AusLeisure

Last week Marlborough Lines Stadium 2000 in New Zealand became the first aquatic facility outside of Australia to train their lifeguards in the Pool Super Vision™ technique.

Pool Super Vision™ is an award winning, risk based method for preventing drowning in public facilities that was developed in Tamworth, NSW by well known local government aquatic facilities manager Gary Johnson.

Johnson left Tamworth Regional Council 14 months ago aiming to impact drowning rates by making Pool Super Vision™ available to the wider aquatic industry.

Since then, Johnson has also gone onto develop a model for due diligence for preventing drowning at public swimming facilities.

In the last 12 months, Johnson has shared his experience and vision in the USA and delivered Pool Super Vision™ to centres in most states of Australia and now, in New Zealand.

Commenting on the introduction of the technique in New Zealand, Marlborough Lines Stadium 2000 Chief Executive Paul Tredinnick explains “we’re always looking for ways to maintain best practice at the stadium (so when) I saw Gary present at the Aquafutures International Conference last year on the Gold Coast and what he was saying it instantly resonated with me.

“Having seen some of the training firsthand I can say that Gary is definitely a passionate and energetic trainer.

“We’ve seen an instant change in the way our lifeguards walk their deck and how they see their role.”

Stadium 2000 is an international standard sports and events centre providing services to 800,000 visitors annually. The centre is a sports hub for swimming, squash, basketball, netball, volleyball, badminton, inline hockey, indoor speed and figure skating and indoor tennis, also features stadium seating and holds major trade, lifestyle and concert events.

Stadium 2000’s aquatics area features seven bodies of water, ranging from indoor, outdoor, competition, leisure and a hydrotherapy pools.

The Stadium has been continually recognised nationally through the New Zealand Recreation Association’s (NZRA) Outstanding Facility Award (2010), Lifeguard of the year (2007) and Outstanding Programme of the year (2005).

Introducing the program to New Zealand, Johnson explains “before going I had to become familiar with the New Zealand aquatic industry standards and modify some parts of Pool Super Vision™ to ensure it was specific and relevent.

“Like Australia, it’s the innovators who are taking up Pool Super Vision™ first. For most people lifeguarding appears easy. But what you’re really doing is pushing the human brain to its limits. Lifeguards are trying to detect drowning amongst a group of people who are doing a lot of activities that look like drowning; splashing, breath holding, and lying on the bottom. Combine that with things like glare, line of sight and distraction and the job is one of the toughest around and with potentially tragic consequences.”, Mr Johnson said.

Commenting on his most memorable moments in New Zealand, Johnson added “a 5.7 earthquake was definitely one, as was yacht racing on the Queen Charlotte Sound with the CEO of Stadium 2000.

“(And) from an industry point of view it is really important that we get out head out of the Australian bubble occasionally. It helps to be able to see others tackling similar issues a different way.”

Johnson will be presenting at the New Zealand Recreation Association’s 2016 Just Add Water Seminar (JAWS) in August.

Click here to contact Pool Super Vision/See Clearly Now via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.

Click here for more information on JAWS in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

17th August 2015 - JUST ADD WATER SEMINAR AIMS TO CREATE SAFER AQUATIC FACILITIES

6th February 2015 - GOLDFIELDS OASIS RECREATION CENTRE AIDS NATIONAL RESEARCH INTO DROWNING

3rd February 2015 - AUSTRALIAN POOL SUPER VISION TO BE SHOWCASED TO US AQUATIC PROFESSIONALS

25th June 2011 - MARLBOROUGH AQUATIC COMPLEX THRILLS SWIMMERS

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