RIPtIDE SIX OF THE BEST AS MANLY STRIKE GOLD IN TAPLIN DAWE S PADDLE IS THE CLINCHER Manly head to Perth next month as NSW Taplin relay champions and this time they hope to finally crack an Aussie title. The Sky Blues blew away their rivals at Blacksmiths Beach last Sunday to take their third State title in a row. The race did become interesting after the first ski leg when new State single ski champion Sam Speer was caught nearing the shore by Newport s Mitchell Trim and Wanda but Speer s transition to Nick Dawe was perfect. Dawe paddled the race of his life and gave Manly a mighty lead. There was no stopping Manly once Stewie McLachlan hit the water on the board and Harrison Stone then had plenty in reserve. Stone had too much of a lead over Newport s last board paddler Charlie Brooks and Redhead s Isaak Costello. Dawe said: It s a real buzz to win three in a row. Dawe praised Manly s two swimmers Jay Furniss and Kendrick Louis. Pound for pound they are as good (swimmers) as anyone else on the planet. They are going to do the job for you, he said. It was former Manly swimmer Nathan Smith (swimming for Wanda) who came out first just ahead of Furniss. But Louis then had Manly in front when he tagged Speer. Dawe said what happened to Speer on the ski leg inspired him. Sam paddled his guts out, paddled really well all weekend, so for the guys to catch him, that gave me a sort of kick up the backside, and so I just sort of tried to return the favour, Dawe said. Dawe showed all his experience on the way back. That runner was my lifeline, he said. That was the ferry that was getting me home. I wasn t letting that one go. Looking ahead to Scarborough, Dawe said: At Aussies it (Taplin) is the final event on a Sunday and to win is a real hard feat but we are going to get it one day. I have seen Perth big, seen it side drop, seen it flat and blowing an easterly back out to sea. It is all about six guys putting it together on the day. Pictures: Manly win again Kendrick Louis (left), Harrison Stone, Stewart McLachlan, Jay Furniss, Nick Dawe, Sam Speer; right: Jay Furniss great swim.
JACKSON, SAMMY SHOCK VICTORIES If you asked Newport s Jackson Borg and Manly s Sam Speer if they were shocked with their victories at the State Open Championships, they d say yes. Borg took out the open surf from the more fancied Dan Collins (Redhead) and his Newport clubmate and Australian champion Ollie Signorini. Speer had an agonising wait before he got the nod in a blanket finish in the open ski final, which also saw Newport s Jayke Rees finish with silver. Speer led most of the way with Newport s Mitchell Trim. Trimmy got a bit unlucky. We were both right up there, Speer said. I thought I d got it on the line. It s validation of all the work you do. Speer finished the championships with three gold medals. He partnered Kendrick Louis and Nick Dawe to win the ski relay and was also a member of Manly s winning Taplin relay team. The ski relay came together really well for me, Speer said. I was able to give the boys the lead and they increased it. Speer said he felt a lot fresher going into these State titles than previous ones. I have been doing a lot of office work but not as much surf club work, he said. I didn t have as big as off-season this year and I think that is why I came in a lot more mentally fresher. It has been a really great carnival for the club, also winning the board relay (Lachlan Bruce, Stewart McLachlan and Harrison Stone) and Stewie winning the board final from Harry (Stone). For Borg, it was a day he ll always remember. I had a quick start and I was up there with them the whole race, he said. Kendrick was to my right the whole time and Dan was to my left. Ollie caught us on the way in. None of us were giving each other an inch. I am shocked. Just going down that wave, I said to myself; Ï am in with a chance of winning this. I can t believe it. I got up. I got my first few steps good and they were still getting up and I couldn t believe it. I have been really working on my swimming. Louis finished a very close fourth in the surf race but the day did get better for him. He was involved in a ding dong battle with Dan Collins in the ironman but his transition from swim to ski probably cost him. I fell off and then on the board I just couldn t pick up anything. I knew he would get me on the run, Louis said. But Louis did produce another terrific swim for Manly in the Open Taplin relay. Pictures: Top: Newport s Jackson Borg (right) with Dan Collins after the surf race; Below: Sam Speer being interviewed after taking out the open single ski.
