Coogee volleyball player the best in the country
Beach volleyballer Benjamin Schickinger is at the top of his game, with the 14-year-old crowned under-15 national champion this year.
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Benjamin Schickinger is at the top of his game in the sport of beach volleyball.
The 14-year-old from Randwick was crowned 2019 under 15 Australian champions, along with his NSW teammates Harley Sinclair and Kynan Leong, at the Australian Junior Beach Volleyball Championships in Western Australia in April.
The NSW team were undefeated and the gold was particularly satisfying given they only placed ninth in 2018.
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“It was definitely amazing,” Ben said. “I was really happy when we won the gold — it was a tight, tense game.”
He is our latest nominee for Junior Sports Star Individual at the 2019 Local Sports Stars Awards.
Ben plays for the Coogee Beach Volleyball Association and is coached by Marcos Molina. The Randwick Boys High School student took up the sport in Year 6 and trains four times a week all year round.
“I really love that it’s played at the beach … it’s really fun to play — there’s no pressure,” Ben said.
“Ben Schickinger is a talented player with a great attitude and promising future,” Molina said. He is pushing for Randwick Council to install lights at Coogee Beach so the players can train beyond 6pm in winter. Molina is encouraging youngsters interested in trying the sport to email junior@cbva.org.au.
Local Sports Stars categories include individual, team of excellence, inspiration and service to sport. The Junior Sports Star Individual, team and inspiration is for sporting people aged 18 and under. For the individual category, nominees must have at least reached state level.
Nominate someone now at localssportstars.com.au/newslocal
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