Amateur Boxing.
When Australian and Impact Head Amateur Boxing Coach Mark Evans said, “Hard work pays off,” he would have to be guilty of making the understatement of the year. Held at Eagle Sports Complex, Weedon St, West Mansfield QLD, this 500 plus bouts, Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament, took place across two rings.
This prestigious five-day Open International Golden Gloves Tournament, saw seven boxers from Cooroy’s Team Impact Boxing and Fitness Club, step into the ring. ‘’This team of seven who represented us both inside and outside the ring, did us proud,” said coach Evans. The team results speak for themselves.
In the 70 kg Elite Men’s Open Title Luke Austin, who had three fights in three days for three wins, not only won the title but also continued his impressive winning streak. Theo Riveria dominated the Junior 60 kg division, going through the same program as Like Austin, three fights, three days, three wins to win his Golden Gloves.
For Mika Davet the program was the same except for the ending: all three were stoppages. Mika won her 57kg Youth Division Golden Gloves decisively. Jackson, “The Jackhammer,” Davey gave another strong performance to win his Golden Gloves and continue his personal record of six fights for six wins.
In the hard fought 52kg Youth Female Division, Slade Gray fought hard, narrowly missing the gold in a split decision. She walked away with the silver medal and valuable experience. In another silver medal performance, Zaden Johnson went toe in a nail-biting final which could have gone either way: great performance in tough fight.
In the Team Impact Masters division, Neville Wienert, boxing at 58 yrs of age, made his boxing debut and came home with a silver medal: massive achievement and true inspiration. In summary of this outstanding event Coach Evans made the following comment.
“Every single bout was a battle, and every boxer represented Team Impact with pride, courage and class. Our wins were solid, and our losses were lessons- all close, all hard fought. A massive thank you to my assistant coach and beautiful wife Kylie Evans for her tireless work in the corner and behind the scenes. And to Andrew Davey, thank you for your time, passion and dedication to the team. I’m incredibly proud of all our athletes and how they carry themselves inside and outside the ring: also big thanks to all our supporters and families- your belief means everything.
Now our focus shifts to the U19 State titles in three weeks and following this the Australian Titles in Darwin later this year.”
Rugby League.
It was a good weekend for the Pirates again with mostly positive results game wise. Starting with grade A men’s Pirates had a solid win over Nambour,32-22, and Reserve won over Nambour 28-12. Unfortunately, against Nambour Pirates U19 went down 48-26, and C grade lost to Beachmere 34-6.
Our International Juniors, U17 boys were too strong for Nambour winning 42-8, thus retaining their third place on the ladder. Our U17 girls played the ladder leaders Caboolture sharks and went down 30-4. The U15 Boys had a top of the clash with Stanley River going down 28-10 but still held second place on the ladder. The U15 girls travelled to Palmwood and won 44-8, maintaining their place on the ladder
Under 14 boys got a win over Maroochydore 36-12 putting them second on their ladder. The U13 Boys are on a winning streak, winning 38-6 over Beachmere. Finally, the U13 girls continued their winning streak over Caboolture Yellow Team, winning 50-0: this puts them top of their ladder. With four rounds left for both senior and Juniors, every game is important to get them through to the finals.
We have Junior games on Friday night and Saturday morning. The Seniors play on Sunday, hosting Beerwah, with U19s kicking off at 10.30am, then C grade, Reserve Grade, and A Grade Men starting at 3 pm. It’s the second last home game of the season for our Seniors teams: so let’s get down to Pirates Park and support our local Noosa Pirates.
Surf Life Saving.
Word from our Noosa boat sweep and coach Stu Cooper tells us that pre- season preparation and ambitious goal setting, is setting the tone for local surf clubs for 2025. As winter begins to ease, and the new surfboat rowing season edges closer, our local club is already putting plans in motion to ensure a strong start to the 2025 calendar. Before racing officially begins, the club will kick off its pre-season with a three-day training camp designed to build momentum- both on and off the water.
The camp, which brings together all current crew members and potential new rowers, will focus on a mix of technical training, team building and a touch of fun. “It’s not just about strokes and timing but also about creating a strong crew culture and shared purpose for the season ahead. A relaxed camp environment will also provide the perfect opportunity to talk about collective goals, competition strategies and the club’s direction for the months to come.”
Currently the club is fielding a junior boys crew, junior girls crew, and a reserve women’s crew. There is also hopeful anticipation around forming a reserve men’s crew, with talks underway, to recruit athletes from Noosa Dolphins Rugby Union Club. As there is a very strong and historic connection between a local group of Noosa Surf Club Old Boys, and Foundation Members of the Rugby Club, Dolphin players would be greeted with open arms.
The strong community connection between the two sporting groups has already shown promise and it’s hoped that some of the Dolphins players will make a seamless transition to the surfboat arena- either joining existing lineups or forming new crews.
As the sand, surf and spray start again the focus is clear: building fit committed teams and fostering a tight – knit competitive club culture. With pre-season preparation underway, a solid foundation of rowers 2025, is shaping up to be a big year for the club. Keep in touch with more updates, as the season draws near.
Noosa Nippers.
Registration for the Noosa Nippers program has officially opened and excitement is running high. Families have eagerly secured spots for their children, with the U6 and U7 age groups already at full capacity. The Nippers program continues to thrive thanks to the incredible support of parents: parents who play a vital role in creating a safe fun and educational beach culture.
Their involvement ensures that children not only enjoy their time building confidence through fun games, while embracing the importance of beach safety. These shared moments are at the heart of what makes Noosa Nippers so unique for the next generation of lifesavers. For membership enquiries or to find out how to get involved please email: nippers@noosasurfclub.com.au
Next week we look at a summation of the Sunshine Coast Branch 95th Annual Awards of Excellence. These awards cover all aspects of Lifesaving and to be a recipient of just one, earns a high mark of respect, for either member or club.
