Rottnest swim team powered by caring
She has already conquered two gruelling Rottnest Channel Swims, now Zoe Davidson is preparing to do it again with her little sister by her side.
In less than three weeks, Zoe will take part in her third consecutive swim alongside her sister Eva and fellow Mercedes College students Matilda Norrish and Kate Martin.
While some parents struggle to get their teenagers off the couch and away from their computers, these teammates can hardly be dragged away from the beach.
The Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club members have been training hard in recent weeks in the hope of finishing the 19.7km swim in seven hours.
"As long as you have done the preparation the swim is all right," Zoe said. "Leading up to it we are just doing as much as we can. I think we are at the beach four or five nights a week."
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Rottnest Channel Swim between Cottesloe beach and Rottnest Island.
The girls, who are aged 14 to 17, will be raising money for Mercy Beyond Borders in the lead-up to the event.
Eva said they chose to support the organisation because it helped young women who were living in poverty.
"It's a program to help women in South Sudan and Haiti make a better life for themselves and it's empowering them in their education rights," she said.
Kate completed the swim as part of a team two years ago but it will be a new experience for Matilda and Eva.
They plan to swim in 10-minute intervals to begin with and have their fingers crossed for good weather conditions on the day.
"Getting in before the sea swell is probably my biggest worry," Kate said.
"I'm sure we will make it, but we want to get in before it becomes really choppy."
