At age 21 when the world is your oyster, Electra Outram of the Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving Club is definitely right there. At this age this young lady with her achievements in both academics and sport, has the world at her feet.
This year she will commence her fifth year at the Sunshine Coast University where she is studying Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Commerce and Accountancy. When you take into consideration the time required for her continued success in her studies, you would wonder where she gets the time required to achieve her outstanding results in the world of sport.
Electra started her career in lifesaving, when she joined the Sunshine Beach Nippers at age seven: but at age 13 she transferred her membership to the Noosa club. Now at 21 she has her bronze medallion and apart from her studies and sporting life, she still finds time to perform her duties as a lifesaving member of Patrol 5, at Noosa’s Main Beach.
The patrolling is something that she really enjoys. “By doing this I feel that we are giving something back to the community and to me, that is very important. It is only right that we are seen to be doing something that is really for our people.”
Regarding her competition events, she competes in the iron person, surf board, surf ski and the surf swim. Starting her competition while in the nipper early years, she showed outstanding possibilities for the senior years ahead. Electra won both the U14 and U15 National Iron Woman events. On entering the senior ranks, she finished third in the U17 National Surf Race and rounded things off by winning the National U19 Surf ski event.
Then later on she won a major event when she won the Short Course Coolangatta Gold. “That was a great event and something that I was really proud of. It was a good one to win.” Her next major carnival will be on Maroochydore Beach when she takes part in the Murphy Builders Maroochydore Classic, 27-28 January.
With a personality that matches her winning ways, the year ahead for this young lady in both academics and sport could be a big one. We wish her and her Noosa club mates all the very best.
Sunshine Beach.
Over the hill at Sunshine Beach SLSC, great start for the 2023 season. Gemma Welch Smith and Niamh Arthur selected for the Queensland State team: a huge honour for both the girls and the club.
Gemma and Niamh will be competing at Maroubra Beach NSW this weekend in the Interstate Carnival: representing Queensland and Sunshine Beach in all events. We wish both girls well.
Boxing.
After 28 years as a painting contractor and 18 years as owner Head Coach of Impact Boxing Academy, and now Head Coach of the Australian team, Mark Evans has decided it is time to retire from the work force. Unlike many who on leaving the business world, ask themselves, what now? However, his success in the world of amateur boxing, has provided him with a new full-time occupation.
‘’I was in a position, where trying to do justice to both my business and boxing, had become too much. But then I realised I had reached retiring age in the work force: so, it was step aside and do what I love. Involve myself fully in the sport of boxing. So, retirement does not present me with a problem, as it does for so many others. I have had some 18 years (in boxing) unintentionally preparing myself for just this moment.”
Regarding the recent trip to Spain for the World Amateur Championships, it was, despite not winning any medals a successful learning curve. In a team of eight, three have come home now rated in the World Top 10 in their division.
One of these was Cooroy’s Paige Robinson. Her performance both in competition and in training camps, earned her a No 9 rating. Following this she has been invited to attend a high-performance training camp at the AIS in Canberra: from 16-20 January.
‘’The overall performance tells us that the gap between the standard of our teams and teams from Europe and Asia is starting to close. This is the result of an attitude towards advanced training and more overseas competition in the Pacific region. However, our major hurdle is and always will be geographical. For just one example, it took the Irish team two hours to reach Spain and it took us 30.”
Training events conducted at the titles were a great experience for the team. When Paige was out of the tournament, overseas coaches invited her to join in training sessions, sparring with fighters from various countries: Georgia, Columbia, Kazakhstan, Thailand and the Jamaican Islands.
There was no such thing as light sparring, everything was full contact: it was a great learning experience for Paige. Sparring with national champions from all those countries and she more than held her own”
Coach Mark Evans added, “I cannot thank the people of Cooroy enough for the support they gave to Paige: their fund raising was fantastic, and their treatment of their young lady was exceptional. She was given the honour of turning on the lights for the big Cooroy Christmas Tree celebration.
“This would probably be the first time, that a local girl representing her country competed in such a big international event. Once again, well done and many thanks to all involved.”
