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By RON LANE
AT THE age of fifteen years Cooper Williams of the Noosa Heads SLSC is yet another of our Sunshine Coast Young Guns starting to make a name for himself in the world of surf competition.
Cooper, a Year-11 student at the Coolum State High School, started his career as an Under-seven nipper at Peregian, but on reaching the Under 13s transferred to the Noosa Club.
For Cooper the season just finished has indeed been very successful, winning medals at both the State and National Titles. The highlights of Cooper’s season was winning that very rare double – the Under-15 Iron Man Championships of both Queensland and Australia. Apart from receiving his gold medal for winning the State, he also received the Matt Barclay Memorial Trophy.
“Winning the Memorial Trophy really meant a lot to me… I was really proud of that,” he said.
The trophy is in memory of Matt Barclay, a Maroochydore Junior who tragically lost his life in big surf at Kurrawa.
When speaking of his success at both State and National level Cooper is quick to acknowledge the work of both his coaches and mentors.
“The training I have done under coaches Clint Irwin and Darren Mercer has greatly improved my board paddling… for this I do two to three sessions a week.
“My swim training is done at the NAC (Noosa Aquatic Centre) and there I train under coaches Graeme Brewer and John Rogers, and some swim session can be anything like five to six kilometres.
“Another person who has been a great help as a mentor was Jordan Mercer… at the Nationals she talked to me for about twenty minutes.”
To round off and make a the perfect back-up team there is his brother and training partner Bailey, sister Poppy (the medal collector) and his parents Anne and Simon.
“Mum and dad take me training and give me one hundred per cent support… it’s a full on family thing,” he said.
Like others who have dreams of success in their chosen field, Cooper has set definite goals, and to consolidate these his winter months still revolve around lifesaving.
“I really want to concentrate on lifesaving, keep getting good results.
“If I do this I will achieve my goal of getting into the Nutri-Grain Series as an Iron Man… this is what I really want to do.”
“He is very dedicated and motivated… it only followers that if he maintains this attitude he will definitely make the grade,” Darren Mercer head coach for Noosa said of Cooper.
With the season now over both Sunshine and Noosa clubs can look back with pride. Both clubs had outstanding results in competition at all major carnival. What makes it even better is knowing that these clubs have two young guns such as Nick Sloman of Sunshine and Cooper Williams of Noosa, possessing not only that winning streak but an attitude that gains them the respect of their club mates.
Last weekend Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park SLSC on the Gold Coast was to have hosted the start of the racing season for our IRB (Inflatable Rescue Boat) teams. However turbulent weather caused the cancellation of this carnival. Therefore, this weekend Broadbeach will be the venue for the first carnival and Noosa will be sending a team of twenty drivers and crewies, plus three boats.
“We are hoping to contest all events on the program,” Racing team captain Chris Vaughan said.
“It is this sort of racing that is vital to building confidence in our teams… remember it is these teams that are called on to do rescue work in big seas.”
Also this weekend Noosa will host the Ultraman Australia Endurance Events and board paddlers are wanted to cover the 10 kilometre swim. Members are requested to contact their club for all details.
