THURSDAY APRIL 16, 2015 • #AUSSIES100
THE LIFE OF RILEY
SLS.COM.AU/AUSSIES
GOLD RUSH FOR SURF’S GOLDEN TONSILS LEFT: Taplin triumph. Freshwater SLSC gold medal winning Masters trio Peter Obern, Michael Kirkby and Kurt Hanson.
service and the on-beach presentation. “I’ve got a big week ahead of me. But I’ve known it’s been coming for a month now,” he said.
It’s a bit funny to drop the microphone and go out there to compete. Kurt Hanson
PAUL COCHRANE HE’S been the voice of surf lifesaving this summer on Fox Sports, but Kurt Hanson is taking away his own slice of gold from The Aussies 2015. He ended the Masters program with five gold medals for the Freshwater SLSC, including an epic Taplin relay final win with teammates Michael Kirkby and Peter Obern.
“That was right up there with the best experiences of my life in surf. To do it with two other guys who really put it all on the line was pretty special. And a pretty special moment for the club as well and something that we won’t forget for a long time,” Kurt said. Later this week he’ll try and defend the Open Belt Race title he won in Perth last year, in between commentary commitments for the television broadcast, live streaming
“It’s a bit funny to drop the microphone and go out there to compete but it’s something that has been manageable at the moment. My open career is pretty much winding up so I’m really focusing more on the work side of things now and doing the commentary which I am loving. This is just a cross over period so I’ll give it one last hurrah and see how it goes.” “It’s something that I am very passionate about and I want it to go for another 100 years.” There’s just one other catch to further complicate an already busy schedule. He is the ground announcer for the Sydney Swans and they play at home on Saturday afternoon. “I’m going to fly down to Sydney and do that and then come back Saturday night to hopefully be in that Belt final.”
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS LAUNCHED IN GRAND STYLE CLAUDIA FERGUSON THE Open Championships were launched with a traditional Grand Parade, kickstarting a carnival that will feature around 4,000 competitors from more than 180 clubs. Byron Bay SLSC member Joshua Brown delivered the Athlete’s oath on behalf of all competitors and Carolyn Wilson from Secret Harbour SLSC read the officials oath. Athletes marched into the arena to the sounds of contemporary tunes, followed by a public welcome from Indigenous elder Luther Cora from the Bungarra family. Several international surf life saving clubs are participating at The Aussies 2015 and took part in the parade. “It’s great to see the diversity of clubs
around” said Callum Gilbert of Grande SLSC who stood at the front row of the opening ceremony excited for the week ahead.
Mermaid Waters SLSC member Anne Donnelly-Marshall also performed the national anthem. LEFT: Indigenous elder Luther Cora from the Bungarra family helps launch The Aussies 2015 Open competition.
AMERICAN ODYSSEY 2015 CHELSEA PALMER SLSA has been running an intern program during The Aussies 2015, giving media students an opportunity to be part of the event. CHELSEA PALMER is from Minnesota in the USA and has lived in Australia for just 10 months. This was her first time at a surf lifesaving carnival. WHERE I’m from, our version of the beach is two months of swimming in murky lake water. So the chance to volunteer as a journalism intern at The Aussies was an opportunity I could not pass up. Watching the men’s Flags races opened this Minnesota girl’s eyes to a whole new world. As a first-timer to The Aussies, watching is like learning a foreign language. I’ll admit, I had no idea what was taking place before my eyes. I asked a Surf Life Saving member next to me what the aim of this race was: men lying face down in the sand only to quickly stand and sprint to another location. He didn’t offer a straight answer, but this race appeared to be a test of a man’s reflexes, which is a key to saving someone’s life. You have to be able to react quickly. Looking back across the sand to the waves crashing ashore with Surfers Paradise in the background reminded me that I am in Australia, a land where people do things a bit differently from back home. I will leave The Aussies with an increased respect and admiration for what surf lifesavers do just as I respect and admire the shear power of the waves beyond.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO COMPETE IN THE 100TH AUSSIES? SUE LINDSAY SURFERS PARADISE SLSC, QLD
TILLY BELLKEMN MONA VALE SLSC, NSW
“It’s fantastic to be here and a part of this historical moment and to also watch my sons compete here.”
“It’s great to know that you are a part of history and seeing the sport progress to today.”