THAT S FIVE STRAIGHT FOR GOLDEN GIRL GEORGIA MILLER Newport s superstar Georgia Miller loves winning the ironwoman. After her great finish to the Nutri Grain series late last month, she emerged as the favourite to take out the open event at the State Championships at Blacksmiths. Of course, there was Lizzie Welborn (North Bondi) and Jemma Smith (Umina) to contend with. But they were no match on the day for Georgia, who is certainly a lot fitter than she was early in the season when plagued by injuries. In winning the event, it was her fifth iron in as many years. I am just over the moon. It was such a tough field today, she said after the race. I wanted to set it (the race) up right. I hate it coming down to the line and having sprint finishes so I was really happy I could take that swim out and then dictate the race from there. Miller also won the individual surf race and board final in a thriller. Individual titles are always hard to win at state level. I got pushed a lot of the way in the swim and board and the iron I was completely leading by myself. It was a completely different race, she said. The board was a real battle between Welborn and Miller. Welborn slipped on the edge and went from a possible winner to fourth. Miller won the race up the beach from Redhead s Nicola Owen and her Newport clubmate Maddie Spencer. Miller also teamed with her good friend Lara Moses to win the board rescue, won the surf belt and was a member of the winning surf teams and board relay team. On the belt race, she said: I have done it a few times. I just save it up for state and Aussies. It was hardly surprising that the Newport club won the championship point score for the fifth consecutive year. They had a lot of success in the surf teams events and individual surf races. Apart from Miller, Jackson Borg, Jami Prowse and Kimberley Doyle also won surf races. Newport took out the Open Female Taplin but it was their B team of Emily Doyle, Grace Gurr and Maddie Spencer who upset the A team. Isaac Smith (under 19), Zach Morris (under 17) and Mitch Morris (under 15) won their iron finals, as did Alex Lefevre in the under 15 female event. Pictures: Top: Georgia Miller (front) and Lara Moses winning the board rescue; Middle: Lizzie Welborn (left) and Georgia battle out the board final; Bottom: Georgia embraces Maddie Spencer after the board final.
Newport SLSC took out their fifth consecutive State Open Championship at Blacksmiths Beach. Nutri Grain ironwoman Georgia Miller was the standout for the Newport club. Newport had a lot of success in individual surf races and surf teams events. Jackson Borg provided one of the big shocks on the final day of competition by taking out the male open surf race. Pictures: Some of our star athletes at the NSW Championships at Blacksmiths Beach. The girls will still be training hard as they now look forward to the Aussies in Perth next month.
HOW THE TOP 10 CLUBS FINISHED Newport 553 Manly 247 Wanda 221 North Bondi 204 Nth Cronulla 198 Cronulla 196 Redhead 144 Umina 144 Elouera 34 Coogee 118 Pictures: Top: left: Isaac Smith on his way to winning the under 19 ironman; Top right:hugh McAlpine puts in a great paddle for Newport to win the under 19 board relay; Bottom: Taylor Gabb helps Newport win the under 17 ski relay.
Pictures: Top: What a carnival it was for Manly board paddlers Harrison Stone (left) and Stewart McLachlan. Stewie won the board from Harrison. They were also members of Manly s winning board relay and Taplin teams. Below: Newport s Mitchell Trim finally had some luck when he partnered Luke Jones to win the male double ski final.
