A focused and in-form NSW select group of Youth and Open athletes are preparing to defend six years of history on Friday 13 December when the Australian Interstate Ocean Championships descends on Wanda beach as a precursor to a huge weekend of surf sports.
With the Super Surf Teams League and Round 1 and 2 of the Iron Series set to light up the Bate Bay on 14-15 December, the Interstate Championships will set the tone for a bumper 72 hours with many of the state’s best competitors hitting the sand and the surf.
Spurred on by five straight victories in Ocean categories – which excludes further Championship events for Surf Boats and Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRBs) later in the season – the NSW team will be hoping to replicate the feats of previous squads and earn another trophy for the two-blue caps.
Aiding in that quest this year is surf sports legend and current Newport SLSC athlete, Hannah Minogue, who takes over from Nathan Smith as the team Head Coach.
“There have been so many great NSW coaches, and I have been lucky to be able to learn from them over the years,” Hannah said.
“To be able to follow on from one of the best in Smithy, it’s a privilege and an opportunity I’m really looking forward to.”
She says one of the most important jobs on the day for her is to build the chemistry between athletes, because most of the work is already done by the coaches and training programs at their home clubs.
“The NSW team has had great success over the last few years, and this is done by wanting to race for each other and enjoying the experience. If we focus on that, the results will follow,” she said.
“I think at this level all the athletes know what to do, so I am there to support them and create a good team environment.”
While six of the athletes on the 20-person team will be familiar to Hannah, being from her current club on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, she says it’s also going to be a fun experience to work with the athletes from other clubs around NSW, particularly the regions.
This year, beachie, Dylan Kinkade from Forster SLSC on the Lower North Coast and clubmates, Isabella Tate and Jules Loemker – travelling from the Far North Coast where they compete for Cudgen Headland SLSC – will be part of the team in the U17 division.
“It’s the best part about the NSW team, that we have athletes from all over coming together as one,” Hannah said.
2024/25 Interstate Ocean Championships NSW Team
OPEN/U19
Ashton Neill – Mollymook SLSC
Britney Pierce – Wanda SLSC
Bailey Clues – Newport SLSC
Bailey Krstevski – Wanda SLSC
Charlie Verco – Newport SLSC
Emily Rampoldi – North Cronulla SLSC
Jemma Smith – Newport SLSC
Nicholas Middleton – Wanda SLSC
Olivia Clues – Newport SLSC
Sarah Locke – Newport SLSC
U17
Charlotte Bowmer – Wanda SLSC
Christopher Kondilios – South Maroubra SLSC
Dane Sutton – Wanda SLSC
Dylan Kinkade – Forster SLSC
Isabella Tate – Cudgen Headland SLSC
Jules Loemker – Cudgen Headland SLSC
Kaitlin Rees – Swansea Belmont SLSC
Miley Cox – Cooks Hill SLSC
Noah Maggs – Newport SLSC
Phoebe Doran – Swansea Belmont SLSC
Wednesday 11 December 2024