Mollymook Surf Life Saving Club competitors have returned from the Stramit Country Championships held at South West Rocks last weekend, thrilled with their results.
The club came in an impressive seventh in the overall points tally, with some competitors having never raced at this level before.
“Seventh place overall is exceptional,” said one of the head senior coaches, Tony Ireland.
Seventh place overall is exceptional.
- Tony Ireland
“Everyone performed really well,” he said.
Surf conditions around the state were testing on the competition weekend, however the South West Rocks beach faces North, meaning it was calm, and ideal surf for competitors.
Danielle Holt achieved some incredible results, overcoming some serious adversity throughout the competition.
She was pipped at the post in the surf swim race, and came in at fourth place.
Danielle was also disqualified from the ironwoman race on a technicality.
Not letting her disappointment get in the way, she went on to win silver in the under 13 board race. An achievement her coach, Tony Ireland, dubbed “impressive”.
Tony had success of his own, taking out gold in everything except the swim, which he claimed silver for.
The ladies surf boat team won a bronze medal as did the reserve grade men’s crew.
Paul Burton and Scott D'Ombrain took out second and third in the beach sprints. Paul also won gold in flags.
There were other fantastic results among junior competitors, with Lilli Hodge taking out silver in the under nine surf swim race and backing up with fourth place in the board.
Keeghan Norwood dominated his beach events, winning gold in the under 14 beach sprint, and silver in the flags event while the under 15 girls took gold in the beach sprint relay.
Tony has also personally thanked nipper parents for their efforts with water safety.
“Some of the parents hardly got to see their kids competing because they were out in the water the whole time doing water safety,” Tony said.
The number of water safety required from each club is dependent on participation the previous year.
Because the championships have been at Mollymook for the past two years, they were required to supply more people than were comfortably available.
The Mollymook team will now be getting ready for state titles and Tony Ireland and Paul Burton will also be competing at the Australian titles in April.
