She started out as a young girl with big dreams, but today a Plettenberg Bay teen proudly wears a gold medal around her neck after battling it out against 14 other countries at the African Lifesaving Championships and Conference in Egypt at the weekend.
Ellen Kleinsmidt, 19, received gold in the Beach Flags category.
She also competed in the sprints, relay and torpedo rescue, where she placed sixth.
For the Beach Flags category, competitors start by lying on their stomach facing away from a row of batons buried in the sand up to 20m away.
There are always fewer batons than competitors.
On the starting gun, competitors rise, turn and race to secure a baton. Those who fail to obtain a baton are eliminated.
The process repeats until there is a single winner.
Locally, Kleinsmidt is involved in the Adopt A Swimmer project that teaches youngsters lifesaving, swimming and nippers (a beach sport for boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 14).
This is also where Kleinsmidt learnt how to swim at the age of 10.
Kleinsmidt, who arrived back in SA on Monday, penned a heartfelt note about her growth from being terrified of the water to putting the small Garden Route community of Plettenberg Bay on the African map.
“It all started with a young girl, with big dreams, in a small community where everything felt impossible and there are not really many opportunities.
“Each opportunity you got was a true blessing and you had to grab it with both hands,” she wrote.
She said Adopt A Swimmer had changed everything for her and the other children in her community.
“They made a dream a reality for most children ... and it is the foundation of my lifesaving career, where it all started.”
She said her coach, Peter Auersperg, and his wife, Louise, had the biggest hearts and displayed patience as she learnt how to float, kick and do the different strokes.
“I learnt all the basics of swimming.
“But most importantly, they taught me how to save myself and friends when in trouble in the ocean, and they kept me busy and out of trouble every weekend.
“I can say I’m truly blessed,” she said.
She said without the teachings of Auersperg and coach Glen Murray every Saturday, she would not be where she is today.
Now, watching the growth of incoming students was rewarding.
The owner of the organisation, Louise, said they had started the programme in 2010, but it was only formally registered in 2013.
They have since helped teach more than 800 children from around the town.
The organisation focuses on micro nippers, nippers, lifesaving, surfing, NSRI water-wise programmes and sometimes does ocean safari sea trips.
“I began with just two children and Ellen was one of those children. For her to go this far is humbling,” Louise said.
“I always tell my children to look up to her, to see that all is possible.
“Ellen is extremely strong, and I am blessed to be part of her life as she has grown beyond the sport to be such a dynamic lady who has an ability to influence her peers to be something positive.
Ellen’s mother, Delina, thanked everyone who had supported her daughter.
“We raised R2,500 for her pocket money through a raffle that we had and I think it’s even more special that she came back with the gold,” she said.
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