Ron Lane
At the recent regional relay carnival held at USC, Noosa Little Athletics had 28 athletes qualify for the Little Athletics Queensland state relay championships.
These will be contested on 3 December at the Queensland Sports and Athletic Centre in Brisbane.
According to Noosa’s head coach Mick Hooper, “Our athletes competed against 13 other clubs in our region from Deception Bay to Gympie with the top two in field and the top three in track progressing to the state titles. A major factor in our success has been the great team spirit shown by all athletics and parents, cheering each team on from the U9 to U17.
“There were some outstanding performances by our 4×100 teams. They took first place in the U10 boys and first place in both the U13 and U17 girls. Regarding our training program we will be putting emphases on our baton changes, to get them spot on before we take on the best in the state.”
Last weekend at the Australian All School Championships held in Brisbane a young 12-year-old athlete competing in his first year of track and field turned in a performance that can only be described as outstanding.
Competing in what coach Mick Hooper described as his strongest event the 200 mt sprint, he finished in sixth place in the final. In doing so he ran his personal best in a time of 25.74 sec down from 26.77. For a first-time rookie to make the Australian final, was indeed a great success but to also produce his PB, certainly adds to his effort.
Add to this, representing Queensland, he backed up next day to run a leg in the final of the 4x100m relay, winning the bronze medal.
“Making the final in the 200 mt plus winning a bronze medal in the relay has shown us that this youngster has great potential. Other senior athletes, that we now have winning medals at national titles, did not show this potential at such a young age.”
This weekend is the Queensland Athletic State Relay Titles. This carnival which will be held at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre, more commonly known as the ANZ Stadium or QE2 Mt Gravatt, will once again have Noosa teams competing.
For this carnival we will be represented by eight senior relay teams and two long jump teams. With the Noosa Athletics club having a good season so far who knows what lays ahead. We wish coach Mick Hooper, his coaching panel plus athletics and family support group, all the very best.
Pickleball
This relatively new sport with the funny name is certainly on the move in Noosa. Woody Dass, president of Noosa Pickleball has passed on a flyer that keeps one informed.
Pickleball players in Noosa are looking forward to the new two court, covered pickleball facility that is being built as part of the new multi- purpose facility at the Noosa Sports Complex.
The old Sea Cadet building complex that doubled as changing rooms and additional toilets for the cricket and nett ball players has been demolished. Work will begin in January to build a beautiful new facility that promises to benefit a host of local sports clubs.
The new multipurpose facility at Noosa District Sports Complex includes four changing rooms, a kitchen, six unisex toilets, storage space, first aid, umpires’ room, large multipurpose area and two undercover pickleball courts. Construction is expected to be completed by June 2023.
The Noosa Pickleball Club donated the $258,900, Building Better Communities Grant they received, to Noosa Council to help get this project started in 2023. Pickleball is a fun social sport that anyone can play. Interested new p[layers are welcome to attend free introductory sessions. For more information visit noosapickleballclub.com
Originating in Bainbridge Island, Washington State USA 1965, pickleball is now considered the fastest growing sport worldwide. Similar to tennis, it is a game that can be played either in doubles or singles.
The sport came into existence when three friends, Joel Prichard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum did what a lot of dads do to keep their kids happy during the summer months.
They came up with a new idea, something that would keep the kids busy while having fun. And the name they settled on was pickleball
There are now 2500 registered players in Australia and another 8000 casuals. Introduced in Australia in 2015, an incorporated association was formed in 2017. Then in 2020 the Pickleball Association of Australia was formed. Now every state and territory in the country is playing the sport.
Such is the growth of the game, that playing groups are now well connected with the rapidly growing pickleball community worldwide. Men such as Danial Moore of the USA, nine times national champion, professional player, coach and owner of the Pickleball Trips, is doing all he can to promote the game at an international level.
So far, to his credit, he has taken the game to such unexpected countries as Japan, China and Kenya. Now this new sport, that is still playable into our 70s, has established great foundations in Noosa.
Now with the new multipurpose facility on the way and our local club going from strength to strength, who knows what lies ahead.
Noosa Outriggers
Colin Jones of the Noosa Outriggers is very happy with last weekends National Sprint Titles held at Kawana Lake, and rightly so. This was indeed a great showing by the Noosa teams.
Gold medals to our Platinum (70 and above) men and women and a silver to the mixed team. Gold medals to Senior Masters (50 and above) women, and silver to the men’s, followed by a bronze to the mixed team.
The men and women Masters’ teams (40 and above) both scored silvers. In the novice division, the women came home with a gold and the novice mixed the silver.
‘’This was definitely a great result for our club in the lead up to River Regatta which we will host on 3 December,” Jones said.
From the sideline
Now into the off season for our local weightlifting club, their work will revolve around technical training. Full on training will recommence end of January. Head coach Woogie Marsh is very happy.
“It has been a great year for our Barbell club and on behalf of our club I would like to take the opportunity to publicly thank our major sponsor Chartists and others. Also thank you to our local council for their ongoing support.”
On Sunday 20 November, members of the Noosa Heads SLSC, gathered to bid a sad farewell to one of their long serving and highly respected members, Tony Wetherell, who passed away during the week.
Tony, affectionally known to his club mates as Old Tony was a solid club man. Not only did he perform his patrol duties, but he also involved himself heavily in the area of competition, not hesitating, as a masters, to represent his club in board ski or swim.
Tony, a devoted family man with wife Kim Chi, children and grandchildren will be sorely missed . Now at age 82, he leaves us all.
Vaya con Dios Old Tony, Vaya con Dios.
