Despite the fact that Grace Otto of the Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving Club, is a 16-year-old, year 11 student at St Andrews College, this quiet, attractive young lady, knows exactly what she wants when it comes to competing in the rugged world of surf life savings surf sports competition.
For Grace there are two golds: first is the Nutri Grain Iron Woman and following this is the biggest event of all, the Coolangatta Gold. “ To me these events are my big attraction. Because they are made up of different disciplines, board, ski, swim and run, I find this to be the greatest challenge of all; there is nothing better than these events.” What she finds so challenging about the Coolangatta Gold is the long distance. ‘’To me the distance is the big factor.”
It all started when, as a U/10 she joined the Sunshine Beach Nippers. When she came of age, she obtained her SRC,(Surf Rescue Certificate) and later went on to obtain her bronze medallion. ‘’ She was a bit reluctant at first, a bit shy,” said her parents, “but with a bit of a gentle shove and being there for her, she started to relax and enjoy.’’
On obtaining her SRC she became a member of Patrol 10,but on obtaining her bronze she was rostered on to Patrol 1. “They were good patrols and as a result I made a lot of good friends. On patrol 1 our Patrol Captain Ross Williams, was good and kept us busy doing conditioning work with lots of swims and runs.” It was during these sessions, plus paddling the rescue boards, that she developed a liking for the Iron Woman events. “It was the best of everything, doing all the three legs. At first, I wasn’t real confident body surfing, but mum and dad kept encouraging me to keep at it: then I started to crack bigger waves, and I became more confident. Now it is all good and I am happy with it all.”
Her first experience in the Iron Woman came as a U/11 nipper: then as a U/14 with experience gained, she won the State Junior Iron Woman Championship. Following this she moved up into the senior ranks and despite being a U/17 competitor, she competed in the Open division: in an extraordinary performance (it being her first year in the opens),she made the finals in the big state wide carnival, the Summer of Surf, at Mermaid Beach.
People were now starting to take note: the heavy grind of her training program, heavy swim sessions in the mornings, board and ski in the evenings, plus a very determined and positive mental attitude and her future was looking very good. With coaches Josh Minogue (board) and Paul Gilmore (ski) plus a strong ever present family group supporting, all ingrediencies for a successful career are in place.
Another major factor in her favour is her club, Sunshine Beach. This is a club that through the years has earned a reputation for developing outstanding junior competitors: good coaching ,team spirit and a solid group of veteran members always there to assist.
However, it was about this time that the COVID-19- hit and there were a lot of cancellations. Just before the big Unbreakable Surf Carnival at Alexandra Headlands, Grace was starting to show signs of fatigue: a young athlete with a heavy program. A blood test, a normal precaution for athletes, showed there was an iron deficiency and that was quickly addressed. “Cancellations, coming at this time was a bit helpful,” said a family member. “It gave Grace a chance to get a bit more rest and a possible change of diet; we all realise the importance of both these factors in a young athletes career.”
With the carnival dates being uncertain because of health restrictions, there is however, the possibility of the Nutri Grain series restarting in February at Kingscliff. Because of health restrictions regarding her age group(u/17) Grace will not be competing.
“This young lady,” said Head Coach Josh Minogue, “has a really great work ethic and works well with her ski coach Paul Gilmore. The club could not be prouder and she definitely has a great future ahead”
Regarding her education she said, “I have two years schooling to go and then hopefully it will be Uni. I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens.” To Grace and team, we wish them all the very best”
At Noosa Heads Surf Club, it is good to see the once traditional Sunday morning surf swim is back on the charts. This is a swim for all members, and under the organisation of Sandy Warren and handicapper Gerard O’Brien, it is starting to get great support. The swim which is conducted on a handicap basis, is run every second Sunday and registration is at 8.30 for a 9am start. In the words of the late Bruce Warren( husband of Sandy) the former bronze squad swim coach, “The club swims make the young ones understand the importance of swimming: rescue work is not just a case of jumping into an IRB or grabbing a rescue board. Sometimes our patrol members will just have to swim for it. That is the cold hard facts of life.” Well said Bruce -and thank you.
