Ron Lane
Last weekend the Noosa Heads SLSC, travelled to Tugun on the Gold Coast for Round One of the Queensland Cup. Rowing in a 1-2m choppy surf Noosa had five crews entered for the carnival and Boat Captain Andrew Fox came away happy with the result.
“Rowing in the female Reverse grade division the crew known as the Bandits finished in first place. Then in the female U19s our girls known as the Angry Birds finished in third place, but the third crew the Road Runners finished out of a place.
We are very proud of these girls. For the last four years they have driven from Yeppoon to Noosa to row for our club as well as doing patrols. All indications for the year ahead for these girls are good. Their attitude to training and their clubmates is first class. We couldn’t be happier.
The other two crews the U19 boys, the Noisy Minors and the Daffy Ducks failed to make the top three. However, for the Daffy Ducks a novice crew having their first row the sweeps were happy with their performance.”
Representing the Bandits who won gold were: Hale Ohl, Rachael Michillan, Emma Bygrave and Kody Jensen. And rowing for the Angry Birds who came home with the bronze: Letia Fox, Issie Cooper, Amelie Griffin and Rose Balimore. Both crews were swept by Michael Brooks on loan from the Maroochydore club.
It is interesting to note that the two of the U19s boys and girls, the Daffy Ducks and the Road Runners are experiencing their first season of competition.
The four boys of the Daffy Ducks crew, decided to become lifesavers and row for Noosa, after attending the boat carnival on Noosa Beach, sponsored by Megabeam. They watched their mates rowing for the Noosa club: and made their decision there and then.
Not only did Megabeam sponsor a surf boat carnival, they also set four young Australians on the road to becoming lifesavers. It doesn’t get any better.
The next round of the Queensland Cup will be held on Mermaid Beach on January 14th.
There has been some good news for the boating fraternity. A new rule has come into vogue. A week ago, it was announced that as of now as soon as 15- year- olds, obtain their bronze they can join boats crew and start to train for competition.
Nutri Grain Series
In the first two rounds of this 2022/2023 Nutri Grain Iron Man, Iron Woman series held at Manly Beach in Sydney, our local girl Lana Rogers, now competing for the Alexandra Headlands Club, had a weekend she won’t forget in a hurry.
Saturday December 17th Round 1, saw Manly hit with a big surf. In the ski section of the first round of the event, Lana was caught in the break with other ski competitors, and her ski was badly damaged.
Having performed her running repairs on the beach, where she taped up cracks in the ski, it found Lana well back in the field, so far back that the possibility of finishing in the top three, was virtually impossible.
At the finish, when she crossed the line, she was in 12th place. For her it was very disappointing, but that’s surf: when its big anything can happen. At days end, a good in-depth discussion, with her coach Sharlene Kelly, on all aspects of the race, and the good tough big hearted fighting spirit, for which she has become known, was back in place.
Sunday, saw Lana back on the starters line for Round 2 with a positive attitude, ready to cope with whatever lay ahead: and this time days end, saw Lana Rogers back on the podium: around her neck was the second- place silver medal
Regarding Sunday Lana said, “All credit to my coach Sharlene Kelly. By the time our discussion was over I had forgotten all about Saturdays’ disaster, my positive attitude was back: it also made me angry with myself regarding my performance. So, by then, I was ready to go: and it was all thanks to my coach.
Coach Kelly summed it up well when she said, “It was a miraculous comeback. To take the big disappointment that she experienced yesterday and finish in second place today was truly an outstanding performance. She made me feel so very proud.”
For Noosa’s Iron Woman Carla Papac, it was not one of her best carnivals. Gaining entry via a wild card selection, she finished out of a place on both days. However, her great effort in the preseason trials, shows that this young lady has potential.
“Coming down from the long- distance training schedule, that saw her win the Coolangatta Gold, to the short course events, is a challenge,” said coach Darren Mercer, “but in time she will adjust.”
For now, it’s the year ahead that counts. We wish both girls all the best.
