KIRSTY STROKED TO BE BACK
A LIFELINE extended from surf lifesaving royalty has helped rising star Kirsty Higgison rediscover her love of the sport.
Higgison finished second to Noosa clubmate Jordan Mercer in a stunning debut season in the Nutri-Grain ironwoman series last summer before succumbing to a bout of pneumonia that knocked both her health and motivation.
Forced to miss the Australian titles, Higgison was battling to regain her health and direction before ironman legend Trevor Hendy, now president of Surfers Paradise, reached out and offered a training stint on the Gold Coast.
The visit provided the 23-yearold such a boost she decided to uproot from the Sunshine Coast and join Surfers where she will not only compete but act as a mentor to the club’s rising female talent.
“After I finished the series I went to state (titles) pretty run down and ended up having pneumonia and had to pull out of our nationals,’’ said Higgison, who will race for Surfers in the opening round of the Summer of Surf competition at Alexandra Headland tomorrow.
“It’s taken me until now to get over it, so I’ve been focusing on my health and trying to get ready for summer and in the process of that I didn’t really have much motivation and direction and was just lying around in bed.’’
Hendy had provided a valuable sounding board for Higgison, who after achieving her lifelong goal of lining up in the Nutri-Grain series and performing so well on debut, was taken aback when people kept asking how she was dealing with the disappointment of losing the championship to Mercer.
And a phone call in August checking in on how she was feeling provided the catalyst for
a move down to the Gold Coast.
“I got a phone call from Trevor Hendy just to say, ‘Hey, what have you been up to, just wanted to see how you’ve been’,’’ Higgison said.
“He said, ‘Why don’t you just come down and come for a paddle with us’ and I thought it was a great opportunity and I came down and loved it.
“I thought, the opportunity has popped up, why not chase it and I’ve got my love back for the sport again. Within two weeks I’d moved down to the Gold Coast.
“It’s probably one of the quickest decisions I’ve made – I’m usually so indecisive. I’ve jumped down here and it’s been unreal.’’
The move had nothing to do with a falling out with the Noosa club or the Mercers though, something Higgison is keen to stress.
“A lot of people have been asking me about Noosa and have I left on bad terms I’m still great friends with them.
“For me, I felt like I needed a change and for me to grow as a person, that was the biggest thing, to move out of home, to grow a bit more and to understand myself a bit better and do all that kind of stuff.’’
Higgison will line up in the ironwoman tomorrow still shy of full fitness after battling another bout of flu recently. But she is excited to be racing in her new club’s colours in a bid to be ready to go for the Nutri-Grain series at Cronulla in February.
“I’ve got a bit of time to get myself back into the groove and train hard,’’ Higgison said.
“I’ll use these Summer of Surfs as stepping stones to move up to the series – still put my best foot forward and race – but just get back in under a new club cap and get the feel for it again.
“I haven’t raced for so long, so this weekend will just be a good hitout to see where I’m at and what I need to work on and improve on before I go into the series.’’