MAKING friends and travelling his home state is what keeps emerging Warrnambool lifesaver Ed Northeast competing for his club.
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The Warrnambool Surf Lifesaving Club member added another Lifesaving Victoria State Championships medal to his collection when he finished third in the under 12 beach run on Saturday.
But winning races or claiming medals is not what draws the 12-year-old to the sport.
"It's all the good friends you make and the fun times you have when you go to explore Victoria because you can go to a whole heap of different places," he said.
"You can have a good time with mates and it's not really about winning, it is about having a good time but if you do win it's just a bonus."
Northeast, who enters his final season of the junior competition squad next year, said his medal-winning beach run was full of different emotions.
"When I was doing the run I was in third and then a kid from Jan Juc overtook me and I thought I was done for and couldn't get back to third," he said.
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"But then he overtook the kid in second and the kid in second started to slow down and I started to go a little bit harder and finally got him and then I finished a fair bit in front.
"I wasn't feeling great (at the finish) and a little bit sick but talking to the other competitors after it was a good time and I started to feel great."
Northeast admitted he wasn't feeling very confident heading into his race.
"I felt a bit weird because I didn't feel like I'd do well in the long run but I ended up doing pretty good so I am happy about that," he said.
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The Emmanuel College student, who also rides dirt bikes as well as playing basketball and footy, said he enjoyed the land-based events in lifesaving.
"I like running and also the way it changes so quickly like you can have a good start or bad one but it doesn't matter because you can catch up through the race," he said.
"I prefer all the land events over the board because I'm not too good on the boards unless it's flat or some good waves to catch in."
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