Ron Lane
At a time such as this, when a large percentage of our athletes from around the country, gather to compete in and celebrate the 40th occasion of the famous Noosa Tri, it is only right that we should acknowledge, thank and remember, not only those who have given their time to provide the aspect, that enables the athletes to compete in safety, but also the few, who back in time, worked to make this great event a reality.
Both categories of men have at some time carried the proud title of Surf Lifesaver. Perhaps the proudest of them all was the man himself, Garth Prowd, the man who for many long years was –the Noosa Tri And by his side was Brian Clancy. Both at some time were members of the Noosa Surf Club. Quiet men whose outstanding contribution, is the stuff that legions are made of.
Sunday, as I walked through possibly the biggest crowd of all time, the words of the late Garth Prowd drifted clearly through my mind.
“Laney, if we had the right men running this town it could be the sporting capital of Australia.”
Now after several years of reporting on the successful achievements of our local athletes, at state, national and international level, the words are there to be noted, and happy to say that the success comes from just not one or two sports, but several.
Within our sporting community the successful vehicles of sport have been, just to name a few, athletics, kayaking, jiu jitsu, karate, outrigger, amateur boxing, surf lifesavers and now pickleball.
Add to this there is of course the often- forgotten coaches. Woogie Marsh weightlifting, Mick Hooper athletics, Mark Evans boxing, Sharlene Kelly kayaking, Des Mabbott Outriggers, Bryan Dukas karate and Yoshi Hasegawa Jiu Jitsu.
Then in the world of surf lifesaving, Woogie Marsh, Wes and Jade Berg nippers, Sharlene Kelly and Darren Mercer, Nutri Grain and Coolangatta Gold. Already medals have been won at state, national and international level. Unfortunately, in many cases achievers remain unknown, simply because the media show no interest in their chosen sport, or to be more brutal, they don’t wear football boots.
But also living quietly on the fringe, are those who have been there and achieve it all at international level. Now in their twilight years they don’t, and did not, hesitate to contribute to the sporting community. Dawn Fraser and the late Dave Power, always there.
As in previous years, the Noosa Heads SLSC once again responded to the call to provide water safety teams, as did others needed in the various street jobs such as recorders and registration. With regards to the important job of water safety, the club supplied 4 IRBs, (Inflatable Rescue Boats) each with a crew of two, driver and crewie and 28 water safety people. It is these people that paddle the rescue boards: and are positioned at various stages along the swim course.
The swim was conducted in choppy conditions and an estimated 7500 swimmers attempting the course, (there were 25-30 extractions performed) kept the board people fully aware. Also, the radio tower was manned by patrolmen, equipped with binoculars and radios, thus ensuring that all aspects of the swim were, at all times covered. For the water safety people, it is a heavy day with the club captain Roger Aspinall, reporting for duty at 4am and being on until approximately 1pm.
As for the crowds, despite the size they were well behaved. It is interesting to note that some of the rescue board volunteers were only 15-year-old girls: and for some it was their first-ever event. The 40th year celebrations and massive crowds. Definitely a day to remember
Pickleball.
Last Sunday for the Noosa Pickleball club will definitely be a day to remember. On this occasion the inaugural inter-club tournament between the Noosa club and the Sunshine Coast Pickleball club, was held at the Caloundra indoor sports Stadium. According to a very proud club President Ron Gatliff, ‘’A great fun filled competitive day, was enjoyed by all members who participated.’’
The tournament which attracted over 100 players, resulted in a close win for the Sunshine Coast club. Most pleasing aspect was the fact that the standard of play was exceptional and coupled with this, was the great camaraderie shown between the two teams. This event will only continue to grow and become important on the Noosa’s club calendar.
The Sunshine Coast organisers earned a very big thank you for inviting the visitors to a social event afterwards. “Pickleball was the real winner and this only serves to tell all that the game is continuing to grow rapidly,” said the Noosa President.
Over the last two months the Noosa club has seen a 20 per cent increase in membership. Now the game is being played at the Noosa leisure Centre, the Noosa Tennis Centre, the Olive Donaldson pavilion in Tewantin and the Noosaville Primary School.
All this indicates that the club’s administration, their coaching panel and support group must be doing a lot of things right: so, a big well done to all involved. This event, being the inaugural one and being successful, it can only be a massive step forward for both the Sunshine Coast and the Noosa clubs.
Those interested in joining the club are invited to email,info@Noosapickleball.com and join in the fun.
Athletics.
For the Noosa Athletics training squad last weeks Queensland All Schools Championships, which were held in Brisbane was yet another success. Conducted over a period of four days, starting on the Thursday and going through till Sunday, the squad of 12 members competed in a variety of events, achieving many outstanding results.
Head Coach Mick Hooper said, “We had a lot of PBs (Personal Best performances) as well as top ten achievement: picking up 7 medals and 9 Australian Championship qualification standards. The school season training squad, has been hard at it since early May and all those sessions definitely paid off for these dedicated athletes.”
Gold medals were won by Taya Clayton U14 80m hurdles, Marlon Andrews U14 100m hurdles, Silver won by Dianne Ladewig U18 100m hurdles, Bronze to Luca Gerrard U15 triple jump and long jump, Eli Melina 3000m race walk and Mailee Scott-Jones U18 200m. ‘’I am very proud of all our athletes,” said coach Hooper. “They stood up tall against the best athletes in Queensland over a windy and rainy four days of competition.’’
Sunshine Beach.
Once again, Sunshine Beach SLSC has continued to dominate with an outstanding performance at the Century 21 Maroochydore Carnival on Saturday. At the conclusion of Saturdays water events, Sunshine was sitting second in the overall points score behind host club Maroochydore, the first time the club has ranked 2nd in the last decade.
The Sunshine club cap of red yellow and black were continually crossing the line in podium positions across all age groups. Regarding their continual improvements and success, Head Coach Wes Berg said, “The surf sports program continues to evolve with an exceptional bunch of kids, with the focus on having a really good time. Its has been an amazing pre- season, the squad has worked hard together: and enjoying turning up and challenging themselves at carnivals.”
Some outstanding performances came from; Billie Berg placing in every event she entered winning 4 gold and 2 silver medals. Under 12 Liam Wright 4 gold medals,U13 Miller-May Berg winning the board race and Mils Jones U13 gold in the flags. Then in the surf race and iron events it was a double for Sunshine, when Jake Bower won both the surf race and the iron and u15 Niamh Arthur did exactly the same also winning the surf and the iron.
“It’s a great club to be part of. The support network is what make it all come together. A great group of parents and an awesome club, behind the surf sports program.”
“Wes and I are enjoying being part of a wonderful club and coaching together,” says (wife and coach) Jade Berg.
The beach team solidified the performance with great results across the sand. Outstanding was Mila Jones, undefeated this season in the U13 Beach Flags. In the team events it was 1st U11 Females, Cameron Relay, Board Relay and Surf Teams. Male board relay U12 1st, Male U14 Cameron Relay and Board Relay 1st and U15 Female surf team 1st.
