By Ron Lane
At the end of the trials one of the officials was overheard saying to Impact Boxing Academy coach Mark Evans, “Why don’t you just charter your own plane?”
All within hearing laughed.
The reason behind this remark was that Evans had arrived at Acacia Ridge in Brisbane for the Queensland Selection Trials Boxing tournament, with a team of eleven boxers; and at the end of the tournament all had been selected for the trip to Adelaide to contest the Australian Titles in April.
A win at the Australian Titles will guarantee them selection in one of two major international up-coming amateur boxing tournaments.
One will be the Youth Commonwealth Games to be held in the Bahamas in July; the other the Elite World Championships to be contested in Hamburg, Germany later in the year.
The selection of all eleven gives Cooroy’s Impact Club the most representation in the team.
Some were also named as winners of Major Standout Trophies in their divisions: there can be no doubt that this club is now the most successful of its type in Queensland.
Those chosen to represent Queensland in their various divisions are: Coen Allman and Riley Whitestyles – School Boys, Cameron Little and Chloe Halley – Juniors, and Ben Cameron-Hands, Abbie Slavin, Ella Boot and Sam Cameron-Hands – Youth.
Tyler Blizzard, Luke Martin and Bryce Hegartey were named in the Elite Men’s.
The draws at the tournament did not favour Impact in any way, with noone receiving byes.
“As a result all team members had to fight their way through to the finals. However all said they were happy to do so because then there would be no doubt as to who were the best,” Evans said.
At the end of March a coaching seminar will be held at the AIS in Canberra for 20/20 Vision Combat Coaches.
Added to this, Evans has been invited as the Queensland High Performance Coaching Representative to attend a conference, the purpose of which is to plan a strategic pathway for athletics towards the Tokyo Olympics.
