COMPETITORS from the four Bate Bay clubs will try and duplicate their junior clubs when they compete in the four-day 2014 NSW Surf Life Saving Championships, starting today at Umina and Ocean Beach clubs on the central coast.
Three of the four junior clubs finished inside the top 10 at the junior state championships last week.
Wanda and Elouera were placed third and fourth respectively in the club pointscore behind powerhouses Manly and Avoca.
North Cronulla was placed seventh out of the 90 clubs.
Rain showers over the three-day competition made conditions hard-going for 3500 young competitors from as far north as the NSW-Queensland border to Pambula in the south, and cut the day one program short.
But by Sunday's finals dry conditions and a light onshore breeze prevailed for the big surfboard and Ironman events, where North Cronulla's Leo Nosatti was a standout, securing two individual gold, and three all up.
"I went hard [in Ironman], and the competition was really good," said the defending champion, who is coached by Gavin Stewart and has his sights set on the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Series.
Wanda Bluebottles club chairman Steve Southwell said hard work and a strong club spirit helped the club finish third overall.
"With just over 400 nippers, compared to many other clubs with in excess of 1000, Wanda proved that size doesn't matter," he said.
"Our coaching staff led by Dean McMahon started the campaign last winter, supported by a dedicated team both on the beach and behind the scenes and built a family friendly environment."
Wanda
The champion Ross siblings, Mia and Finn, were again among Wanda's major medallists, collecting four gold, three silver and a bronze between them.
Riley Dixon finished with most gold (three) a silver and bronze, and Kiera Warn, two silver and a bronze.
Elouera
The club was well served by their youngsters, with James Stortenbeker heading the list with three gold.
Among the others who had done well were Grace Elliott (one gold, one silver), April Druery (one gold, one silver) and Jake Evans (one silver, one bronze).
North Cronulla
Apart from Leo Nosatti, Alexandra Rampoldi won gold in beach flags; the under 12-14 years, five-person R&R teams took home silver and bronze.
The under-13 male surf team, headed by Connor Flanagan, Harrison Maddern, Leo Nosatti and Callum Redrup, won gold, too.
Cronulla
For the Cronulla Crays, standout performances came in the under 12s by Isabellah Walker who collected two gold and a bronze and Samuel Stonestreet who won a medal of each colour.
"Although the overall result is a lot further down the leader board than that of previous years, the club was well represented and competitive," said Cronulla Crays secretary Paul King.