JAKE TOO QUICK OFF THE MARK IN THE FLAGS Jake Lynch carried the flag for Newport on the beach at the State Open Championships.It was in the flags that Lynch took the gold medal, while he picked up silver in the beach sprint. Laura Shorter also came second in the female open beach sprint final. We had a few things that didn t go to plan, I guess you could say, Jake said. A few results we were kind of expecting to win or do better but it just didn t go for us. That s surf life saving. It happens in sport sometimes. Lynch said he didn t expect to win the flags. He expected clubmate Blake Drysdale to win it. Right throughout the competition, Blake s turns were really good Jake said. I thought he was probably the standout along with Sam Zustovich (Mollymook). When you get down to that last four or five, you have to be switched on. Lynch said that both he and Drysdale paid young Zustovich a lot of respect. He s one of the best in the country already. He s the next top guy, Lynch said. The Newport pair planned to take him out. Blake tried to move down on him and then I moved down as well, thinking that Blake would just get it but next time, Lynch said. Lynch did take the youngster out, leaving the Newport man and Swansea Belmont s Liam Hall- Muir as the last two standing. Jake was just too quick off the mark. Lynch expects Drysdale to lift at the Aussies next month. He ll definitely be up there. He s come back from injury. I think he is lacking a bit of fitness at the moment. He ll be one of the guys to beat over there (Perth), Jake said. Lynch also picked up a bronze medal at State. Along with Drysdale, Will de Vries and Benjamin Ambrose, Newport came third in the men s open relay. The Newport women s open relay team of Shorter, Macy Carrothers, Bethany Pate and Bailee Radford finished second to Cronulla, while Carrothers also came third in the under 17 flags. Newport also got bronze medals in the under 19 and 17 beach relays. Finnian Kelleher, Josh Tyrrell, Reuben Sharma and devries made up the under 19 team, while Sharma also ran in the under 17 team with Daniel Gabb, Ricky Charlton and Hugo Blackley. Manly youngster Aiden Helu continued his impressive form by taking out the under 15 sprint. He joined Dylan Calderon, Cooper Robinson and Miles Weir in the under 15 relay team and Manly took silver. Pictures: Top: Easy work Jake Lynch wins the open flags; Bottom: Lara Shorter (left) after the open female sprint with Cronulla s Chloe Mannix-Power and Ngaire Hadfield. (Photos courtesy SLSNSW)
CHANGE OF LUCK FOR MONA VALE Mona Vale Black surf boat bowman Matt Chave always felt his crew had the speed to make their presence felt at the State Championships at Blacksmiths. And it was confirmed when they took out the reserve grade final from northern beaches rivals Queenscliff Mudguts last Sunday. We rowed in Ocean Thunder and did OK but we were a bit unlucky at the ASRL and Branch carnivals, Matt said. But everything went to plan this time and we knew we were in with a good chance from alley five in the final. We had Queenscliff next to us. I can t recall racing them this season. We were thinking more about the Collaroy and Elouera crews. The finish was pretty close. Ryan Halangahu swept the crew with the other rowers being David Brooker, Ian Dowling and Nicholas Ellis. Chave said the crew would now be focussing on the Aussies in Perth. Other northern beaches crews to win gold medals at state were Avalon Beach Bandits (reserve women) and the Queenscliff 10 Dollar Steaks (under 19 male). Two Palm Beach crews won silver medals. The Patriots finished second to Elouera, while North Narrabeen came third in the open women. And Palmy s Peter Spence also swept the under 23 crew (Paperclips) that came second to Bulli. The very consistent Avalon Beach Chanel s were second in the under 19 female final, while the Newport Whiprays came third in the under 23 female final. Pictures: Ryan Halangahu steers Mona Vale home at Blacksmiths; the smiling Avalon Beach Bandits. (Photos courtesy SLSNSW)
FRESHIE GRAB TWO GOLDS The R and R rivalry between Collaroy and Freshwater clubs continued at the State Championships. It was victory to Freshie in the Open Male 5 Person R and R. The successful team was Alan Burns, Ian Donald, Wayne Freakley, Chris Tyrrell and Hugo Weston. Freshie also won the Open 6 Person R and R. with Donald, Tyrrell, Weston and Wayne, Jarrad and Clare Freakley. Wanda was second and the Collaroy Black team was third. In the Open 5 Person R and R, Collaroy took silver and Freshie the bronze. The Collaroy Black team took out the Open Female 5 Person R and R. The team was Stephanie Doney, Kate Ducker, Annabelle Loone, Brooke Perry and Amelia Suters. Collaroy won from Freshwater and Coogee. The Freshie team was Jane and Clare Freakley, Rebeca Kiely, Lysa Kiely and Elizabeth Murphy. Queenscliff pair Zahra Chew and Madeline Pilz won silver in the Un14/U15 2 Person event. Pictures: Collaroy and Freshwater teams compete in the Open Female 5 Person R and R at Blacksmiths.
