NSW Surf Life Saving Country Championships: Warilla Barrack-Point look to defend title on home soil
With the Surf Life Saving Country Championships coming to the Illawarra, Warilla Barrack-Point will be looking to its emerging athletes to inspire a title defence on home soil.
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Last year’s NSW Surf Life Saving Country Championships concluded in the most dramatic of final days, in which Warilla Barrack-Point SLSC clutched victory on the final day of competition in Forster.
The victory came at the expense of competition heavyweights Cudgen Headland, with a difference of just one point ending five years of dominance for the Tweed Shire club.
Now with a title to defend, Warilla Barrack-Point have home turf advantage, with this year’s championships to take place at Warilla Beach in the Illawarra.
“It’s really exciting, we’ve been keen to host this event for a number of years now and thankfully we’ve got the opportunity,” said Lee Harvey, junior activities co-ordinator at Warilla Barrack-Point SLSC.
It’s an exciting time for the club and the area, with a massive turnout expected from Warilla as well as its neighbouring competitors.
“Our club this year has a total of 130 athletes, I think that would be our strongest contingent we’ve sent to a country carnival. As example, last year we sent 100 athletes up to Forster for the same event, so certainly stronger in the way of numbers,” Harvey said.
“We’re also getting some really good feedback around local numbers on the whole, and there’s going to be some really cool competition from some of the local clubs.
“We’re hearing good numbers coming in from Kiama Downs, Gerringong and Mollymook, so it’s really exciting.”
Last year’s competition came down to a dominant final-day performance from Warilla Barrack-Point, with the title decided by a number of victories across ski, board rescue, beach run and Cameron and Taplin team events.
Originally thought to be a 26-point win over Cudgen, already a small margin already, a recount reduced the margin to just one point in the end, with Warilla Barrack-Point emerging with the chocolates.
“Cudgen are always a powerhouse, they’re an incredibly strong club,” Harvey said.
“We believe they’ll be bringing down close to 100 competitors, which is super impressive to make that trip, and no doubt they’ll push for some really strong racing again this year.”
Knowing the competition will be tough as always, Warilla Barrack-Point have their eyes set on their superstar young guns and established pros to help them defend the title.
“We get excited every year for the younger generation coming through, specifically our under-8s competitors as the youngest ones that are able to compete, so that’s pretty exciting and always a good watch,” Harvey said.
“As we move through the ages, we look to the back half of our junior group at the under-15 boys and under-14 girls that are going to be incredibly strong.”
One talent to watch out for in the under-17s is Storm Balmain, who came away with victory in a board race last weekend against some of the best talents in the state and country, making him a “must watch” this weekend.
Another talented duo to keep an eye on are Bailey Krstevski and Jack Carberry, who both emerged with medals in their respective events last weekend against some of the best in the business.
“It’s a testament to their fitness that they can back it up so quickly, but they’re going to be really exciting ones to watch,” Harvey said.
On the more experienced side of things, the club has two defending Aussie Ironwomen champions out in the thick of the action in Jordan White in the over-30s and Nicole Sims in the over-40s.
The 2024 NSW Country Champs kick off at Warilla Beach on January 26 and run through until January 28.
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