a week. These sessions included swimming, paddle board, gym, plyometrics, surf ski, kayaking and track running,” she added.
She said her current focus is being a swimmer and Stillwater lifesaving competitor but she is making an active change towards the pinnacle event in lifesaving, the ironman. “As a sportswoman it requires the same amount of discipline as anyone who aspires to be the best they can be,” she said.
The last major competition she took part in, was the General Tire South African Lifesaving National Championships held during March 2018. “During that event I won 17 gold medals and as the Captain I proudly lead my club team to overall victory. There is no better feeling than leading a bunch of passionate dedicated people to reach their goals,” she said ecstatically.
Besides her great success in competitions, Billson has been awarded the ‘Lifesaving South Africa Senior Female Athlete of the Year’ for the third consecutive year.
In-between all her training, Billson never falters from her education. Her current focus is in her MTech in Chiropractic. She is researching the epidemiology of musculoskeletal injuries in competitive lifesavers in KwaZulu-Natal. “I balance studying and sport by running to a strict timetable and constantly working on my time-management skills,” she stressed.
Even through her studies and participation in lifesaving competitions, Billson believes in giving back and does so by doing some part-time coaching. “I plan to keep putting my heart and soul into my sport as long as I have the passion,” she said.
Pictured: Carmel Billson.
Waheeda Peters