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MICK DIDETTA & CHRIS MAYNARD CURRUMBIN SLSC, QLD “It’s good; we both have been competing since 1978. It is great to see our kids go through the sport. It is pretty special.”
MAIA BRYANT CURRUMBIN SLSC, QLD “It’s great to be apart of history and a major milestone in Surf Life saving.”
Thursday April 16, 2015
SAINTS GO MARCHING IN… BUT ONLY BY A WHISKER GRAHAM CALLAGHAN ST KILDA’S Matthew Culka was one pretty happy boat sweep when his crew survived the closest decision of the day to be crowned the 200 years Masters’ surfboat champions at Tugun yesterday. Five boats finished on the same wave to send tower judges into a huddle at both ends of the beach and after 15 minutes of discussion it was announced St Kilda were the gold medal winners. Bronte were only centimetres behind with silver while WA crew North Cottesloe took home the bronze. It completed a winning treble for St
Kilda after also taking out the World title in France last year and The Aussies Reserve grade championship at Scarborough Beach last season.
If you are good enough to make every final and get a fair rub of the green, consistency will see you win a few medals Matthew Culka “If you are good enough to make every final and get a fair rub of the green,
consistency will see you win a few medals,” Culka said. Trevor ‘Trax’ Robson swept North Cronulla to victory in the 180 years final beating Austinmer and Tallebudgera in another tight finish. While sweep Mark McDonald pulled his Elouera crew onto a one-metre wave to comfortably win the 160 years final from Jan Juc and Bronte. Lorne’s win in the men’s 120 years final on Tuesday was certainly a triumph for the McCombe family. Alistar McCombe swept Lorne to win gold medals with his sons Jarod in the stroke seat and another son Brent second stroke. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Picnic Bay SLSC, Moruya SLSC, Mooloolaba SLSC.
CLUB IN FOCUS
WEST BEACH SLSC, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
ABOVE : 30 Athletes from West Beach SLSC are competing at The Aussies 2015.
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ADELAIDE isn’t just famous for its churches, sweeping landscapes and good wine - West Beach SLSC is one of the first things you see, flying into the South Australian Capital. Formed in 1956, the club has over 600 members, with a contingent of 30 heading up to the Gold Coast to contest The Aussies. The club was on the brink of shutting its doors in the mid 1970s, but club members pooled together to keep it active. Women’s Team Manager Damian Newberry says the turnaround has been a great achievement and testament to the club. West Beach has a strong focus on community engagement, with members raising over $10,000 for Breast Cancer research in February. After a tremendous season in the South Australian State Championship, a win at The Aussies would be the cherry on top of a great year.
HURST STILL HAS THAT GOLDEN GLOW
ABOVE: Ky Hurst sprinting to victory in the Restricted Surf Race Final.
DAVID MOASE SURF race record holder Ky Hurst started his 2015 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships campaign in familiar style by winning the Restricted Surf Race final. Hurst, the 10-times winner of the open surf race, claimed his fourth gold medal in the Restricted Surf Race, which is for swimmers aged 24 and over. The 34-year-old from Kurrawa outswam and outsprinted ironman champion Shannon Eckstein (Northcliffe), with Nathan Smith (Manly) in third place. It was an important hit-out and confidence booster for Hurst, who will face plenty of challengers for his Open Surf Race crown later in the carnival. “I’m happy to get a final out of the way. It’s only Wednesday and we’ve got a long week ahead,” he said. “Most of the best surf swimmers in the country are over 24 so it’s like we have two surf race finals. “And there will be a few younger blokes in the surf race this year who will shake things up.” Hurst, Eckstein and Smith are set to clash plenty of times throughout the championships, with one of their next confrontations likely to come in today’s Surf Teams final, where Eckstein, with his Northcliffe team of younger brother Caine Eckstein, Jordan Harrison and Sam Sheppard, will be chasing an eighth consecutive gold medal. Power paddles by Danielle McKenzie and ironwoman Rebecca Creedy pushed Northcliffe to gold in the Open Women’s Ski Relay. Mooloolaba continued its dominance of the Open Board Relay, making it a hat-trick of Aussie titles.
The interstate seas did not stop a comparative newcomer from WA, Don Morrison, who won four Senior Belt Championships and placed in another six between 1948 and 1959, eventually stamping himself and one of if not the best ever Open Belt Champion.
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RIGHT : Alex Headlands push themselves onto the next leg of the Ski Relay.