KRIS ON FIRE AT STATE MASTERS Kris Monnock would rather talk about the wonderful time Mona Vale SLSC is experiencing is surf sports rather than talk about her exploits at the NSW Masters. We are in such a good place with our juniors and masters. It is just incredible, Kris said. But just for the record Kris left Blacksmiths Beach with a bagful of medals eleven. That was made up of seven gold, three silver and one bronze. Five of her gold medals were in individual events ironwoman, ski, board, beach sprint and flags. She also won gold in the double ski with Paula Tocquer and ski relay with Paula and Sophie Stokes. The highlight for Kris was winning the iron. It was actually the first time I had done it at State, she said. The conditions were tricky with the shore dump. I was blessed in the ski leg. I got the break and never looked back. Kris said that both she and Sophie never thought they d be able to do the beach events. We were really lucky with the timing, Kris said. Sophie won her age group sprint and took third place in the flags. The camaraderie with the Manly, Coogee, Bondi and Umina girls is just fantastic. We have become such close friends, said Kris. Kris, Sophie and Paula are off to Aussies next month. We are really looking forward to it, Kris said. Pictures: Three Mona Vale champions Paula Tocquer (left), Kris Monnock and Sophie Stokes; Below: Sophie Stokes (right) competing in the flags. (Photos courtesy SLSNSW)
GEDZ JUNIOR FOLLOWS DAD When Michael Gedz first started competing in masters beach events about 15 years ago, there was a guy at Queenscliff called Brian Dolly he couldn t beat. The boot is on the other foot, so to speak, these days with Michael winning the sprint and flags at the NSW Masters Championships at Blacksmiths Beach for the ninth consecutive year. And throw in the beach relay for good measure and that s a total of 27 gold medals over that period. Gedz finished ahead of Dolly and clubmate Stephen Hoy in the sprint. Now there s another Gedz emerging. His eldest son Josh. He absolutely blitzed the field in the under 13 sprint final at the State Age Championships. Josh was unbeaten in sprints this year, including the NSW Interbranch when he represented Sydney Northern Beaches, Nipper Nats at Manly, Branch at North Narrabeen and State. He definitely got serious about beach sprinting this year, Michael said. Unlike his dad who competes for Queenscliff, Josh is with Manly LSC. Josh also anchored Manly s under 13 Mixed Beach relay to victory at State. Also in that team was Camille Baker, Stella Clarkson and Tom Hindmarsh. Josh is certainly a strapping boy for his age and, while he also does Little A s, he plays rugby league for Beacon Hill and rugby union for Forest as a centre. He is in the Sea Eagles under 13 development squad and Manly union reps. Both codes play on different days at the weekend, allowing Josh to play the two sports. Michael is off to Perth for Aussies with the strong Queensie beach contingent. He ll defend his sprint title and hopes to regain the flags title he held until he lost it last year at Coolangatta. Michael will join David Callan, Stephen Nelson and David Shearsby in the relay team which the Queensie boys will look to retain the Aussie title. Shearsby also won his age group sprint at State, as did Rubin Ruzicka (Newport), Adam Gee (Warriewood), Nigel Kassulke (Manly) and Ted Smithies (Newport). In the female sprints, Sophie Stokes and Kris Monnock (Mona Vale), Robyn Henderson and Merrilee Linegar (Queenscliff) and Kathryn Watts (Manly) won gold. Pictures: Top left: Michael Gedz hands over the baton in the relay at the State Championships; Top right: son Josh Gedz winning the under 13 sprint final; Below: Josh after the final at Blacksmiths.
Some of the SNB athletes who were successful at the NSW Masters Championships at Blacksmiths Beach. Photos courtesy of SLSNSW.