JANUARY
TAJ COMPETES IN MEXICO
Noosa Junior weightlifter Taj Marsh competed at the World Junior Weightlifting Championships in Guadalajara Mexico. In a field that can only be described as fierce competition from some of the world’s finest junior weightlifters, the exceptional performance of this young athlete saw him placed in 17th position overall. Taj left a lasting impression by securing his best total of the season at 305kg: with an impressive snatch of 136kg and a clean and jerk of 169kg.
LANA RACES FROM INTERVIEW TO RESCUE SWIMMERS
On Sunday 14 January, the Nutri Grain Series was finished for the day. Rated number one in the series, Ironwoman Lana Rogers, was being interviewed by a journo, when all of a sudden, the mass rescue alarm of Rescue, Rescue, Rescue, was called. Without a moment’s hesitation, Rogers turned, ran across the sand, grabbed a rescue board and joined other clubbies to assist where needed. This shows that this young lady is no prima donna: she is also a clubbie, who goes where needed in a moment of crisis.
FEBRUARY
MIA’S A RISING SURF STAR
We have so many rising surf stars in Noosa it’s hard to keep up, but Mia Waite need wait no longer for recognition that’s well deserved. The Sunshine Beach State High teen has been a winner or finalist in just about every longboard comp going over the past three years, including alongside Noosa friend and mentor Kirra Molnar in very tricky conditions at Burleigh Heads on Saturday 17 February for the World Surf League qualifying series season opener. In February, Mia was nominated for the Stephanie Gilmore Female Rising Star Award in the 2023 Australian Surfing Awards and Hall of Fame.
TAYA WINS FIVE GOLD MEDALS
Noosa Little Athletics U14s athlete Taya Clayton won gold in five events at the 2024 Nordic Sports Regional Championships at the University of the Sunshine Coast. She took out first place in the 100m sprint, 80m and 200m hurdles, long and triple jump. She also became the new regional record holder in the 80m hurdles, after breaking the record that has existed for 26 years.
THUNDER CLAIMS SHIELD
The Tewantin-Noosa Thunder Cricket Club’s First Grade side were presented with the shield Sunday 18 February as the Sunshine Coast’s One-Day (50 overs) competition winners.
MARCH
SEAHORSE NIPPERS FIRST CARNIVAL
It was an Australian first when Noosa Main Beach held a modified surf carnival on Saturday 2 March for Seahorse Nippers. On the beach, surf lifesaving volunteers of all ages led participants through warm up, an obstacle course, a tube rescue activity, a wade and a board rescue paddle before free time catching waves and paddling kayaks. Afterwards Olympian Dawn Fraser and Life Governor Ron Lane presented all participants with a certificate and refreshments.
MUD CAN’T STOP THE ULTRA-TRAIL
The rain and mud couldn’t dampen the spirits of 1500 athletes taking on massive distances of up to 100km in the Noosa Ultra-Trail on Saturday 23 March. Andrew Dey and Zoe Manning were the champions of the 2024 event, finishing in first place for the 100km distance.
TNT WIN COAST PREMIERSHIP
The 2023-24 Sunshine Coast Cricket Association’s Season finished as it started… with a wet weekend. But it also finished with a premiership being awarded to the Tewantin-Noosa Thunder First Grade Team.
WAVES UP FOR SURF FESTIVAL
It’s been a long time since we saw beautiful longboard waves pour into First Point for most of the Noosa Festival of Surfing, which is one reason that NFOS 2024 was pretty special. Another is that with the return of a small but highly visible international competitor contingent, we started to shake off the post-Covid blues and put what we used to call the “eight days of pure stoke” (it’s now nine) back on the global surfing agenda.
APRIL
KARATE QUEEN
Dannica Starkey won the Queensland State Karate Championships for the 9th consecutive time in April.
SUCCESS AT THE AUSSIES
For Sunshine Beach, the 2024 Australian Titles was certainly an event to remember. Great performance across the Youth and Open programs over the ten days in April saw more finalists than ever before in the Youth program. Claire Cameron went back-to-back winning gold in the Champion Lifesaver, as well as a bronze medal in the U15 Surf Race. Ava Gooderham had a massive youth weekend winning three silver medals.
BOXING CHAMPS NAMED
The Sunshine Coast Boxing Championships, hosted and run by the Impact Boxing and Fitness Club, was without a doubt one of the most successful sporting events held within our community in recent years. The event was supported with over 200 nominations from boxers all over Queensland and interstate. With a program of 70 plus, a total of 400 to 500 people walking through the doors, and a program that started at 10am, going through till 10pm, a great night of boxing was assured: and it was, the biggest and most successful boxing event ever on the Sunshine Coast.
SHOWJUMPING SUCCESS
In spite of competing in a deluge, Cooran’s Billy Raymont and his World Cup mount Caprino won the $2000 first prize in the Alain Henderson Memorial Grand Prix at the Sunshine Coast Showjumping and Equestrian Club Autumn Show at Nambour Showgrounds, on 21 April. Billy followed that up the next week with several wins at the $200,000, five-day Larapinta festival of showjumping. This event was held from the 24-28 April on the south side of Brisbane.
