At Dolphin Oval, home of the Ray White Noosa Dolphins Rugby Union Club, this month will see the club set the wheels in motion for what we hope will be a very interesting and successful season.
Under the leadership of newly-elected club president Jon Lewis, vice president Greg Bain, secretary Greg Dodd and treasurer Helen Cutcliffe, it will be all stations go.
For this month the club will indulge in a touch rugby competition for the men with the finals on the night of January 28 to be followed by a club barbecue and refreshments. Under the arrangement of A grade head coach Matt Buckland, this is sure to kick the season off to a great start.
In discussions with Tash Ramsden, Dolphins’ media relations officer, said “Happy to relate there is plenty of news to keep all our players and support groups very happy. The men’s touch competition will be the lead up to the preseason training date of Tuesday 1 February. The three senior men’s trial games are scheduled for March 5 against Helensvale Hogs, March 12 against Griffith Uni College Knights and March 19 against Norths Eagles.
“On Tuesday evening we held an information night for senior women which was well attended. The new coaching team was announced and head coach Damien Cogill, assistant coach Rohan Ramsden and manager Caitlin Niven were introduced and preseason activities were discussed.
“We also extended an invitation for new players to come along and join. Regarding the juniors, we ran a clinic at Dolphin and again this was well attended.”
One of the highlights for the juniors is the Noosa Rugby Academy (NRA) high performance programs to develop quality players, both physically and mentally. These clinics focus on skill improvement and core fundamentals for ambitious nine–16 year old players.
Each program delivers a player-specific focus that features professional coaching, rugby skills testing, and physical development benchmarking.
“Our ultimate aim is to work with committed players to maximise their rugby and personal potential thus opening up a pathway to professional rugby.”
Registrations for the junior 2022 season are open and hopefully a large number will sign up, so parents are encouraged to get in quick. The big days for junior kit collection are Friday 4 February and Friday 11 February, 4-6pm. Those all important dates for the commencement of junior training are Tuesday 14 February for U/12 to Junior Colts and Friday 4 March for U/6 to U/11. Starting times will be 4pm.
The U/13 team news tells us that last year’s undefeated U/12s Sunshine Coast champions will participate in the King of the Country tournament on the Gold Coast. This is where the champions of Queensland’s top regional rugby associations (Gold Coast, Darlings Downs, Far North and Sunny Coast) play each other. The rugby will be of a very high standard and provide a platform for the boys to showcase their skills for potential Qld country selection later in the year. Tournament dates are 11 and 12 April.
Club supporters are advised the Sunshine Coast Rugby senior 2022 season is schedule to start Saturday 2 April.
It is quite obvious that retiring president Donald McKill made an outstanding contribution, not only to the club but also in marketing the game of rugby to the community at large.
‘’Donald will be sorely missed,” Ramsden said.
“He is not going anywhere so he will continue to be a great supporter and, no doubt, will be helping somewhere and sometime along the way.”
The time and effort that has gone into organising the Dolphin program for the season ahead, in particular, their attitude into the junior grades and their parents, speaks volumes for not only the future of the club, but also for the game of rugby itself. Good luck and good health to all involved.
Lifesaving
The first round of the Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman was held at North Bondi on the weekend. Originally planned as a three-day event starting on the Friday and going through to Sunday, the Sunday events were postponed when mother nature provided us with the possibility of a tsunami.
The risk posed to athletes was too big for the event to go ahead. On the Friday, day one our local girl Lana Rogers, swimming for the Alexandra Headlands Surf Club, finished in second place. Leading in the last leg which was the ski, she made a small error of judgment in the break which cost her the win.
However, on day two with her lesson well learnt, it was all Lana from start to finish. The draw for the three legs was board, ski, swim and the surf was moderate. Her performance on this day was Lana Rogers at her best. After coming home first in the ski leg, she led the way in the swim and when halfway back to the beach she picked up a body wave, and with a fantastic example of body surfing (an art in which she has greatly improved) held it almost to the dry sand. This gave Rogers a good lead coming into the final leg- which was the board. Again she took some good waves which enabled her to finish in first place.
Another major factor in her win was that her coach Sharlene Kelly was unexpectedly, able to travel to North Bondi. To have her on the beach for the Saturday final would no doubt have been a big boost. Speaking to comperes, Rogers was asked about her goals.
“I really want to find out more about myself and just what I am capable of.”
The next carnival will be the Murphy Builders sponsored surf carnival at Maroochydore, a major event for the season going from 21-23 January. Good luck to all.
Martial arts
In the world of martial arts our local Shotokan Karate Club has also maintained a positive attitude by drawing up its program for 2022 and, all being well, it will be a very active year.
Under the guidance of owner and head coach (Sensi) Bryan Dukas 6th Dan and ably supported by his training team, they are still conducting 9am and 3pm training classes at the club in Gibson Road, Noosa.
The club’s competition season gets under way with the state championships in March and national titles in Perth in August.
The big one for the Shotokan people, the World Shotokan Karate Championships, which will be held in Japan, also in August. These titles will then be followed by an international training seminar. Those in attendance will have the privilege of training under some of the finest sensei in the world.
However, in April, Mike Dukas (the father of Bryan Dukas) an 8th Dan and vice president of the World Shotokan Karate Federation, will visit Noosa where he will conduct instructional and examinational courses. To have a sensei of such high grading and international administration visit our local dojo would indeed be very beneficial for the sport.
At their annual dinner and presentation of trophies with120 members in attendance, the following members with outstanding achievements were acknowledged. The Kindy of the Year – Michael Ahmet/Freddie Wilson, Most Improved -Julius Allen, Jnr Athlete of the Year – Sophia Innis and Cadet – Danica Starkey. The 5 Maxims award (for principles of karate and code of conduct) – Amy Cavanagh, Best Continuous Improvement – Brandon Dukas, Samurai Spirit – Hayden Clark, Invictus Trophy – Chris Falls Cherry/Chris Gaughan and Girls’ Dedication and Commitment – Mikayla Dukas. Best Kata – Lachlan Noakes, Best Kumite – Jack Drew and the major honour, Most Outstanding Achievement – Stella Edmundson. These were just some of the many to be acknowledged.
During the evening the Japan tour for August was officially announced. Let’s hope that the health regulations are such that the visit to Japan becomes a reality.
Pickleball
The popularity of the sport of pickleball continues to grow throughout the shire and the Sunshine Coast. According to club president Woodie Dess, there are 150 players in the Noosa district and 450 on the Sunshine Coast.
During the week there are five organised sessions in Noosa as well as weekly evening sessions in Peregian Beach and Cooroy. Games played at the Leisure Centre are now on hold through January while the centre is used as vaccination hub.
Pickleball is now rated as the fastest growing sport in the world with 60 per cent of the players being over the age of 60. Enabling the growth of pickleball to align with the Noosa Plan, the future prospects for the sport in Noosa are definitely looking good. The Noosa Club is all about maximising the use of existing sporting facilities to include a wider use for multipurpose sport activities as the preferred option for new sports. Noosa Council supports healthy lifestyles and finding ways to get older residents active.
Several pickleball tournaments are planned over the next few months, including the Noosa Doubles Classic in May.
For more information contact the Noosa Pickleball Club website, meetup.com/en-AU/Noosa -Pickleball/
To make people feel welcome, the Friday evening, pickleball, pizza and drinks session at the Noosa Tennis Club is proving a hit with players of all abilities from the old pros to the new beginners. Everybody is welcome.
