With all the Bate Bay Surf Life Saving Clubs finishing in the top 15 at this year’s NSW Age Surf Life Saving Championships, it was all smiles for many of the Nippers who competed last weekend at Swansea Belmont’s Blacksmiths Beach.
More than 2,500 of Surf Life Saving’s youngest members descended on mass with Nippers under the age of 14 competing for their club in both team and individual events on the sand and in the surf, vying for one of 124 State Titles on offer.
Despite slipping from first to eighth position in the overall point score, Elouera competitors remained a force to be reckoned with in both water and beach events.
The shining lights for the club this year were the U10 girls in both team and individual racing, with wins in the Board (Sybella Daly), Beach Sprint (Matilda Fanning) and Beach Relay (India Chapman, Sybella Daly and Georgia Thomas). They also won the U10 and U13 Surf Teams and Lucy Alexander did the hard yards in the soft sand to win the U14 2km Beach Run.
“We hoped we wouldn’t get dumped and just hoped for the best. A lot of the waves were coming out of nowhere. It’s really choppy,” said the U10 girls after their Board Relay win.
But the girls were philosophical about racing in the big surf. “It was ok. You always know you’re going to have fun.”
Jeremy Hall was elated after his win in the U13 Beach Flags.
“I was hoping to get first, I’ve trained really hard and last year I got third. It’s amazing, I love it.
“My trainers are the older kids and they push me hard every week so it’s really good. Next year I want to win again,” he said.
Wanda's seventh place,one spot in front of their neighbours Elouera,was well deserved, with wins for Charli Cash (U14 Ironwoman) Fletcher Warn (U13 Ironman), Ziggy Lester (U11 Male Surf Race), Beau Griggs (U10 Male Surf Race) and Zara Zammit-Mayer (U9 Female Surf Race).
Newcastle's Cooks Hill SLSC took first place over Sydney's Newport with Wanda (7th) Elouera (8th) Cronulla (10th) and North Cronulla (14th)
The NSW Age Surf Life Saving Championships, proudly supported by Your local club, returns to Swansea Belmont SLSC and Lake Macquarie in March next year.