RECORDS FOR SWIMMERS
Noosa Masters 14-strong team returned from the most spectacular state championships in living memory in April. Noosa Masters swimmers certainly got among the medals, amassing 33 gold, 30 silver and 21 bronze medals as individuals, while relays produced two gold and one silver. Noosa’s standout performer was Steph Jones, who broke three state records – 200m Back, 25m Free and a 100m Free that was also a new national mark.
MAY
ULTRAMAN CROWNED
The three days of Ultra-Triathlon racing at UM Australia reached its climax on Noosa Main Beach at midday on Monday 13 May with Brisbane athlete Anthony Vlodmans just holding out Bli Bli resident Tony Goodyear for the overall win. The women’s category had a similar fate with Melinda Cockshutt of Port Macquarie being crowned champion despite being beaten home on the day three run by Claire Ferguson from Townsville.
THREE WINS FOR THE PIRATES
For Pirates Rugby League Club, Sunday 26 May at Pirates Park, definitely sounded the warning bells for the oppression to take note. In three grades the results would have to be a Head Coaches dream. In Third grade, under coach Tony McIIroy Pirates defeated Palmwoods, 38-8, Reserve Grade Pirates coached by Danny Riddle defeated Nambour 44-0. Then in A grade Pirates defeated Nambour 36-14.
GUBECKA WINS THE SWIM
More than 900 swimmers took to the waters off Noosa Main Beach on a Sunday morning in May for Swim Noosa. One of those who’s no stranger to open water swimming is Chelsea Gubecka, who won both the women’s 3.8km and 2km swims and went on to represent Australia in the 10km marathon swim at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
RUNAWAY MARATHON CHAMPIONS NAMED
Thousands of runners took to the streets of Noosa on Saturday 25 May for the fifth edition of the ASICS Runaway Noosa Marathon. Andrew Dey took victory in the men’s marathon in 2:31:10 while the women’s marathon title was claimed by Imy Briscoe, who crossed the line in 2:51:53.
JUNE
ALEXA SECURES TICKET TO PARIS
Noosa local Alexa Leary is living her ’second life’ to the fullest, and in June she swam her way into securing a ticket to the Paris Paralympics. The S9 100m freestyle world champion qualified for both the 50m freestyle and the Women’s 100m freestyle multi-class at the Australian swimming trials.
OVER-ACHIEVING CONSTABLES
Getting on for two decades since he won the ASP longboard world title in Costa Rica, Noosa’s Josh Constable is in career best form, winning everything he’s competed in since coming back from four months out for injury at the start of 2024. Josh is 43, going on 44, and easily beating very good surfers half his age in open competition. Josh’s second son Jive, 15, is into his first full rookie year in the longboard events. In June, Jive took out his first win of the season at the Alex Winter Classic, taking out the junior division and the coveted Jack Boast Perpetual Trophy while dad claimed wins in the over 40s and the men’s open, bringing his tally this year to five titles from three events.
WRECKS AND RELIC’S 20TH
Well, you couldn’t have scripted it much better – a three-day event in celebration of 20 years and each of them blessed with winter sun, light offshore wind and tiny but lovely runners at Access 11, Noosa West.
JULY
SWAG OF MEDALS FOR CAZA CLUB
From the 13-14 July 2024 the Australian Federation Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Queensland Championships were held. The titles which were attended by 1513 competitors and 60 teams joining, the event was held at 296 Nerang Broadbeach Rd, Carrara. Representing our local CAZA BJJ CLUB was a team of 23 competitors. In what must have been one of the clubs best performances the Caza team came home with a total of 24 medals: 13 gold medals, 4 silver and 7 bronze.
CIARA STORCH WINS TWO GOLD MEDALS
In July, Ciara Storch from Impact Boxing won two gold medals in the 60kg division in the Singapore Women’s Legacy Boxing Championships.
AUGUST
DOLPHINS DOMINATE IN GRAND FINAL
Matching their season mantra of becoming a source of pride for Noosa, the Ray White Noosa Dolphins claimed the 2024 Sunshine Coast Rugby Union A Grade Premiership with a nail biting 30-28 victory. The win against reigning Premiers University at Sippy Downs on Saturday 17 August was met with an on-field celebration that continued back to the Noosa club where the team was welcomed home by supporters.
KIN KIN’S VICTORY IN PINK
It was a great day all round at the annual Pink Stumps Day at Kin Kin Sportsground on Sunday 4 August when the Kin Kin Community took on the Noosa Council and won – again. Maybe it’s the home turf advantage but in its nine game history Kin Kin has taken the Pink Stumps Day title seven times.
LIONS WIN FOUR PREMIERSHIPS
Noosa Lions Football Club celebrated in August with four teams winning the premiership in 2024. The most high profile, the Under 23 Men, going through the second regular season in a row undefeated. With 18 wins and two draws, the team finished 15 points ahead of its nearest rivals, and with a goal difference of 76.