FAR RIGHT : Tugun competitor puts his body on the line for a smooth transition.
ABOVE : A smooth board transition for Cudgen Headland SLSC.
RIGHT : Alex Headlands in the women’s Ski Relay.
RIGHT : Open men push for a good starting position in the Board Relay.
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Thursday April 16, 2015
LEFT : The second paddlers eagerly await their team mates in the trough.
FAR LEFT : Northcliffe battles a wave in the Board Rescue. LEFT : Peter Scott, Redhead SLSC lapping up the atmosphere at The Aussies.
RIGHT : Brodie Moir from North Burleigh.
ABOVE : Finish line judges keep a close watch with the help of their handy i-pads. LEFT : Newport rounding the flag in the Ski Relay.
Championship photos available at harvpix.com
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PICKEN A WINNER CLAUDIA FERGUSON FORMER Tasmanian Ellie Picken has capped off a dream summer in the surf by winning gold with her Mooloolaba SLSC teammates in the under-19 Taplin Relay. After starting her season with victory in the Coolangatta Gold, Picken, Ella Brown(swim) and Karlee Nurthen (board) produced a dominant performance to lead from start to finish ahead of Northcliffe and Newport. “After winning Gold at the state titles we thought let’s keep the team for The Aussies, why ruin a good thing,” Picken said. Northcliffe won the under-17 Taplin final despite ski paddler Kate Taylor taking a spill 20m from the shoreline. It came after Megan Kreuter (swim) and Hannah Sculley (board) had set up an unassailable lead. “It’s hard when you have such a dominant paddler and swimmer, as it puts a lot of
LEFT : The victorious Mooloolaba SLSC Taplin Relay team (L to R) Ellie Picken, Ella Brown and Karlee Nurthen.
pressure on me nose-diving down that wave, which I haven’t done all season,” Kate said. “Lucky for me Megan set up such a good lead in the swim, because it was hard for me to swim back because I don’t swim!” She had enough in the tank to beat a surging Kurrawa team to the finish line.
FAR LEFT : Mooloolaba SLSC star Ellie Picken powers her team to victory in the Taplin Relay final.
NAOMI FLOOD OLYMPIAN, SLS AMBASSADOR & SURF SKI WORLD CHAMPION What is your favourite memory of The Aussies? Racing the Open Ironwoman against Karla Gilbert in 2003. From a young age she was my hero and I got to race with her in her last race, which was a special moment being an aspiring Ironwoman at the time. What does The Aussies mean to you? The Aussies brings everyone together, and recognises and celebrates the best of lifesaving traditions. I love seeing familiar faces and being a part of such a fantastic community. It’s great to catch up with everyone and stand on the line knowing the athletes have put in everything they can in the lead up to the events. What are your tips on recovery to ensure top performance over next 5 days? It’s important to get back under the tent in the shade to rest. We talk a bit of trash. I would say some tent trash talk gets us through the day and the other usuals adequate hydration, good nutrition and definitely rest when you can!
YOU may have noticed that Matt Poole has jazzed up his outfit this Aussies. Yes, he has painted his finger nails a lovely shade of black, and without a blemish. At his state titles Matt made a bet with three of his team mates, Luke Cuff, Matt Bevy and Hayden White that the person who came last in the Ironman out of the four would swim in the Open Surf Race at The Aussies with their nails painted. Obviously, Matt was the loser. Matt wasn’t sore about it at all though telling SLSA how he had been “working on his technique” and had accidentally knocked over the nail polish when he had “over stroked”.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE AUSSIES ANITA LANGENBERG POINT LOOKOUT SLSC, QLD “Coming together with people, the social aspect of the event is great.”
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TIANA MERCER NOOSA HEADS SLSC, QLD
SOPHIA TONOLI MONA VALE SLSC, NSW
JACK MOYES TERRIGAL SLSC, NSW
“I love coming to The Aussies, the atmosphere of the event is what I love most about it.”
“This is only my second Aussies but I love coming away to The Aussies and having more competition than State Titles.”
“I love the healthy rivalry between the clubs. ”
Thursday April 16, 2015
FLAT OUT WIN JACQUELINE GREEN
ABOVE : Riley Fitzsimmons celebrates with his teammates after the Single Ski Relay final.
