With a stacked field and quality competition at every turn, the NSW teams in the national Super Surf Teams League, set down for North Bondi SLSC from 14-16 January, are hungry for victory in 2022.
The Blues comprise 40 athletes in five teams and three rounds of competition kicks off with a bumper three-day schedule in Sydney’s east, with some of the state’s finest competitors hoping to start the new year with a win.
Four male and four female surf athletes will compete in each of the five NSW teams, this year titled the Penguins, Dolphins, Rays, Sharks and Orcas, with each athlete competing in a single discipline – either the swim, board, ski or beach leg. Team captains selected their athletes via a live draft on Facebook in November, hand-picking the teams they hope will carry them to victory.
Testament to the quality of the field on offer, two of those who were originally competing – Britney Pierce of Wanda SLSC and Lily Finati of North Bondi SLSC – subsequently qualified for the Nutri-Grain Iron Series and have since been replaced by Emily Doyle of Newport SLSC and Maisie Miller of Lennox Head-Alstonville SLSC.
Emily will now captain the Dolphins, and both late entries will complete the board leg for their respective teams.
The field is still incredibly strong, headlined by a crop of top tier and upcoming athletes – many of whom will put club allegiances aside to compete. The Morris brothers, Jake and Mitch, will have sibling rivalry on the line when they compete for the Dolphins and Orcas, respectively.
“It’s a fantastic event that brings the athletes from big metro clubs together with those from our more regional clubs, which promotes such great camaraderie and competition,” said Surf Life Saving NSW Director of Surf Sports, Don van Keimpema.
“Any chance to have the state’s best come together, no matter the club they represent, is one we always look forward to and I know I speak for the entire Surf Life Saving NSW community when I say we are all behind these athletes as they push to win it all.”
TEAMS
Penguins
Swim: Nathan Jay (Wanda), Caprice Stokes (North Bondi)
Board: Charlie Verco (North Bondi), Elyssa Pierce (Wanda)
Ski: Nathan Neale (Elouera), Jasmine Locke (Bulli)
Beach: Ashton Neall (Mollymook), Bailee Radford (Newport)
Captain: Nathan Neale
Coach: Tom Simpson (Shelley Beach)
Dolphins
Swim: Noah Steiner (Wanda), Zara Sharman (Bulli) / Anna Wilkinson (North Bondi)
Board: Ryan Green (Terrigal), Ella Garrett (Manly)
Ski: Jake Morris (Newport), Sascha Taurins (Newport)
Beach: Josh Tattam (Cronulla), Lucy Flanagan (North Cronulla)
Coach: Sue McCaughtrie (North Cronulla)
Rays
Swim: Jarrod Poort (North Bondi), Sarah Locke (Bulli)
Board: Saxon Coates (Swansea Belmont), Lani Waller (Cooks Hill)
Ski: Ashby Allen (Swansea Belmont)
Beach: Ace Haslam (Cronulla), Leah Rampoldi (North Cronulla)
Captain: Jarrod Poort
Sharks
Swim: Nick Middleton (Wanda), Emily Maythers (North Cronulla)
Board: Hayden Copping (Swansea Belmont), Georgia Singleton (Manly)
Ski: Bailey Clues (Newport), Taylar Puskaric (Wanda)
Beach: Micheal Kember (Manly), Alex Rampoldi (North Cronulla)
Captain: Alex Rampoldi
Coach: Ryan Cook (Swansea Belmont)
Orcas
Swim: Ned Wieland (North Bondi), Scarlet Cameron (Wanda)
Board: Mitch Morris (Newport), Maisie Miller (Lennox Head-Alstonville)
Ski: Charlie Germane (North Bondi), Piper Harrison (Newport)
Beach: Sasha Popovic (Cronulla), Emelyn Wheeler (Terrigal)
Coach: Ryan Quick
Friday 7 January 2022