Noosa ladies make themselves heard

Ron Laan

At the recent AGM of the Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving Club, and in front of an attendance of approximately 100 club members, two young ladies made a significant impact. They did this by being elected to the club’s board of directors for a forthcoming two-year term. The ladies and their board positions were: Melisa Pinchbeck, Deputy Chair and Andrea Baker, Director of the JAC (Junior Activities Committee).

This would be the first time that two women have been elected to the board in the club’s 97-year history. As the first women to ever stand for these positions, they were understandably a little hesitant. However, there was no need to be, as the reaction of the voting members to the final tally was incredible. There was no doubt that the first ever appointment of two women was not only accepted, but also loudly celebrated. We wish them every success in the years to come.

Sunshine Beach Surf Lifesaving Club has certainly started on a high note. The good news is that head coach Wes Burg and assistant coach Jay have been given a three-year extension to their contracts as club coaches. This really comes as no surprise as their training programs have been a huge success, definitely one of the best in Australia.

More good news from Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving club. Alyce Wood, (member of Maroochy Surf Club) and daughter of Michelle Burnett, Sunshine’s Lifesaving Club Manager, will represent Australia in the sprint kayak event at the Paris Olympics. We wish the proud mother and daughter all the best.

More important news from the Sunshine Beach Club. It comes nice and early, so you won’t miss it. The registration days for the Sunshine Beach Nippers Club are as follows: August 25, 9:00 to 12:00 at the NAC and August 31, 15:00 also at the NAC. After the excellent success of last season, there has been an expansion in the U14 program with members moving up from the U13. As a result of their last season, an increase in the general membership is definitely on the cards.

Sports world

Boxing

Recently four members of our Impact Boxing club travelled to Ipswich for the Regional Titles. This tournament had around 60 fights on the bill with fighters travelling from all over the state. First in the ring for Impact Boxing we had Theo Rive who won the 57kg division and he was followed by Luke Austin who won the 71kg division. This win was followed by Slade Gray who won the 48kg division. To make it a clean sweep for the Impact club Nicole Kostovski took the title for the 63kg division. “Four wins from four fights saw all the boxers perform exceptionally well, with all team members coming up against top opponents,” said Coach Mark Evans.

Upon returning home, the team had to regroup for another week of preparation before heading to Perth for the Australian Titles. For this Impact were represented by Clara Storch 60kg, Slade Gray 48kg and Tiana Rew 63kg. “Once again we completely wiped out the Impact team,” Evans said, “and won three out of three at the Australian Titles. The three girls were part of a 40-strong Queensland team that we took to Perth.”

The overall team results were excellent. From a team of 40 they returned home with 26 gold medals and 9 silver. Definitely the most successful tournament for a Queensland team. As head coach of the team I was incredibly proud not only of my own athletes but also of the way each member of the team performed. It is a very reassuring sign for us as coaches that we are doing absolutely the right thing at home, the development we put into our athletes and coaches was rewarded with our medal count.” Coach Evans.

Now back home, Team Impact will prepare for a trip to Singapore and then a trip to New Zealand. “To say the gym is absolutely buzzing at the moment is an understatement. All the athletes are working hard to achieve their goals. As a coach,” said Mark Evans, “I couldn’t be prouder than I am right now.”

Weightlifting.

The Oceanic International Invitation in Melbourne, Australia, concluded with performances and exciting announcements that thrilled the weightlifting community. This two-part event was not only a showcase of the sport at the highest level, but also a time of celebration and recognition for athletes who qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris.

The athletes honoured at this ceremony were Eileen Catamaran, Kyle Bruce and Jacquelin Nichele. These athletes demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication and earned their place on the Olympic podium. We from the rapidly growing Noosa weightlifting community extend our best wishes to those chosen to wear our country’s Green and Gold in Paris.

The second part of the event brought together the best weightlifters from the Oceania region. This invitational event featured only the best competitors from their respective weight classes. One of the standout moments of the weekend was the final session featuring some of the Commonwealth and Oceania champions, as well as current Olympians. Among these elite athletes was Taj Marsh from Noosa, who took part in this highly anticipated final session.

This young man expressed his excitement and gratitude to be a part of such a prestigious event saying, “It was the most exciting event I’ve ever been a part of, with a lot of athletes who are guys I’ve looked up to since I broke onto the international stage.” Taj’s performance on the platform was nothing short of spectacular, with him achieving personal bests in both the snatch and the clean and jerk.

In the snatch, Taj lifted 142kg, which was an improvement of 6kg on his previous personal best. In the clean and jerk, he lifted 174kg, which surpassed his previous record by 3kg. All in all, Taj achieved a total personal best of 10kg in the competition, a significant milestone in his weightlifting career. Taj’s impressive lifts have attracted the attention of many Australian selectors and coaches. His progress and potential were evident and there is a strong interest in giving him further opportunities in the future.

Support and encouragement from the Australian Weightlifting Federation and the Oceanic weightlifting organizations have been instrumental in Taj’s development as an athlete. The event would not have been possible without the efforts of the AWF and Oceanic weightlifting associations, and therefore recognition of their efforts should be noted as such. Providing opportunities for our emerging athletes such as Taj Marsh is highly commendable.

As Taj continues to train and compete, his performance at this event will undoubtedly serve as a source of inspiration and motivation. The weightlifting community eagerly awaits his future endeavors and accomplishments. The spirit of weightlifting continues to thrive, thanks to the dedication and passion of these exceptional athletes.

Martial arts

The Australian Federation Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Queensland Championships were held from 13-14 July 2024. The titles were attended by 1513 competitors and 60 participating teams, the event was held at 296 Nerang Broadbeach Rd, Carrara. Our local CAZA BJJ CLUB was represented by a team of 23 competitors.

In what must have been one of the club’s finest performances, the Caza team came home with a total of 24 medals: 13 gold, 4 silver and 7 bronze. In the junior rankings, Caza came 7th, 14 competitors 13 with medals, 9 gold. In the Male No-Gi Ranking, they again came 7th, 7 competitors 4 gold and in the Male Gi Ranking, they came 9th, 5 competitors, 3 gold.

Head coach Professor Yoshi Hasegawa was indeed very pleased with the results. ”These were great results for such a small number of participants: other teams had much larger numbers of participants.” Next week we’ll talk to Professor Hasegawa about the achievements and future of members who are rising through the ranks.

Once again we are achieving excellent results from various sports involving coaches and athletes from our community at both state and national levels. To name a few: Woogie Marsh weightlifting coach, Mark Evans amateur boxing coach and Professor Yoshi Hasegawa Jiu-Jitsu coach. Their success with their athletes has been outstanding