SEPTEMBER
LOCALS SURF TO VICTORY
Two Noosa surfers claimed victories at the 2024 Australian Longboard Titles at Cabarita Point. Noosa Heads local Mia Waite, 16, dominated the day, posting the highest single wave score, an 8.83, and the highest heat total of the day, 14.16 (out of a possible 20), to secure back-to-back Australian Titles. Lennix Currie from Tewantin also successfully defended his 2023 title.
GOLD FOR ALEXA
Australian Paralympian and bike crash survivor Alexa Leary pulled off a super human feat to win the Paralympic Gold medal in the 4x100m medley relay. Alexa then went on to become a two time Paralympic champion after she won gold in the women’s 100m freestyle S9 on day seven of the Paralympic Games in Paris. Alexa set and broke her own world record twice in less than 24 hours.
KRISTIE’S AN OLYMPIAN
At the Paris Olympics Kristie Edwards represented Australia running the third leg of the 4×100 relay. Finishing 10th overall they just missed the final by two spots. To finally enter an Olympic Stadium wearing the green and gold of her Australian track suit was a long hard journey.
TAJ WINS COMMONWEALTH GOLD
At the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships held in Suva Fiji, Taj Marsh of the Noosa Barbell Weightlifting club, representing Australia, won the gold medal for his division.
GYMNASTS IN HISTORY BOOKS
Cooroy gymnasts Polly Boyd and Leah Wilson made history for the Cooroy Gymnastics Club, being the first female senior athletes to represent Queensland. The Queensland team won the team event, where Polly placed third all around, with Leah in fourth. Polly excelled on the uneven bars, winning gold and Leah took out the bronze medal on vault.
OCTOBER
FINELLA IMPRESSES AT COOLY GOLD
In what can only be described as a truly outstanding performance, in the Elite Women’s Long Course, of the Coolangatta Gold, 20 year old Finella Gibbs-Beal of the Noosa club, finished in fourth place. For this incredible young lady, already an established 10km open water swimmer to achieve such a result in her first endeavour, can only make us wonder, ‘Just what lays ahead for this young lady?’
ANNA SHAPES THE NEXT CHAPTER
Noosa’s Anna Constable is breaking new ground for female surfers, something she’s been doing in surfing for more than quarter of a century now. Wife of surf coach, board designer and 2006 world longboard champion Josh Constable, doting mother of Jet and Jive and graceful presence on Noosa’s points whenever they’re firing, Anna Shisler (as she was then) first came to the attention of surfers everywhere back in the mid-1990s, when she was the tiny half of Bobby and Anna, the world’s most famous tandem surfing duo. In October, they introduced the She Creative Army to the world. Anna’s She brand is hoping to write the next chapter, with boards made specifically for female surfers.
T20 CHAMPIONS
In cricket, Tewanti-Noosa’s First Grade went three from three winning comfortably in a one-dayer and taking out the two top ranked teams to win the T20 crown. Clinical performances from all bowlers set the benchmark with the batters chipping in, lead by top performer Jarrod Officer stealing the show with the bat while taking maybe the greatest catch in club history.
MILES WINS NOOSA HILLCLIMB
The outright winner of the Noosa Hillclimb for the second time was Miles Hoare driving a 2010 OMS 25 Formula Car with an impressive time of 54.85 seconds.
NOVEMBER
GENTLE AND MERCER CLAIM TRI TITLES
Ashleigh Gentle and Brayden Mercer won the men’s and women’s titles at the Garmin Noosa Triathlon on a day where one legend continued their dominance and a new champion burst onto the scene. Gentle claimed her 11th Noosa Triathlon title, and 10th in a row, crossing the line in 1:55:56, while for Mercer it was an impressive win on debut, taking the tape in 1:43:20.
SUCCESS AT WORLD BOXING
In what Australian Amateur Boxing Coach Mark Evans, (head coach and owner of Cooroy Impact Boxing Academy) said was the most successful Australian team to compete at a World Championships, they came home with six bronze medals and a gold. One of the bronze medals was won by Cooroy’s Impact Ciara Storch. This marked her first time representing Australia at World Championship level.
A FOND FAREWELL TO PHYLLIE
Perhaps the only world champion to have spun her way to a title, Phyllis O’Donell passed away in November at the age of 87, with tributes coming from around the surfing world, led by eight-times world champion Steph Gilmore and seven-times world champion Layne Beachley, who both acknowledged her pioneering role in women’s surfing.
DECEMBER
BILLY’S HAT TRICK
Local showjumping legend, Billy Raymont, furthered his lead in the 2024 Australian FEI World Cup series by winning his third consecutive World Cup qualifier competition on his unstoppable mount Caprino.
A RUN THAT MADE HISTORY
Noosa Athletics had three club members, Marlon Andrews, Taya Clayton, and Eli Melinz competing at the Australian All Schools Championships, and they all came home with awesome results. Marlon Andrews came away with a 1st place in the U16, 4X 100m relay after setting a cracking pace for the Queensland team as their lead-out runner. The crowd had been entertained throughout the whole carnival with some blistering performances: and none more so than the U18 sprint sensation Gout Gout, who had broken the U18 Australian 100m record with a time of 10.17. He then backed it up the following day with an amazing 200m performance. This was faster than Usain Bolt at the same age, which sent shock waves through the athletic community, both in Australia and around the world.
