Gold Coast club Currumbin back on top of Queensland junior surf lifesaving
CURRUMBIN have ended a two-decade drought to claim the Surf Life Saving Queensland Youth Championships.
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CURRUMBIN have ended a two-decade drought to claim the Surf Life Saving Queensland Youth Championships.
The Point Danger branch club upstaged the traditional powerhouses of the Queensland junior ranks at the state titles, which wound up at Alexandra Headland on the Sunshine Coast yesterday.
In a great day for Gold Coast clubs, South Coast branch champions Northcliffe (237) finished second to Currumbin (303).
Sunshine Coast clubs Maroochydore and Alexandra Headland, who have dominated the titles in recent years, were next best.
An emotional Currumbin coach and manager Sam Dick rated the club’s all-age relay success as the highlight of the championship win, which he believed was the first since the early 1990s.
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“To us it is just the pinnacle event of the championships, it tests strength across the club and we have wanted this win for such a long time,” he said.
“The last time we won was when I was an under-13, back in 2009, so we’ve been vying to win it back since then.
“I am just so thrilled and proud; they did an amazing job, their race was well planned and extremely well executed.”
In a poignant moment, sand from Currumbin beach was sprinkled in the club’s lane before the all-age relay as a tribute to club life member and Queensland surf lifesaving stalwart Bonnie Alchin, who died last month.
The Currumbin competitors also wore black armbands in memory of Mrs Alchin.
In another heartwarming touch, the winning team in the all-age relay received the Col and Bonnie Alchin Trophy, which honours a married couple who were life members of Currumbin Juniors and Point Danger branch.
Currumbin finished with a total of 46 medals, with Ava Usher claiming nine podium finishes as part of the gold-winning all-age relay, under-11 surfboard relay, surfboard rescue and surf teams.
She also scored silver in the beach relay and sprint, plus bronze in the ironwoman and board race.
Teammate Milla Jansen walked away with seven medals in the same age group.
Rising star Ellie Beer claimed four gold medals after wins in the under-15 girls sprint, flags, beach relay and all-age relay.
Northcliffe won 34 medals across the weekend and filled the top three positions in the under-13 ironman with Euan Lynch beating Lucas Miller and Braden Bamford.
Overall pointscore
1 Currumbin 303, 2 Northcliffe 237, 3 Maroochydore 224, 4 Alexandra Headland 200, 5 North Burleigh 153, 6 Sunshine Beach 121, 7 Kurrawa 120, 8 Noosa Heads 109, 9 Metropolitan Caloundra 86, 10 Southport 72, 11 Mermaid Beach 71, 12 Tweed Heads Coolangatta 62, 13 Kawana Waters 61, 13 Tannum Sands 61, 13 Tallebudgera 61, 14 Point Lookout 59, 15 North Barrier Branch 55, 16 Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park 49, 17 Tugun 48, 18 Dicky Beach 42, 19 Mooloolaba 39, 20 Mudjimba 30, 21 Bundaberg 23, 22 Elliott Heads 19, 23 Bribie Island 15, 23 Miami Beach 15, 24 Nobbys Beach 14, 25 Palm Beach 12, 26 North Queensland 11, 27 Pacific 10, 28 Yeppoon 9, 29 Emu Park 8, 30 Marcoola 7, 31 Hervey Bay 6, 32 Agnes Water 3, 32 Surfers Paradise 3, 33 Rainbow Bay 2, 34 Bilinga 1, 34 North Kirra 1.
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