GOLDEN DAY IN THE LIFE OF RILEY IAN HANSON A star was born at North Kirra yesterday when 18-year-old Riley Fitzsimmons from Avoca Beach paddled his way into Aussies folklore. The kid from the NSW Central Coast came from the clouds to steal the coveted open single ski relay from defending champions Newport and six-time champions Northcliffe. “This is the one race we’ve been after, the one race we’ve been chasing for years; we’ve been second and third twice but we’ve never won the gold,” said 38-year-old second paddler Gordon Jones. “We’ve been chasing a kid who can paddle and run and we’ve found one in Riley. I can now retire a happy man.” But that’s only one part of a day in the life of this Riley. Only minutes before his gold medal paddle he had helped Avoca to a gold medal
LISA STOPS BY THE AUSSIES
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win in the under 19 board relay with team mates Brad McCloghry and Jordan Moore over Newport B and Newport A. But wait there’s more. While his open team and club mates were madly celebrating, Riley was hustled back to the under-19 ski relay final where he again produced a paddle of the ages to come from behind on the final leg to win Avoca the silver medal, again with McCloghry and Moore. Two gold and a silver in 30 minutes of fury. A day in the life Riley will never forget. “It’s so exciting to get the opportunity to paddle with guys like Lachy and Gordo every day, I’m blessed and this is a like a dream, I can’t believe it, I never gave up and knew I had the legs to get there,” said Fitzsimmons who will be back on the beach today chasing more success in the under 19 single ski and board races. Unless he’s still sitting on cloud nine.
AUSTRALIAN sporting royalty has been on site for The Aussies 2015 to soak up the nostalgic 100 year celebrations. Among them yesterday was swimming great Lisa Curry who stumbled upon this photo of herself, Aussies legend Grant Kenny and their daughter Jaimi on the stroll down memory lane. She was here to watch son Jett compete but things didn’t quite go to plan – he suffered an injury while competing for Alexandra Headland SLSC in the under-19 Board Relay final.
ABOVE : Mooloolaba SLSC’s Karlee Nurthen embraces teammate Georgina McDermott after their win in the under-19 Board Relay.
AN unusual training spike in the lead-up to The Aussies proved a masterstroke for the gold medal winning Mooloolaba under-19 Board Relay crew. The team of Georgina McDermott, Kirriena Raymond, Karlee Nurthen was able to take advantage of the calmer conditions delivered by North Kirra. “The paddle in reminded me of training on the flat lake back home which was always so hard,” Kirriena said. They were forced to come from behind to overhaul the Newport crew after Georgia Miller established a sizeable lead on the first-leg. A determined final leg proved decisive as McDermott seized the lead to steer Mooloolaba to victory. “I was hurting, I couldn’t see anyone next to me or in front me so I just ran for Gold,” says McDermott. The battle for second was intense with Northcliffe edging out Newport in a sprint to the finish. After a string of minor placings over the past five years, Avoca finally cracked victory in the under-19 board relay.
LEFT : Some of the competitors from Badung surf club in Bali in action at The Aussies 2015.
BALI BOYS TAKE ON THE AUSSIES MADIE O’SULLIVAN BADUNG Surf Club in Bali is just one of 32 International Clubs who have made the trip to North Kirra Beach to be a part of the centenary Surf Life Saving Championships. Badung is on the coast of Bali and the club covers Kuta, Seminyak and Legian beaches. Patrolling some of the most popular tourist beaches in Bali for Australian travellers the team say that competing in Australia is really special to them because of the friendships they have made with Australian Surf Life Savers both at home and in Australia. The Balinese team of six have travelled over with their coach I Wayan Sudarta, their manager I Ketut Ipel and two government
representatives from Badung. The team train twice a week with their coaches, with training sessions ranging from sport specific activities to more fitness based training which compliments any other training they do on their own. “Last year our beach relay team came fifth at the World Life Saving Titles in France, so to make the final or even take home a medal would be amazing” Emma Larssen said. Emma is a Cronulla SLSC clubbie who moved to Bali five years ago to work on an AYAD project focusing on water safety. Along with her work developing sustainable school and community water education programs. Emma is also a Coach for the Badung Surf Life Saving team.
Did you know that in 2014 the Eckstein brothers came in first and second in the Ironman. Shannon coming in first with his younger brother Caine coming in second. This was the first time a brother duo have taken out the 1st and 2nd place in The Aussies Open Ironman!
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08 The Aussies 2015
Thursday April 16, 2015