For Noosa’s Little Athletics, the month of March 2022 must definitely be rated as one of their best ever.
On 5 and 6 March they had the Queensland Athletics Championships for their senior athletes and on 11 and 13 March they held the Queensland Championships for younger athletes. For a small club, they did amazingly well over both weekends coming away with a swag of 28 State medals.
On weekend one they had three athletes become state champions with Zane Branco open men’s long jump, Dianne Ladewig, 17, women’s 100m hurdles and Luca Gerrard, 14, men’s triple jump. These three will be joined by five more Noosa athletes, Kristie Edwards, Jaxon Retchless, Jennifer Ladewig, Mailee Scott-Jones and Haley Davis who have all qualified to represent Queensland at the Australian Athletics Championships which started 26 March at Sydney Olympic Park and will continue til 3 April. We can rest assured that these young people will do their club and state proud.
Weekend two saw the great form of our Noosa athletes continue with Jaxon Retchless winning gold in the 16 year men’s 100m, 200m sprints and high jump, closely followed by Dianne Ladewig’s gold in the 90m hurdles and 200m sprint, and silver in the 100m.
Our Noosa parents showed great support, by shouting the house down every time a Noosa athlete appeared in an event. We can be assured that this volume of support resulted in many 10 top performances and PBs.
Other medallists include Finn Bellerby, bronze in the 17year 1500m, Olive Payne silver in the 16 year 800m, Mailee-Scott Jones bronze in the 16 year 200m, 400m runs and long jump, Jennifer Ladewig gold in the 16 year 300m hurdles and a bronze in the 90m hurdles, and Ann Tudor silver in the 1500m walk. Luca Gerrard won bronze in the 13yr 100m sprint, Taylor Clayton silver 80m 12yr hurdles and bronze in the 100m.
This was the best results the club has had for many a long season and was topped off by the selection of Lucia Gerrard in the Little Athletics Queensland U/13s state team to compete in Melbourne at the Australian Little Athletics championships, 23 and 24 April 2022.
Luca has also been selected for the 100m sprint, long jump, triple jump and the 4x100m relay. We wish this young man all the very best in Melbourne.
Boxing
Her name is Ange Harries and at age 36, when most amateur boxers have well and truly hung up their gloves, this remarkable woman has just achieved something extraordinary.
Boxing in the 60kg division as a member of the Team Impact Boxing Academy, Angie has been selected to represent Australia in the upcoming Women’s World Amateur Boxing Championships. This tournament, which will be held in Istanbul Turkey in May of this year, is a dream come true for Angie.
“I just can’t believe it, going to represent Australia at the World Titles, all this after a two-year break. I had been talking to my coach Mark Evans and he told me what was coming up. It left me three weeks to get ready but because of my profession I was still in good shape. Three weeks of runs and hours in the gym has all been worthwhile.”
Ange’s boxing career started late in life.
At age 27 while working as a receptionist in a gym, she started to assist in the PT classes which was to result in her interest in boxing.
‘’I started with light sparring, got interested and when someone suggested I try amateur competition, I thought why not.” Now after some 46 fights, during which she won Golden Glove titles as well as Australian and State championships, this happily married mother of a 15-year-old daughter, is training for the big one, the world titles in Turkey.
“My husband is just as excited about the whole thing as I am and my daughter also gives me her total support.”
Owner and head coach of Team Impact Boxing Cooroy Mark Evans said, “Under normal conditions, the three weeks’ notice for the national trials, which were being held in Melbourne, would normally be too short but her occupation and attitude made it all happen. She won the gold medal in her division and when she came home, she wore her medal everywhere. And rightly so.”
In preparation for Turkey, she will now have three workouts a day, strict diet and all carefully watched by coach Evans. This is yet another of our local atheletes who have quietly achieved great things.
Of the other two state team members, Erin Carter and Keana Welch, Erin won the silver medal and Keana made the semi- finals. When you consider they were up against the best in Australia – definitely a good all-round performance.
Surf life saving championships
It’s that time of the year again when some 6000 surf life saving competitors from 314 surf clubs from around Australia will gather at Broadbeach, North Kirra and Kurrawa to contest the national titles. The titles which, will commence on April 2 and go through to the 10th, will have a total of 480 beach and ocean events.
This year, Noosa will send a big team to contest the titles with some 130 competitors on the books.Over the hill at Sunshine Beach Club, our brothers in surf will also send a team 48.
Despite being a small club, Sunshine always hits above its weight.
To coaches Darren Mercer from Noosa, Josh Minogue and Zion Pettigrove Sunshine Beach, we wish both clubs all the very best.
At a recent Australian Surf Rowers League Queensland Titles, held at Dicky Beach, the Noosa’s masters boat crew, the Condors, won gold and the U/19 girls crew, the Twitters, won silver.
For Condors, rower Mick Curwen it certainly has been a great year. First of all, for his outstanding contribution to not only the surf boat section but his club in general he had a boat named in his honour. If he should win a medal at the National’s, it would be a great finish to what has already been a year to remember.
