By Ron Lane
It is now eight years since the first ever Noosa Gift was cancelled because of intense rain.
“I will never forget the date,” said a laughing Michelle Smith. “It was the tenth of the tenth 2010 and we even tried mopping the water off the tracks with towels, but nothing worked; it was an absolute mess.”
Not so this year; for the Gift which was run at the Girrwween Sports Complex at Noosa on Saturday, the dedicated team work of Noosa Little Athletics officials, was as on previous years dry and well run.
One of the officials also responsible for the success was announcer and President of Queensland Athletic League Bruce Duncan. Bruce’s encyclopedic knowledge of all contestants is without doubt a major contribution as it keeps both coaches and spectators fully informed.
The major event the Noosa Gift, sponsored by the Noosa Surf Club was won by Ipswich 15-year-old school boy Ben Thomas in a time of 11.31sec. In second place was Jarrod Whittaker and third saw a dead heat between Ben Hayward and Pat McCarthey; for Whittaker it was his second consecutive year of taking the silver medal.
“This is absolutely unbelievable,” said Thomas. Running off a handicap of 6.75 metres this 11th grade St Edmonds Ipswich College student is coached by Vic Pascoe – also of Ipswich.
“I came to Noosa mainly to get a few races and gain more experience,” he said.
However earlier in the year he won the Australia Day Gift on the Gold Coast and also following this, he won the Under 16 100 and 200 metres sprints at the Queensland Titles.
“This is his first year of serious competition so we will see what happens in the future,” coach Pascoe said.
