Vikings stay ahead of chasing pack

CURRUMBIN Vikings have underlined their dominance in the junior surf lifesaving ranks by winning the Gold Coast City Carnival at Kirra.

More than 700 competitors took to calm seas at Kirra in the biggest junior carnival outside of state titles.

Currumbin finished with 423 points to beat North Burleigh (281) and Northcliffe (249.5) in the carnival for those from under-11 to under-15. Point Danger branch manager Kerrie Barnes said the two-day meet, the last before nippers broke for Christmas, had gone off without a hitch.

“The conditions were great, we’ve got kids of varying ages and varying skill levels, so it suited everybody,” Barnes said.

“They’ll have a break now, nippers will go into hiatus over Christmas and then they come back in mid-January and go back into competition.”

Competition ramps up next year, with nippers attempting to qualify for branch and state titles, while under-14 and under-15 competitors will also to aim for the youth division of the Aussies.

Among those looking to compete in Perth next April are Currumbin’s Hugh Munro, who won the under-14 ironman and clubmate Beau Meehan, first in the under-15 iron.