Between the Flags By RON LANE
THE 2014/15 surf lifesaving season is now moving forward at a great rate of knots. Patrol rosters have been settled the nippers are fully operational and the competitors have started their busy schedule.
Crowds are still big on our beaches. The volunteer patrols from Noosa have started their work at Peregian and both groups are working well together. Patrol captains from our three clubs reported a quite weekend.
For Peregian their cadet group is looking strong.
“We started with 29 members and both our nipper and cadets have started their programs.” Youth Development Officer Rod Witham said.
“Also some of our cadets have put their hand up to travel to North Burleigh with the Noosa Seahorse organisers when they go to conduct a pilot program for the Burleigh club.
“They helped at Noosa, loved working with the kids and now want to be more involved.”
At Sunshine Beach a new incentive program for the juniors has been introduced.
“For the first time ever we have appointed Junior Captains in the under-14 age group,” club president Craig Law said.
“For the boys their captain is Tom O’Conner and the girls Talisa Brady.
“This is all a part of our leadership group training program and we believe that it is a step in the right direction for our club.
“Also on the weekend our competitors took part in the Queensland State Endurance Championships at Alexander Headlands and our coaches were more than happy with the results.”
The Noosa club also took part in the Endurance Titles and Jordan Mercer and Mackenzie Hynard both made their presence felt with outstanding performances. With the Coolangatta Gold drawing near these two plus others in the Noosa team have thrown down the gauntlet.
Mercer, who during our winter underwent advanced training in controlled breathing at a high performance camp in Hawaii, has commenced her competition season with a fresh and more confident outlook.
Winter for Noosa competitors has indeed been both busy and successful with some travelling to Nicaragua and Hawaii for endurance events and others going to France for the World Surf Life Saving Titles. All three events saw the teams return home with medals of all colour, in particular the masters team from France who had their best results ever.
On the home front, the recent Masters Carnival at Hervey Bay saw the Noosa team, despite being small in numbers, finish in third place in a field of 13 clubs. The teams from Sunshine and Noosa have, over the last six months, been very successful at all levels of competition. This speaks volumes for the work being done by the coaching panels in both clubs. For any parents with young ones thinking of a career in surf lifesaving competition both clubs now have a lot to offer.
Speaking of competition it was good to see representatives from the Noosa club attend the Pirates Rugby League fund raising function held in the Diggers Bar at the Tewantin RSL on Sunday afternoon. Over the years many clubbies from Sunshine and Noosa have played for Pirates and even now lots of our nippers are members of the Pirates Junior teams. With Pirates on a rebuilding program, we wish them well.
On Sunday our nipper clubs had a visit from Ray Fien Junior Activities Advisor for Queensland. Fien a member of the Rainbow Bay surf club is a veteran lifesaver with some 37 years’ experience.
“For our nipper organisation to be successful I feel we should work on what I call the ‘3F’ Factor; Fun, Friends and Family,” Fien said.
“If we don’t practice the 3Fs they won’t come back next season…”
How very true.
